Nowadays, selling printables online is becoming an increasingly popular way to make a living. Whether you’re a graphic designer, artist, or just someone with a creative eye, you can turn your designs and ideas into profitable online products.
So what are printables? Printables are digital products that can be printed and used for various purposes. These can come in various formats, from PDFs to images to 3D printable files. Some popular examples of printables include planners, calendars, to-do lists, greeting cards, invitations, wall art, t-shirt designs, printable models, and more.
In this blog, we will look at the 5-step guide to selling printables online:
- Decide what type of printables you want to sell.
- Design your printables.
- Price your digital printable.
- Set up an online store to sell your printables.
- Market your printables.
Before delving into the detailed 5-step process, let’s examine the benefits of selling printables online.
Benefits of selling printables online:
1. Easy to create and sell:
Printables are digital products and carry all the advantages of such. Unlike physical products, digital products can be created and then published for sale immediately. For example, let’s say you’re selling a printable calendar design versus a physical printed calendar. Let’s first consider the steps to bring a physical calendar to market. You have to design the calendar, get it printed, list it online, and finally ship it to the customer after each purchase.
By contrast, when selling a digital calendar template, you can upload the files after designing them and start collecting payment for sales immediately. The low barrier to entry for launching a digital product is a huge factor as to why this class of products has recently become so popular.
2. Low overhead cost:
Another factor contributing to the popularity of offering printables is the low overhead cost. When creating a digital product, your initial investment is minimal. There are no materials to buy, no retail space to rent, and no monthly storage costs for your inventory. You can create the product from the comfort of your home and publish it online.
You only need a computer, and a subscription to good design software such as Canva, Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign, and then you’re off to the races. The favorable risk-to-reward ratio is hard to beat when launching a digital goods business.
3. Great for generating passive income:
Finally, printables offer a great opportunity for generating passive income. Once you’ve created the product, you can sell it infinite times and for as long as you desire. If your product becomes well-reviewed and gains popularity online, you can quickly generate substantial revenue for little additional effort. Before you know it, you might be lying on a beach reading your favorite novel, while your digital sales fund your lifestyle.
Now that we have discussed the benefits of selling digital printables, we can move on to the comprehensive 5-step process for successfully selling these printables online.
5 Steps to selling printables online:
Step 1: Decide what type of printables you want to sell.
The printable you choose will depend on the type of customer you’re targeting. Are you trying to appeal to a wide audience, or are you looking to target a specific niche? If you’re targeting a wide audience, you may want to create printables suitable for various activities, such as party planners, calendars, chore charts, or coloring pages. Having products that appeal to a wide audience is typically a good tactic if you plan on selling your printables on a marketplace like Etsy, where you can leverage the platform’s wide user base.
On the other hand, if you’re targeting a specific niche, you may want to create more specialized printables, such as recipe cards or travel itineraries. This approach is best when you have a funnel to draw in a specific audience.
For example, if you are a food blogger who loves making cooking videos for your Instagram or youtube channel, you can offer printable recipe cards for your viewers. This makes sense because your viewers are likely already interested in cooking, and, therefore, more likely to purchase a printable relating to such.
This is how Stephanie O’Dea, “Mommy Blogger Next Door,” found a way to monetize her passion for cooking and meal planning by selling printables. With a devoted following of food-loving fans, Stephanie regularly shares her delicious recipes and creative meal plans on her popular blog, “A Year of Slow Cooking.”
What sets Stephanie apart from other food bloggers is her savvy use of printables. She has turned her passion into a profitable venture by offering her loyal readers the option to purchase printable versions of her recipes and meal plans.
Here’s a list of the top 10 printable categories and ideas:
1. Stationery and office supplies:
- Letterhead
- Envelopes
- Note pads
- Post-it notes
- Stickers
- File folders
- Binders
- Pen and pencil holders
2. Art and wall decor:
- Prints of paintings
- Posters of motivational quotes
- Wall calendars
- Wall art stickers
- Photo frames
- Wall decals
- Wall clocks
3. Planning and organization tools:
- Daily, weekly, and monthly planners
- To-do lists
- Budget worksheets
- Grocery lists
- Meal planning templates
- Project management templates
4. Educational resources:
- Flashcards
- Worksheets
- Quizzes and tests
- Reading comprehension passages
- Mathematics word problems
- Science experiments
5. Craft and hobby templates:
- Cross-stitch patterns
- Knitting and crochet patterns
- Painting and drawing templates
- Scrapbook page layouts
- Sewing patterns
- Card-making templates
6. Party and event decorations:
- Invitation templates
- Printable party hats
- Streamers and banners
- Table settings
- Name tags
- Party favor tags
7. Gift tags and labels:
- Gift tags for various occasions
- Address labels
- Labels for organizing containers and boxes
- Labels for homemade products such as jams and baked goods
- Labels for personalizing belongings such as water bottles and school supplies
8. Home and interior design elements:
- Printable wallpaper
- Furniture plans and templates
- Room layout templates
- Home decor prints
- Color scheme inspiration boards
9. Health and wellness resources:
- Exercise and fitness tracking sheets
- Meal and nutrition planners
- Sleep tracking logs
- Mindfulness and meditation worksheets
- Gratitude and journaling prompts
10. Food and recipe printables:
- Recipe cards
- Meal planning templates
- Grocery shopping lists
- Pantry organization labels
- Kitchen conversion charts
- Baking measurement guides.
Now that we have discussed how to determine the printable you want to design, let’s move on to the next step: designing the digital printable.
Step 2: Design your printables.
After figuring out your target market and what digital printable you want to sell, the next step is deciding what you want to create. Are you designing a poster for an event, an invitation for a birthday party, or a calendar to keep track of appointments?
Once you’ve decided on the type of design you’d like to create, it’s time to begin the creative process. The next step is to decide on the layout for your design. This includes the size, orientation, and any other elements that will be included in the design. This will help you determine how much space you’ll need for images and text and what software you’ll need to use.
Several free and low-cost online tools are available to help you make your printable. You can try Canva, dribble, Visme, Venngage, or Vectr. Alternatively, if you prefer to outsource the design, you can create a rough sketch or draft of your ideas and hire a freelance graphic designer to help you bring it to life.
Now that you have the layout in place, it’s time to start thinking about the content of your design. You’ll need to decide on the font, color, and images you’d like to include in your design. You may also consider adding additional details such as borders or clipart. Once you have finalized the content and layout of your design, you’ll need to export your design as a printable file. Most design programs can export your work as a PDF, the most common format for printing designs.
Let’s look at some examples of printables designs:
A self-help planner designed by Andrew Pixel.
A printable blog post planner designed by Sistec.
Here are some of the resources and tools that can come in handy when you are designing printables:
1. Online Course for designing printables:
- Design online course printables using Canva
- Sell printable word art with Canva
- How to create a printable
2. Design Software for creating printables:
3. Find fonts for your printables:
4. Get Colour palettes for your printables:
Step 3: Price your digital printable.
Now that we have a product let’s figure out how we should price it.
- The first step is to determine your cost in creating this product. To do this, you’ll need to factor in the cost of any tools used to bring your printable to market. This includes, images, hired help, cost of software, and any other fixed cost you incurred when creating this product..
- Next, think about your labor costs. How long will it take you to create each digital printable? Time is money so don’t sell yourself short. Consider the opportunity cost of the time you set aside to create this product and set your price accordingly to make it worthwhile.
- Lastly, don’t forget to factor in marketing. If you don’t have a blog or a popular social media page to funnel traffic to your product listing, you may need to set aside an advertising budget to help people discover your product. If you need to, raise your prices accordingly to absorb the advertisement cost.
Once you know the cost of producing your printables, you can start setting a price. You’ll want to consider the cost of similar products on the market and the overall demand for your product type.
Aim to set a price that is competitive yet fair. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your pricing to increase conversions and maximize your profits. You can also drive sales by offering discounts and limited-time special offers. You can try offering discounts for bulk orders, giving away freebies with each purchase, or offering loyalty discounts for repeat customers.
Let’s look at how other creators price their printables:
- Molly Scafidi, who runs the blog JoblessHustler and an online sticker shop, believes that the ideal price for these types of items is between $2 and $5, with the “magical” price being $3.99. This is based on her experience and extensive research. Read more about her pricing strategy here.
- On the other hand, Aisha Peccer, founder and owner of OutandBeyond, has a different approach to pricing her printables. She suggests that these printables can be priced in the range of $5 to $6 per item, based on her experience and research. Learn more about the pricing here.
Scafidi and Peccer have considered various factors when pricing their digital printables, including the value and quality of the product, the time and effort put into creating it, the demand and competition in the market, and the potential revenue it can generate. While their pricing strategies may differ, both are focused on offering a fair and reasonable price for their printables that reflects the value they provide to their customers.
Step 4: Set up an online store to sell your printables.
Now that you have your printables designed, and pricing decided, you need to set up a website or online store to sell them. You can create your website or use a platform such as CheckYa to sell your digital printables. Ensure your store looks professional, including product descriptions, photos, and pricing information.
Set up your digital store on CheckYa to sell printables in 10 minutes:
Create your CheckYa account: If you don’t have an account already, creating an account on CheckYa is incredibly easy. You can go to https://checkya.com/ and get started.
Upload your Digital Printables: You can add as many digital printables as you wish. Go to the ‘Products’ section on your dashboard and add the details of your printables. Add product images, a detailed product description, and a preview of your digital printables to give your customers a sneak peek of your product and hit save the product. Your printables will now be added to your store.
Add your payment option: CheckYa allows you to get paid via Stripe and PayPal from customers worldwide in the currency of their choice. Connect the payment method of your choice.
Share your digital printables: Once done, you can copy the link to your digital printable and paste it on your social media channels, making it easy for your customers to buy them.
Step 5: Market your printables.
Now that you have put in the time and effort to create a beautiful and useful printable, it’s time to let the world know about it. But how do you effectively market your printable to reach the right audience and drive sales? Here are some useful tips.
- Social media is one of the most effective and cost-effective ways to market your printable. If you have an active presence on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, announce the launch of your printable to your followers. Share a reel or story highlighting the features and benefits of your printable, and include a link to buy it in your bio or description. This will give your audience a sneak peek of your printable and make them excited to check it out.
- Another effective marketing strategy is to offer freebies and discounts. This can help create a sense of urgency and encourage your audience to take action. For example, you can offer a free printable to the first 50 buyers or a discount code for a limited time. This will attract more customers and build trust and loyalty among your audience.
- In addition to social media and freebies, you can use your blog or email newsletter to promote your printable. If you have a blog, write a post about the launch of your printable, highlighting its features and benefits. This will attract more traffic to your blog and drive sales of your printable. Similarly, if you have an email newsletter, write to your subscribers about the launch of your printable, and include a link to buy it. This will help you reach a wider audience and drive more sales.
Overall, effective marketing is crucial to the success of your printable. By announcing it on social media, offering freebies and discounts, and promoting it on your blog or newsletter, you can effectively spread the word about your printable and drive sales. So, take the time to plan and implement a marketing strategy, and watch your printable take off!
In conclusion, creating and selling printables can be a profitable way to monetize your creativity and skills. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, create high-quality printables, set up your online store, and start selling them to customers worldwide. Whether you’re an artist, designer, or simply someone who enjoys creating useful and beautiful products, there is a market for your printables online. So don’t wait any longer – start building your business today with CheckYa and share your creations with the world!
