How to Design Your Own Custom Desk Mat (Photo, Art or Logo)

A custom desk mat turns a photo, a piece of art or your company logo into something you use every day. Getting a great result is mostly about preparing the right image. Here’s how to plan a design that prints sharp and looks right on a long, narrow mat.

Step 1: Choose your size first

Desk mats are wide and short, so decide the size before you pick an image. It tells you the shape to design for:

Our size guide and keyboard size guide help if you’re unsure.

Step 2: Pick an image that suits a wide format

• Landscapes, skylines and panoramas work beautifully because they’re already wide.
• Group photos work if people are spread across the frame, not stacked vertically.
• Portrait (tall) photos will be cropped heavily. Place them to one side and fill the rest with a colour or pattern instead.
• Logos look best on a clean background colour, placed off-centre so your keyboard doesn’t cover them.

Step 3: Think about what will cover the mat

Your keyboard sits roughly in the centre-left and your mouse on the right. Keep faces, text and logos away from the centre, or they’ll disappear under your keyboard. Many people put the main subject on the far left or right, where it stays visible.

Step 4: Leave a safe margin at the edges

The stitched border covers a thin strip around the mat. Keep important details about 2 cm inside every edge, and let backgrounds run all the way to the edge so there’s no white border.

Step 5: Send the highest-quality file you have

• Send the original file (JPG, PNG or PDF), not a screenshot.
• Photos sent through WhatsApp or social media get compressed. Share them as a document to keep full quality.
• Phone photos from the last few years are usually fine for M and L. For XL and XXL, the higher the resolution, the better.
• For logos, a PDF, SVG or large PNG gives the crispest edges.

Step 6: Check the colours

Screens glow and prints don’t, so very dark images can look darker on fabric. If your photo is dim, brighten it slightly before sending. Bright, well-lit images print best.

Step 7: Approve your preview

We place your image on the mat and send you a preview before anything is printed, so you can check the position and cropping. Once you approve it and pay online, your mat is printed in 7–10 days and then delivered across India.

Ideas to get you started

• A favourite travel photo or the view from your hometown
• Your pet, your family or your team
• Your own illustration, digital art or game artwork you have made
• Your company logo for office desks, onboarding kits or client gifts

Please use images you own or have permission to use. We can’t print copyrighted characters or other brands’ logos.

Ready? See pricing and send your image on our custom desk mats page. For gifting ideas, read our desk mat gift guide.

Not ready to design your own?

If you would rather start from an existing design, these are popular choices: Koi Pond, Chill Panda, Little Astronauts, Dragon Balance, Krishna Pattachitra and Crimson Ronin. You can also see the custom desk mat page for sizes and steps.

Also read: Big Desk Mat Size Guide: XL vs XXL and Desk Mat for Laptop: Which Size Fits?.

Related guides:

• Personalised desk mat: photo, name or logo, with ideas and how to order

• Branded desk mats for employees and clients: a buyer’s guide