Getting Started

Beginner 10 min read By Chitmunk Team Updated

Chitmunk is a free, browser-based card designer for board game creators. Nothing to install, nothing to pay for to try it. Open chitmunk.com/home, pick from 170+ starter templates or a blank canvas, and your design saves locally as you work. This guide walks through the basics: opening the editor, choosing a component type, adding text, images, shapes, and backgrounds, then saving and exporting your first card. Everything in this guide works on the free Common plan.

Opening the Editor

To start designing, head to chitmunk.com/home. The dashboard loads instantly and you can begin creating right away. On your first visit, you will be prompted to choose from 170+ built-in starter templates or start with a blank canvas.

The Templates page in Game Home showing a grid of starter card designs like Creature, Spell, and Item cards, with size filters along the top
Pick from 170+ starter templates in the catalog, or start from a blank canvas.

Tip: Chitmunk saves your work automatically. If you close the tab and come back, your last design will still be there.

Interface Overview

The Chitmunk editor with an item card design on the canvas: toolbar across the top, tool strip on the left, and the properties and layers panels on the right
The editor at a glance: tools on the left, your card in the middle, fine-tuning on the right.

The editor is divided into a few key areas:

The editor with the Data panel open on the left, showing a six-row spreadsheet of item cards next to the live card preview
The Data panel puts your spreadsheet right next to your card — click any row to preview that card.

Choosing a Component Type

Before you start designing, pick the type of component you are making. Right-click the component tab in the top-left corner (it shows your current type, like "Card Type 1") and choose Change Type…. Chitmunk supports over 200 component types across 27 categories: standard card decks, tiles, boards, punchouts, boxes, booklets, and more. Each type defines the exact dimensions and bleed zones required for printing.

The component type picker open in the editor, listing popular sizes like Poker, Tarot, Bridge, Square, and Mini with their dimensions in inches
The component picker: popular card sizes up top, with full categories for decks, boards, mats, and tiles below.

Tip: You can change your component type at any time. Your design elements will be preserved, though you may need to reposition them if the new size is different.

Adding Text

Click the Text button in the tool strip (left edge of the canvas) to add a text element. A new text box appears on the canvas with placeholder text. To edit it:

  1. Double-click the text element on the canvas, or select it and edit the text field in the properties panel.
  2. Use the properties panel to change the font family, font size, weight (bold), style (italic), color, and text alignment.
  3. Drag the corners of the text box to resize it. Text will wrap within the box and auto-shrink if it overflows.
A new text element selected on the card with a floating toolbar above it for font, size, and alignment, and the full typography controls in the properties panel on the right
A new text element with the quick toolbar above it and full typography controls on the right.

Chitmunk includes access to over 1,000 Google Fonts and supports custom font uploads (see the Custom Fonts guide). You can also apply text effects like curved/arc text and adjust letter spacing.

Adding Images

Click the Image button in the tool strip to add an image element. You can:

Once added, use the properties panel to adjust the image fit mode (fill, contain, cover), opacity, and position. Images are stored in your browser's IndexedDB, so they persist between sessions without needing to upload again.

Clip Art Browser

Click the Clip Art button in the tool strip to open the Clip Art Browser. This panel gives you quick access to all built-in visual resources without leaving the editor:

The Clip Art Browser open over the editor with a search for dice showing 24 board game dice illustrations ready to add to the card
Searching "dice" with the Board Game filter on — click any result to add it to your card.

Click any asset to add it to your canvas, or drag it to position it exactly where you want.

Image Filters

Select an image element and scroll down in the properties panel to find brightness, contrast, and saturation sliders. These let you adjust the look of your images without leaving Chitmunk.

Adding Shapes

Click the Shape button in the tool strip to open a visual palette with 22 shape types. Click any shape tile to add it to your canvas. Shapes include rectangles, ellipses, polygons, lines, stars, arrows, diamonds, crosses, shields, banners, hexagons, gears, spirals, and more.

The shape palette showing all 22 shape tiles including rectangle, ellipse, polygon, star, arrow, shield, banner, hexagon, gear, and speech bubble
The shape palette: 22 ready-made shapes, from basic rectangles to banners, gears, and scrolls.

All shapes support fill color and opacity, stroke color and width, and dashed stroke patterns. Customize these in the properties panel after selecting the shape. See the Shapes & Decorations guide for the full list and styling options.

Adding Backgrounds

Click the BG button in the tool strip to add a background element. Backgrounds fill the entire card area including the bleed zone. You can set a solid color, upload an image, or use one of the 32 built-in SVG tiling patterns available in the Clip Art Browser.

Tip: Backgrounds are just elements: you can have multiple, layer them, and adjust their opacity. This is great for creating textured or gradient effects.

Selecting and Moving Elements

Click any element on the canvas to select it. A selection outline with handles appears around the element. You can then:

A selected element on the card showing square resize handles on its corners and edges, a round rotation handle above it, and a small quick-edit toolbar
A selected element shows resize handles on its edges and a rotation handle up top.

To select multiple elements, hold Ctrl and click additional elements, or click and drag on an empty area to draw a selection box. With multiple elements selected, you can move, align, and distribute them as a group.

Note: On macOS, use Cmd instead of Ctrl for all keyboard shortcuts.

Grouping Elements

Select multiple elements and press Ctrl+G to group them. Grouped elements move, resize, and rotate together as a single unit. Press Ctrl+Shift+G to ungroup.

Flip and Anchor Points

You can flip elements horizontally (Shift+H) or vertically (Shift+V) using the buttons in the properties panel or keyboard shortcuts. The anchor point controls the center of rotation and flipping: use the 9-point grid in the properties panel to set it (top-left, center, bottom-right, etc.).

Exporting Your Work

When your design is ready, head to the Game Home dashboard (click Home in the top-left corner) to access all export options:

The Export page in Game Home with grouped options: Download Images, Playtest Online, Print and Prototype, Produce and Manufacture, and Pitch to Publishers, plus a four-step export wizard
The Export page groups everything by goal — download images, playtest online, print at home, or send to a manufacturer.

You can also use the Quick Export button in the toolbar for a fast 72dpi PNG of the current card. See the Print-Ready Checklist guide for detailed export settings and preparation tips.

Saving Your Work

Chitmunk autosaves your active project continuously. For explicit saves, use the Save button in the top-right corner of the toolbar. Click the dropdown arrow next to it to choose a destination:

The Save menu open in the editor toolbar with options for Quick Save, Save Locally, Save to Chitmunk Cloud, Save to Google Drive, and Save to OneDrive
The Save menu: quick save, this browser, Chitmunk Cloud, Google Drive, or OneDrive.

You can also export your project as a portable file (JSON + images in a ZIP) to back it up or share it with someone else.

Game Home Dashboard

Click Home in the top-left corner of the editor to open the Game Home dashboard. This is your project hub where you can:

Multi-Card-Type Projects

Most board games have more than one type of card. Chitmunk lets you work with multiple card types in a single project using tabs in the toolbar. Each tab has its own component type, canvas size, design, CSV data, and undo/redo history. Tabs are draggable, so you can reorder them.

Click the + tab to add a new card type. You can copy and paste elements between card types using Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.

Next Steps

Ready to try it?

Open the editor, it's free, just sign in.

Start Designing