When I switched to selling digital products on Etsy, it was because I got burnt out from selling handmade products. I wish I made the switch sooner, because then I could be so much further along than I am now! Since realizing that printables was an extremally lucrative idea, I’ve made over $100,000 in passive income by selling them on Etsy! So in this post, I’m going to share exactly How to Make Printables to Sell on Etsy as well!
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What are printables?
I want to stop and address the question of WHAT printables even are. Because I know there may be some people that may not know. So let’s break it down quickly.
Printables are basically anything you create that someone else can purchase, download, and then print out on their own, or use them digitally. It’s a great way for someone to get what they’re looking for at an extreme discount because there’s no printing and shipping involved from the sellers perspective.
Why should you sell printables?
If you’re looking to make a an extra income with a side hustle, selling printables on Etsy is hands down the best side hustle! Why? So many reasons. Let’s start with the benefits of selling printables:
First off, there’s low overhead costs. Selling printables requires minimal startup costs because all you need is a computer, internet connection, design software, and a platform to sell your printables.
Next there’s No inventory management. Since printables are digital products, you don’t need to worry about managing inventory, shipping, or storage costs.
Thirdly, you have flexible work hours: Selling printables allows you to work from anywhere and set your own schedule. You can choose when you work, and still have time to continue to work in your own creative business that you already have.
Additionally, selling printables has great passive income potential. For example, once you create one printable, you can continue to earn income from it without any additional work.
Lastly, selling printables has niche market opportunities: Printables can be designed for specific niches, and when you niche down to your specific category, it allows you to target a specific audience and stand out in a crowded market.
Can you make money selling printables on Etsy?
You might be wondering, can you actually make money selling printables on Etsy? The short answer? YES!
I think a great goal to shoot for is an extra $1,000 per month. And who doesn’t want to make an extra $1,000, right? When you’re first starting out, that might seem impossible. However, let’s break it down so you can really see just how possible it is.
An extra thousand bucks per month is $33/per day. When we break that down into printables, that’s:
- Two printables at $16.50
- Three printables at $11
- Four printables at $8.25
- Five printables at $6.60
- Six printables at $5.50
What’s the best place to sell printables?
If you’re on board with the idea of starting a printables business as a passive income stream, let’s talk about why Etsy is a great place to get started.
There are indeed other places you can sell printables. For example there is Teachers Pay Teachers. Teachers Pay Teachers has over 2.6 million active users with sales exceeding $60 million. So this is an interesting option. Another option is Shopify. Even though it’s not hosted on your own website, you can choose your own custom domain and then link to it from your website, which you might already be doing for other items you’re already selling. A few other places to sell are Easy Digital Downloads.com, Gumroad, and of course on your own website as well. I personally sell on my website using the Woocommerce plugin.
With all those options said, Etsy is the number one place I recommend you get started selling printables.
What are the benefits of selling printables on Etsy?
The reason that I love Etsy for selling printables is that in 2021, there were over 96 million people who purchased products on Etsy, which was increase of almost 18% from the prior year! And that means that Etsy is growing. It explains why we’ve even been seeing some TV commercials lately, right!? To me it means that we need to be tapping into that almost 100 million people that are already shopping on there.
Here are some other benefits of selling on Etsy.
First, you get access to a large customer base. As I said, Etsy has a huge global community of buyers, which can help sellers reach a wider audience than they might be able to on their own. It’s much easier to have Etsy bring in your traffic, as opposed to doing it yourself for your own website, right?
Some other benefits of Etsy include their built-in marketing tools that help sellers promote their shops and listings, including SEO optimization, social media integration, and paid advertising options. Additionally, Etsy offers a lot of community support through online forums and networking events.
In general, selling on Etsy can be more cost-effective for smaller businesses or those just starting out since the platform offers a built-in audience and affordable listing and transaction fees.
What’s the cost of selling printables on Etsy?
So you might be asking, what are the transaction fees when it comes to selling printables on Etsy? Well, that’s another perk. Etsy has a very low cost of entry. First, it’s completely free to set up your shop on Etsy. Once you start listing your items, Etsy charges 20 cents for each item you list in your shop for a period of 4 months. That’s a steal if you ask me! Especially when we’re talking about digital items. You can sell that same item over and over again, so I think it’s completely worth it.
Once you sell your item, Etsy takes a commission of 6.5 percent. Now this might sound like a lot when you first here it, and there was a HUGE uprising about a year or so ago when Etsy raised these fees from 5% to 6.5%, but I want you to think about this for a second. If you are selling a printable for for $4.99, they are ONLY taking a cut of 32 cents.
How to create printables to sell on Etsy
You can create printables using any free design software program. For example, software programs like, Canva, Setka, Design Wizard, and Lunacy. You can also use paid programs like Adobe, Microsoft, or Procreate, and so many others. You’ll just have to pick the one that works best for you.
In terms of sizing, I always like to create my printables at the standard letter size, so that people can print them out on their home printer with no problem. However, you can always make printables of any size, depending on what you’re designing.
From there, it’s time to design, which we’ll get into more detail on in a second. Once you’ve finished your design, you’ll then upload your PDF or JPG file to Etsy.
What printables should you create to sell on Etsy?
The biggest question you need to ask yourself at this point is, what printables should you create that you can sell on Etsy. So I want to give you a little inspiration of what printables you should create.
First, I’ll say that it should be something you’re interested in or passionate about. Don’t sell organizing documents if you hate organizing!
Next, I’ll say, make sure people are interested in what you’re selling. This can be done through competitive research.
And lastly, don’t just go chasing arbitrary trends because you see someone else selling them. I believe you have to be energetically aligned with something if you want it to work. So without the passion, excitement, and that alignment, it’s not going to work for you.
Want help deciding what printables to sell? Take the quiz to find out what printables might be right for your based on your personality.
Take the next steps to passive income
You might be able to tell, from all this information, that I personally love designing and selling printables on Etsy. It’s truly been such a game changer in my life now that I can make money while I’m playing with my daughter, while I’m in the pickup line at school, and even when I’m in meetings at my 9-5 job. There’s nothing better than making passive income!
Thanks so much for reading about How to Make Printables to Sell on Etsy. I love to help you celebrate life through printables and personal development! But above all, I’d love to connect with you. Reach out to me on Instagram and let’s chat.
xoxo, Lindsay
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