Want to make money on Etsy without the hassle of shipping packages or managing inventory?
Selling printables is the perfect solution!
They’re more profitable than physical products and can sell on autopilot, bringing in passive income 24/7.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly how to sell printables on Etsy, popular printables to sell on Etsy, and how to create eye-catching printables (even if you’re not a designer).
Say goodbye to craft supplies cluttering your home and hello to a scalable business that works while you sleep!
Don’t want to create your own printables? No problem! Use these PLR products to resell and keep 100% of the profit!
- Why Printables Are Etsy’s Hidden Goldmine
- What Are Printables Anyway? Digital Products That Sell While You Sleep
- Different Types of Printables
- Print-at-Home vs. Print-on-Demand
- The 10 Most Profitable Printables Buyers Can’t Resist
- Creating Stunning Printables (No Design Degree Required)
- How to Make Money Selling Printables on Etsy
- Final Tips on Printables to Sell on Etsy
Why Printables Are Etsy’s Hidden Goldmine
There are plenty of reasons to get excited about starting a printables business on Etsy.
Etsy has Experienced Huge Growth in Digital Downloads
There’s been a massive shift in consumer behavior toward immediate solutions they can access without waiting for shipping.
Etsy’s gross merchandise sales reached $13.16 billion, with digital products like printables contributing significantly to this figure.
Printables are More Profitable Compared to Physical Products
Printables cost nothing to reproduce after creating the initial design, eliminating expenses for materials and shipping.
Your profit margin can easily reach 90-100% since each sale is automatic and requires zero additional work from you.
Anyone Can Start with Minimal Investment
Creating printables requires no expensive equipment, just a computer and basic design software like Canva.
You can launch your Etsy shop for less than $1, with only 20 cents per listing as your initial investment.
What Are Printables Anyway? Digital Products That Sell While You Sleep
What makes something a “Printable?”
A printable is any digital file designed to be downloaded and printed by the customer on their own printer or through a print shop.
It’s usually a PDF, JPG, or PNG and can be anything from planners and art prints to templates and worksheets.
They are ready to use instantly once printed!
Suggested Read: Profitable Digital Products to Sell Online
Different Types of Printables
- Planners & Organizers – These help people manage their time, tasks, and goals with structured layouts for daily, weekly, or monthly planning.
- Wall Art & Home Decor – Decorative designs that customers can print and frame to personalize their living spaces without the cost of store-bought art.
- Budget Trackers – Financial management tools that help people visualize spending habits, save money, and reach financial goals.
- Educational Worksheets – Learning materials for children or students that make education more engaging through activities, puzzles, and exercises.
- Journal Pages & Templates – Guided journaling prompts and layouts that help people reflect, practice gratitude, or document their lives.
- Invitations & Cards – Customizable designs for celebrations and holidays that save customers money compared to store-bought cards.
- Checklists & Trackers – Specialized lists for tracking habits, goals, routines, or project steps that help people stay accountable.
Don’t want to create your own printables? No problem! Use these PLR products to resell and keep 100% of the profit!
Print-at-Home vs. Print-on-Demand
A lot of new Etsy sellers confuse print-at-home with print-on-demand when selling printables.
So let’s clear that up!
Printables are digital files (like PDFs or JPGs) that customers download and print themselves.
Print-on-demand is when you upload a design, and a company like Printify prints and ships the physical product to your customer.
For example, a wedding invitation printable would be a digital PDF file that customers purchase, download, and print at home on their own cardstock.
On the other hand, a print-on-demand Etsy shop would mean designing that same invitation on a site such as Canva.
You would then connect with a company like Printify, which prints the invitations and ships them directly to your customer whenever an order comes in.
With printables, you’re selling the file, not a physical product, which makes it a hands-off, passive income stream.
The 10 Most Profitable Printables Buyers Can’t Resist
Some of the most profitable printables on Etsy include planners, budgeting templates, wall art and wedding invitations.
Niche-specific printables like meal planners for large families also perform well because they cater to specific audiences.
- Budget Binder Bundle – A comprehensive collection of budget tracking sheets, expense logs, debt payoff trackers, and savings goals that helps people take control of their finances in one organized system
- Cash Envelope System – Printable cash envelopes with spending trackers for each category like groceries, entertainment, and gas that supports the popular budgeting method promoted by financial experts.
- Freezer Meal Prep Labels – Custom labels with cooking instructions that stick to containers and help busy families organize batch-cooked meals for quick weeknight dinners.
- Times Tables Mastery Kit – Colorful multiplication practice sheets with progressive difficulty levels that make learning math facts fun through games and tracking charts.
- Small Business Expense Tracker – Specialized expense categorization sheets that simplify tax preparation and help entrepreneurs understand their business spending patterns.
- Social Media Content Planner – Content calendars with post idea prompts and hashtag organizers that help small businesses maintain a consistent online presence.
- Invoice and Receipt Templates – Customizable, professional-looking business documents that small business owners can edit and reuse for a polished customer experience.
- Botanical Wall Art Set – A collection of coordinated plant illustrations in various sizes that buyers can print and frame to create a cohesive gallery wall without the expense of store-bought art.
- Editable Wedding Invitation Suite – A matching set of customizable invitation, RSVP card, and details card templates that allows couples to personalize text and print at home for a fraction of professional printing costs.
- Birthday Party Printable Pack – A complete set of matching decorations including banners, cupcake toppers, and favor tags that parents can print at home for an affordable yet coordinated celebration.
These printables to sell on Etsy are some of the hottest digital products to sell online to make $100 a day!
Creating Stunning Printables (No Design Degree Required)
You don’t need to have design skills to start making and selling printables.
Easy-to-use design tools such as Canva and Adobe Express make it incredibly easy for beginners to create professional-looking designs using pre-made templates and drag-and-drop features.
How to Create Printables on Canva
Canva is the secret weapon of top-earning printable sellers making passive income on Etsy.
Here’s how to create printables to sell on Etsy without design skills.
- Step 1: Sign up for a Canva account – Start with the free version to explore the platform, but consider upgrading to Canva Pro for access to premium templates, more design elements, and the ability to resize designs.
- Step 2: Choose the right template – Search Canva’s library for templates that match your printable type (planner, invitation, wall art) or start with a blank canvas using the exact dimensions your customers will need.
- Step 3: Customize colors and fonts – Replace the template’s color scheme with your own palette and select fonts that match your brand style while ensuring they remain readable when printed.
- Step 4: Add your unique content – Replace placeholder text, adjust layouts, and add graphics or photos that make your printable both functional and visually appealing.
- Step 5: Export in the correct format – Download your finished design as a high-resolution PDF for printables with multiple pages or as PNG/JPG for single-page designs, ensuring print quality is set to 300 DPI.
Creating Printables with Creative Fabrica Spark
Creative Fabrica Spark is a game-changer for making printables with AI!
Even if you have zero design experience, you can create unique, stunning artwork and templates with just a few text prompts.
If you’ve ever struggled to make printables that actually sell, this tool could be the perfect design assistant you need.
Here’s how to create printables with AI.
- Step 1: Sign up for Creative Fabrica – Create an account on the platform to access their AI generation tools, which include options for creating illustrations, patterns, and text-based designs perfect for printables.
- Step 2: Craft specific text prompts – Type detailed descriptions like “watercolor floral wedding invitation with dusty blue and blush pink roses” or “minimalist budget tracker with gold accents” to guide the AI in generating designs aligned with your vision.
- Step 3: Generate multiple variations – Don’t settle for the first design. Create several options by tweaking your prompts or using the variation feature, then choose the best elements to combine into your final printable.
- Step 4: Edit and refine in Canva – Export your AI-generated design and import it into Canva to add text, adjust layouts, or combine multiple AI creations into a cohesive printable product that’s ready to sell.
- Step 5: Test before listing – Download and print your creation exactly as a customer would to ensure colors look right, text is readable, and everything aligns properly before listing it in your Etsy shop.
How to Make Money Selling Printables on Etsy
Now that you have an idea of the types of printables to sell on Etsy and how to create them, let’s dive into how to actually sell them!
1. Create Printables that People Actually Want to Buy
It may sound like common sense, but creating Etsy printables that people are actually searching for is the key to making consistent sales.
One of the best kept SEO secrets for Etsy printable sellers is using tools like Everbee to find high-demand products.
The tool analyzes exactly what shoppers are typing into the search bar, revealing trending keywords.
It then helps you identify untapped niches where competition is low but demand is high.
2. Craft Titles that Rank High in Etsy Searches
Your printable’s title is your first chance to grab both the Etsy algorithm’s attention and your potential buyer’s interest.
So make it count!
Put your most important keywords at the front since they carry more weight in search results.
For example, instead of –
“Cute Pink Weekly Planner Printable,”
Try a keyword rich title, such as –
“Weekly Planner Printable | Pink Productivity Organizer | Printable Time Management System.”
Use specific adjectives that shoppers actually search for, like “minimalist,” “botanical,” or “editable” rather than generic terms like “nice” or “pretty.”
This helps your printables get discovered more easily on Etsy.
3. Price Your Printables to Maximize Profits without Scaring Customers
- Find the sweet spot by researching similar printables on Etsy and pricing yours competitively. Too cheap can undervalue your work, while too expensive may scare off buyers.
- Offer bundles to increase your average order value by grouping related printables together at a slightly discounted price, making it a no-brainer deal for customers.
- Create tiered pricing options by selling single printables at a base price and offering an upgraded bundle with bonus templates or extra pages for more value.
- Use freebies strategically by offering a freebie in your Etsy shop or email list to attract potential buyers and upsell them to premium printables later.
- Test different prices and adjust as needed. What works for one niche may not work for another, so track your sales and tweak your pricing strategy for the best results.
4. Design Eye-Catching Listings with Mockups and Previews
High-quality images can make or break your sales.
So be sure to use mockups and lifestyle previews to help customers visualize how your printables will look when printed.
Etsy shoppers are drawn to listings with clear, professional-looking visuals, so investing in good design is worth it.
If you’re not confident in your graphic design skills, you can outsource the work to NoLimit Creatives.
They’re an unlimited graphic design company that provides high-quality designs and mockups for a flat monthly fee.
A well-presented listing not only builds trust but also makes your product stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Suggested Read: How to Create Customizable Pinterest Canva Templates
5. Promote Your Printables to Drive More Sales
Pinterest is the ultimate visual search engine for promoting printables and a goldmine for Etsy sellers.
So pin your listings regularly to attract traffic.
Social media like Instagram and TikTok help drive sales, especially when you share behind-the-scenes content or customer reviews.
Use lifestyle photos and reels to show your printables in action and how they benefit buyers.
Running Etsy ads on your best-selling printables can also give them a visibility boost and bring in more sales.
The more places you promote, the more chances you have to turn your printables into a steady income stream!
Final Tips on Printables to Sell on Etsy
Starting your printables business on Etsy might be the smartest move you make this year.
Focus on creating products that solve real problems, and you’ll stand out even in crowded categories.
Use tools like Canva and keyword research to create designs that both look professional and get found in searches.
Once you’ve put in the initial work, your digital products can generate income for years to come without requiring additional time or materials!
Next, you may be interested in reading about How to Make Money with PLR Digital Products.
And if after reading this you decide that you would instead prefer to sell hand-made products, then read this list of the best DIY things to make and sell online.
