Summary

Signing in unlocks cloud-saved drafts and a reusable artwork Library, neither of which is available as a guest. Accounts can be created with Email (email + password) or Private (no email) — a randomly-generated account identifier with no recovery path if lost. Guests can still design, export, and order without an account.

Use it when

  • Use an account when you want your drafts saved to the cloud (available across devices, unlike Device recovery) or reusable artwork kept in a Library.
  • Use Private (no email) if you don't want to provide an email address at all.
  • Stay a guest if you just want to design, export, and order without creating anything.

Before you begin

Nothing required to stay a guest — every editing, export, and ordering feature covered elsewhere in this manual works without an account. This article covers what signing in adds and how to do it, not what happens to drafts after you're signed in.

Steps

  1. Select Sign in in the site header, or go to /account.
  2. In the Account access dialog, choose the Sign in or Create account tab.
  3. Choose an auth type: Email or Private (no email).
  4. For Email, enter your email and a password (12+ characters when creating an account).
  5. For Private (no email), creating an account generates a random account identifier for you instead — there's no email or password. Save it somewhere safe. To sign in later with this method, you enter that same Account identifier.

What changes

  • Signing in is what unlocks Saved drafts (cloud-saved in-progress designs) and Library (reusable artwork you can place in any design) — both panels show a sign-in prompt instead of their real content when you're a guest.
  • Private (no email) accounts trade recoverability for not requiring any personal contact information — the dialog states this plainly: A random account identifier will be generated for you. There is no email or password — save the identifier somewhere safe. There is no stated password-reset or email-recovery path for this method, since there's no email attached.
  • Guest capability is stated explicitly in the app's own text: Guests can still design, export, and order without saving. Signing in is additive, not a requirement for the app's core functions.

Print note

Not applicable — accounts and drafts don't affect exported or printed output; they affect what's saved and where.

Warnings and limits

  • This article does not describe what a populated cloud-drafts list or Library looks like, or the exact save/load flow once signed in — creating or signing into an account was intentionally not performed during this research. Treat the post-sign-in experience as Needs product confirmation until verified by someone who can create a real account.
  • For Private (no email) accounts specifically: since there's no email or password, losing the generated account identifier likely means losing access with no recovery option — this matches the dialog's own warning to save it safely, though the exact consequences of loss were not independently tested.
  • Cloud drafts are a distinct mechanism from Device recovery — device recovery works without any account and is local to one browser; cloud drafts require signing in and are (by design intent, per the account prompt's wording) available wherever you sign in.

Desktop and mobile

The Account access dialog, including both Email and Private (no email) auth types, was confirmed present and identical at 390 × 844.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Likely cause Recovery
Saved drafts and Library show a sign-in prompt instead of content You're not signed in Sign in or create an account if you want these features; otherwise continue as a guest
Lost your Private (no email) account identifier No email or password means no stated recovery path for this method There is no confirmed recovery option — this article does not have further guidance beyond what the dialog itself states
Not sure if you need an account You don't, for designing, exporting, or ordering Only sign in if you specifically want cloud-saved drafts or a reusable-artwork Library

Related topics

  • Device recovery
  • Version conflicts
  • Edit, duplicate, and reorder
  • Proof links, cart, and checkout

Verification note

Verified against Blotter Builder on 2026-07-22. Sign-in and account creation were not performed — this article describes the pre-sign-in UI only.

Source notes

Primary observations — all from the live application at https://blotterbuilder.tdl.fyi, 2026-07-22. No account was created and no credentials were entered at any point.

  • Observed — selecting Sign in opened an Account access dialog with Sign in/Create account tabs and an authType radio group: Email and Private (no email).
  • Observed — Email + Sign in showed Email and Password fields. Email + Create account showed Email and Password (12+ characters).
  • Observed — Private (no email) + Sign in showed a single Account identifier field. Private (no email) + Create account showed no input fields at all, only the text: A random account identifier will be generated for you. There is no email or password — save the identifier somewhere safe.
  • Observed — the Saved drafts panel's guest-mode text: Sign in to save drafts / Create a free account to save in-progress designs to the cloud. Guests can still design, export, and order without saving.
  • Observed — the Library panel's guest-mode text: Sign in to save reusable artwork and place it in any design.
  • Observed — at 390 × 844, the Account access dialog and both auth-type options were present with identical text to desktop.

Verification log

Viewport Steps tested Observed result Date
1280 × 800 Open Account access dialog, switch between Sign in/Create account and Email/Private tabs All four combinations show distinct, correct fields 2026-07-22
1280 × 800 Check Saved drafts and Library panels as a guest Both show sign-in prompts with the exact text documented 2026-07-22
390 × 844 Open Account access dialog Same content as desktop 2026-07-22