How to Turn a Drawing Into a Keychain

A child's drawing turned into a keychain is one of the most-loved things we make. It's also one of the easiest, as long as you start with a good photo. Here is the whole process, from the fridge door to a keychain on a backpack.

Step 1: Pick the right drawing

Almost any drawing works, but some work better:

• Bold lines. Marker, felt-tip and crayon print beautifully. Light pencil can be too fine to print and may disappear.
• A clear subject. A single character, animal or object makes a strong keychain. A whole busy scene is better on a plaque or door sign, where there's room for detail.
• Distinct colours. We print up to 8 solid colours. A drawing with five or six clear colours keeps every one of them.

Step 2: Photograph it well

1. Daylight, no flash. Put the drawing near a window. Flash causes glare and washes out colours.
2. Straight down. Hold the phone parallel to the paper, directly above it, so the drawing isn't stretched or skewed.
3. Fill the frame. Get close enough that the drawing fills most of the photo, then crop away the table and any shadows.
4. Plain background. White paper is ideal: the designer removes a plain background automatically, so only the drawing prints.
5. Use the full-size photo. Don't send a screenshot or a messaging-app copy; the original from your camera has the most detail.

Step 3: Upload and choose colours

In the designer, start from the photo keychain template and upload the photo. The designer groups the drawing's colours into solid regions and matches each to one of our spools. Two settings matter most:

• Number of colours. Start with the number of crayons your child used. If two similar colours get merged, raise the count by one.
• Spool for each colour. If the purple dragon comes out blue, tap the colour and choose the purple spool. Let your child choose; it's their drawing.

Step 4: Choose the size and shape

For a keychain, 40 to 60 mm across is the sweet spot: big enough for detail, small enough for a backpack. Choose a shape too: a round or hexagon backing gives the drawing a frame, or "no shape" cuts the keychain around the drawing itself for a custom outline. Add a hanging hole (the designer places it beside the drawing so it doesn't cut through anything), and maybe the artist's name and the year in a bold font.

Step 5: Check the preview

The preview is the real print, made by the same software that prepares the print file. Look for:

• Lines that disappeared because they were too thin. Make the keychain bigger, or accept the simpler version.
• Colours that merged. Raise the colour count or reassign a spool.
• Bits of background or shadow that were kept. Crop the photo tighter and upload it again.

If you're unsure, order anyway. Every order is checked by a person before printing, and if it won't print well we'll tell you. You can tweak it for free or get a full refund.

Step 6: Order, and what happens next

When you're happy with the preview, add it to your cart. We build the actual print file for your keychain and price it from that, which takes about a minute. The price you see is the price you pay. After you order, we open your design before printing (the Maker Check). If a part of the drawing won't print the way it looks, you'll get an email with a link back to your design: you can adjust it for free, or take a full refund. Then the keychain is printed, checked and posted in a padded mailer.

Ideas that work especially well

• A self-portrait with the child's name underneath, for a grandparent's keys.
• A drawing of the family pet, as a keychain or a pet tag for the pet itself.
• The first drawing of each school year, as hexagon tiles that grow into a wall display.
• A sibling set: each child's drawing as a matching keychain, shipped together.

Beyond keychains

The same drawing can become a bedroom door sign with the artist's name, a coin for a grandparent's pocket, or a hexagon tile that grows into a wall of drawings over the years, one per birthday. Several prints ship together in one mailer, so a set for the whole family costs the same to ship as one.

A few honest limits

A 3D print simplifies. Shading, pencil texture and very fine lines become flat colour areas, which suits most children's drawings perfectly but changes detailed artwork. Keychains are small parts: keep them away from children under 3. And plastic can soften in high heat, so a keychain shouldn't live on a hot car dashboard.