Ready to dip your toe into creating printables to sell? Getting started is actually quite simple!
I’ll walk you through how to create your first printable using Canva. Canva is a super easy-to-use graphic design tool. You can use it to create everything from social media posts and business cards to coloring pages and birthday invitations.
Sign up for your free Canva account here to get started.
(This post contains affiliate links and you can read the full disclosure here)
Choose Your Design Size
Once you’re logged in, you can click the “Create a design” button in the top right corner.
Canva has a huge amount of pre-done document sizes, so you don’t have to worry about knowing how many pixels wide an Instagram post or Facebook page banner are.
If you type in “US Letter Document” you can create your printable on an 8.5 x 11-inch canvas — perfect for printing.
The types of digital printables that you can create and sell are only limited by your imagination!
Add Elements to Create Your Printable
Once you have your blank document open, you can start creating. On the right side of your screen, there is an “Elements” tab.
You can search for shapes, lines, graphics, stickers, and more to add to your printable.
When you click on the element that you want, it will appear on your document. From there you can move it around and resize it.
Since you are planning to sell your printable, you can use any of the free Canva elements in your design, but don’t use any Pro elements if you have Canva Pro. This is against Canva’s terms.
Change the Background Color
If you want to change the background color of your document, click on the document. You will see the whole document outlined in purple.
Then you can click on the little rainbow-colored square that appeared near the top left corner. You can choose a default color, enter words to search for a color (like navy or light pink), or enter a specific Hex code for a color.
Find More Graphics
If you’re not finding what you want within Canva’s elements, you can always purchase commercial-use graphics for your printables. Don’t worry, it’s cheaper than you might think.
Creative Fabrica , Pixabay, and The Hungry JPEG are great places to find graphics for commercial use.
Download Your Finished Product
When you’re done designing, it’s time to download your printable so that you can share it with your buyers.
Click the “share” button in the top right corner. Then click “download”.
From here, you can choose how you want to save your file. Saving as a PDF is the best option for printables because everyone can easily open and print a PDF properly.
Where to Sell Your Printables
The basics of creating printables in Canva are pretty simple, right?
But now what? Where can you sell your printables?
Here are some great options to look into:
- Etsy (my fav!)
- Creative Fabrica
- Creative Market
You can dive deeper into places to sell digital products here.
Etsy is my #1 recommendation for selling your printables. It is easy to get started on Etsy, and you can even get your first 40 listings for free through this link.
Go Forth and Create!
There are many different software you can use to create printable to sell, but Canva is by far my favorite.
It is easy to use and free to get started. The sky’s the limit to what you can create, so don’t be afraid to dive in and play around! I can’t wait to see what you make.
If you are looking for an in depth guide on starting your own digital product business on Etsy, be sure to check out Digitally Purposed where I walk you through how I went from zero to six figures in a few shorts months!
