Click the desktop icon for your graphics software to launch it. Alternatively, click "Start," then "All Programs," and select your graphics software from the programs list.
Click "File," then "New" in the graphics software to open the "New Document" dialogue.
Click the text box next to "Number of pages" and enter "2."
Click the text box next to "Width" and set the width to 5.096".
Click the text box next to "Length" and set the length to 4.75".
Click the text boxes next to "Top Margin," "Right Margin," "Bottom Margin," and "Left Margin," and set all the margins to 0.25".
Click and drag one of the guides on the first page's vertical ruler to the right, and place it somewhere on your document. Look for a text box labeled "X" and set its value to 0.5703" so that the vertical guide is positioned precisely 0.5703" in from the left edge of the document.
Click and drag another vertical guide onto your document, and set its "X" coordinate to 5.3333". This forms the "trim" area of your CD cover.
Click and drag two more vertical guides into place, setting their "X" coordinates to 0.8203" inches and 5.0833", respectively. This forms the "live" area of your CD cover. The space between this area and the trim is a buffer that protects your design from being ruined by inaccurate cutting.
Click and drag two horizontal guides onto the second page of your document. Look for a text box labeled "Y," and set the Y-coordinates of these 2 guides to 0.05" and 4.6917", respectively. This forms the trim area of the CD tray card.
Click and drag two horizontal guides onto the page, and set their Y coordinates to 0.30" and 4.417", respectively. This forms the live area of the CD tray card.
Click "File," then "Save As," and save your document under the name "cd_template.ext" where ".ext" is your graphics software's main file extension. Now you can open this file every time you need to design a CD cover, and save yourself the trouble of setting those guides all over again. Make sure you save again, under a different filename, before proceeding.
Use your creative powers and skills to create an image in the live area of the CD cover. This should command a viewer's attention and reflect how you see yourself as an artist.
Use the text tool to create a table of contents within the live area of the CD tray card, perhaps with an image in the background or off to the side. Include your business logo and contact information.
Use the text tool to create a line of text with your artist name and album title. Hold down "Ctrl" and press "d" to duplicate the text, click and drag a side handle on one and rotate it clockwise 90 degrees. Click and drag a side handle on the other and rotate it counter-clockwise 90 degrees.
Drag both text boxes to either side of the CD tray card, such that the top of the text faces outwards. These are the spine panels for your CD. At this point the document is ready to be printed, trimmed, and packaged inside a jewel case.