How to Create Canva Printables and Sell on Etsy: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

The first thing you need to decide is who your printables are for. Is your target market made up of homeschoolers, teachers, bloggers, or those looking for coloring sheets?

Or maybe you're more interested in creating event stationery for weddings or birthdays?

To give you some inspiration, here are a few types of printables you could create:

• Educational worksheets
• Flashcards
• Wall art
• Planners
• Coloring sheets
• Journals
• Habit trackers
• Workbooks
• E-books
• Calendars
• Invitations
• Party decorations
• Budget worksheets

You can always create a variety of products, so don't feel confined to just one category.

Tip: Check out Etsy Launch Lab to jumpstart your Etsy business!

Once you’ve identified your audience, the next step is figuring out what they’re interested in.

You might wonder, "How do I know what they want?" The answer lies in keyword research.

A simple way to do keyword research is to search for your ideas on platforms like Pinterest or Etsy. I

f people are actively searching for the type of printables you're considering, then you've found a solid idea. If not, you may need to reconsider your approach.

Keyword research is crucial because creating something no one is searching for means no sales.

Some effective places to conduct keyword research include:

• Etsy
• Google
• Amazon, especially if you plan on publishing on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

Favorite Tool: I highly recommend using Keywords Everywhere, a cost-effective tool that integrates with Google, Pinterest, Etsy, and other platforms.

It’s an excellent resource for keyword research across multiple platforms.

Want more help with a product idea? Grab my Etsy Launch Lab to kickstart your printables business.

Now that you’ve done your keyword research, it's time to see if there’s a genuine demand for your product.

If you’ve found a relevant audience and search interest, that's a great sign! If not, consider tweaking your product idea or searching within a different niche.

Using tools like Keywords Everywhere allows you to see how frequently people are searching for specific terms and how competitive it will be to rank for those terms.

This ensures that you’re not wasting time creating products that won't sell.

Now it’s time to start designing! Canva is the ultimate tool for creating beautiful and professional-looking printables.

Whether you're a beginner or a pro, Canva makes the design process smooth and accessible.

You can choose between two versions:

• Canva Free: A robust tool that offers a wide range of free features.
• Canva Pro: Offers additional features like brand kits, which help maintain consistency in your brand's colors and fonts.

If you’re just getting started, the free version is perfect. Once you’re comfortable creating printables, you might want to upgrade to Pro for the added benefits.

If you’re new to Canva, you’ll want to take some time to familiarize yourself with the platform. Fortunately, Canva has an extensive library of tutorials, and there are many resources online to guide you through the learning process.

You can start with free beginner tutorials like:

• Canva for Beginners
• Getting Started with Canva

With these tutorials, you’ll have your first product ready to sell in no time!

Once you’ve created your printables, the next step is to decide where to sell them.

Your choice of platform may vary based on your niche, but here are some popular options.

Places to Sell Printables:

• Etsy: Perfect for all kinds of printables.
• Your Own Blog: If you have a website, sell directly to your audience.
• Shopify: Allows you to keep 100% of your profits.
• Creative Fabrica: A marketplace for designers.
• Amazon Handmade: A great option if you’re interested in publishing low-content or medium-content books.

While platforms like Etsy take a percentage of your profits, Shopify allows you to keep everything you earn.

However, you will need to drive traffic to your Shopify store since it doesn't have a built-in audience like Etsy.

Here are a few tips to help boost your Shopify store:

• Connect your Shopify store with Pinterest, Facebook, and Google. This integration helps customers find your store faster.

I personally love Etsy because of its built-in traffic, which means less marketing effort is required on your part.

I currently run an Etsy shop, where I sell planners and habit trackers.

Setting up an Etsy shop is straightforward, and by using the right keywords, you can attract a lot of traffic organically without paying for ads.

For more detailed tips on setting up your shop, check out this blog post: The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Successful Printable Etsy Shop.