How to Make a Custom Vinyl Record: Step-by-Step Guide

You've got the songs, the photos, and the vision — now let's turn it into a real vinyl record. This guide walks through every step of designing a custom vinyl record using VinylMixtapeShop.com's online editor.

What makes this different from other custom vinyl services? Vinyl Mixtape Shop has a full drag-and-drop design editor built right into the website — no other custom vinyl service lets you design every part of your record in the browser. You get complete control over covers, labels, text, images, backgrounds, and effects without needing any design software.

The whole process takes about 10–15 minutes. Let's get started.

• Cover artwork ideas or photos — JPG, PNG, or other common image formats. The editor also has a built-in free image library from Unsplash if you need backgrounds.
• A few minutes — the whole process takes about 10–15 minutes from start to checkout

That's it. No design software needed — everything happens in the browser.

Head to VinylMixtapeShop.com and pick your vinyl format. You have three options:

• 12" Black Vinyl — the classic look. Customize 4 parts: front cover, back cover, Side A label, and Side B label.
• 12" Color Vinyl — available in 8+ vibrant colors (red, blue, green, pink, and more). Same 4 customizable parts.
• 12" Photo Vinyl (Picture Disc) — your photos printed directly on both sides of the vinyl surface. 6 customizable parts total.

Once you select a product, you'll land on the product page. You'll see two tabs: Design Your Album and Pick Your Music. Start with the design tab.

Click on the front cover to open the editor. Once inside, click the "View Front Cover Templates" button at the top to browse pre-made designs. You can choose from a variety of templates or click "Edit Design" on the blank canvas to start from scratch.

Templates give you a head start — each one comes with a background image and text already positioned. You can customize every element after applying a template.

The editor opens with a blank canvas on the left, your layers panel on the far left, and the properties panel on the right. Every design starts with a background.

Click the Background layer in the layers panel. The properties panel on the right shows two options: Background Color and Background Image. Click the color swatch to pick any color you want.

Below the color picker, you'll see the Background Image section. You can either upload your own image or search Unsplash's free library directly from the editor. Type a keyword like "sunset" or "mountains" into the search bar, and click any result to apply it instantly.

Click the "Add Image" button in the toolbar to upload photos, logos, or artwork from your computer. Once added, images appear as layers you can:

• Drag to reposition anywhere on the canvas
• Resize using the corner handles
• Reorder in the layers panel by dragging layers up or down
• Lock, hide, duplicate, or delete using the layer controls

Each image layer also shows a quality indicator — the editor checks your image resolution and tells you if it's high enough for print (you want 300 DPI or above for sharp results).

Click "Add Text" to drop a new text layer onto the canvas. Select it to reveal the full Text Properties panel on the right.

The properties panel gives you control over:

• Font — choose from a variety of typefaces
• Size — adjust with the size dropdown
• Color — pick any text color
• Bold, Italic, Underline — standard formatting options
• Alignment — left, center, or right
• Opacity — make text semi-transparent for subtle watermark effects
• Background Color — add a colored background behind your text

Scroll down in the Text Properties panel and you'll find 10 built-in text effects:

• None — plain text, no effects
• Shadow — subtle drop shadow for depth
• Lift — raised text effect
• Hollow — outline only, transparent fill
• Splice — split color effect
• Outline — bold outlined text
• Echo — repeated layered shadow
• Glitch — digital distortion style
• Neon — glowing neon sign effect
• Bubble — rounded bubble text

Just click an effect to apply it instantly. You can preview each one and switch between them freely.

Once you're happy with your front cover, click "Save and Return" in the top right corner. You'll go back to the product page where you can see your design on the front cover preview.

Now repeat the process for each part of your record. For black and color vinyl, you have 4 parts to design:

• Front cover — your main album artwork
• Back cover — track listing, credits, additional artwork
• Side A center label — the label visible in the center of the vinyl
• Side B center label — same for the other side

For picture discs (photo vinyl), you also get to design the vinyl surface on both sides — 6 parts total.

Each part has its own canvas with the same editor tools. Click any part on the product page to open it in the editor.

Back on the product page, switch to the "Pick Your Music" tab. Here you can:

• Upload audio files from your computer (MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC)
• Search for songs using the built-in music search
• Arrange tracks on Side A and Side B — each side holds up to 20 minutes of audio

Drag tracks between sides to reorder them. The editor shows how much time you have remaining on each side so you know exactly how much music fits.

Want to learn more about how lathe-cut vinyl sounds compared to pressed records? Check out our lathe-cut vs pressed vinyl audio comparison.

Once all your designs are saved and your music is arranged, review your design previews on the product page. Each part shows a thumbnail of your design so you can confirm everything looks right.

When you're satisfied, click "Add to Cart" and head to checkout. A few things to know:

• Ships in 3–5 business days (5–10 during peak seasons)
• Free shipping in the US
• No minimum order — you can order just one record
• Buy now, pay later available through Shop Pay Installments at checkout

Each record is individually lathe-cut and printed — your design goes directly onto a real, playable vinyl record.