85 Comments

1. I have free printables on my blog and have been thinking about creating some more detailed one to sell. Do you collect sales tax on digital files you sell through Etsy? I’m not sure if I’m supposed to and that’s what has kept me from jumping in.

2. The answer is no because I no longer have a nexus in my state (used to have a clothing store). Etsy has a great article here. I personally live in Pennsylvania but depending on your state you may find this article even more helpful!

3. Hi I am interested in making pictures like with a chevron/stripe background using text and clipart. What would you suggest is the best program to use for something like this to make them and sell on etsy? Thanks for your help.

4. I’m going to post again didn’t see where it said to notify me of a response by email. Thanks.

5. I use Ribbet.com for this. They have a free version of their program which is easy to use. If your really serious about it as a business I’d suggest getting the paid version of Ribbet as well as you get access to a lot more features. I also use Inkscape which is a free program but much more difficult to navigate.

6. Dafont.com has a bazillion fonts too available for download.

7. I have had great luck at Dafont.com as well. Thanks for the tip!

8. Hello,

   I would like to learn how to create printables to sell on Etsy and at local art fairs. Do you have any suggestions for me to learn from?

   Thank you!

9. I suggest making them with Ribbet, or Canva for someone starting out. If your level of expertise is a little stronger then Gimp or Inkscape might be a great place to work from without purchasing a program. I personally use a variety of software.

10. Demarra,

    I have a course opening this March. I would love to see you there. If not there are a few different links on my site that you can read more about creating printables. I personally learned through trial and error creating printables for fun.

11. What’s your website?

12. You’re on it right now Ashley! 🙂 You can use the search bar to search for posts about printables since it is not a category yet. I didn’t realize so many readers would be interested in creating printables. I plan to continue writing about it. Feel free to check out the course page. https://www.athomewithholly.com/uncategorized/how-to-create-your-own-printables/
    Here is a post I highly recommend reading. https://www.athomewithholly.com/uncategorized/how-to-create-your-own-printables/

13. I realized that after I sent it. ???? I didn’t realize it was you that commented on it.

14. No worries!

15. Hi how did u get the flower border? And do u print on photo paper or what?

16. Where do u get your quotes? And can they overlay on the pic

17. I purchase some graphics from other graphic designers, I use my graphics tablet to create others. When you purchase your graphics you want to make sure you have the right to use it for commercial purposes and know what the terms of use are. I do not print on photo paper. I use high quality matte paper. The problem with photo paper is the glare. You certainly offer glare free frames but why eat into your profit margin.

18. I get my quotes from the bible, ones that inspire me and lift me. I do overlay some graphics. I like to play with my layering until I have a design I would feel confident hanging in my house.

19. May i ask what graphics table your using? Thank you for all your help

20. Certainly, I use the Huion H610PRO. I love how responsive it is. It has worked well for me. I highly recommend investing in a high quality graphics tablet if you plan to become a graphics designer for a living. I don’t recommend jumping in without a little bit of knowledge and training though. Graphics Tablets are a little pricey and you want to make sure it’s an investment worth making.

21. Thank you
    Where can i learn about graphics?

22. May I also ask what company you buy your graphis from. And the right to use for commercial purposes, would that be buying a license? Its starting to sound complicated

23. I buy from several places including Etsy, Teacherspayteachers.com and FreePik- I pay for the subscription here.

24. I have really just done a ton of my own research by google, at the library and reading graphic design blogs. I have taken a few classes here and there but most of my education is just real world, trial and error.

25. Hey!

    I see your etsy store only has a few sales to date. Do you not bother with etsy much now?

26. No, I really do not. I used to run a very successful Etsy store a few years ago. With that Esty shop, I sold clothing. I thought for a while I would enjoy owning a clothing store but as the store grew, I found that was not where my heart truly was. Now I have this Etsy shop but the majority of my money comes from selling on sales sites, my own site and selling educational printables, which tend not to do well on Etsy. I have learned a great deal about Etsy from my past experience but as a home educator the digital product I create really has no market there.

27. Thanks for the reply! I came across your site looking for a course on selling digital printables. Using you course (and lots of hard work 🙂 ) do you thing it’s unreasonable to expect to be earning $500 or so a month within a couple of months? Looking for something me and my wife can do to enable her to be a stay at home mum! Also I’m from the UK, will you course still be a good fit? Appreciate your time!

28. Sam, absolutely, using this course is an easy way to learn a skill that really has limitless possibilities. My goal has been to pay off my house early and become a stay at home mom myself. This last week my income from selling printables on one site alone was over $200. I think you really can achieve your goal if you put your mind to it. It does take some talent as an artist, though. You aren’t able to just put a quote over images and call it a printable, that is a good way to fail. You have to have an eye for what looks good. If you’re willing to put in the hours, this course will teach you exactly what you need to get started.

29. Hi! I’d like to pre-order your Printable course using the promo code on your website, but I can’t find an area to enter the code during the checkout process. Am I just overlooking it? Thanks in advance for the help!

30. I’m confused. You state you earned $900 profit in one weekend selling “printables”/ Printable means a product “ready to print”, not a “printed” product. So, what you are selling is “printed” and framed images. That is a completely different thing. I sell “printables” on Etsy as “instant downloads”:. That is what I call truly passive income. I have no physical product to make or deliver.
    Anyway, that is my take on printed vs printable products.

31. You should have the option to checkout or to go to the cart. Choose the cart. Once you are in the cart you can enter the code before checkout. If that doesn’t work I can invoice you directly from paypal for the corrected amount.

32. I am sorry if you found this confusing. What I am selling is also available as a printable from my Etsy store, although I have many more that I have not found time to list in my Etsy store. I am able to generate a nice income selling my printables- instant downloads- online. I think of what you’re referring to as a “digital download” and a “printable” as any product that can be saved as a file on the computer and printed. I actually no longer have to go to craft fairs because of my passive income, although most of my income is coming from other avenues, so Etsy isn’t a priority for me. Sorry for the confusion Troy, have a nice day.

33. Hello and thanks for taking the time to respond. I figured things out after I posted my comments. I guess it’s all in how you look at it. I know my “instant download” printables were selling quite well, but the sales seemed to have slowed to a crawl. I’m wondering if I should make them available as a physical printed item. I checked the printing prices at my local Staples, Wal-Mart, and Office Max, and they were all a bit too high for me to make a decent profit. Do you have any recommendations?

34. Troy, I actually find Staples prices for printing to be OK. I am able to get an 8.5 X 11 printed for $1.19 however I go to a local print shop and they will print at half that price. Have you looked into any local family owned print shops in your area? I found that offering physical prints have helped boost my business into a full-time income. It’s definitely worth looking into. There are still quite a large number of customers who would rather pay more for a physical product then a digital one. It’s still fairly passive. I print all in one day, package and ship (put them in the mailbox) that same day. I really only work one day a week with the physical prints. Also using a shipping service like shipstation.com has helped cut my costs dramatically.

35. Thanks again. I will check with staples again. I checked online and it was more expensive than what you quoted. Maybe it’s just their online service that’s more expensive. I also sell poster size printables that I would need to print 10 X 13, and 16 X 20. I’ll check on that as well. Thanks again for all your time and help.

36. Hi

    Is the forthcoming course more about digital downloads or physical products? Not much time available for physical products unfortunately.

37. Yes this is about digital products. I will be teaching all about product creation, different types of digital products to create and different places to promote and sell.

38. You said it only costs you $4-$5 to print and frame a photo? Where do you find decent frames for so cheap? I’ve been researching trying to find cheap frames and I can’t seem to find anything other than plastic framing. Any help would be great as I am planning on going on a Study Abroad trip and found that this would be absolutely perfect as another way of paying for parts of it!

39. I actually used to get old frames from thrift stores, but that took a little more time then I have nowadays. I would recommend you mat your prints and sell like that. A mat gives a professional look at a lower cost. Plastic frames can be off-putting to customers.

40. Hi! How do you Mail your prints safelly? I mean, how do you make sure they arrive without any wear outs, wrinkles, etc?

41. I invest in sturdy cardboard mailers and chipboard. I made the mistake of sending them in document mailers with chipboard but trust me the sturdy cardboard mailers are the way to go. You can get them in lots on Amazon or at Staples.

42. Hey, I tried to access openclipart.com (I copied and pasted from your blog entry), and it didn’t seem to take me to the correct website. Can you give me the exact url?

43. https://openclipart.org/

44. So you find images online that other artists and photographers took and you print them and sell them?

45. The answer is somewhat complicated. When I used to sell at craft fairs all of my photography was my own. When I create educational downloads I do buy clip art (images that other artists have created) to save time and to help support other artists. This is not an uncommon practice. There are plenty of products that probably use clip art that other artists used that the designer bought to create the product. In fact, there are plenty of websites that help sell clip art and graphics to content creators and graphic designers.

    I do create some of my own clip art but I only do so when I feel I can not find what I need elsewhere. I own a graphics tablet and have created plenty on my own but I need to focus on saving time and buying premade clip art is one of the ways I do it. You’ve probably heard the saying “Time is money” and it certainly is true. That’s why selling graphics is a booming business for places like Creative Market, Etsy, TeacherspayTeachers, Vecteezy, Vectorstock and more. I hope that helps answer your question!

46. I should also mention that if you are going to buy graphics for commercial use, always make sure you read the terms of use for anything you buy. Some artists are only ok with digital content, others are alright with prints up to 1000. Some offer extended licenses and others still ask for credit. Knowing the artist’s terms of use is critical.

47. Hi! I found your blog really helpful to someone like me who is only a start-up on selling printable! I’m also new to blogging and built a new blog using free account on WordPress.com for now.

    I am planning to sell on etsy too. I’m using MS Word to create stuffs like planners and calendars but I haven’t actually trying selling these. I do this as hobby at the moment. But I have one question if I’m gonna start selling online..

    When you list a printable on etsy, what format should it be? and do you include printing instructions too? would it work if you list a product that is in *.zip file so inside the zip is the actual printable and then intsructions?

    Thank you!

48. I actually talk about most of this in my printables course. In short, yes you need instructions and most people don’t know how to unzip a file so that would not be the way I do that. Formatting printable products would be different and it all depends on whether you plan to sell planners, art prints or calendars. Each one would require different a different type of formatting. Planners I would definitely format as a PDF file and I would strongly suggest you flatten and secure it before you sell it. I hope this helps!

49. Geez, I want to make printables and sell it through on line!

50. I loved this post thanks! I have always been into photography, mainly landscapes old barns and old empty houses, flowers, and clouds, storms.. and just nw starting my own blog after procrastinating for 3 years! I signed up and am excited to get to wok learning your tips!

51. What file types do you sell? I am getting started and I put up wall art as a pdf and jpeg – but I wasn’t sure if I should use RGB or CMYK color space for the JPEG. Would love some advice.

52. If you plan to sell wall art- intended to be printed out by your customer I would definitely recommend CMYK. The difference is actually colors: RGB stands for Red Green Blue- meaning your computer screen uses these colors and light to cast different colors on your screen. If you are selling digital files this would be fine. However for print files with CMYK Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black- this format tells the printer how to print in a much more accurate format for ink.

    Now that is just a short version of an explanation for this but I hope it helps!

53. Hi, I’m interested in your course and I wanted to check out some of you work before I signed up. I was wondering if you could provide a link to your Etsy site? I can’t seem to find it anywhere.

54. Hi Michelle since I now make most of my money through my blog I no longer sell on Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers. I have sold through Eleventh Ave in the past as well. If you are interested in the course you can check out https://www.eleventhavenue.com/boutique/FMdesigns for my earlier work. Most of my work is now done for other bloggers or for myself as subscriber freebies or products for my blog.

55. Hello Holly:

    I love your website! I am inspired by your ideas and suggestions. I would like to design and printout images and favorite quotes for sale at a craft fair using the matte paper and matte that you suggested. Do you have any recommendations for pricing for the printables? Do you typically print them out in 5 x 7 or 8 x 11 size? Do you offer any of your printables framed when you sold them at the craft fairs?

    Thanks!

56. I usually did 8×11 prints and I priced them around $20-$25 a print matted but not framed. I used 11×14 bevel cut mats to frame my prints which I think made them look so much more professional- which allowed me to command that price point. I never actually framed them until I had started testing the market. Frames sell but I think matting is more cost effective as far as profit margin goes. I hope that helps!

57. Thanks for your reply, Holly! Very helpful! Is there a specific matte paper that you have them printed on?

    Totally different question but do you have any time management tips for creating and balancing mom duties and life?

    Thanks!

58. Hi Holly! I’m basically clueless about this digital print stuff except I’ve purchased some of my own before. But I’m interested in learning & in your course. Before I spend the $39 I wanted to ask a question. I have no internet access on my desktop. Are these programs & is this type of design/work able to be done on an iPad?

59. You probably could but my course will not teach you. I show you how to use three basic programs and some of my rules for creating quality prints.

60. I have read this article twice already. I also create printables for my personal use and also for my blog. It’s quite fun. Upon reading your article, I decided to try etsy. However, when I tried to post a product, they said I need a credit card for the posting fee or something like that, But unfortunately, I don’t have one. Now I am thinking of just selling my printables on my blog, what website can you suggest that I can use that doesn’t require a credit card for posting and stocking my printables?

    By the way, I hope you can drop by my blog even once to check it out. I would really appreciate it. My blog is fairly new and I am trying to build it up. Thank you for your time. God bless

61. You should not have to use a credit card if you use the link for the free Etsy listings but I may be wrong about that. With WordPress, you can use a variety of plug-ins to create an e-commerce store without a credit card, but Blogspot I am not so sure. Unfortunately, I am not going to be much help on this question. I would try finding some Blogspot Facebook groups and asking there, they may have a solution for you!

62. I’ve set up several Etsy stores. To get credited with the free listings you have to fully “activate” your store. To do that, you have to submit a credit or debit card.

63. Thanks, Troy! It has been ages since I set up my current and original stores.

64. Hi, I am from Thailand. I am interested and thinking to join your course. I have a question.
    I want to sell printable art from my hand painted watercolors on Etsy. Would the course is fit for me?
    Thank you so much.

65. No this mostly teaches you about creating printables. I do dive into where to sell printables but I don’t know that it would be worth it for you to purchase just for that.

66. can you use all fonts from dafont to put on my work and sell? or just the ones that say commercial use?

67. I think you made life a little easier with this post alone! I had my blog for 3 years and didn’t do much with it until this year. I set a goal to be successful with it and found this site while searching for how to create printable. I’m nearing the end of my first preschool alphabet and handwriting set that I plan to make for sale soon. I don’t know we why I i never thought of it before!

68. Just the ones that are marked commercial use.

69. Pingback: What to Sell on Etsy - 44 Etsy Shop Ideas | crestfox

70. Can I print the printables,frame it and sell it legally? What are the terms applicable. I am talking about, not my own creations!

71. No, you legally can not sell something that is not your own creation without express permission from the owner. You can, however, purchase things like clipart or digital stamps to use in a printable as long as you are following the terms of use. You must also own the rights to the fonts you use, which is a little known fact.

72. Could you please explain how How the comercial permission of the font work? do I need to get a written permission to be able to use it?

73. You would need to purchase a license to use the font. You can usually find that on the same website you are downloading the font from. I personally like creative market for fonts.

74. I’m thinking of join your course but I want to check with you first to see if there is a closed caption on the videos?

    Thanks

75. No Amy, I am sorry to say there is not any closed captioning on the videos.

76. Hello Holly,

    I’m confused about something. CMYK, RGB or sRGB? Which works for your instant downloads?

    Thanks.

77. I’m thinking about making printables for workouts and other stuff to do with fitness. My question is what’s to stop someone from downloading your printable and either giving it to others for free or for a price? Is when you sell them is there some type of legal statement you use that stops them from doing so?

78. There is nothing to stop someone from doing that. Your best course of action is to watermark everything and have a solid ‘terms of use’ so when it does happen you can take action. The best course of action is to contact them directly and request they stop immediately, the next step is to follow up with the host of their website and to contact a lawyer.

79. Those aren’t file types rather color profiles- technically CMYK is a color model, not a profile. They are profiles associated with Adobe. I don’t work with Adobe but from what I understand from some of my work prior to freelancing, CMYK is standard for color printing flyers and the like. I previously worked with a local homeschool convention so my experience with Adobe is limited and somewhat dated.

80. Does your course talk about the legal aspect of selling printables? Like licenses needed, what pictures you aloud to put on your printables you are selling, what fonts you can use….etc?
    I can’t seem to find a course or any info on this anywhere.

81. Yes, it does a bit but as far as sales go that aspect will vary from State to State. Things, like collecting sales tax and filing income tax, are not included in that portion.

82. Hi Holly,
    I am planning on selling printables on my website. Is the course you mentioned above good for a squarespace platform website? I have to ask before I sign in the class.Thank you so much. I am happy I stumbled upon this article today. Thank you.
    Ellya

83. I don’t talk about Squarespace. It teaches how to create printables and how to use Canva and other programs for someone who has never done it before.

84. Hello,

    I found the article really informative ,I’m seriously thinking of giving it a try. I’m thinking about designing printable wall art. I have one question though , “why would people prefer to buy printables instead of just downloading for free??” I did some research and I saw there are so many choices from free products to download !!! So really please explain “why do people buy printables??”

    Thank you very much!

85. Usually when people are searching for a very specific topic or they want higher quality art. They want clean crisp prints that look nice on the wall. Free wall art may be a lower DPI or over-compressed. Someone who is selling wall art would generally make sure the quality of the product is higher so they have repeat customers.

    I hope that answers your question!