Creator Feedback for Holiday Guide, 2022.

[James]

Hi Creatos, 

Please feel free to share your thoughts on our Creator Holiday guide. We sure would appreciate it!

Check it out, here!

[Jaanikka]

Thanks a lot for so helpful Holiday guide! What about making this a tradition? I mean monthly edition of such a guide for creators, highlighting other popular products also (i.e. home decor items, office supplies and so on)

[Doodles]

Thanks this is awesome! Lots of great advice!

[James]

Awesome idea, @Jaanikka! Happy to take this into consideration! 

[Connie]

This is extremely helpful. Perhaps next year you could publish it a month earlier, so we have more time to prepare? I already have most of my Christmas designs done, and now I have to scramble to get more to fit in with these trends. (And to make collections with 30 or more products!)

Question about the collections for submission: Does gift wrap count for gifts and decor, or only the actual gifts? i assume photo Christmas ornaments are considered gifts?

[Cat]

I have a question. On several of the items (mugs, ornaments, etc) it suggests using the words "custom" or "personalized" in the keywords. But a while back we were specifically told that we should NEVER use those words as keywords. I was always unclear as to whether there was a penalty for using those words, or if it was just seen as redundant/wasting a keyword because Zazzle already had those words covered. Anyhow, the suggestion to use them leaves me confused and I'd be grateful if someone could clarify. Thanks!

[lewister]

Those are the keywords people are using in a search engine to get to Zazzle. Not ones they're suggesting we add to our products. They're to give you an idea of what people are looking for so you can consider creating something in response.

Like political wrapping paper. Not something I would have considered but if that's what people are looking for, I'm going to start thinking about it.

[SuzyLeeLo]

I am confused about what it means when submitting a collection for consideration where it says " Note:  All products in collection should be in the same design theme.   Submit another response if you have a collection using another theme."

I just submitted my second collection for consideration. This creator guide was SOOOO helpful in getting a better understanding of how to set up my shop to be more appealing. And easier to find. Thank you so much!

I also agree it would be lovely to get this on a more regular basis throughout the year. 🙂 

[Connie]

Yes, that is confusing. In the Guide, it says they want a variety of designs in one collection. I think I'll only get one collection submitted, because I don't have any more in their two categories that have at least 30 products. I have 4 or 5 more products to add to that one, since they say you can't add any more after you submit it.

[SuzyLeeLo]

I want to know if we can change our cover photo for the collection after it has been submitted. 🙂 @James is there an answer to this question? 

The 2 collections I submitted that I would love to update the cover art for.

[Connie]

I'd like to know if we can change or add cover photos to the products in the collection, after submitting the collection.

[emmasuebowtique]

No you can't. It states this information on the form when you go to submit the information.

[James]

Hi @SuzyLeeLo  and @Connie , 

Yes, you can update the Collection Cover Photo and/or the Product Cover photo after submission. 

[VivianD117]

Working on the collections idea -- very inspiring thank you -- hoping that the collection can really be gifts (of one theme BUT more than one design) that don't have to look like Christmas gifts -- but rather a gift you would give at Christmas that the recipient could use all year long.  That is my interpretation and hope it is correct.

[JohnnyDomingo]

Lots of useful information. Thank you!

Question about #zazzlemade: Most of my social sharing is on Pinterest, where hashtags no longer work. So I assume it's useless to add that hashtag on Pinterest. Is that right? Is there any way to connect with Zazzle on Pinterest?

Thanks again. Happy holidays!

[SandyMDesigns]

I do wish this guide came out earlier. A lot of useful information in it.

[Getzaz]

Hello, Zazzle Team! ...and a big THANK YOU! Very useful info! 🤗😍

[MMAndersonArt]

A question about this: "Need product edit access? Email us at team.designer@zazzle.com ." Does that mean I can email for the ability to finally be able to edit my products as some others have been able to do for weeks? I would really love to be able to edit some of my older designs. It's probably too late to do any good for this shopping season because I'm a bit busy right now to get much accomplished but I really would like that ability.

[James]

Hi @MMAndersonArt , 

Right now, we're super busy and might potentially be pausing the Product edit/replace feature for the Holiday Season to prioritize order reviews. Please contact team.designer@zazzle.com in the New Year and we will be happy to access your request! 

Thank you. 

[Jacklinart]

Thanks it's useful

[nyclosangeles]

Very Nice! Incredible Job!
I'm actually Impressed.  This is excellent quality.  
This may be a question for the Zazzle creators, but just being vulnerable here, I'd LOVE to create some cute Christmas wrapping paper in long, seamless patterns, but have made multiple, attempts in the 'SEAM VIEW" to truly succeed in creating a seamless, ongoing pattern that flows.
Could someone please help walk me through on how to do this...I'd be so grateful...and I'll even post some examples here...😁

In The FIRST example in this cute design all looks well until you click on 'SEAM" view, not the SEAM is the whole point of designing a truly SEAMLESS pattern that does not lap over or have breaks..

The second example is PERFECT! No overlaps, just a perfect seamless pattern. I've looked at many designs that are AMAZING but may never sell because it's not a CONTINUAL design...
Please could someone kindly explain to me how to truly create SEAMLESS patterns, and I'm also including Zazzle team design tool creators to pipe in, this will INCREASE ALL SALES so I do think it's worth CORRECTING and getting RIGHT

[nyclosangeles]

So, imagine you're so EXCITED to order your cute little Christmas gift wrapping paper this Holiday season, and as in the first example you're like, "Oh no", I didn't see the break in the pattern when I ordered it, and it's going to someone very important, and you don't want to wrap your gift ..please corporate Zazzle, teach us so we can make good products for you and become the BEST Zazzle face creation team ever!!!

I'm really appealing to this need everyone because I've been stumped on this for too long.
I'm sure this will help MANY!!!

[nyclosangeles]

@James 
Would it be possible to redirect me to someone who can assist me with the issue of how to create a seamless pattern please, again, great job on the project and would be happy to be a part of this Christmas Collection but need assistance in creating really awesome gift wrap with NO SEAMS!

[SuzyLeeLo]

Do you have your design placement set to tile?

[emmasuebowtique]

I came across this problem as well. In order to fix it, you need to make sure that the pattern seamlessly flows together from left to right. Where the pattern ends on the left and where the pattern ends on the right, if you were to duplicate the pattern and place it side by side, does it match up with each other?  If not and the pattern is cut off, then it will do this. 

[Connie]

This is an off-topic question, so you would probably get more help if you post a whole new thread asking about this.

[JB]

You can't make an image that isn't seamless become magically seamless in Zazzle (exception for items with a lot of "white space" around the core images, then those could "become" seamless because there is enough of a solid space or white space or transparent space to butt against itself to make it seamless.

However if you  have an image that is a pattern that needs to line up with other objects in the pattern seamlessly, you HAVE to make it seamless in another design program outside of Zazzle then upload it. You can google tutorials on youtube on how to create seamless patterns in any of the design programs you use (Adobe, etc) but all Zazzle does by tiling feature is repeat the tile over and over again.  You have to give it an actual seamless tile to repeat, and that has to be done outside of Zazzle first.

[nyclosangeles]

I've tried the tile method and there still appears to be a seam.
I'm open for any and all suggestions, including screen shots, and thank 
you for your time & suggestions @SuzyLeeLo . Someone said that you must use a 36x30 tile to import, others suggested to use a fourth of the size in pixels, and create the design in Canva on a 4 quad grid to test the pattern out before uploading it to Z. I've tried all of these things...

[lewister]

In the horizontal view, set your image to tile using basic instead of centered. Then use the size area to set the width of the image to a divisor of 36. So 3, 6, 9, 12 or 1, 1.5., 2, 4. That will fix the seam issue.

[Cat]

Is the image you're tiling designed so that it is seamless? Zazzle's design tool won't make something into a seamless pattern - you have to use some other piece of software to create a seamless image before uploading it. 

[nyclosangeles]

So, I guess we need to just ask the basic questions.
How big of a tile to import into Zazzle design tool?
Does the tile need to be square? If so, what size?
When creating a seamless pattern even in photoshop via the new 
"pattern view" does the tile need to be 36x30?

[MMAndersonArt]

I have made a template for wrapping paper with a square image that I then tiled. My square is just a placeholder for me to replace with another seamless square image when I add a design. The square has markings that let me line it up as best it can be done when tiled with the Zazzle design tool. I use it for other products as well.  You could do the same thing.

[Connie]

The tile does not need to be square. I usually do make square tiles, with the original tile size of 3600x3600, which works out to 12" x12" at 300 ppi. But in Zazzle, I set the tile size to be 18" x 18", which is the only size that I've found that is actually seamless. Theoretically, any multiple of 36 should be seamless, but 12" doesn't always work. (Plus it's usually too small.) I haven't tried other sizes like 3, 6, or 9.

[nyclosangeles]

@Cat  @lewister  @MMAndersonArt  @SuzyLeeLo 🤗
Thanks for all of these beautiful suggestions, I will try soon and post the results. 
Thanks again! Best To All!!!

[Bliss]

Great information! Love to see "wedding guide" also 👰

[Cat]

They usually do the wedding guide near the beginning of the year. Here's the link to the 2022 version:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uX5qqRyCpaBnoO4DhJU_Q2UT7jp_2pYdas-HhKU2kSc/edit#slide=id.gd...

[De]

I believe I downloaded it, but accidentally deleted it.  Now I cannot download it.  Can anyone post a link here?

[PaulaMcgee]

Great idea. I Believe it will be quite popular

[Shakenbake]

My greatest suggestion is that these kind of guides should come out a few months before the season begins, not during the season. This should be presented to creators in July or August to best prepare. So if there is a guide for spring (like for grad season, or summer season, or wedding season, etc) then that guide should be coming out in like February at the latest.