Selling Printables On Etsy: Make Over $7,000 A Month!
Are you interested in starting an Etsy business and thinking about selling printables on Etsy? I got your back just how I got my sister’s back!
My sister is an entrepreneur running a small business, and she is always on the lookout for other creative side hustle she can do in her free time. So I suggested “have you thought of selling printables on Etsy?“.
Etsy is great for beginners who are new to selling online. I love how easy it was to set up while helping my sister opened her first Etsy store!
To support my sister’s Etsy journey, I looked through fool-proof, low-cost, efficient, and practical ways so she and YOU can make money and grow that side hustle with just a small starting capital!
So, we put in the work and BANG, DesignPlanOrganise Etsy store was born! Doesn’t it look freaking AHMAZING!? Maybe I’m biased because she is my sister but I LOVE how it turned out!
If your goal is to put in some hard work at the start and let Etsy handle the rest of the tasks, then selling printables on Etsy is for you! Come and join us on this journey!
Don’t worry, this article isn’t reserved only for the Picasso’s and Da Vinci’s out there.
Here’s the great thing about this: whether you’re artistic or not, you can make a passive income selling digital art on Etsy in a few easy steps.
I first learned about creating printables to sell on Etsy after taking this epic course.
The course instructor makes six figures from her printables sales!
I learned how to make money selling digital art on Etsy, how to make them look appealing, how to market and make money selling printables.
Ps; They have a FREE Etsy Ebook that will share a list of best-selling products by month and teach you how to capitalize on seasonal trends to make sales.
However, if you don’t have the time or money to get a printables course, don’t worry this article will show you just how to start selling printables on Etsy.
5 Steps To Selling Printables on Etsy
1.Choose a Niche
2.Create The Printables
3.Set Up An Etsy Store
4.Price Your Printables
5.Market Your Etsy Store
1. Choose a Niche
Before you jump head straight to selling printables on Etsy, choose a niche that favors your strength and interest.
Reflect on your current interest- for example, if you have experience with babysitting and love kids, you can consider selling printables for parents with newborn babies that might find helpful.
Or if you are a university student and you have an effective method to plan your studies and busy schedule, you can narrow your niche to create printables to help students.
If you still struggle to find your niche, check out this complete guide on how to find a niche on Etsy!
2- Create the Printables
Have you decided on a niche? If yes then congrats! The next step is the fun part as you get to design your printables to sell!
Here are some ways you can choose to create your printables:
- Buy pre-made printables
There are many ready-made printables you can purchase as a commercial license and sell on Etsy. This is a great option if you do not have time to design a printable from scratch as it can be time-consuming.
Here are some great websites to buy pre-made Printables:
- Create from scratch
- Designing your own printable from scratch is a rewarding process, this is great if you are tight on a budget too! You can design printables for free using Canva.
Read on as I show you step-by-step how you can design printables using Canva!
- Hire an Expert
If you have some budget to spare, hiring a graphic designer can help you to create a unique design to stand out amongst other competitors.
3- Set Up Etsy Store
Once you have a few digital products ready to go, it’s time to open your Etsy store! Setting up an Etsy store is quick and easy, but do not rush when it comes to naming your Etsy store.
The name of your Etsy shop will effectively reflect your brand and the identity of your shop and business as a whole.
Here are some essential tips when it comes to naming an Etsy store!
4- Price your Printables
When it comes to pricing your items on Etsy, you must be clear about your shipping policies and pricing.
Customers will react negatively when there are additional surprise charges during payment.
To attract more buyers, offer competitive pricing and offer discount codes for first-time buyers. This way existing customers will more likely return and purchase more from your store!
5- Market your Etsy Store
So, you got your product ready and the Etsy store set up beautifully, but your work is not done yet! The next step is the most crucial step to generate your first sale– marketing!
Good products are long enough to attract new buyers as it can get quite competitive. Especially when your Etsy store is new, it takes time to garner more traffic.
There are many ways you can promote your Etsy store, from using social media, Pinterest, paid Ads on Etsy, and more!
Learn more on how you can increase your Etsy store traffic.
DISCLAIMER
Some of the links on here are affiliate links and I may earn if you click on them, AT NO EXTRA cost to you. Hope you find the information here useful! Thanks.
What are Digital Printables on Etsy?
Before we dive deep into the whole process on how to make money selling digital downloads on Etsy, let’s understand what digital printables is.
To put it simply, digital printables are any digital product (files) that you can download in an instant without receiving the physical hard copy- from digital art, planner, cards, resume and more!
With digital products, you only have to invest the time to create the product at the beginning and then it can be sold infinitely! Which is why it is highly favorable as a great passive income Etsy.
With the increasing trend in selling digital products on Etsy, the competition is fierce. If you are looking to make money on Etsy with printables, your products not only have to stand out but also be familiar with Etsy marketing to boost more traffic.
How Much Can You Make Selling Digital Downloads On Etsy?
Interested to know how much you can earn with Etsy printables business?
You can make anywhere from $50 a week to over $10,00 a month by selling printables on Etsy but ultimately that all depends on your pricing and product.
Naturally, if you only sell seasonal products, you’ll make more when those products are in season but if you’re selling digital files Etsy that are Evergreen products, you should have a steady flow instead of a sporadic one.
Have a quick look on how to make money on Etsy digital from these students, its truly inspiring!
How To Create Digital Downloads For Etsy?
Remember how I said this wasn’t just for the Picassos and Da Vinci earlier?
We’re going to get into that right now. I’m going to show you where and how to create printables for Etsy.
There are 2 common ways you can make printables to sell on Etsy:
- Using Pre-Made Designs
- Making Your Own Designs
Let’s make a practical exercise to illustrate how you will make printables to sell in each scenario, shall we?
1. Using Pre-Made Designs
Regarding websites that allow you to buy or download pre-made designs for little to no cost, here are a few of the best one to consider:
Now, let’s use the Creative Market platform.
Let’s imagine you want to sell Etsy printables related to the wedding niche (a really good niche btw!)
So, we go and search for “wedding” to see what comes up in the search bar:
As you can see in this case, wedding invitations are a very popular digital product worth selling. On the results page, there are more than 80,000 to choose from.
Something very important I wish to help you with is on understanding the buying process of pre-made products.
Let’s take for example this wedding template:
Usually, when purchasing pre-made templates you can use them without making any modifications, however, it is advisable to read the available commercial licenses.
This is because you have to check if there are any commercial limitations for you when using this product.
Each platform has different terms, in this case, you can choose between:
- Commercial license
- Commercial extended license
In this case, you can use the template for your Etsy store, BUT there is a limit of how many times you can sell it under one license purchase.
5,000 in the commercial license and 250,000 on the extended commercial license.
*Remember, commercial licenses will change based on the platform you use, and if you choose to modify or use the product just as it is.
2. Making Your Own Etsy Printables Designs
Now, let’s see an example of how you can sell printables on Etsy making your own design.
In this case, I will use a FREE wedding invitation template in Canva:
Important: Even though I’ll use a template we can customize it to change the overall design, making it an original and unique design.
*This allows us to use the final design as much as we want, without commercial limitations, even though we used a premade template in the beginning.
Step 1: Choose Existing Template on Canva
As you can see there are plenty of templates to choose from.
Important to note some of them will have a ($) icon, which means is a paid template that can be used for free if you have a Canva Pro monthly/yearly subscription.
However, a great thing about Canva is that there are a lot of available options for free.
So, let’s pick the Noah+ Ellie’s blue free template and see how we can personalize it for your Etsy store.
Step 2: Edit and Customize Canva Template
Once we are in the design dashboard it’s time to make some changes.
I’ll choose to change some elements like the coral graphics and colors, for this, I just need to:
- Click on elements
- Type coral
- Choose graphics
- And change for the ones I like
Also, something very cool in Canva is that you can click on a graphic you like and Canvas will automatically recommend graphics of the same style! Like this:
Saving you time and aiding you in the creative process, ideal for a beginner, someone who has ZERO experience with graphic design and you can start selling printables!
So, moving forward I added the shell Canva recommended to me, changed the colors, and added some bubbles, making a completely new beach wedding template for free and with ZERO professional graphic experience!
This is the final new design you could use and start selling printable art on Etsy!
So, if you are wondering, hmm will I be able to sell printables on Etsy without any design experience?
Don’t worry! Creating printables to sell is totally possible.
Similar to the process on how to make printable wall art to sell on Etsy, Canva is a great tool to create all kind of printables for free!
Best Tools To Make Printables To Sell On Etsy
Move over Banksy. With this cheap and affordable software, you too can learn how to make digital art to sell on Etsy.
I say cheap and affordable because let’s be real. I’m trying to help you make money, not go bankrupt purchasing the Adobe Creative Cloud that costs roughly $600 a year.
Yes, you’ll make it back in a jiffy but when starting out, I recommend more affordable but equally great products before making that big spend.
Here are some free and affordable software options:
They do offer a paid version that is still affordable but you get a lot out of the free version.
Requires a Gmail account. Great for making simple printables, and spreadsheets.
- Gimp – Free
Gimp is a software that is similar to Adobe Photoshop.
- Inkscape – Free
Inkscape is a software similar to Adobe Illustrator.
- PicMonkey – $8 a month
This software is similar to Canva.
- Procreate – $10
Requires an iPad and works wonders with the Apple pencil. It feels like drawing or painting with traditional mediums but on a digital screen.
- Affinity Designer – $50 for computer, $20 for iPad
Affinity Designer works just like Adobe Illustrator.
Best Selling Digital Downloads On Etsy
Wondering what are the best selling printables on Etsy? You can make some extra cash by selling a whole bunch of different printable products on Etsy
Here’s a list of best printables to sell on Etsy:
- Educational materials
- Sewing & knitting patterns
- Resume templates
- Printable wall art
- Invitation templates
- Coloring sheets
- Social media filters
- Banners
- Digital invites
- Printable signs
- PDFs for patterns
- Planners
- Printable stickers
- Digital planners
The list is endless!
But how can you make money selling printables on Etsy?
You can make money by selling digital products on Etsy but you’ve got to stand out!
According to Etsy, there are 2.5 million sellers on the platform and like any other marketplace, I recommend researching before you decide what you want to sell.
And when I say research, I don’t mean copying the ideas.
That’s the easy way out and might get you in some trouble. What I mean is, have a look at what is selling and identify what’s missing.
Alternatively, you can do the opposite: look at what’s popular and give your own spin on it. If it’s already a hot commodity, you’re more likely to gain traction easily.
A rule of thumb is to find keywords with low competition but high searches.
Wait, What Is SEO?
Okay, hold on, don’t panic.
It’s a lot easier than it sounds. Your best friend on the world wide web is SEO.
I’m sure you’ve heard me go on about this before but in case you haven’t, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.
Inputting good keywords or optimizing SEO basically means all you have to do is read what the predictive search is on Etsy.
You know when you’re on the Google search bar and you’re about to type in your search but Google has a few options for you to choose from already?
Voila, just do that on Etsy and you have the golden keywords for your products.
Another great tool to help you find low competition keywords is Sales Samurai. It’s really easy to use too!
Sale Samurai is probably the most detailed Etsy keyword research tool.
The data on Etsy keywords and other relevant information is derived from actual Etsy customer searches.
It also provides price, shipping days, and views per product of your competitors so that you can take these factors into account when pricing your own products.
Sale Samurai is easily one of the best Etsy keyword research tools on the market at the moment, primarily due to the detailed analysis that it can provide.
NOTE– As my reader, you get a discount coupon that has to be used on the signup page. The code is outandbeyond (all in lowercase), use this link. This will give you 20% OFF for life.
If you are looking for more guidance on Etsy SEO, these two articles will turn you into an SEO Pro!
Best Selling Printables On Etsy
I gave you a looooong list of what you could sell on Etsy but if you want to make more than a buck and sell digital art prints, here are a few of the best selling printables on Etsy :
According to Craft Count:
- Planners & Planner Accessories
- Crafting Printables
- Vinyl Cutting Machine Files (SVG Cuttables)
When I think of Etsy, I imagine a small business and personalized or handcrafted gifts.
So it comes as no surprise that a lot of digital products on Etsy are about life events like weddings, birthdays, baby announcements, and other special events.
This brings us to another topic: not just what sells best but when?
Let’s get into Seasonal products vs Evergreen products.
- Seasonal products : Items made for special occasions or holidays. For example, Christmas planners, Valentine’s day cards, or birthday banners.
- Evergreen products: Products that can be used every day.
Some shops sell one or the other but having a mix of both is a sure-fire way to keep that passive income flowing.
Printable for Kids on Etsy
Another idea is that if you want to know what printables make the most money on Etsy, you will need to come up with the best printable ideas for kids.
Yeap, you heard me right.
Think watercolor art, games, and coloring pages as these are the top selling printables on Etsy.
Parents and teachers do not have the time to visit a creative market to get these items, instead, they are willing to pay those who have taken the time to create printables because unknowingly, you just made their life easier!
Draw up a few ideas and a few products on some kids products and you will be an Etsy seller in no time.
You can also find more inspiration and ideas from these 3 articles:
- 37 Easy Things To Make And Sell On Etsy (Most Profitable!)
- 49 Digital Products To Sell On Etsy In 2024-Make $7,000+!
- 35 Best Things to Sell on Etsy to Make Money In 2024!
Best Shops Selling Etsy Printables
If you still wonders is selling printables on Etsy profitable? Let me show you some successful Etsy business printables shops to get some inspiration and market research practice!
For that, I will show you 3 Etsy shops that have outstanding customer reviews and are thriving in Etsy.
I’ll show you shops with different years of being founded as well as different niches so you can analyze different types of products so you have a rough idea of what Etsy templates to sell.
1. My Confetti Printables
This Etsy store sells Printable Baby Shower Invitations, Games & Signs. It has 142,878 Sales and started to sell printables online on Etsy since 2018.
To get inspired and find out the most popular printable Etsy products you should look at the product categories and the featured items.
When looking at their product categories you can see that the popular Etsy template selling items are:
- Baby shower invitations
- Baby shower games
- Baby shower signs
- Tags & Tables
- Birthday – Kids cards
This tells you that these products are the most popular among clients.
Also, right now the featured images are about pumpkin baby shower invitations, which means two things:
- It is the most popular selling product in this store
- Most likely, it is a seasonal product, which makes sense as at the moment of writing this article is fall season.
2. DIYPaperBoutique
Another best selling Etsy shop is DIYPaperBoutique, this shop was founded in 2019, sells printable invitation templates, and currently has 197,478 sales.
In this case, the best selling categories are:
- Wedding bundles
- Wedding invitations
- Baby shower printables
- Cards /Signs/Tags
Plus, the featured image is this Greenery Wedding Template Kit, which illustrates the popularity of boho designs in wedding invitations:
Plus, I don’t know if you noticed but if you want to sell printables it seems the best way to go is by offering bundles and sets.
This is a smart selling tactic where the buyer feels it’s getting a lot of great products, instead of a single product.
So, be sure to check your competition and their marketing tactics, they can give you an idea of what’s working and what’s NOT in your niche.
3. HowtoHost
Finally, as soon as I saw this Etsy shop, I wanted to show it to you. HowtoHost is an Etsy shop founded in 2020.
It is one of the most recently launched shops on this list, however, it has sold around 7,694 products and has amazing reviews.
What is more interesting is the type of product it sells, Airbnb business templates!
This is a niche I didn’t even know existed! Besides, check out these comments:
This tells you there are endless choices and possible markets out there for printable products.
So, don’t limit yourself, try out different niches and stick to the one that you like the most and you can see people are in need of that product.
As you can see, the easiest way to sell printables online is through Etsy- it is easy to set up a store and there is a existing large customer base group.
However the downside of selling printable on Etsy is that it is highly competitive. But don’t let that beat you cheerful spirit up, read on as i share more tips on how to make money selling printables on Etsy!
Tips To Succeed When Selling Printables On Etsy
Yippee, you now have the inside scoop on how to start a printable business on Etsy. But wait, I have more!
Here are some tips for you to succeed and hopefully have the best selling digital items on Etsy and make money Etsy digital downloads!
Be Careful About Copyright
Etsy has strict copyright infringement rules and it’s best to know them. Violating these guidelines can cause Etsy to shut down your store -something you don’t want.
Avoid stealing ideas from other etsy shops in the name of obtaining printable ideas, and know your copyright limitations when using others’ works.
Use The Sales Samurai Tool and Remember: SEO Is Your Friend
Choose the right keywords with the lowest competition for the best results. This will make sure your item isn’t hidden somewhere on page 15 of the search.
Advertise Through Pinterest
Pinterest is a great way to drive traffic to your store. To be quite frank with you, if it’s a hit on Pinterest, it’ll definitely sell on Etsy.
Remember, how much money can you make selling printables is all depends on how you market your products!
Tip- Here are some excellent courses that teach you everything you need to know about Pinterest
Also here is a guide on using Pinterest for Etsy
Etsy Seller Handbook
This is another sure-fire way to ensure your success. The Etsy Seller Handbook gives you the best practices for running a successful Etsy shop.
Follow In The Footsteps of Those Who Have Done It
Learn from those who have had tremendous success from Etsy first-hand. The Etsy Community includes motivational seller stories who have started selling printables from scratch, details on events, and the latest news from their community.
Join The Etsy Success Newsletter
Need I say more? You’ll receive weekly tips from top Etsy sellers on how to grow your shop.
There you have it. A comprehensive guide on selling printables on Etsy I don’t know about you but this sounds like a fantastic way to earn a passive income for a number of reasons:
- It’s not time-consuming
- Setting up a shop takes minutes
- You make sales without lifting a finger
- It’s convenient
- Easily accessible all over the world
- You can buy/download pre-made templates to sell
And the list goes on. If you’re looking for an easy and convenient way to keep the cash flowing, selling digital art on Etsy is your ticket to making that goal a reality.
Here is the printables course I mentioned at the beginning, which I highly recommend. I have taken it myself and it even has pre-made templates for you to customise and sell etsy printables!
I have taken it myself and it even has pre-made templates for you to customise and sell!
You can also check out their FREE Etsy Ebook that will share a list of best-selling products by month and teach you how to capitalize on seasonal trends to make sales.
So if you are interested in learning more on how to sell printable art on Etsy, or other digital downloads products, i highly recommend taking this course!
FAQs on Selling Printables on Etsy
How Do I Set Up An Etsy Shop?
Okay, we’ve covered all the bases on how to sell printables on Etsy. The next step, (if you haven’t already done so) is setting up an Etsy shop and it couldn’t be easier!
Here’s how to get started:
- Open a shop on Etsy.
- Decide on your Etsy shop name.
(if you’re not sure of one yet, don’t worry about it. You can input anything for now and change it later.)
- Create a listing.
- Add your products.
- Add photos to your products on Etsy.
- That’s it, folks. Congratulations on setting up your Etsy shop!
- Here is a useful guide on what to name your Etsy Shop
How Do I Price My Printables On Etsy?
So, how to price printables? Pricing your product is always tough as you are starting an Etsy printables business. If you’re wondering how much you can sell digital prints on Etsy for, don’t fret. I’ve got this covered.
After a little research, I noticed the average price of printables is about $5-$6 per item but you can always price above or below that rate depending on your product.
Some things to keep in mind when pricing your product:
- Competition:
If your product is specialized or has more added value, then the sky’s the limit.
But if you haven’t got a niche or you’re selling products that are identical to those found on the platform, be sure to take a look at your competition. The safest bet is pricing your product somewhere in the middle.
With that being said:
- Don’t Underprice Yourself:
There’s always the tendency to underprice a product for fear that a higher price tag won’t sell but keep in mind that this is your product. Explain the listing and why it’s worth it because I’m sure it is!
- Cover Your Fees:
Before wondering about how much can you make on Etsy selling digital downloads, the most important factor to consider is that they cover your fees. Make sure if you’re running a sale, that you’re not losing money.
Disclaimer:
Although setting up a shop on Etsy is free, there are costs that come with being a seller on Etsy. It costs $0.20 to publish a listing. There is a 5% transaction fee and a 3% plus $0.25 transaction fee.
I can’t do math to save my life, so here’s a handy calculator to help you with pricing your digital products on Etsy, while also ensuring you cover all your costs.
How To Sell More Printables On Etsy
Want to sell more on Etsy? There are so many ways to ensure you sell more of your printable products. I’ve compiled a list of them for you.
Here are some ways to increase the sales of your printable products:
Bundle
By creating a bundle on Etsy, you can group a number of related products together and give a bit of a discount to customers when they make that bundle purchase instead of an individual item.
Increase Size of your Printable
Let’s say you’re selling planners, if you increased the number of pages to a whole planner, you can charge more for that product as a whole.
Or if you’re selling a baby chart, instead of having it be a one page printable, you can charge more by making it a nine-page printable. 1 month per page = 9 more pages of $$$.
Advanced Options
Add more value to your products by including videos or a step by step guide on how to make changes to the printable. Adding more to the digital download will give added value and ensure customer satisfaction.
Add a coupon code straight away to your shop
Who doesn’t love a bargain? Adding a coupon code to your store means that your buyers get a bit of a discount when they purchase a printable.
A bargain can encourage more sales and purchases.
This also means that your shop looks more established. The more sales = the more likely other customers will make a purchase. People trust what others have purchased.
Reviews and testimonials
In line with the previous point, people also purchase from stores that have good reviews. Be sure to ask your buyers for reviews.
When consumers see good reviews from happy shoppers, the likelihood of them purchasing a product from you increases.
They know the product is good and it makes it less scary to make the purchase.
Tip: You can include photo reviews to your listings, this will boost credibility too!
Guarantees
Like any consumer-related field, you will have some hiccups along the way with your customers.
Some shops offer a guarantee like, say a refund if the printing is compromised or sending an additional file if they accidentally deleted it.
Making your customers feel secure and cared for is good business and it bodes well for your shop’s reputation.
Can A Beginner Create Best Selling Printables?
Yes sir!
Be it printable games or seasonal printables, so long as you have the interest to create and a fundamental grasp of any design program such as Canva, you are on your way to replacing your full time job selling printables!
Try out the Etsy printables course, put in the time to learn how to use the graphic design program, and invest your time in learning this new skill.
Just like any skill set, it takes some experience and assistance to master the design process, but once you do, you’ll be able to repeat the same procedures every time.
What Is Printable?
Before we get into the nitty-gritty on how to sell Etsy printables, what is a printable, to begin with? A digital printable or a downloadable printable is a virtual product.
This essentially means that the product (or in this case, file) is a product that is delivered to the customer through a download.
Isn’t that neat?
You don’t have to spend time and money on shipping in real life. Your product is one click away.
I have bought numerous printables to make my life better, for example.
I have a printable meal planner I fill in and stick on my fridge, printable weekly planner to keep me organised and soon, a printable budget planner to keep my finances in order.
Printables are a cheaper and more efficient way to keep you life organised, one simply has to create printables to start earning money (rather than buying an expensive planner from the bookstore I can just download one for a fraction of the price on Etsy #allaboutsavingcoins)
Why Are People Selling Printables On Etsy?
You may be wondering, “Who would want to buy a printable?” Lots of people!
Digital printables sell, and sure, you could argue that people can easily download something for free and print it themselves, but here’s a little nugget: people are more willing to pay for something that is of value and that saves them time. there are plenty of people selling etsy printables to prove you just that.
Selling printables on Etsy can be a breeze and because these files are digital, they take minimal effort to make.
With the simple push of a download button, your customer can have a customizable printable without you lifting a finger. Convenience, efficiency, and customizable?
Sounds like a hot selling item to me! So look up on the etsy printables course and start your etsy printables business!
How To Sell Digital Downloads On Etsy?
You can start selling digital downloads on Etsy by:
- Doing market and keyword research to decide which product you will sell
- Brainstorm printable ideas and create at least 3 products to sell
- Decide if you will make the designs yourself, hire a graphic designer or buy premade designs
- Create an Etsy store, name it, and list your designs
- Start promoting your products on social media, create etsy ads, be helpful with your audience, answer their questions, and offer discounts.
If you are looking for a guide on how to start creating digital products, click this link right here for an excellent guide.
Do you want to know about the best digital products to sell on Etsy? Check out my article:
How To Sell Templates On Etsy?
You can start selling templates on Etsy by:
- Picking your niche. E.g. Pinterest templates
- Analyze the best types of templates bundles or set customers to seek
- Create the templates yourself, hire someone to design them, or buy pre-made templates
- Create your Etsy shop, name it, list your products to start your etsy business
- Promote the etsy printables on social media
- Offer discounts and giveaways to attract clients
Looking for the most popular printables on Etsy to sell? These are some of the most popular customers are buying:
- Digital planner templates
- Professional resume templates
- Wedding invitation templates
- Baby shower invitations templates
- Social media templates
Can I Sell Canva Designs On Etsy?
Yes, it is completely legal to sell Canva designs on Etsy if you change and personalize the templates, making them unique.
Canva is merely a place to obtain printable ideas. You have the creative freedom to customize it, add your own flair, make more money online, and build an Etsy printables business.
If you want to learn more about this, check here: Canva licenses, copyright, and commercial use norms.
Is It Worth Selling Printables On Etsy?
YES, it IS worth selling printables on Etsy! Printables are easy to create and a great source of passive income. Aside from some minor technicalities with the design program, you can start to sell digital products in no time!
Starting your own business may seem daunting at first, but selling digital products has a way of making you unleash any creative trait you may have in you.
Be it gift tags, candy bar wrappers, greeting cards, party printables, printables for baby showers, or printables for bachelorette parties, you are free to design anything your heart desires and turn it into your own business.
That is the beauty of Etsy!
Making printables on Etsy can be an exciting process, but if you find yourself hitting a brick wall and can not seem to conjure new ideas, watch some video tutorials, or join any private facebook group to be inspired.
How Do I Legally Sell Printables?
The best way to legally sell printables is to create an Etsy store. You could set up a new shop independently along your journey but the best way to get started right now is simply to take the actions necessary to create a printables shop on Etsy.
As long as you are not blatantly copying the design of another creator, you are free to create as many Etsy printables as your heart desires, be it seasonal printables, gift tags, wall art, or greeting cards!
What Are The Different Types Of Etsy Fees?
Just like any other business, some Etsy services may come at a cost to sellers. Here are the two main Etsy fees that all sellers should know of.
- Transaction Fee – A transaction fee of 5% of the price you show for each item will be applied to your account.
- Listing Fee – A 0.20 USD listing charge for each item listed for sale on Etsy.com or Etsy app will be applied to your account.
For further information on all the fees related to Etsy, visit their Fees & Payments Policy page to educate yourself!
What Printables Sell Best on Etsy
Here are a list of best-selling printables on Etsy you can consider to sell:
- Calendars
- Journals
- Motivational Cards
- Artwork
- Coloring Pages
- Greeting cards
- Baby Shower Games
- Halloween Printables
- Bookmarks
- Thank You Cards
- Stickers
- Planners
How Much Money Can You Make On Etsy Printables?
If you are wondering how much can you make selling printables on Etsy? Depending on the amount of work you put in, you can expect to earn between $10 to $100 a week when you just start!
I have written several articles on how to make money and set up your Etsy shop! All these steps will help your Etsy shop become more visible and lead to higher sales and conversion.
The beauty of it is that you need not deal with shipping or packaging, because Etsy printables are entirely digital!
Etsy printables side hustle is one of the best passive income sources out there!
Can I Make My Own Printables And Sell Them On Etsy?
If you are wondering how to make printables to sell on Etsy. Do not worry! You can easily make your own printables!
This is a recommended choice for someone who has good design skills and knows their way around designing software such as Adobe Photoshop or Canva.
Alternatively, you can always look at purchasing PLR (Private Label Rights) content which refers to designs, and templates that are made by other creators, and available for resale when you buy it.
Is There Money In Selling Printables On Etsy?
Is selling digital products on Etsy profitable? There is certainly money in selling printables on Etsy. If you are wondering how to make money on Etsy with digital downloads, please keep reading!
The reason is that you make the product once, or you buy the PLR once, and then once you put it up for sale, Etsy takes care of the rest!
You can do everything in your pajamas and your customers won’t even care!
As long as you design a good Etsy store and try to provide sincere value to your customers, you can definitely make money!
The best part is, your start-up costs are much lower compared to Etsy stores that sell actual inventory.
This is because those sellers must deal with inventory expenses, time to make the goods, send them for shipping, and deal with customer complaints and refunds if it occurs!
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Do I Need A License To Sell Printables On Etsy?
Etsy doesn’t require sellers to have a business license to sell products via its platform. You are, however, strongly advised to double-check your country’s laws on how tax rates are calculated on e-commerce revenue.
Etsy has rules in place to check on the products you sell whereby you are not supposed to sell illegal or unlawful items, as well as items that are manufactured at mass.
This is because it promotes hand-made goods and items that are vintage or digital.
If you are thinking about how to sell digital art on Etsy. Do not worry. As long as you follow copyright rules and do not steal artwork that belongs to others, you are safe!
Can You Sell Canva Designs On Etsy?
Yes, you can sell Canva designs on Etsy! Canva was made to make design an extremely simple process. There are hundreds and thousands of templates for everything under the sun in Canva!
In fact, if you are wondering how to sell pdfs on Etsy using Canva, fret not! Canva allows you to create PDF designs with editable blocks of space.
There is a requirement though. If you wish to sell Canva designs on Etsy, you need to have a paid account.
Fortunately, the subscription is quite affordable and is cheaper if you subscribe to the yearly package.
You can easily make the money back if you are smart in managing your store and designs. If you are wondering how to make Etsy printables, Canva is a solid way!
How Do I Legally Sell My Printables?
If you already have printables that you wish to sell, the fastest way to sell them is by opening a printables Etsy store! Etsy has its own large volume of existing sellers who trust the platform.
As such, you will have access to a large number of potential customers. This does not mean that other digital platforms are not recommended.
However, Etsy is one of the best due to the ease of using it and the great customer service support available!
Can I Sell Printables On Etsy As A Hobby?
If you’re selling on Etsy without expecting a profit, your shop may qualify as a hobby.
The beauty of running your Etsy store is that you can choose to run it as a hobby or as a business!
You must, however, expect that a hobby will not be as profitable as a business!
If you want to run your Etsy store as a passive income Etsy printables hobby but expect business-like profits, I am sorry, but that will not happen!
Does this mean that you should not sell printables as a hobby?
Of course not! Some people genuinely enjoy their hobbies and do not wish to monetize them. They do it because it makes them happy and is a form of stress relief!
If this sounds like you, by all means, please proceed to sell your printables on Etsy as a hobby.
The main thing is that you must be comfortable and happy with your choice!
What Kind Of Printables Should I Sell On Etsy?
If you are wondering what printables sell best on Etsy, it is those that are easily customizable with dynamic designs.
This is because it will cater to an assortment of user tastes and they can adjust it accordingly.
Printables like birthday cards and greeting cards where the customer can insert the recipient’s name and/or picture will be helpful because they can send it to multiple people.
If your customers feel like they cannot edit the printable, they will likely find a seller who provides this service.
What Software Do I Need To Create Printables?
If you are wondering how to sell digital prints on Etsy, there is plenty of easy-to-use software to create printables for sale.
Here are the most popular ones:
- Canva
- Microsoft Word, Powerpoint
- Google Docs, Slides, Sheets
- Gimp
- Inkscape
- PicMonkey
- Procreate
- Affinity Designer
What Format Is Best For Etsy Printables?
If you are wondering how to create printables to sell on Etsy and the best format for Etsy Printables, then it is PDF and JPG.
If you sell your printables in PDF, please make sure it is editable and has blocks of space to insert the relevant text or heading with the design.
JPG is recommended because it is lightweight and still of high quality.
In fact, most websites, including mine, only use JPG photos because it does not negatively affect site speed as PNG photos do.
Hence, selling digital prints on Etsy is best using PDF and JPG.
Do I Need Canva Pro to Sell on Etsy?
No, you don’t need a Canva Pro account to start selling on Etsy. With the free version, you still have the option to share ‘template links’ with others. Although the Canva Free account is limited to some templates, fonts and elements, you can explore all the free options and use your creativity to create your unique design.
How Do I Use Graphics Legally For Printable?
When it comes to selling printables on Etsy, pay extra attention to the copyright law for graphics use.
Here is how you can make sure a graphic is legally allowed to be used for your printable design:
- Avoid using trademark or copyrighted design– This might be obvious, but NEVER take an artwork or design from copyrighted material. Not only are you risking your product listing getting taken down by Etsy but also a potential lawsuit. Yikes.
- Use images or graphics from royalty-free sites- An example of this is Canva design, all images and design elements can be used for commercial and noncommercial use.
- Purchase design with a commercial license– If you are buying an illustration design online, be sure to purchase for a commercial license, this way you are legally allowed to use it to sell on printables.
- Create your design– If you can’t find the design you are looking for, why not create the design yourself? You have complete control of the usage and do not have to worry about copyright issues.
Ready to Start Selling Printables on Etsy?
Now I cover everything you need to know on how to start selling printables on Etsy, the rest is up to you!
Creating printables for Etsy at the beginning is hard work, it’s hours or even days of work just to create variations of digital products,
Can you make money selling digital downloads on Etsy? Well, looking at the examples I show in this article, absolutely YES!
So don’t rush the process, set targets on how many printables designs you are planning to sell in total and break it down into how many you can do each day.
Besides creating beautiful printable designs, do remember that marketing is key! Refer to the marketing tips I shared above to learn how to boost sales on your Etsy digital download business.
You got this, good luck!
Related posts on making money on Etsy:
- How to Increase Etsy Traffic- 19 Tips to Boost Sales Fast
- How To Use Pinterest For Etsy to Skyrocket Etsy Sales!
- 11 Etsy Printables Courses THAT ACTUALLY WORK
- How To Start Selling Prints On Etsy
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- How To Make Stickers To Sell On A Low Budget