Are you curious to learn how to make printables to sell online and improve your earning potential? If you’re reading this post, then you most likely are — and for good reason.
Minting and selling printables online can be a lucrative business opportunity. It allows you to monetize your creativity with relative ease.
Thanks to the ultra-lean business model provided by print-on-demand (POD) services, you don’t have to worry about inventory management or order fulfillment. You just need to learn how to create digital printables to sell.
However, how exactly does it work and how can you get started?
In this blog post, we'll break down the process of selling printables online, from ideation to marketing. Stick around to get all the information you’ll need about how to start a printables business.
Without taking any more time, let’s jump right in.
What Are Printables?
Printables are high-resolution digital files that customers can download, print, and use in different settings. When learning how to create digital printables to sell, you should also think about which products they can be printed on. For instance, digital printables can be printed on a variety of surfaces like paper, fabric, glass, plastic, and so on.
The possibilities are virtually limitless, including:
- Wall art
- Journals
- Stationaries
- Activity books
- Greeting cards
- Home decors
- Stickers and labels
Artists create attractive printables like these labels that users can download and print on their desired surface.
Image via Pinterest
From a consumer’s perspective, printables offer a versatile, cost-effective solution for instant access to physical versions of digital designs. This makes them appealing to a broad customer base.
That said, creating and selling printables online has numerous benefits for entrepreneurs and creatives alike. Some of these benefits include:
- Low Startup Costs: Unlike physical products, printables require minimal initial investment. You only need good design software and creativity.
- Limitless Passive Income Potential: Creating printables to sell is relatively easier compared to many other business models. The good news is that there’s virtually no ceiling to how much money you can make.
- Scalable: You can easily expand your product line by creating new printables to meet market demands.
- Wide Market Reach: Selling printables online opens you to a global customer base.
- Hands-off Product Management: Unlike many other business models, the printables business model adopts a lean product management system, allowing you to outsource everything from printing to packaging and shipping.
How to Know Your Target Market for Selling Printables
One good reason for learning how to start a printables business is that it can be promising and sustainable. However, you’ll need to know which market to target to boost sales.
This will help you create designs according to the preferences and needs of your target audience, increasing the likelihood of purchases. This will also help you create effective marketing strategies based on where your audience is most active.
For example, if you plan to design planners and organizers, your target audience might be busy professionals, students, or productivity enthusiasts.
Once you've identified your niche, the next step is to conduct thorough market research to understand trends, popular categories, and customer preferences within the printables space.
Moreover, you must evaluate your competition to find out what types of printables are selling fast and which ones are less popular.
Researching these factors should give you valuable insights into the current market demands and how to make printables to sell.
When researching trends and popular categories, look into:
- Best-selling printables in your niche
- Blogs and influencers discussing printables
- Popular hashtags and social media conversations around printables
How to Make Printables to Sell Online
To succeed in this business, you must learn how to make printables to sell — ones that your audience will find appealing and usable. Here are some basic design principles to keep in mind.
- Simplicity: Avoid cluttered designs. Stick to clean layouts that are easy on the eyes. For instance, you can use white space to create a sense of balance and visual hierarchy in your printables.
- Readability: Use clear and legible fonts that will look good no matter where it will be printed.
- Visual Appeal: Use graphics, illustrations, or photos that are trendy and visually engaging.
- User Experience: While visual appeal is crucial, it's equally important to consider the user experience when designing printables. Layouts should be clear and intuitive, particularly for printables like checklists and puzzles.
- Functionality: Ensure that your printables are designed with their intended purpose in mind, whether it's for planning, learning, or decorative purposes.
Now that you know the basic design principles involved in learning how to make printables to sell, let’s look at some of the tools you’ll need to create attractive designs.
Here are some free tools you can use:
- Word processors (Microsoft Word or Google Docs)
- Spreadsheets (Excel or Google Sheets)
- Inkscape
- Canva
- GIMP
- Fotor
On the other hand, these paid tools might be helpful:
- Procreate
- Photoshop
- Adobe InDesign
- Affinity Designer
- Adobe Illustrator
To maximize the use of these tools in designing your printables, we recommend the following guidelines:
- Simplicity is key; avoid cluttered designs and stick to clean layouts.
- Use legible fonts and ensure proper spacing for improved readability.
- Consistently refine your skills and experiment with new techniques.
- Leverage templates and pre-made design elements.
- Pay attention to user experience by creating intuitive layouts and interactive elements.
Once you've created your printable designs using these tools, it's time to leverage the power of print-on-demand services like Podbase to streamline order fulfillment. Podbase also allows integration with your online storefront like Etsy and Shopify.
POD platforms print and ship your printables directly to customers, eliminating the need for inventory management or handling shipping logistics from your end. This allows you to run a lean and streamlined business where all you have to worry about is designing and uploading your digital files.
That said, here’s a summary of the benefits of print-on-demand services:
- Easy scalability
- Hands-off fulfillment
- Global customer reach
- Low-risk product sandbox
- Robust customization options
- Little to no upfront inventory costs
How to Start Selling Printables Online
The next logical step is to learn where to sell printables online. There are several platforms and marketplaces you can use, including:
- Etsy: This is one of the most popular marketplaces for handmade and digital products, including printables. The best part of learning how to sell printables on Etsy is its built-in audience. This means that there's already a significant number of potential customers browsing the site for unique and creative items.
- Shopify: A popular ecommerce platform, Shopify allows you to create a fully customized online store for your printables business. You can also integrate print-on-demand services like Podbase directly with your Shopify store.
- Amazon: With the Kindle Direct Publishing platform, you can sell printables like planners, journals, and activity books as digital downloads.
- Your Website: Building a website using platforms like WordPress or Squarespace gives you complete control over your printables business.
Aside from mastering how to make printables to sell, you also need the following tips to create an effective online storefront setup:
- Categorize your printables for easy browsing.
- Integrate secure and trusted payment gateways.
- Use high-quality product images and a clean layout.
- Provide clear and concise descriptions of each printable.
- Implement a robust search system to find specific designs quickly.
- Offer bundle deals or discounted pricing for multiple printable purchases.
- Encourage customer reviews and testimonials to build trust and social proof.
After setting up your storefront, you should be able to efficiently promote your printables to reach new customers and boost sales.
Here are some ways to market your printables:
- Email marketing
- Social media marketing
- Influencer collaborations
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Paid advertising (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, or Instagram Ads)
What Printables Can You Sell?
Printables provide a slew of avenues for creators to monetize their skills and boost their earnings. Now that you have a pretty good idea of how to make printables to sell, let’s move on to discuss the types of printables you can make.
- Educational Materials
Image via Canva
These printables are perfect for parents, teachers, and students of all ages. The cost of this printable type can range from a few dollars for simple worksheets to $10–$20 for comprehensive study guides or workbooks. Some examples include:
- Stationaries
- Study guides
- Educational posters
- Worksheets
- Flashcards
- Planners and Organizers
Image via Canva
These are ideal for busy professionals, students, or anyone looking to boost productivity. Prices for these printables typically range from $5–$25. Examples include:
- Grocery lists
- Habit trackers
- Meal planners
- Budget planners
- Goal-setting templates
- Daily, weekly, and monthly planners
- Art and Decor
Image via Etsy
This is a popular option for creative individuals learning how to make printables to sell online. Costs vary widely, from $5 for simple prints to over $50 for large, high-quality wall art. Art and decor printable types are:
- Wall art prints
- Inspirational quotes
- Coloring pages
- Printable templates for crafting projects
- Event and Party Supplies
Image via Etsy
These are targeted at party hosts, event planners, and DIY enthusiasts. Prices generally range from $5–$20. Some samples in this category are:
- Banners
- Invitations
- Favor boxes
- Thank-you cards
- Party decorations
- Labels and Stickers
Image via Etsy
Because of its simplicity, labels and stickers are a great starting point for newbies learning how to make printables to sell online. They’re useful for households, small businesses, and craft sellers and are sold for $2–$10 per sheet or set. Some examples of this printable type include:
- Fun sticker sheets
- Product labels for handmade items (candles, soaps, jams)
- Customizable labels for organizations (pantry, office, moving boxes)
- Seasonal and Holiday-Themed Printables
Image via Etsy
Aimed at different seasons and holidays, these printables cost anywhere from $3 to $15 on average. Some examples are:
- Holiday greeting cards
- Gift tags and wrapping paper designs
- Seasonal decorations and craft templates
- Journaling and Self-Care
Image via Canva
This type of printable is perfect for those interested in self-care, personal growth, and mental well-being. Prices can range from $5–$20 for:
- Gratitude logs
- Mood trackers
- Guided journals
- Affirmation cards
- Inspirational quotes
- Printable Templates
Image via Etsy
These are typically designed for professionals and businesses. Examples include:
- Invoices
- Resume templates
- Social media templates
Other types of printables you can sell online include games and activities printables, such as mazes and crosswords, and digital stamps and clipart for cardmaking and graphic design projects.
To Conclude
Now that you’ve made it to the end of this guide, we hope you’ve learned a thing or two about how to make printables to sell online.
From targeting the right market to designing and creating printables to sell, this business idea is a great income opportunity for entrepreneurs and creatives alike.
If you’re ready to take the next step, consider using a print-on-demand service like Pobase. This leading POD platform empowers creators to sell their printables with minimal effort.
Thanks to seamless integrations, global reach, and hands-off fulfillment, Podbase allows you to focus on the design process, giving you more time to hone your craft.
Interested? Give Podbase a try today.