# Creating Blueprints


Blueprints are pre-built, reusable base templates for your team that streamline the email creation process.

Using a blueprint will ensure that every email conforms to pre-approved design patterns, and is guaranteed to work on every device and email provider. Blueprints allow you to essentially skip the drag-and-drop build process, jumping straight into adding custom imagery and copy.

<div class="highlight note">In order to create a blueprint, you must have either <a href="/administration/dyspatch_roles/">Admin or Developer role permissions</a> with <i>can edit</i> or <i>can publish</i> workspace access.</div>

## Creating a Blueprint

There are two ways to create blueprints in Dyspatch. 
- [Create a blueprint from scratch](#create-a-blueprint-from-scratch)
- [Turn an existing email into a blueprint](#create-a-blueprint-from-an-email)

### Create a Blueprint from Scratch

Creating a blueprint is as straightforward as building an email in Dyspatch, with the added benefit of being reusable every time your team needs to create a new email.

![Blueprints option highlighted from the home page in Dyspatch](https://docs.dyspatch.io/img/emails/blueprints-left-menu.png)

Select **Blueprints** from the Dyspatch home page menu then click **Create Blueprint**. Name your blueprint and optionally add a description for your team.

![Step 1 of creating a blueprint with the name Newsletter and a description of Monthly Newsletter](https://docs.dyspatch.io/img/emails/create-blueprint-step-1.png)

In **step 2**, toggle on which themes you'd like to use this blueprint with.

![Step 2 of creating a blueprint with a list of available themes with some toggled to enabled, and others disabled](https://docs.dyspatch.io/img/emails/create-blueprint-step-2.png)

<div class="highlight tip">For a blueprint to be available for users to select when creating new emails, it needs to be added to a theme. A blueprint’s styling will be inherited from the theme, so you can reuse the same blueprint across many themes</div>

#### Adding Blocks to a Blueprint

Drag and drop blocks into your blueprint then style them the same way you would when building an email.

<img class="img-status img-border" src="https://docs.dyspatch.io/img/emails/blueprint-add-block.gif" alt="gif of dragging a block from the block gallery into the blueprint"/>

<div class="highlight tip">Only blocks available in your blueprint's active themes will be available to build with</div>

##### Additional Blueprint Attributes

Many of the same features available for individual emails are also available for blueprints, such as:
- Metadata, such as sender details
- Project links
- Preview data
- Theme selection
- And AMP State

When added to the blueprint, these attributes are automatically added to each new email created from the blueprint.

### Create a Blueprint from an Email

Have an email in Dyspatch you'd like to reuse? Turn it into a blueprint!

From the Email Builder, click the save dropdown menu and select **Save as Blueprint**.

![Arrows pointing to save as blueprint option under the save dropdown menu](https://docs.dyspatch.io/img/emails/save-as-blueprint.png)

The save as blueprint modal allows editing the name and description, selecting what details to include, assigning the blueprint to multiple themes, and the option to replace all content with placeholders.

![save as blueprint modal with blueprint creation options](https://docs.dyspatch.io/img/emails/save-as-blueprint-modal.png)

#### Replacing all content with placeholders

Selecting this option will replace all edited values in the email with the default values from each block.

## Creating an Email From a Blueprint

After choosing the workspace and theme for your new email you will be given a list of blueprints to select as a starting point.

![Newsletter blueprint highlighted as an option when creating a new email](https://docs.dyspatch.io/img/emails/select_a_blueprint.png)

*Voila!* Your blueprint is now an email, ready for you to update any copy or other assets as needed.

## Frequently Asked Questions

- **Why don't I have my blueprint as an option when I create a new email?**<br/>It's possible that the blueprint isn't enabled for the theme of your new email. <a href="https://app.dyspatch.io/blueprints" target="_blank">Navigate to your blueprint</a> and enable the correct theme from the *Themes* tab.<br/><br/>

- **Can I bulk update a block used in a blueprint?**<br/>[Bulk updates to blocks](/blocks_and_themes/bulk_updating_blocks) will be applied to an email created with a blueprint the same as any other email.<br/><br/>

- **Can I bulk update emails created with a blueprint?**<br/>Any edits to your blueprint will not affect emails previously created with that blueprint.<br/><br/>

- **Can I add a block to the blueprint that's not available in all of the blueprint's active themes?**<br/>If a block that does not have all the same themes active as the blueprint, you will be prompted with the option to either *add the block to the blueprint and all the blueprint's themes*, or to *cancel* adding the block to the blueprint.<br/><br/>

- **Why don't I see a block in the blueprint builder that I know is in my account?**<br/>It's possible that the blueprint and the block don't have at least one active [theme](/blocks_and_themes/styling_with_themes) in common. <br/><br/>