Etsy Printables Design Tutorial: Create A Checklist To Sell on Etsy
- Amy Jo Love
- Aug 21, 2021
- 3 min read
Welcome back to the blog; today we are going to be sharing another Etsy Design Tutorial. One of the most common questions that I get is, “Amy- I’m not a creative or technologically skilled person- how do I actually design an Etsy Printable or Digital Document?”
Well, friends, stay tuned because today I’m leading you through the steps to design a professional and ready-to-sell Etsy Printable.
Today’s design tutorial will be based on creating a Moving Checklist printable and digital document. This item would be excellent for shoppers who have an upcoming move and are looking to stay organized and efficient during their move.
As we hop into the tutorial, I also want to remind you all that I have a video based version of this same tutorial so if you learn better by watching me actually taking these steps, click HERE to get view the training in video format.
Here are the steps that I follow as I design my new Etsy Printable and Digital Item:
Step 1: Design & Item Research
The first step is to research other well performing and similar items on Etsy. Navigate to Etsy and search for your item. In this case, I’m going to search for “moving checklist” and “relocation checklist” and see what comes up.
Keep in mind, the intention of research to validate that the item has demand. By looking at the items that “Best Seller” item tags and the number of items purchased, you’re able to make sure that this is an item work developing and selling.
You’ll also use research to identify proper pricing. By reviewing the similar listings, you’ll be able to develop a listing that is competitive in price.
You may also use your research as design inspiration. Key Word: INSPIRATION. NEVER (ever, ever) steal someone’s design or copy it exactly. It’s certainly acceptable to look at color palettes or themes that are popular and use that as inspiration but it’s imperative to have integrity and never copy someone’s design.
Step 2: Design Prep
After you’ve researched your item, it’s always a good idea to draw out a rough draft. I recommend using paper or an iPad and generating a visual representation of what your item will look like. This will help the design process much more smoothly once you start designing in Canva because you’ll have a general understanding of general design principles.
Step 3: Design Item
It’s time to hop into Canva to design your item. I always recommend the premium Canva account; it gives you much more access to free elements and design features. Access a 30 day trial of Canva premium by clicking HERE. The Canva Premium package is $12.95 a month and is well worth it; especially if you’re utilizing it to design Etsy Printable and Digital documents. However, it is 100% possible to create beautiful designs using the basic, free, Canva account.
Again, I want to remind you all that I have a video based tutorial of this exact item. You may view it by clicking HERE if you feel like it’d be more helpful to watch me actually taking these steps as I design.
Let’s follow these design steps:
Create a blank 8.5 X 11 (or A3) sized document
Change the name of the design by navigating to the upper right hand corner and changing the name
Add text and elements to design your item using your prep design, created in the previous step, as inspiration and guidance. Let’s review some of the basic features available within Canva:
Elements: Elements are VARIOUS design features that you can add within your design. You can utilize the search bar to search for any design element you wish to add. This could be a stock photo or video, icon, graphic, shape, line, etc.
Text: This is self explanatory: Text allows you to add text. A great tip is to scroll through the text combinations that are already put together. Utilizing the text combos will give your design a cohesive aesthetic
Uploads: Uploads would be your own photos or videos that you personally upload
Once you’ve designed your item, simply select the “download” button and save as a PDF.
For this document, we can take the final version and make it a fillable form by going to a free site called “PDF Escape.” PDF Escape allows you to create fillable fields, checkboxes and other items.
Then, simply create your listing photos and upload to Etsy
Congrats! You’ve designed your very own Moving Checklist! If you want more info on how to create a printable and digital based Etsy shop, I encourage you to check out my Etsy Printable Success Guide. It is a 27 page step-by-step guide that shows you EXACTLY the steps needed to create a successful Etsy shop.
As always, if you have an Etsy shop, throw it below in the comments!
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