How To Make Money Selling Printables Online

There are countless ways to make money online, and selling printables is one option that has a relatively low barrier to entry. You can create a digital product once and sell it multiple times without having to make or ship a physical product for every order.

Making money selling printables online can be a semi-passive income model, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t work involved. You still need to create products people want, decide where to sell them, write your listings and help potential customers find them.

The good news is that you don’t necessarily need your own website or a large social media following to get started. Marketplaces such as Etsy give you somewhere to list your printables and reach people who are already searching for digital products.

Once a printable has been created and listed, it can potentially be sold more than once without recreating the product each time. That’s what makes printables an interesting option if you’re looking for a digital product business that you can build over time.

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How can You Make Money Online?

There are many ways to make money online, from blogging and freelance services to selling physical or digital products. But many of these options require ongoing work for every sale or every client.

Selling digital products such as printables works a little differently.

You create the printable once, then you can sell the same digital file multiple times. There are no physical products to store, pack or ship, which can make printables an accessible option if you want to start an online business without a lot of upfront costs.

That doesn’t mean the income is automatic. You still need to create something people actually want, choose where you’re going to sell it and find a way to get your product in front of potential customers.

Why Are Printables A Great Choice For A Side-Hustle?

One of the advantages of selling printables is that you’re creating a digital product rather than something you need to physically make, store and ship each time someone places an order.

Printables are usually designed to help someone solve a problem, save time or organize something without having to create a system from scratch.

Think about things you may already have used, such as:

• A habit tracker
• Daily planning pages
• A calendar
• Cleaning checklists
• Budget planners
• Meal planning sheets

They can be as simple as a single-page checklist or form part of a much larger planner or bundle.

Once you’ve created the original file, you can potentially sell it multiple times. That is one of the things that makes selling printables attractive as a side hustle. You can start with one useful product and gradually build a collection rather than needing dozens of products before you begin.

Printables aren’t completely passive income, though. You’ll still need to research what people want, create good-quality products, list and market them, and provide customer support when needed.

How To Sell Printables On Etsy

There are plenty of people who would rather buy a ready-made printable than spend the time designing one themselves.

That creates an opportunity for sellers, but simply creating a printable and listing it on Etsy doesn’t guarantee that it will sell.

There are a few skills you’ll need to learn, especially when you’re getting started:

• Researching what potential customers are looking for
• Using relevant keywords in your Etsy listings
• Writing clear product titles and descriptions
• Choosing a price that reflects the value of your product
• Creating attractive listing images that show customers what they’re buying
• Learning the software you use to create your printables

You don’t need to master everything before you create your first product. These are skills you can improve as you learn more about what your customers are looking for and which of your products attract interest.

Related article: Easy Money From A Side Hustle: Passive Income From Etsy Printables

Why Do People Buy Printables?

People buy printables because they’re looking for a solution to a specific problem. If your printable makes something easier, saves them time, or gives them a system they don’t have to create themselves, it can be worth paying for.

Take planners, for example. Everyone plans differently, and people often look for a planner that fits the way they prefer to organize their day.

That’s why there are so many different planners available. They may all have a similar purpose, but the layouts, features and way they’re designed can appeal to very different people.

The same applies to other printables. You don’t necessarily need to invent something that has never existed before. You need to understand who you’re creating it for, what they need help with and how your printable can make that easier.

How To Design A Printable

When you’re ready to create your printable, it helps to think about how your customer will actually use it before you start designing.

Your printable needs to look good, but it also needs to be practical, easy to understand and suitable for its intended purpose. Before you start, you’ll need to think about what you’re creating, which design tool you’ll use, the size and file format, and how you’ll test the finished product.

Choosing The Right Design Tool

You don’t need expensive or complicated software to start creating printables. There are several design tools available, with both free and paid options depending on the features you need.

• Canva: Beginner-friendly and easy to use for creating printable designs. This is the tool I personally use.
• PicMonkey: Another design platform with tools for creating graphics and layouts.
• Adobe Illustrator: A more advanced option that gives you greater control over your designs but has a steeper learning curve.

If you’re just getting started, choose a tool you’re comfortable using rather than assuming you need professional design software. You can always move to more advanced tools as your skills and business grow.

Pick A Printable Type

There are so many different types of printables you could create that it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the options. Start by choosing one type of printable and thinking about the person you’re creating it for.

Some ideas include:

• Planners and calendars: daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly
• Checklists and trackers: cleaning, budgeting, fitness, or meal planning
• Wall art and quotes: seasonal, inspirational, or nursery
• Worksheets and templates: education, training, or business

You don’t need to create everything at once. Starting with one type of printable gives you the chance to learn what works before building a larger range.

Choose the Right Size & File Format

Before you start designing, decide what size your printable needs to be and how your customer is likely to use it. This will help you set up your design correctly from the beginning rather than trying to resize everything later.

• A4 and US Letter are common sizes for planners, worksheets and checklists. You may want to offer both if you’re selling to customers in different countries.
• If your printable contains images or graphics, make sure they’re high enough quality to print clearly. 300 DPI is commonly used for high-quality printed images, but simply exporting a design at 300 DPI won’t improve graphics that were low quality to begin with.
• PDF is usually a good choice for print-at-home products because it helps preserve the layout and formatting.
• PNG or JPG may be appropriate when you’re selling individual graphics or artwork rather than a document designed to be printed as pages.

Always check the finished files yourself before giving them to customers.

Testing Before Selling

Before you list your printable for sale, test it yourself. You want to make sure your customer receives a file that looks and works the way you intended.

• Print a copy yourself to check the layout, margins and overall quality
• Check the spelling and instructions carefully
• Check colors, fonts and spacing for consistency
• Open the final files to make sure they have exported correctly
• Test different page sizes if you’re offering both A4 and US Letter versions
• Use watermarks on your listing preview images if you want to discourage people from copying your designs

It’s much easier to spot and fix problems before customers start downloading your product.

Popular Printable Ideas To Consider

Need some inspiration for the type of printable you could create?

There are plenty of different printable categories to explore. Some ideas include:

• Budget planners and trackers
• Daily and weekly planners
• Wedding planning printables and invitations
• Kids’ activity sheets for holidays, events, or everyday activities
• Habit trackers

Don’t choose a product simply because you’ve seen other people selling it. Think about who your customer is, the problem they’re trying to solve, and how you could create something genuinely useful for them.

It’s also worth researching your idea before spending hours creating it. Look at what people are searching for, what already exists, and whether you can bring something useful or different to the market.

What Training Do I Need To Make Printables And Sell Them Online

You don’t need to take a course before you can start creating printables, and there is plenty you can learn by experimenting yourself.

But if you want step-by-step guidance on turning your printable ideas into products you can sell, Gold City Ventures’ E-Printables course is the training I recommend.

The course covers the different parts of building a printables business, including creating your products, setting up your Etsy shop, researching ideas and learning how to market what you create.

Join Gold City Ventures E-Printables Course

If you’d rather learn more about the full course before deciding whether it’s right for you, you can also read my full review: My Review of the E-Printables Course by Gold City Ventures.

Could Selling Printables Become Your Side Hustle?

There are people who have built successful businesses selling printables online, but that doesn’t mean everyone will achieve the same results.

For example, this mom shared how she built an Etsy printables business earning around $10,000 a month. Her results aren’t typical or guaranteed, but her story does show what’s possible when someone develops their products and business over time.

You don’t need to start with dozens of products or expect to replace your income overnight. Start by researching an idea, creating your first printable and learning from what happens when you put it in front of potential customers.

If you’d like some help learning how to create and sell printables, you can join E-Printables here!

And if you do decide to create your first printable, tell me in the comments what you’re planning to make. I’d love to know.