How to Make Printables to Sell on Etsy

If you’re creative, making printables to sell can be a great way to bring in an extra income. Once you’ve created the designs you can sell them over and over again, making it an effective way to gain passive income in the future.

In today’s post I want to share with you a simple guide on how to make printables to sell on Etsy. If this is something you’re interested in, by the end of this post you should have a step-by-step guide you can follow to start listing your printables for sale online.

How to make printables to sell on Etsy

People list printables for sale on Etsy for different reasons. Some might enjoy it as a money-making hobby to boost their savings, others are testing a new side hustle, and for some it’s a way of earning a full-time income.

If you’ve never made or sold a printable before, this can be a daunting step. It’s an exciting journey though, and once you’ve created one printable you’ll feel inspired to keep creating. Before you know it you’ll have an Etsy store full of printables ready for people to buy and download.

Here’s how to get started with making printables to sell on Etsy.

Start with an idea

I find it easiest to start with a basic idea of what I might want to create. While others opt for research first, I almost always do my best work when it comes from a place of natural inspiration first.

If this is new to you, start with an area or topic that you’re passionate about or knowledgeable about. For me, this was blogging. My first printables were related to blogging as that’s an area that ticks both of those boxes for me.

It’s likely your printables will be in a different niche. Here are a few different types of printables to spark some inspiration:

• Party decor printables
• Wedding printables
• Business printables
• Home organisation printables
• Finance or money saving printables (like my free money challenge printable)
• Blogging printables

If you think about it, you could create a printable for almost every industry or purpose. You could create a printable to-do list for students or create intricate printable colouring pages for self care. There’s so much potential here.

This step can feel overwhelming, especially if you have lots of ideas. My advice is to take one idea and see where it goes – it doesn’t have to be close to perfect, especially if it’s your first try.

Do your research

Once you have a rough idea of what you’d like to create, dive into your research. The research stage covers a lot of areas.

Firstly you’ll want to check that your intended design won’t infringe on anyone else’s copyright. I’d recommend avoiding anything that features a popular character, especially something as high-profile as Disney or Marvel. You’ll also want to check that you’re not planning on using any trademarked words or phrases. You can do this by running a UK trademark search (and the US alternative here).

You’ll also want to be careful that your design elements can be used in products for sale. I tend to invest in elements from either Canva Pro or Creative Market, which both have easy-to-read terms that cover usage rights. Always read through these and keep track of them to avoid any potential issues.

As well as making sure your designs aren’t infringing copyright, you’ll also want to research whether they’re likely to sell. Search through current listings and explore what’s already available. No idea is likely to be truly unique these days, but don’t intentionally create something too similar to something already out there. Look for opportunities to offer customers something different, or where there’s a perfect gap for your intended printable.

Sketch out your planned design

Now that you’re happy with your design idea and you think it will sell, you can jump into the design. This process looks different for everyone, but sketching out your design can really help you to visualise it.

If you’re creating a printable calendar, sketch out your ideas on a sheet of paper. Look at how big the boxes need to be and whether there’s enough space to write in. A beautiful design will sell, but it’s even better if you can get into the habit of considering practical use too.

For creatives that are designing printable art or more in-depth illustrated designs, sketching out your design first can simplify the digital design process. I’ve been following this digital illustration class on Skillshare which shows how you can transform a sketch into digital art.

Design your printable

This is often the most fun stage – where you design your printable. I love this part of the process and it’s always nice to see your ideas turn into a tangible, useful printable product for sale.

Hop into your favourite design tool and use the features available to create your digital design. If you’re used to Adobe software you could use Photoshop or Illustrator, but I think Canva is a great choice for beginners and more experienced users alike. I love that it’s easy to manipulate objects and create text, with its drag-and-drop style interface.

If you’re new to using Canva, I really recommend following their tutorial to pick up the basics. Once you have the basics down, experiment!

Once you’re happy with your design, download a version. I like to download both PDF for print and png versions. I use the PDF as the printable to sell on my Etsy store, and the png file I re-upload into Canva ready for the next stage.

Create images for your listing

Your printable is ready, but before you can list for sale it you’ll need to create some imagery to add to your listing.

Head back into Canva, and use the image version of your file to create some promotional images or ‘mockups’ of your printable in use. Look at other Etsy sellers to see how they do this successfully, then create images using a similar technique to sell your printable.

It’s best to upload several images along with your Etsy listing. Here are some ideas of images to create:

• Main promotional image
• Mockup of your printable in use
• Close up of an area or two of your printable
• Collage image of your printable (if there are multiple pages)
• Instructional image (if there’s something users need to know, e.g. they’ll need to use Canva to personalise the file)

Once you’ve created and downloaded these images you’ll have everything you need to list your printables for sale on Etsy.

List your printables for sale on Etsy

It’s finally time to start your Etsy store and list your printables for sale.

Before you do this, make sure you’ve read through Etsy’s guide on selling. It’ll take you through the basics, what you need to know and has a useful FAQ section. It’s always best to do your research on a platform before you use it, so you don’t accidentally run into any issues.

Once you’re happy, you can start your Etsy store and create your first listing. Give your listing a title, add images, set your categories and tags and add a description. While you can optimise this heavily for Etsy search, to start with I’d recommend getting the hang of listing your first few items. You can always revisit, edit and optimise this section later.

With your listing ready, you can publish it. You now have a printable for sale on Etsy!

Don’t be tempted to stop here though. Most Etsy stores need upwards of 10+ products before they’ll start making any sales. Use this as motivation to keep creating and build your store, until it’s full of products that you love and are happy with.

Making printables for sale FAQ

I’ve really enjoyed making printable for sale on Etsy, but it’s definitely been a learning curve. Here are a few popular printable making questions and my answers to them.

Do I need to be a professional designer?

Absolutely not! While it helps if you have a talent for illustration or an eye for design, you don’t need to be a professionally trained designer to make printables to sell on Etsy.

If design isn’t your strength, think about the more practical printables you could make like to-do lists or home organisation planners. You could also team up with a creative designer to turn your ideas into reality. While this will cost you money, if your store is profitable this could be a great way to keep it filled with great printables.

Should I offer some of my printables for free?

This is completely up to you. If you have a platform like a blog or active social media channels you might consider offering a free printable as a way to encourage people to visit your website or check out your Etsy store. If people enjoy your aesthetic or find your printable really useful, they may be more tempted to buy from you in the future.

While this can be a great way to introduce your designs to new audiences, you’ll still want to prioritise printables for sale. You might create a free checklist to give away on your blog, but keep your more in-depth financial planner as a paid-for printable on your Etsy store.

What printables sell the best?

If you’re not sure what to create and want to prioritise income opportunities, try exploring popular printables ideas. Etsy publishes a section that features the most popular printables for sale, so you can use this as part of your research to see what’s selling.

Looking at the selection now, the most popular printables include:

• Colouring sheets
• TV show or movie-inspired printable wall art
• Wedding programmes
• Baby shower games
• Milestone cards
• Photo booth props

… and many more!

Where can I find design elements for my printables?

If you’re just starting out, I’d recommend upgrading to Canva Pro to explore some of their design elements.

When you’re ready to invest more money in your designs, head to Creative Market to buy more resources. You’ll need to buy the right license for your needs, which will often be Commercial or Extended Commercial.

For something truly bespoke, think about working with a graphic designer or illustrator to create your own design elements. These will be unique to you, but this is often more expensive than buying premade elements.

How do I improve my Etsy listings?

Listing your printables for sale on Etsy is great, but this doesn’t always mean they’ll get discovered. To give your listings a better chance, improve them with some simple tips and tricks. There are paid courses that tell you how to improve your Etsy listings, but as a starting point read their guide on shop improvement and SEO.

What else could I sell on Etsy?

If you’ve had a go at creating printables to sell on Etsy and found it’s not for you, there are other options. Check out my post on the top things to sell on Etsy for fresh ideas and inspiration.

Have you enjoyed learning how to make printables to sell on Etsy?

I’d love to know what you think and how you’ve found the process. Let me know what the first printable you’ve created is and share a link to your Etsy printables store!