--- title: "Creating a bench card" description: "Build a printable game-day card from a template or a blank page, lay it out in the editor, then print it, export a PDF, or share a link with your staff." category: "Bench Cards" published: "2026-09-08 19:31:31" updated: "2026-09-08 23:48:40" url: "https://app.hockeyshare.com/support/kb/bench-cards/creating-a-bench-card" --- # Creating a bench card A bench card is the sheet you clip to the boards on game day — lines, pairs, special teams, a rink for a quick whiteboard drawing, and space for notes. Bench Cards lets you design that sheet once, keep it with the rest of your HockeyShare content, and print a clean copy every game. Open it from **More → Bench Cards** in the main menu, or go straight to [/bench-cards](/bench-cards). ![webp](https://img.hockeyshare.com/01a082b7-d7a6-7328-b9bc-ae5fb662ae6c/-/format/webp/) ## Start a new card Click **New bench card**. You can start two ways: ![webp](https://img.hockeyshare.com/01a082b7-dfc2-76fe-9315-4e658f75bd58/-/format/webp/)Every card is yours to edit — the template is only a starting point, and changing a card never changes the template. ## The editor The editor is a free-form canvas: every element sits exactly where you put it, in real page units, so what you see is what prints. Around the page you have: ![webp](https://img.hockeyshare.com/01a082b7-f0c0-7363-923e-46665aa747c4/-/format/webp/) ### Elements you can add - **Header bar** — a filled title strip (e.g. "FORWARDS", "POWER PLAY"). - **Text** — free text at any size; double-click it on the canvas to type directly. - **Field line** — a label with a write-in line after it (Date, Opponent, Location, Final score…). - **Lined notes** — ruled lines with an optional heading, for pen-and-paper notes. - **Table** — rows and columns with optional headers, row numbers and alternating shading. This is how the line charts are built: LW / C / RW with three or four rows, LD / RD for pairs, or a numbered roster. - **Rink** — a full-ice, half-ice or zone diagram from the stock library, with an optional watermark of your logo in the middle. - **Logo** — one of your account logos (manage them under Account → Logos). - **Image** — upload your own PNG or JPEG. - **Box** and **Divider** — a plain outline or a horizontal rule for structure. ### Moving, sizing and aligning Drag an element to move it, or drag its edges and corners to resize. Elements snap to the column guides and to a fine grid, so tables and headers line up without fiddling; hold nothing special — just drop it close. The properties panel lets you type exact positions when you need them. Use the arrow keys to nudge the selection (hold `Shift` for bigger steps), `Delete` to remove it, `⌘D` / `Ctrl+D` to duplicate, `[` and `]` to send it behind or bring it in front, and `Esc` to deselect. Locking an element in the panel keeps it from being dragged by accident. ![webp](https://img.hockeyshare.com/01a082b7-f872-7a59-abb4-287e3998b7f6/-/format/webp/) ### Pages A card has up to four pages — most coaches use two: a **Front** and a **Back** so the sheet can be printed double-sided. Switch pages with the tabs above the canvas and add one with the **+** tab. Page setup applies to the whole card; if you switch to landscape, anything that would fall off the page is pulled back inside. ### Saving Changes save automatically a moment after you stop editing — watch the pill in the top bar go from *Unsaved changes* to *Saved*. If the same card is open in two places and both make changes, the second one to save is told the card changed elsewhere and can reload or overwrite. You can also press `⌘S` / `Ctrl+S` to save right away. ## Printing **Print** opens a clean, toolbar-free view of the card and brings up your browser's print dialog. Choose the same paper size you designed on (Letter or A4), set margins to *Default* or *None*, and turn on *Background graphics* if your browser hides filled header bars. For a two-page card, print double-sided (flip on the long edge for portrait, short edge for landscape) and the back lands behind the front. ![webp](https://img.hockeyshare.com/01a082b8-0753-736c-abf1-ac9c771d5186/-/format/webp/) ## PDF export **PDF** generates a file server-side with the exact page size and orientation, ready to email to your staff or print from a rink office computer. PDF export is included with Premium and above; on the free plan the button shows a crown and links to the upgrade page. Printing from the browser is always free. ## Sharing **Share** turns on a public link. Anyone with the link can view and print the card without a HockeyShare account — handy for an assistant coach or the scorekeeper. Turning sharing off makes the link stop working immediately; turning it back on restores the same link. Viewers get a PDF button on the shared page only if *your* plan includes PDF export. ![webp](https://img.hockeyshare.com/01a082b7-ff6d-7f43-9831-221fe1431b18/-/format/webp/) ## Keeping cards organized From the list page each card's menu lets you **Duplicate** it (a quick way to make next week's card from this week's), put it in **Folders**, add **Tags**, attach it to one of your **Teams** as a label so you can filter by team, **Rename** it, or **Delete** it. Bench cards also show up in your Vault and in global search, so you can find them alongside your plans and drills. ## Plan limits ![webp](https://img.hockeyshare.com/01a0836c-0154-7581-a828-3d290c3a61d7/-/format/webp/) On the free plan, delete a card you no longer need to make room for a new one — or duplicate and edit an existing one instead of creating a third.