How to add names and numbers on jerseys in CorelDRAW

Before you start: prepare the template

Every method works better with a clean template. Draw the jersey back at real print size, at the base size you sell most, usually M. Then add placeholder text for the name and the number in the font and colour you want.

1. Put the name and number on their own layer or in clearly named objects, such as NAME and NUMBER.
2. Decide the name area: the widest the name may be before it hits a seam or the number. Draw a guide or a no-fill rectangle for it.
3. Pick a letter height. For football, 5 to 7.5 cm is the FIFA range; most amateur kits use about 6 to 7 cm. Numbers on the back are usually 20 to 30 cm.
4. Convert any decorative text that must not change to curves, so it never gets swapped by mistake.

Ask the team for a proper roster: one row per player with name, number and size. Our free roster template cleans a pasted list and checks for duplicate numbers.

Method 1: type every name by hand

This is how most shops start, and it works for small orders.

1. Select the whole jersey design and press Ctrl+D to duplicate it, or use Edit, Step and Repeat to make one copy per player.
2. Double-click the name text on each copy and type the player's name. Do the same for the number.
3. Check each long name against the name area. Where it overflows, reduce the font size or the character width on that copy only.
4. Repeat for shorts and sleeves if they carry numbers.
5. Export each copy (File, Export, select only) as JPG at your printer's resolution and rename every file so the operator knows the player and size.

Time: about 20 seconds per name to type and check, 30 seconds to export and 15 seconds to rename, so about 65 seconds per player. An 18-player team takes about 20 minutes for the backs alone.

Method 2: CorelDRAW Print Merge

Print Merge is built into CorelDRAW and fills text fields from a data file.

1. Save the roster from Excel (newer CorelDRAW versions can read .xlsx; older ones need CSV or TXT).
2. Open File, Print Merge, Create/Load Merge Fields, and import the data file.
3. Insert the NAME and NUMBER fields into your design in place of the placeholder text.
4. Choose Merge to New Document to get one page per player, then check long names page by page.
5. Export each page and rename the files by player and size.

Print Merge removes the typing but not the checking, exporting or renaming. It also uses the same layout for every record, so different sizes need separate merges or manual resizing. Our Print Merge guide covers it in detail.

Method 3: roster automation with AJILE

AJILE 2026 is a CorelDRAW add-on built for this job.

1. Open your template and start AJILE from its toolbar.
2. Copy the name, number and size columns from Excel (or a CSV) and paste them into AJILE, one player per line with the size last.
3. AJILE builds each player's front and back, plus shorts and sleeves if your template has them. Names keep the template font size and shrink only when they would pass about 90% of the name area for that size.
4. Run Quick Export. Every piece is saved as JPG, named by size, part and quantity, in one folder or in folders by size or category.

Time: about 4 seconds per player, most of it export. An 18-player team is done in a couple of minutes. Jaypee Sportswear in Thanjavur reports team artwork going from about 2 hours to under 10 minutes.

Excel roster to finished jerseys (Tamil). Full course: /ajile/modules/

Which method to use

If you take one named order a month, method 1 or 2 is enough. If team orders arrive every day, the hours add up quickly: work out your own with the time savings calculator.

Mistakes to avoid

• Typing names from a photo of a handwritten list. Ask for a typed sheet and confirm spellings before printing.
• Duplicate numbers in one squad. Check before you start; most leagues do not allow them.
• Shrinking every name to fit the longest one. Short names then look too small. Shrink only the names that overflow.
• Forgetting kids sizes. A name that fits size M may not fit size 28. Check the smallest size in the order with the name width calculator.
• Unclear file names. If the operator has to open files to find the size, printing slows down and mistakes follow.

Name and number size per jersey size (Tamil). Full course: /ajile/modules/

Special cases

Names in Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi or Arabic

Every method above prints the text in whatever font the template uses. Install a Unicode font that covers the script on every design PC, set it on the NAME field, and test the longest name first, because letter widths differ from English. Arabic and Hebrew run right to left, so check how your CorelDRAW version handles them on one shirt before a full run.

Two-line names

Some teams want the first name above the surname. Make two fields, NAME and NAME2, stacked in the template, and split the roster into two columns. With AJILE you can also use a vertical name field for sleeves and side panels.

Numbers with a letter or symbol

Squad numbers such as 00, 07 or J10 come up in school and corporate leagues. Type them exactly as they should print. In AJILE, a number token can start with a letter (J10), with @, or with # (the # is removed when printed).

Symbols and emoji in names

Fan and esports teams sometimes want a symbol after a name. CorelDRAW's VBA cannot store some emoji directly, so AJILE uses short codes such as {dollar} or {fire} in the roster and installs a font that prints them.

Getting the roster right

Every method starts with a list, and most reprints trace back to it. Ask for one row per player with three columns in this order: name, number, size. Keep the size last; AJILE reads the last item on each line as the size, the first number-like item as the shirt number and the rest as the name. Do not paste a serial-number column with it, or it would be read as the shirt number.

• Use the size labels from your own size chart, such as 34, 36, 38 or S, M, L.
• Write names exactly as they should print, including initials and spaces.
• Check for duplicate numbers before artwork starts.
• Send the cleaned list back to the team manager and get a written OK.

The free roster template cleans a pasted list, flags duplicate numbers and copies it in the exact line format AJILE takes.

A five-minute check before printing

1. Open the longest name on the smallest size and make sure it sits inside the name area.
2. Look at numbers 1, 7, 11 and 88 together; thin and wide numbers show spacing problems.
3. Count files per size and compare with the order. The size counter does this from the roster.
4. Send the customer a proof of two or three players, including the longest name.
5. Confirm mirroring is set once, in the RIP or in the file.

Questions