Show a common, medium-length sample name that stays readable at thumbnail size, add a second image with a long name, and say on the photos and in the first lines of the description that the buyer's own text replaces it. Avoid famous names, brand names and real customers' names, and keep the sample name out of your title and tags.
This is for sellers of name shirts, family sets, custom mugs, ornaments and stockings, where a personalized mockup has to show a product that does not exist yet in the buyer's version. The sample text does two jobs at once: it shows what the finished item looks like, and it must never be mistaken for the item itself.
What the sample name has to do
A buyer looking at a personalized mockup wants to know three things: where their text goes, how big it will be, and whether it will look this good with their own name. A realistic sample answers all three. Lorem ipsum, "Name Here" or a row of X's shows the position but not the look, so keep placeholders like that for a secondary "how to order" image, not the main photo.
The sample also signals that the item is personalized. A listing whose first photo shows a name that looks fixed can read as a finished design made for one person. A small line on the photo, such as "Personalized with your name", removes that doubt before the buyer even clicks.
Choosing the sample name
Common and neutral. Pick a familiar first name your buyers will read as an example, not as a person. Match the audience: a surname for a family set, a grandmother nickname for a grandparent gift.
Medium length on the main photo. A very short name makes the layout look emptier than most orders will be, and a very long one makes it look cramped.
Not famous, not a brand. Leave celebrity names, characters and brand names out of mockups. They invite intellectual property trouble, and Etsy's process lets rights owners report listings (Etsy Help: intellectual property).
Not a real customer. Never reuse a buyer's name or photo from a past order in your mockups without their permission.
Dates in your buyers' format. If you sell mostly to US buyers, show dates the way they write them, and make the date obviously an example.
Spelled right and consistent. Use the same sample on every photo so the set reads as one product.
Show the range: short and long
Most personalized layouts look best at one length and merely acceptable at another, so show that honestly. A second mockup with a long name, or a family set with names of different lengths, answers "will my name fit" before it turns into a message. If your layout has a limit, build it into the personalization box: Etsy lets you set a text box character limit from 1 to 1,024, "based on your design" (Etsy Help: personalization). We cover layouts that stretch and shrink in designing for short and long names.
Where to say the buyer's text replaces the sample
| Image or field | What it shows | How it signals the sample |
|---|---|---|
| Photo 1 | The product with a medium-length sample name | A small "Personalized" line on the image |
| Photo 2 | A close-up of the lettering | Shows the font and size at real scale |
| Photo 3 | A long name, or several names | Answers whether long names fit |
| Photo 4 | How to order | Steps: choose options, type your text in the box |
| First lines of the description | What the item is, and that it is personalized | "Shown with a sample name. Your text replaces it." |
| Personalization box | The instruction buyers fill in | Exact format, character limit, a spelling reminder |
Etsy allows up to 20 photos per listing, per its listing guide (Etsy Help: creating a listing), so these fit alongside your colour and size images. Personalization itself can use up to 5 fields per listing (text boxes, lists of options or one file upload), and each field can be required or optional (Etsy Help: personalization). Our article on personalization instructions buyers follow has wording that cuts down on spelling mistakes.
Mistakes that confuse buyers
The sample name in the title or tags. Buyers search for the product, not for your example name. Keep the title on what the item is and the fact that it is personalized.
A different sample name on every photo. The set starts to look like several products.
A font in the mockup that the order will not use. The mockup is a promise about the look.
Placement that moves. If the name sits on the chest in one image and lower in the next, buyers will ask which is right. Our guide on where to put names and dates helps you settle it once.
No note that the text changes. A buyer should never have to guess whether they get the name in the photo.
How Alomations handles sample names
In Alomations, a personalizable design carries an editable field, such as a name or a date, so the listing reaches Etsy with personalization switched on and the buyer's text is placed into the design when the order arrives. Smart mockups render the design onto product photos with real fabric folds, shading and light, and you can preview every colour and every side before the run. Personalizable designs and smart mockups each have their own walkthrough.
The run keeps the sample out of the copy: titles say Custom or Personalized when the design is personalized, and personalized designs are detected so sample names stay out of the title, tags and description. When an order comes in, it arrives resolved on the orders screen with the buyer's personalization text attached.
Frequently asked questions
Should the first photo show a name or an empty space?
A name. An empty space makes the product look unfinished, and buyers judge the look from the first photo. Save "Your Name Here" placeholders for a later how-to-order image.
Can I use my own name or my child's name as the sample?
You can, if you are comfortable with it appearing in public listings. A common, neutral name usually reads more clearly as an example.
How many sample names should I show?
One main sample on the first photo and at least one other length somewhere in the set. Family and group products benefit from showing several names together.
Do I need to say the text is a sample if the listing is clearly personalized?
Yes. One sentence in the description and a small line on one photo cost nothing and head off a question personalized listings often get.
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