If you’re looking for an easy-to-make digital product that you can sell I recommend making printables. I’ve been selling printables on Etsy since 2019.
They have changed the game for me when it comes to selling on Etsy. I don’t have to keep a physical inventory of items. I never have to ship anything. Nor do I have to deal with returns.
Unlike other types of digital products, I didn’t have to do a launch or set up a sales funnel. I list them in my shop and promote them on Pinterest.
I’ve made over 250 printables sales in my Etsy shop. I want to share with you how to make printables to sell on Etsy. So you don’t have to struggle to get started like I did.
*Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure for further information.
Table of Contents
What printables sell best on Etsy?
There are all kinds of printables that you can sell on Etsy. But the best way to determine what sells best is to do research. Use tools like eRank, and Everbee to find out what’s selling on Etsy.
Things are constantly changing on Etsy. What sells today might not sell well a year from now. You always have to do research and stay on top of trends.
I have a blog post written about how to find out what sells on Etsy.
Can I use Canva to create printables to sell on Etsy?
Yes, you definitely can. I use Canva to create printables to sell. But I recommend reading Canva’s licensing. So you know what you can and can’t do.
Why should you create printables to sell?
Printables are one of the easiest types of digital products to make to sell. With printables, you don’t need to do elaborate launches like with a course.
You don’t have to add any information to them like with eBooks or courses. Customers add the information to them.
People can find your printables on Google if you know how to implement SEO. You can even launch a shop on your blog and sell them there.
What programs to use to create printables
There are so many different design programs that you can use to create printables. You can use:
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Canva
- PicMonkey
- Affinity
You have to research to see which one is right for you. I use Canva because it’s very user-friendly. But take a look at what’s out there and see what features you want to be able to use.
But you can use Canva to create a variety of printables. If you want to learn how to use Canva I recommend this course. (insert link)
Where to find fonts and graphics
There are a lot of sites that sell graphic design elements. Regardless of what sites you use make sure that they come with commercial license. This means that you can use their fonts or graphics on items that you want to sell. Read their licensing.
These are the sites I use to get fonts and graphics:
How to check for trademarks and copyright
You mustn’t copy anyone else’s design. You can use other designs for inspiration. But never copy exactly. I always recommend doing research first to see what’s already out there.
Go on sites like Etsy to see what types of printables are already made.
Check for trademarks if you’re using certain phrases on printable wall art, and other printables. You can use the Trademark Electronic Search System or TESS for short.
Etsy will shut down your shop if you get too many violations. Certain phrases can be trademarked that you wouldn’t think would be.
Phrases like Dog Mom, and Boy Mom are trademarked. So it’s always best to check.
Do I need to niche down?
No, you do not when you’re just starting. There are plenty of shops that sell a variety of different printables but do well. I started out selling printable wall art.
But I wasn’t making the sales I wanted. So I switched niches. I am so glad I did. I started making more sales when I switched.
Sometimes certain niches get too crowded that you have to switch.
It can even take some time to figure out what printable sells best for you!
How do I get started selling printables on Etsy?
You can get your first 40 listings free! Just click here. Then once you create your account you’ll need to:
- Name your shop
- Fill out your shop details
- Fill out your bio
- Create a logo and shop banner
- and start adding items to your shop
- Fill out your Etsy listings
- Mockups of your printables
What you’ll need for your Etsy listings
Etsy Mockups
Mockups are the images for your printables. Mockups show customers what the printables look like without having to print and take your own pictures.
You can easily create your mockups in Canva. Or get these done for your mockups. You can add up to 10 images on Etsy.
Do Keyword Research for your Etsy title and Etsy tags
You can add keywords to your Etsy title for your listing and in the tags section. In the tags section, you can only add 13 tags. They even limit you on the number of characters for each word.
I use eRank and Sale Samurai for my Etsy keyword research. Make sure your keywords are related to what your printable is or what it does.
Fill out your Etsy description
Here you’ll add important information that potential Etsy customers need to know. Information like what the printable is, what they get, how to print, how to get their files etc.
Anything you feel like customers need to know you put it here. This way customers can’t say they didn’t know because you added it to the description.
Let them know this is a digital download. Nothing will be mailed to them. Add details like the size of the printable, file types, etc.
I’ve included a done-for-you Etsy description guide in my Etsy Printable Seller Starter Kit.
Files on Etsy
Etsy only allows up to 5 files to be uploaded to each listing. So if you have more than that there are two things you can do.
You can:
- compress everything into a zip folder
- Or in Canva download everything into 1 PDF file
But let customers know in the description that the file is in a zip folder or compressed into 1 PDF file.
You can add JPG, and PNG files to your Etsy listings too.
Name your files what the printables are. You can even add your shop name to the file name too.
Would you like to learn how to create printables?Â
If you would like to learn how to use Canva to create printables to sell then check out my course!
In my course, I show you how to make:
- Printable wall art
- Printable planner stickers
- Printable die-cut stickers
- Printable planners
- Printable journals
- Kids printables
- and Party printables!
You even get access to done-for-you Canva Printable templates that come with commercial rights!
You get this all for just $37!
Must-read related Posts
17 Free Tools to Use to Create Printables to Sell
75 Printables You Can Sell on Etsy
How to Find the Best-Selling Items to Sell on Etsy
The Secret to Finding the Best Etsy TagsÂ
Conclusion
I hope my blog post taught you how to make printables to sell on Etsy. It may seem like a lot of steps at first. But once you get the hang of it, it becomes easy. What I love about printables is that there are so many different types of printables.
You’ll never get bored because the design possibilities are endless. I am constantly discovering new printables.
Let me know if this helped you in the comments below!
