Planner insert sizes: the complete guide for Etsy sellers

Planner insert sizes: the complete guide for Etsy sellers

Planner insert sizes: the complete guide for Etsy sellers

Decorative editorial watercolor title card illustration

Produce five files and you’ll cover almost every buyer: A4 (2480×3508 px), A5 (1748×2480 px), US Letter (2550×3300 px), Half-Letter (1275×1650 px), and an iPad-optimised canvas at 2048×2732 px — all at 300 DPI. Export each as a high-quality PDF, keep cover and interior pages at identical dimensions within each variant, and bundle everything into one ZIP. That’s the core formula for planner insert sizes that sell.

Quick cheat sheet:

  • A4: 210×297 mm / 2480×3508 px @300 DPI
  • A5: 148×210 mm / 1748×2480 px @300 DPI
  • US Letter: 215.9×279.4 mm / 2550×3300 px @300 DPI
  • Half-Letter: 139.7×215.9 mm / 1275×1650 px @300 DPI
  • iPad Pro 12.9" optimised: 2732×2048 px (landscape) or 2048×2732 px (portrait)
  • Export format: PDF (high quality, no compression)
  • Colour profile: RGB for digital; request CMYK proof for print

Key takeaways

Produce A4, A5, US Letter, Half-Letter, and an iPad-optimised PDF at 300 DPI, export as high-quality interactive PDFs, test navigation in GoodNotes before listing, and bundle everything with clear buyer instructions and mockups.

Point Details
Five core sizes Produce A4, A5, US Letter, Half-Letter, and an iPad-optimised file for every listing.
300 DPI for print Set all printable canvases to 300 DPI; 150–200 DPI is acceptable for digital-only files.
Consistent page dimensions Cover and interior pages must share identical pixel dimensions within each PDF variant.
Test before listing Open every PDF in GoodNotes and Notability on a real iPad and tap every hyperlink.
Advanced planner designer Use APD’s size presets, export bundles, and mockup generator to skip manual setup entirely.

Key takeaways — overview diagram

Table of Contents

Exact page dimensions to set your canvas correctly

Getting your canvas wrong from the start costs you hours of rework. Use this table as your studio reference.

300 DPI is the safe default for anything printable. At that resolution, text stays crisp at A4 and smaller, and buyers can print at home without pixelation. For digital-only files intended purely for iPad use, 150–200 DPI is acceptable and keeps file sizes manageable — but never label a 150 DPI file as “printable” in your listing.

One rule that trips up a lot of creators: your cover page and every interior page must share the same pixel dimensions within a given variant. An A4 cover paired with A5 interiors creates jarring transitions in GoodNotes and confuses buyers who try to print.

Pro Tip: Design your A4 master first. It’s the largest standard paper size, so scaling down to A5 or Half-Letter preserves quality. Scaling up from A5 to A4 risks blurry text and stretched layouts.

Export settings, colour profiles, bleed and margins

File types

  • PDF: use for all GoodNotes/Notability planners and printable bundles. Export as “PDF (high quality)” or “Press Quality” in your design app.
  • PNG: use for individual sticker sheets, cover previews, and mockup source files.
  • JPG: acceptable for flat preview images only — never for interactive or printable planner pages.

Colour profiles

Design in RGB for digital planners. GoodNotes, Notability, and Etsy preview images all render in RGB, so your colours display as intended. For printable files, Australian printers will often accept an RGB PDF and convert it in their workflow — but always request a CMYK proof before a large print run to confirm colour accuracy.

Bleed and safe margins

Element Print (with bleed) Digital/GoodNotes
Bleed 3 mm all sides None needed
Safe area (margins) 5 mm inside trim 10–15 px from edge
Crop marks Include for print PDFs Exclude for GoodNotes

Keep all text and key design elements at least 5 mm inside the trim line for print. For GoodNotes exports, strip crop marks entirely — they appear as visible lines inside the app.

File size and compression

Target under 15 MB per PDF for a smooth Etsy download and fast loading on iPads. Flatten transparency layers before export, downsample embedded images to 150 DPI within the PDF (while keeping the page canvas at 300 DPI), and avoid embedding unused fonts. Most design apps let you set image downsampling in the PDF export dialogue.

Pro Tip: Run your finished PDF through Adobe Acrobat’s “Reduce File Size” or Smallpdf before uploading. A 40 MB file that could be 12 MB will frustrate buyers on slower connections.

GoodNotes and Notability: what to export and how to test it

GoodNotes displays PDFs at their native aspect ratio. If your file is A5 (1748×2480 px) on an iPad Pro 12.9", you’ll see small white side margins. That’s normal and most buyers accept it. For buyers who want zero margins, include a separate device-matched file — 1668×2224 px for iPad Air/mini, 2732×2048 px for iPad Pro 12.9" landscape.

How hyperlinks behave

Hyperlinks embedded in PDF survive export from most design apps, but only if you export as an interactive PDF (not flattened). In GoodNotes, tapping a hyperlink navigates to the linked page. In Notability, internal PDF links also work, though the behaviour can vary by app version. Always test navigation before listing.

Pre-listing test checklist

  1. Open the PDF in GoodNotes on a real iPad (not just a desktop preview).
  2. Tap every navigation hyperlink and confirm it lands on the correct page.
  3. Check page order matches your intended sequence.
  4. Verify margins look acceptable — no content clipped at edges.
  5. Add a handwriting stroke on one page to confirm the writing layer sits above your design.
  6. Repeat steps 1–5 in Notability.

Pro Tip: Keep a cheap older iPad model for testing. Buyers aren’t always on the latest hardware, and a layout that looks fine on an iPad Pro can clip on an older iPad mini.

How to adapt one master design into multiple sizes efficiently

Rebuilding every size from scratch wastes hours. The smarter approach: design one master at A4, then adapt down.

  1. Set up your A4 master with all pages, hyperlinks, and design elements finalised.
  2. Duplicate the artboard (or document) for each target size: A5, US Letter, Half-Letter, iPad.
  3. Scale the artboard to the new dimensions. In Canva, use “Resize”; in Affinity Publisher, adjust the document setup. Most layout elements scale proportionally.
  4. Check text reflow. Body text often needs manual adjustment after scaling — line breaks shift and font sizes may need a 1–2 pt nudge.
  5. Rebuild complex layouts. Dashboards, habit trackers, and multi-column spreads rarely scale cleanly. Rebuild those pages individually rather than accepting a stretched result.
  6. Export each size as its own PDF stack — one PDF per size variant, all pages included.

For the iPad file, create a separate zero-margin document at your target device resolution (2048×2732 px for portrait iPad Pro). Don’t scale the A4 master to this — the aspect ratio differs enough that margins will appear. Build it as a clean duplicate with backgrounds extended to the edge.

Pro Tip: Name each artboard with its size during design (e.g. “Weekly-A4”, “Weekly-Letter”). It prevents export mix-ups when you’re juggling six variants at midnight.

What to include in your Etsy ZIP for a listing-ready bundle

A well-structured ZIP reduces support messages and lifts conversions. Offering both US Letter and A4 in the same listing covers the vast majority of international and North American buyers.

Files to include

  1. A4_PlannerName_Interior.pdf
  2. A5_PlannerName_Interior.pdf
  3. USLetter_PlannerName_Interior.pdf
  4. HalfLetter_PlannerName_Interior.pdf
  5. iPad_PlannerName_Optimised.pdf
  6. Preview_PlannerName_Mockup.png (Etsy thumbnail, 2000×2000 px minimum)
  7. Instructions_PlannerName.pdf (import steps, compatible apps, licence summary)

Naming conventions and folder structure

Use underscores, not spaces. Keep names under 40 characters. Group files in subfolders: /Print, /Digital, /Mockups, /Instructions. A buyer who downloads your ZIP should know exactly which file to open without reading a manual.

Mockup sizing for Etsy previews

Etsy displays listing images at a 2000×2000 px square. Use device mockups (iPad flat-lay, desk scene) sized at 2000×2000 px or 2000×1500 px for landscape previews. Show each size variant in at least one image so buyers understand what they’re getting. APD’s mockup generator produces listing-ready previews at the correct dimensions without needing a separate design tool.

Listing copy checklist

  • State compatible apps: GoodNotes 5/6, Notability, PDF annotation apps.
  • Include import instructions (one sentence: “Download, unzip, open GoodNotes, tap the ‘+’ icon, select ‘Import’”).
  • Add a licence summary: personal use only, no resale of files, no redistribution.

Pro Tip: Include a one-page “Start Here” PDF at the top of the ZIP. Buyers who skip the instructions will open this first if it’s named 00_StartHere.pdf.

Testing and optimising for Australian sellers and printers

Print proof checklist

  1. Send a single test page to an Australian print partner (Officeworks, Snap Printing, or a local trade printer).
  2. Confirm the colour profile — ask whether they accept RGB or require CMYK, and request a digital proof before printing a full batch.
  3. Check paper stock: 80 gsm is standard for home printing; 100–120 gsm suits premium inserts.
  4. Print at 100% / Actual Size — never “fit to page,” which rescales dimensions and misaligns layouts. Testing a single page first before committing to a full batch saves paper and ink.

Device testing

  • iPad Pro 12.9" (2732×2048 px)
  • iPad Air 5th gen (2360×1640 px)
  • iPad mini 6th gen (2266×1488 px)
  • iPhone (for buyers who use GoodNotes on phone — check portrait orientation)

Download optimisation

Etsy has a 20 MB file size limit per file. Keep each PDF under 15 MB to leave headroom. Australian broadband is reliable in metro areas but variable regionally — a leaner file means faster downloads for all buyers.

Pro Tip: Include a short printable import guide (one A5 page) in your ZIP specifically mentioning GoodNotes and Notability by name. Australian buyers often search for app-specific instructions, and this reduces “how do I open this?” messages.

Common mistakes and how to fix them fast

  • Mixed page sizes in one PDF. Fix: open in Affinity Publisher or Adobe Acrobat, check page properties, and standardise all pages to the same dimensions before re-exporting.
  • Wrong DPI (72 or 96 instead of 300). Fix: re-export from your design app at 300 DPI. You can’t upscale a 72 DPI file — you must re-export from the source.
  • Missing margins. Fix: add a 5 mm safe area inside the trim on all sides and re-export. Text sitting at the edge clips when printed.
  • Incorrect file names with spaces or special characters. Fix: rename using underscores only (e.g. A4_WeeklyPlanner_v2.pdf). Spaces cause download errors on some devices.
  • ZIP over 20 MB. Fix: compress images within PDFs, split into two ZIPs (Print and Digital), and list both as separate files in the same Etsy listing.
  • Broken hyperlinks in GoodNotes. Fix: confirm you exported as an interactive PDF, not a flattened one. Re-export with “Include Hyperlinks” enabled in your app’s PDF settings.

Troubleshooting layout shifts in GoodNotes/Notability

If pages appear offset or content shifts when scrolling, the cause is almost always inconsistent page dimensions within the PDF. Open the file in Acrobat, go to File > Properties > Description and check that every page reports the same width and height. Re-export the affected pages and merge them back into the PDF using Acrobat or PDF Squeezer.

Why presets changed everything for our creators

Getting planner insert sizes right used to mean hours of research, trial prints, and app testing before a single listing went live. I built the size presets inside Advanced planner designer specifically to remove that friction. Every canvas — A4, A5, US Letter, Half-Letter, and iPad-optimised — is pre-configured with the correct pixel dimensions, margins, and export settings so you’re not guessing.

Advanced planner designer has supported over 10,000 creators and generated more than 1,000,000 products. The pattern I see consistently: creators who use APD’s presets and export bundles get to a live listing far faster than those stitching together separate design tools, export apps, and mockup generators. The bundles include matching covers, interior pages, stickers, and mockups — all sized consistently, all ready to ZIP and upload.

If you want to skip the manual setup entirely, the next step is straightforward: load a preset, generate your planner, and export a listing-ready bundle in minutes.

Why presets changed everything for our creators — overview diagram

Advanced planner designer gets you from canvas to live listing faster

Sizing five variants, exporting clean PDFs, generating mockups, and writing listing copy used to take a full day. Advanced planner designer compresses that into minutes.

Advanced planner designer

The AI planner generator ships with ready presets for A4, A5, US Letter, Half-Letter, and iPad-optimised canvases. Export bundles package every size into one download-ready ZIP. The mockup generator produces Etsy-sized preview images without a separate tool. Matching covers, hyperlink support, stickers, and listing descriptions are included in every kit.

More than 10,000 creators have used APD to produce over 1,000,000 products. You can make your planner sellable today — pick a preset, generate your bundle, and list it.

Useful resources to keep handy

  • Digital planner sizes at 300 DPI — pixel dimensions for A4, A5, Letter, Half-Letter and iPad-optimised files.
  • Sizing a digital planner in Affinity Publisher — export settings and DPI guidance for print and digital.
  • Selling GoodNotes templates on Etsy — listing structure, compatible app notes, and multi-size bundles.
  • APD planner mockup guide — how to create listing preview images sized correctly for Etsy.
  • APD creator blog — walkthroughs and examples for building listing-ready planner kits.
  • Budget planner layout ideas — practical examples of planner content types you can adapt for your own inserts.

Sources

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