How to Sell Printables on Etsy: Step-by-Step Guide 2025
Sell printables on Etsy: has become one of the most popular ways to generate passive income online. Selling printables on Etsy can be a fantastic source of income — and not just any income, but passive income that requires minimal effort to drive maximum profit. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know to start your successful printables business on Etsy in 2025.
What Are Printables?
Printables are digital files designed for customers to download and print. These can include various products, such as drawings, wall art, sewing patterns, graphic designs, and templates. Printables/digital products are files that the customer downloads and prints themselves or uses with digital software. Think printable art files, planner and journal pages, coloring books, games, kids’ crafts, and eBooks.
The beauty of printables lies in their convenience and versatility. It’s also a way to save customers time in DIY projects. Printables continually receive traction on marketplaces like Etsy, both for inspiration and as reliable guidelines and crafting templates.
Why Sell Printables on Etsy?
Passive Income Potential ─────────────────────────────
One of the biggest advantages of selling digital products is that you only need to make it once, and the product can technically be sold forever. With the right strategy, you can create products once and sell them over and over again – earning income even while you sleep!
Low Startup Costs ─────────────────────────────
Low cost in producing the digital product – Takes less than $50 to start. Unlike physical products, printables require minimal investment and no inventory management.
No Shipping Required ─────────────────────────────
No need to physically ship the product when it’s sold. Etsy handles the delivery. This eliminates the hassle of packaging and shipping logistics.
Market Demand ─────────────────────────────
Those just getting started selling printables on Etsy can make upwards of $400 per month, whereas those who have an established Etsy storefront can earn more than $4,000 per month, or even up to $10,000, according to CNBC – all from digital printables.
Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Started
Step 1: Set Up Your Etsy Shop
To begin selling printables, you’ll need to create an Etsy account and set up your shop:
- Create an Account: Fill in your email and password. Go to the upper right-hand menu (“Your account”), then click Sell on Etsy. On the opening page, scroll to the bottom and click Open Your Etsy Shop.
- Complete Shop Details: After that, fill in the required data – language, country, and currency. Enter your Etsy store name and check the box with the option that describes you – are you a full-time or part-time seller?
- First Listing Requirement: You’ll have to list at least one item in your shop. If your printables are ready, go ahead and create listings with them right away. Otherwise, it’s possible to generate a test mockup product, add a picture and the listing details required to complete the Etsy shop setup, and delete it later.
Step 2: Choose Your Niche and Research Best-Selling Products
Before creating your first printables, research what’s currently selling well on Etsy. Here are some of the most popular categories:
Top-Selling Printable Categories
Organizational Planners and Templates
Planners, fillable to-do lists, and chore chart checklists are some of the most popular digital products on Etsy. These items appeal to people looking for ways to organize their day-to-day routines. Variations like to-do lists and chore chart checklists add extra value, helping customers stay on top of their responsibilities and goals.
Business Graphics ─────────────────────────────
Logos and business cards are highly sought-after printables on Etsy, especially for entrepreneurs and side hustlers.
Educational Materials ─────────────────────────────
Homeschooling Materials: With homeschooling becoming more popular globally, there’s a growing demand for quality worksheets and educational resources. Take time to research curriculum guidelines, collaborate with teachers, and create printables that are both educational and valuable to homeschooling families.
Event Printables ─────────────────────────────
Birthday cards, invitations, thank-you notes, and greeting cards are in constant demand, especially during holidays and special occasions.
Calendars ─────────────────────────────
Calendars are essential tools for staying organized and keeping track of important dates, from personal appointments to family events. Printable calendars are a popular choice because they offer flexibility and customization, allowing customers to choose designs that fit their style.
Wall Art and Digital Papers ─────────────────────────────
Digital wall art has gained traction among home decorators looking for affordable and easily accessible decor. Sellers can provide a range of styles, from inspirational quotes to intricate designs, allowing buyers to print and frame them according to their tastes.
Step 3: Create Your Printables
Choose Your Design Software
Canva (Recommended for Beginners)
I personally use Canva frequently for creating printables quickly. They have a large selection of fonts and assets, even for their free plan, so you can easily mix and match to create high-quality printables. My preferred software for creating printables is Canva, which will work great for most types of designs. It’s great for beginners, and you can make so many types of products using the free version (although I recommend Canva Pro, which costs $12.95 per month).
Other Design Tools ─────────────────────────────
- PicMonkey: PicMonkey is another design website that’s simple to use and will accommodate most kinds of products. I use PicMonkey most often for quick photo edits and to create mockups for my product images, but it can do much more than that.
- Planify Pro: Planify Pro is designed specifically for creating printable planners, low-content books, and even fun products like printable sticky notes.
Important Copyright Considerations
Before you start coming up with your printable design ideas, it is CRUCIAL that you check you’re not violating any trademarks with the phrases you’re using. You can learn more about trademarks through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website, and perform a search through TESS, the Trademark Electronic Search System. This is important because Etsy reserves the right to close your shop after too many violations if it thinks you’re too much of a risk on the platform.
Step 4: Upload and List Your Products
File Format Requirements
When preparing your printables for Etsy, use appropriate file formats:
- PDF: PDF (Portable Document Format): This is one of the most popular file types for digital products. PDFs are great for documents like planners, eBooks, and worksheets. They keep the formatting the same, so your customers see exactly what you designed, no matter what device they’re using.
- JPEG: JPEG files are widely used for images and graphics. If you’re selling printable art, photos, or digital stickers, JPEGs are a good choice because they provide high-quality images with smaller file sizes.
Upload Process
Etsy helps you deliver your printables to customers after they purchase. You can upload your design to the listing edit page. You can upload up to 5 files up to 20mb each. When a customer places an order for that product listing, Etsy will immediately send them the link to download the file. They can also access the download page at a later time in their ‘Purchases and Reviews’ page.
Step 5: Optimize Your Listings for Search
───────────────────────────── Keyword Research
Another way to find targeted keywords that your customers will use is to look at your competitors’ product listings. The chance is that they have already done the keyword research. You can use the relevant keywords for your own printable listings.
───────────────────────────── SEO Best Practices
Tags are also important in improving your Etsy search ranking. Be sure to use all 13 tags and use multi-word phrases to maximise your reach.
Product description is often where customers find the information they need when they are interested in your printables. So make sure you have all the information there so they can make the decision to buy from you.
Understanding Etsy Fees and Pricing Strategy
───────────────────────────── Etsy Fee Structure
Understanding Etsy’s fee structure is crucial for pricing your printables profitably:
Mandatory Fees:
- You pay $0.20 to list each item, plus a 6.5% transaction fee and a payment processing fee.
- Digital products follow the same fee structure – $0.20 listing, 6.5% transaction, and payment processing fees based on where your business operates (3% + $0.25 in the US). No shipping fees apply. For example, if you sell a digital art print for $20 in the US, Etsy charges a $0.20 listing fee, a $1.30 transaction fee, and a $0.85 payment processing fee.
Total Fee Percentage:
Etsy typically takes around 20–25% of the total sale price. On a $100 order, expect about $20–25 in mandatory fees.
───────────────────────────── Pricing Your Printables
Research Competitor Pricing
Check out competitors to determine the price range for similar products. Pay attention to which printables are selling well and what prices they are listed at.
Calculate Your Costs
Consider both fixed (e.g., software subscriptions, design tools) and variable (e.g., transaction fees) costs. Ensure that your pricing covers these expenses while leaving room for profit. Once you’ve accounted for your costs, calculate your profit margin. This ensures you’re earning enough to sustain your business.
Pricing Strategies
Cost-Plus Pricing
One pricing strategy is cost-plus pricing. This involves adding a markup to your costs to determine your price. For example, if your costs are $5 and you want a 50% profit margin, you would price your product at $7.50. The advantage of this strategy is that it’s easy to calculate and ensures that you’re making a profit on each sale.
Value-Based Pricing
Another pricing strategy is value-based pricing. This involves pricing your products based on the value they provide to your customers. For example, if you’re selling a printable planner, you might price it based on the amount of time it will save your customers, rather than just the cost of the materials.
Marketing Your Printable Shop
Initial Setup and SEO
Before you start selling printables on Etsy, determine your target audience. Conduct keyword research to refine SEO for product descriptions, titles, tags, and images. Optimize image sizes and follow Etsy guidelines for banner sizes.
Marketing Strategies
Social Media Marketing
Use social media platforms like Pinterest for promotion, offer free printables to attract customers, and consider using Etsy Ads to increase visibility.
Leverage platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok to market your printables shop.
Email Marketing and Promotions
Use Email Marketing: Build an email list to connect with potential customers and update them on new products and offers. Offer Promotions: Consider offering free printables or a course to attract new customers and generate interest.
Etsy Advertising
Invest in Etsy Ads: Once you’ve built some organic traffic, set up Etsy Ads to reach a larger audience.
Setting Realistic Expectations
While the potential for success is real, it’s important to set realistic goals. It would be totally realistic to aim for $500-$1000 per month as your printables goal. I think you have to put in a lot more time and be really sure this is what you are passionate about before you invest enough time to replace your full-time job or get rich selling printables.
That being said, you still need to put in a significant amount of upfront work to build up a strong foundation for your printable Etsy shop, including product creation, shop setup, listing optimisation, and more. Initial traction for a new Etsy shop is important. If you already have a full-time job, it would be best if you could work as much as you can on your shop after work and on the weekend.
Key Success Factors
- Quality Over Quantity: Focus on creating high-quality, useful printables that provide real value to your customers.
- Consistency: My strategy was simple: Create a bunch of base templates, and then use keyword research to make as many in-demand variations of that base template as possible.
- Market Research: Pinterest and Etsy are also great ways to research which printables are selling. For example, if you’re interested in creating a planner, you could type “planner” into Pinterest or Etsy and see which types of planners pop up. Then you can create your printable based on what’s trending!
- Continuous Learning: Stay updated with market trends and customer preferences.
Conclusion
Selling printables on Etsy offers an excellent opportunity to build a passive income stream in 2025. While success requires initial effort and consistency, the potential for sustainable income makes it an attractive business model. Many merchants have successfully created a source of passive income by offering printables on the marketplace. Simply create your digital products, and Etsy handles the rest. Selling digital printables is straightforward and doesn’t require managing supply logistics or setting up different shipping profiles, making it a reliable niche for an Etsy business.
Start with one or two high-quality printables in a niche you understand, optimize your listings for search, and gradually expand your inventory based on what sells well. With dedication and the right strategy, you can build a successful printables business that generates income for years to come.