# Catalog Maker

Free tool, no account required: https://slideso.com/tools/catalog-maker

## How do you make a product catalog?

A product catalog lists your range with a photo, name, price and description for each item, grouped into categories. Export your products to CSV, group them by category, and export to PDF at A4 or US Letter. The work is in keeping it current, so start from data you can re-export rather than a document you rebuild by hand.

### Key takeaways

- A product catalog is organised by category; a line sheet is organised for ordering.
- Start from a spreadsheet, not a design file — the catalog is remade every time prices change.
- Every product needs a stable SKU, or updating next season means rebuilding from scratch.
- PDF remains the format buyers forward and print, whatever else you also publish.

## Reference figures

| Measure | Value | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grouping | By category | The single change that makes a list read as a catalog. |
| Typical length | 20-120 pages | A 500-SKU range runs past 100 pages at six products a page. |
| Rebuild cost | About a week | Reported turnaround per quarterly cycle for a 600-SKU range done by a designer. |

## How to use the Catalog Maker

1. **Export your products to CSV** — From Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy or a spreadsheet. Column names are matched automatically, including Shopify's Variant SKU and Variant Price.
2. **Drop the file in** — Your file is parsed over HTTPS and you review every inferred column before anything is built - nothing is committed until you say so.
3. **Group by category** — Products with a category column are grouped automatically, which is what makes a catalog readable rather than a long list.
4. **Save as PDF** — Print to PDF at A4 or Letter. Text stays selectable, so prices and SKUs can be copied out.

The expensive part of a catalog is not making the first one, it is making the next one. Sellers describe exporting to Excel, sending it to a designer, waiting a week, getting a PDF back and finding errors — every quarter. That is why this starts from a spreadsheet: whatever you build should be reproducible from data you already keep, so a price change is a re-export rather than a rebuild.

## Frequently asked questions

**What is the difference between a product catalog and a line sheet?**
A catalog presents the range with photography and description, organised by category for browsing. A line sheet is a dense ordering document organised around SKUs, wholesale prices and minimum order quantities. Many brands need both.

**What should a product catalog include?**
A cover, a contents page if it runs long, then each product with a photo, name, price and short description grouped by category, and ordering details at the back. Page numbers matter once it passes about twenty pages.

**How long should a product catalog be?**
As long as the range, and no longer. At around six products a page a 500-SKU range runs past 100 pages, which is normal for wholesale and too long for a retail mailer.

**Is my product data safe?**
Your CSV is sent over HTTPS to build the catalog and the result is stored in your private account. Nothing is shared or made public unless you share it.

**Can I update a catalog without rebuilding it?**
That is the point of starting from a spreadsheet. Keep a stable SKU per product and the next version is a re-export rather than a rebuild — which is the part most tools make you do by hand.

## Related free tools

- [Line Sheet Maker](https://slideso.com/tools/line-sheet-maker) — Turn a product CSV into a wholesale line sheet buyers can order from — free on every Slideso plan.
- [PPT to PDF Converter](https://slideso.com/tools/ppt-to-pdf) — Convert PowerPoint to a print-ready PDF that looks the same on every device — free, no account, file deleted after conversion.

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