How to Nest for Less™

How to Make Your Own Chalkboard Printables

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If you’ve been browsing through the internet or Pinterest the past couple of months like I have, you’ve probably noticed the overwhelming number of Chalkboard Printables that have taken over. Seriously adorable, right? Well now I’m going to show you how you can make one for yourself! Keep reading to find out how!

how to make chalkboard printables

How to Make Chalkboard Printables

To begin, you will need some type of graphic computer software such as Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. If you don’t have one of those available to you, check out PicMonkey.com (although you’ll have limited fonts to work with).

Chalkboard background

Chalkboard Fonts

OK, to start off here’s a FREE black chalkboard background just for you! Yep, just save this background to your desktop to use as the base for all of your chalkboard art. It is sized to 8×10 inches, the perfect size to print on normal computer paper and fit into an 8×10 inch standard sized frame.

Next, download some cool fonts to use from Dafont.com. Some of my absolute favorites are these:

chalk board fontsAnd you can just type away right on top of the chalk board background in Photoshop (or any image editing program) with your new fonts! You can switch around your fonts’ types and sizes to get a really cool and fun effect. Also add some Dingbats, dotted and straight lines to add a little pizzazz to your design. I love messing around with this stuff until I get the look I want.

And just for fun I created two chalkboard style free printables that you can download right here!

art is plagairism printableAll you have to do is right click on the image and save it to your desktop. Once that’s done, open the file from there to print. Print on normal printer paper, then trim out and fit in an 8×10 inch frame.

fashion fades YSL printable

You will love creating these fun chalkboard printables for every occasion.
HOPE YOU ENJOY!

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Comments

    • Stephanie says

      Hi, I downloaded the chalkboard background and a font, but how do I type on the background since it saves it like a picture? Do I put it into Word? Love this idea!! Thanks!!

  2. Allison @ The Golden Sycamore says

    Ah! Thank you so much for this awesome tutorial and for the resources! I’m totally pinning this so I can try it out later!
    Allison

    • Vicki Mansfield says

      These are all so adorable. Can use for wedding upcoming. QUESTION…..How do you print white ink? I have never figured that out…..

      • howtonestforless says

        You can’t print white ink. You need to design with white text on the background, then print the entire image. Hope that helps!

      • Anna Kinsey says

        I am having trouble knowing how to change the graphic image from Black to white in Photoshop elements. I know this is Soooo simple but cannot figure it out!!

      • howtonestforless says

        You want to Invert. On a mac it’s Apple I. On a PC I think it’s Control I.

  3. Debbie says

    I downloaded these backgrounds when I saw them too! Now I know what to do with them 😉

  4. kp says

    these typefaces are amazing. I’ve been searching for the fonts with the right feel for a project like this – thank you for sharing!

  5. Jill Wilhelm says

    Thanks for sharing Erin! I love these…I made one for my daughter to give to her teacher for Christmas and she loved it!

  6. Deana says

    Thanks….pinning this…..visiting you via TT&J party
    Deana from CountryMommaCooks

  7. Jeanie says

    I’ve been wanting to make my own chalkboard printables and now I know how! Thanks for sharing!

  9. Dana {bloom.and.inspire} says

    This is incredibly useful. Thank you so much for sharing. I can’t wait to stop pinning other people’s cool chalkboard slogans and start making my own. Keep up the great work!

  10. Diana Miller says

    Thanks so much for the background and the font recommendations. 🙂 Have a great day!! XO

  11. Liaa says

    thanks for this! this is really cool! been searching for something like this.

  12. Edy says

    Thank you! This is a great tutorial! 🙂

  13. dewdropgardens says

    Very cool!! Thanks so much for sharing!
    I saw you sharing with Transformation Thursday
    Debbie 🙂

  16. eskibs says

    I am loving this tutorial! Thank you so so much for sharing this. I cannot wait to make some cute things for my kids rooms!

  18. Grace @ sense and simplicity says

    Thanks so much for the chalkboard background to save. I’ve been dying to make my own, but didn’t know where to get a background like that. By the way, is there a trick to using fonts that you download. I don’t have Photoshop so I just use Picmonkey and I”m not sure if you can use them on there or not? Any advice? Thanks again.

  19. Junque says

    Thanks so much for the background and the links, etc. I simply used MS Word and used the background as a picture, then changed the font color and made the background of the text boxes transparent… Easy Peasy!

  21. Cherry says

    I love this post!! Thank you for the freebie paper and for the font names 🙂

  23. Penny Duncan says

    Absolutely FANTASTIC….Thank you so much for sharing this!!!!

  24. Daisy Arambula says

    This is awesome. Thanks for the tutorial. What fonts did you use for your printables?

  25. Leigh says

    Where did you find the pretty borders in Photoshop?!

  26. Jenn P says

    What font did you use for “is eternal”?

  28. Amanda says

    Love this whole tutorial! I’m trying to find the border you used on the last image. There are tons on bigstockphoto.com. Do you recall the name of the file? thanks!!!

    • howtonestforless says

      Actually, I got that one from Shutterstock a couple years ago. Item #21495817, but they no longer offer it on their site. Sorry!

  29. NadyaR says

    Thanks for sharing!

  31. Lisa says

    Love! However, I’m having a hard time adding the fun borders, dingbats etc. in my adobe photoshop elements program. Does anyone know how to do that? Thanks!

  33. Brenda says

    Hi there! Thank you so very much for sharing your directions on making a chalkboard printable and especially the chalkboard background! I just started a little blog (really only family reading it so far) . I’m trying to understand all the do’s and don’ts of blogging. If I create my own chalkboard printable using your background, may I post it on my blog?. I will most definitely link to your site and give you the credit for the directions and background (and the inspiration).

    • howtonestforless says

      Yep, you can post it on your blog free to your readers (or family members) to download! I’d just like a link in return as mentioned. Can’t wait to see it!!

      • Brenda says

        Oh, thank you so much!

  34. Cristina Martins says

    That’s awesome! Thank you!

  35. Kathryn Cooke says

    Thank you SOOOO much!!!! I absolutely LOVE this! I have an engagement photo session soon and I am hoping to be able to use it! 🙂

  36. Amberpony says

    Thanks for the ideas. Changing the opacity will give it more of a Chalk like effect.

    • howtonestforless says

      I also like changing the layer effect. Multiply or Screen work perfectly!

  37. jenmuddybootdreams says

    Thanks so much for sharing, and such a easy peasy tutorial to follow, I love those kind.

    I can’t wait to create something in Picasa with this…just wondering if anyone else is ever having problems with not all the letters showing up after they are downloaded. T’s and M’s are missing…I’ve googled until my head hurts, can’t find a solution.

    Jen

    • howtonestforless says

      Oh no! Not quite sure why the T & M aren’t showing up. Maybe remove the font and try to re-install?

  38. Jeanine says

    Thank you for the chalkboard background! This is wonderful! I will be using this for my daughter’s high school graduation party!

  39. sewin2disney says

    I love it! Thank you for the free download! I think I’m going to pay it forward by creating something with it and listing it as a free download on my site.
    Thanks again! I’ll be sure to link back to you!

  40. Heather says

    Oh!! Thank you! I’ve been looking for how to do this!

  42. Eve says

    Very generous! Especially the links to free fonts…I usually stay up all night choosing them.

  43. Rachel Honour says

    Thank you for this. I’ve managed to download the fonts and can see them in Word – I’ve got the blackboard background too. However when I get picmonkey up I can’t see the downloaded fonts. What am I doing there. I’m nearly there, got the background and the fonts just can’t put them together! HELP!

  44. kellyqute says

    Thank you for this! I’ve been playing around with it all day – what a great tutorial! I’m dying to know though – what font family are the dingbats on the sides of “How to” in the post title image from? I think I’ve found every other font you used but that one, and those ornaments are too adorable. Thanks!

    • howtonestforless says

      I think those little ornamental dingbats are actually clip art. I downloaded some different little swirls from Big Stock Photo online. Just do a search for like “black swirls”. Hope that helps!

  45. Rhonda says

    I love all Subway Art, but hate using all of the ink to print the backgrounds. I generally try to find scrapbook paper that is not too busy, in this case plain, create my text and print directly on the paper.

  46. Jessica says

    Thank you for providing this info. Btw, were did you get the scrolls from?

    • howtonestforless says

      You’re welcome Jessica! I got the scrolls from BigStockPhoto. It’s an online source where you can download images for a small fee. Definitely worth it if you plan on making a lot of these!

      • Elena says

        Anyway you could post a link? I searched for black swirls, etc. and can’t find them for the life of me! 😉

  47. Joelle says

    Hey.. thanks for posting this!! I have 5 kids and LOVE this idea, but CANNOT PAY for 5 printables!! I do have CS5… suggestions on where to purchase a larger chalkboard template? Thanks so much!

  48. Julie says

    Hi Erin! Love your website and thanks for posting this. I have been searching for the specific dingbat font you used in the “How to make your own chalkboard printable” (specifically the dingbats that surround “How to”). Please share if its not too much trouble. Thank you!!

    • howtonestforless says

      Thanks Julie! They’re actually not dingbats. The little florals are actually images that I purchased from BigStockPhoto.com. I bought a whole set of black florals from there. Hope that helps!

      • Julie says

        Aha! Yes, very helpful. Thank you so much for the fast reply!

  49. emuchik says

    Thanks so posting can’t wait to try some for my daughters rustic beach wedding. Wonder if there is paper avail that looks like chalk board so I don’t use up a bunch of black ink?

    • howtonestforless says

      The only problem is that you can’t really print white ink for the chalk effect.

    • Jenn says

      Why don’t you just save the image and then print it up at Walmart or somewhere that has a photo print station? Do you know where I can find a bigger formatted chalkboard background? I’m on my phone right now. But if I wasn’t I could promise you I would be up 3 days straight playing with these amazing new tricks!!! Outstanding job!!!

  51. Patty says

    Thank you so much for your chalkboard background download and your font suggestions. I just made a “chalkboard” for my parents 50th anniversary. Your help made it fun rather than frustrating. Have a pleasant day! Patty

  52. Audrey says

    Do you have any suggestions if we would like a bigger chalkboard size? If I were to use photoshop would I be able to save it as a bigger size?

    • howtonestforless says

      You should be able to make it 24 x 30 inches without too much pixelation when printed! You can always just create it 8×10 inches and tell your printer to print it 300% as well (or whatever size you need).

  53. Rebecca Hughes says

    Does anybody know how to write in white using the windows paint? It’s only letting me write black!! Which doesn’t show up against the Chalkboard 🙁 xxx

  54. Cecilia says

    Thank you so much for the background and the link to the fonts. I found you through a quick search on Pinterest (what a lovely thing that is!). I’m planning on using them to create our Christmas cards this year 🙂

  55. regina says

    love this! thank you so much! how did you make de border of the second card? because it has something much more complicated than just dotted lines haha, thank you so much!

    • howtonestforless says

      I found the other border online. You can find great little things to add by purchasing images from BigStockPhoto.com!

  56. Kaho says

    Thank you for this post! The instruction was easy to follow. Your blog is beautiful!!

  57. Luca says

    Thank you so much very inspiring !

  58. sharonna misha says

    perfect- thanks ☺

  59. Nancy Lunsford says

    How do you print it out though? Do you use white ink on black paper?

    • howtonestforless says

      No, it prints all of the black ink. You might want to send to Kinko’s or Office Max so you don’t use all of yours!

  60. Rachel says

    When I use this chalkboard background in Word, it looks okay on the screen but when I print it out it comes out as small boxes of this background instead of one big picture if that makes sense.

    • howtonestforless says

      Eeek, sorry but I’m not quite sure how to help. Maybe it’s a print setting?

  61. Gillian says

    Thank you so much for sharing your chalkboard background and font suggestions! Very nice of you! Can’t wait to start playing. 🙂

    g

  62. Kim @ WampumHome says

    Love this! I have a wall of just black and white photos and would love to add some inspirational quotes in the mix, this is a great affordable way to spruce it all up! Thx so much 🙂

  63. Kimberly says

    Thank you, this is awesome. Do u know if I am able to use this template and have printed on 5×7 cards? I was wanting to make birthday invites for my little one!

  64. Shandra says

    Thank you! Just learning how to make my own printables. This is a great place to start!

  65. Amy says

    Hi, where did you get your boarders from?? Thank you

  66. Jenny says

    You rock! thanks so much for sharing. I also always give back and was thrilled to see someone else doing it. Much appreciate. In Sunny South Africa we would vote you as next president! We need more people like you out there.

  67. Kristin says

    Do you know if you can get it printed bigger than 8×10. I’ve been looking for something like this to do for my seating chart at my wedding but I need it much bigger than an 8×10

    • howtonestforless says

      Yes, you can print it bigger. In the past I’ve created as an 8×10 inch document and then had Kinko’s blow it up 300%. Worked perfectly!

  68. Teresa Harris says

    I just wanted you to know that your article SAVED ME when it came to chalkboard signs for the wedding. I was going to try to hand letter everything on black posterboard until I stumbled onto this. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!

  69. Tani says

    HI There, Really liked the tutorial. Thanks so much. I was planning to make one for my son’s first birthday. But, I am aiming for the size for 25 X 40 in, can you please help me with your advice? I use the same background here you provided for 8X10? I am not really good in computer stuffs, so please forgive me for my nonsense questions (but please answer :P). Thank you in advance.

    • howtonestforless says

      You should be able to create the artwork and have Kinko’s (or whichever printer you use) scale to size. I’ve blown up 300% before without any issues (final size 24×30 inches)! Not quite sure about 25×40 inches though…

  70. Correen says

    Super! Just what I was looking for to get creative on this beautiful Sunday morning. Thank you.

  71. Becky says

    Love the look and want to use this for my son’s graduation party in May! But I cannot figure it out and feel really dumb because everyone else seems to be doing ok with it. So I’m frustrated.Can you give me even more basic steps? Thank you for your help!!

    • howtonestforless says

      Becky, what program are you trying to use? I’ll have a better understanding of what type of directions to give 😉

  72. Jenna says

    Thank you so so much! I just made an AWESOME (i must say so myself) invitation for my brother’s 30th birthday party!
    I couldn’t of pulled it off with our you! Thanks again so so much

  73. Clare says

    I love these! Thanks! I made some 5×7 invitations for a shower and sent them to the printer and they are having a hard time getting it to print without the chalkboard looking pixelated (has tiny squares showing up). Is 5×7 okay for this background?

    • howtonestforless says

      5×7 is perfect. Make sure you’re saving the JPG correctly when you’re completed with your design. I’ve used this background to make a 16×20 inch poster before!

  74. Patrick Müller says

    Hello,
    is it allowed to use the image for a background in one app? I want to create a chalkboard for a game.
    Best regardes
    Patrick

  75. Susan Shingler says

    Hi. As it’s been may times . . .AWESOME!! I was wondering if you could tell me where I could get the line and dots? Is this one font?? dingbat?? or have you used two to get that and if so, which ones? Thanks.

    • howtonestforless says

      I search different dingbat fonts or download stock illustrations with certain dotted lines and embellishments.

  76. Ilona says

    Great! I love the chalkboard look. Definitley going to try this out!

    Thanks from Germany!

    Ilona

  77. Susan says

    I am trying to print these fonts on chalkboard scrapbooking paper, with no results. Do I need to change the color of the font to gray or ? HELP!

    Thanks!

    • howtonestforless says

      You can’t print white ink. You would only be able to print in a color or black.

  78. Meg says

    Thank you so much! So helpful!

  79. Amanda says

    Thank you so much. I wanted to get these invitations for my engagement party but I didn’t want to pay for them. But with your help I was able to make them myself and it looks exactly the same as the one I wanted. xxxx

  80. Liliana says

    Hi there,

    thank you for awesome share. May i know what is the name of the font that you use to type “Chalk hand lettering” it seems that i can’t find one at datafont. thank you so much

  81. Pree says

    You are a star!
    Thank You for making things easier for us 🙂

  82. Laura says

    These are great! Quick question- where did you find the dotted and chalkboard looking lines?

    • howtonestforless says

      Look at the Shapes category under dafont.com. They have some “fonts” that will create amazing shapes!!

  83. Kirsty says

    Hey how do i make them into a huge sign?

    • howtonestforless says

      If you send to Kinko’s or another store, they can blow up 300% for you without much pixelation.

    • Jessica says

      Kristy:
      How did it turn out? I’m thinking about doing the same thing and I don’t want it to look crappy

  84. Helena says

    Thank you for sharing!

  85. André says

    Thanks a lot!

  86. Emma says

    Thank you so much for this! I wanted two signs for our engagement party and these instructions and background template worked amazingly!

  87. Bonnie says

    Hi I feel so not so smart here. When I download the fonts it comes in as a zip file. I’m not sure how to open them. Am I doing something wrong or do I need something special on my computer. Any help would be so appreciated.

    • howtonestforless says

      You should be able to double click on the file and it will “unzip” into a file folder on your computer.

  88. Karen says

    Thank you so much for this…it helped me out a lot with a wedding album I am making.

  89. Kristi says

    Thank you so much for these instructions! I did have a question though. I am planning on making this into a poster size (24×36) printed at Staples. Using PicMonkey, should I upload this background using the design option 8×10 canvas to get the best results when printed?

    • howtonestforless says

      Yes, you should be fine to blow up to a 24×36. I do it all the time with barely any pixelation!

  90. Liza says

    I love this design! I’ve been wanting to have one of these made, but it’s pricey on Etsy. Thank you so much for providing an easy way to make one! Where do you get the lines and swirly scrolls?

      • Liza says

        Thank you! How do you take the scroll you want and add to the chalkboard background?

  91. dee says

    I love your work and have been trying to create come birthday boards, one is due tomorrow. The main problem I am having is with the horizontal and vertical dotted lines to basically outline each section. I can’t get the correct placement or one fully line in the size I need. Any help would reallllly be appreciated. Thanks.

  92. Grace H. says

    I wanted to know, if you have black paper how do you print with white ink? Cause with a black backround that uses a ton of ink to print.

    • Jen says

      Hey Grace H…what I do is save my file then take it to a copy shop. Their black & white copies are cheap and you save your inkjet ink that cost the same as buying a diamond from a diamond mine…hmmmm. I’m doing printables for my sons wedding and the black and whites are really inexpensive to have printed.

  93. Devin says

    Thank you so much! This was a perfect guide to help me create a chalkboard sign for our gender reveal party! Great info and downloads! Thanks again

  94. jess says

    Thanks so much!!!!

  95. Ari says

    Thank you so much for this! I totally needed it like now!!!!

  96. Amanda says

    This is great thank you! One question, where can I find those cute borders and dotted lines, etc. you use to decorate your text? I’m using Photoshop.

    Thanks!

    • howtonestforless says

      Try using Zapf Dingbats! Otherwise you can buy some from Bigstockphoto.com

  97. Penni Kinkade says

    Hi there. I love this tutorial I know this was posted a few years ago but I thought I would try to ask a question. What type of paper did you use to print?
    Thanks so much!

  98. Tasha says

    Why and what do u do with chalk board printable a ?? Are they to put lettering on a chalk board?

    • howtonestforless says

      Just to make your own home decor printable to frame or even an invitation for a party.

  99. Melissa says

    This is my first time trying this out. Your information is incredibly helpful! What is the best most sturdiest thing to print it out on? I want to make a first day of school sign for my son going into JK. Thanks in advance!!

    Melissa

  100. Kyra Joy Mosier says

    I appreciate your post on how to make your own chalkboard art. Three years later, after you posted it, I needed this information and it was valuable and all of the links and downloads worked like a charm. Great job. Thanks for sharing.

  101. Alf says

    I found your beautiful chalkboard background via google-search and I’d like to know what exactly “free” means: I want to use it as a background in a screencast-lecture-series for students and those videos might find its way to youtube eventually. Is that OK for your (have you created that background) ?
    I would then of course provide links to your webpage.

  102. doodle AJ says

    Lovely! Big THANKS for sharing!

  103. Tonia Shafer says

    Thank you so much! Also, try PicsArt for editing too! It’s amazing!

  104. DJ says

    Should this be printed in Black and White or should I be using the color option? I printed in B/W and the background didn’t look good.
    Thanks for posting this!

    • howtonestforless says

      Color option does work nicely since the background does have some undertones in it.

  105. Gail says

    Thank you for sharing these instructions! Just had so much fun making a sign for a church project 🙂

  106. Kimberly Pagnozzi says

    Thank you so much! I love making digital overlaya for signs for the “First Day of School” but the fonts just weren’t right. This was so helpful!

  107. Granna says

    hi. what type printer to use for this? inkjet or laser? i printed a chalk background on a laser and it was all grey almost black. thanks!

  108. Acegalleria says

    I love these chalkboard printables. I will definitely try this sometimes.

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