How to sell prints on Etsy and tap into the purchasing power of the platform’s 96 million active buyers? We’ll cover all the steps so you can tackle eCommerce with confidence.
With various product categories, Etsy continues to be a leading marketplace for selling prints as an artist, designer, or entrepreneur.
Whether you specialize in artwork or photography, Printify’s Print on Demand model streamlines fulfillment for high-quality prints.
Let’s explore how to launch an Etsy business and sell art prints without worrying about investment, inventory, or logistics.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through those links. This comes at no additional cost to you.
What exactly is a print?
Prints are reproductions of art pieces, from fine art to corporate decals. The process involves transferring the original artwork onto a printing surface like posters or tapestries.
When selling prints on Etsy, you have two options:
- Digital products. Includes images, illustrations, graphics, or fan art. You can sell digital prints on Etsy by listing digital downloads.
- Physical products. These are physical art prints such as custom posters, custom tapestries, canvas prints, and watercolor paintings.
You don’t need to invest in huge business expenses to start selling physical prints.
The easiest method for selling products on Etsy is partnering with a print-on-demand company, giving you more time to focus on growing your audience and marketing strategy.
How to sell prints on Etsy: 5 Steps to success
Let’s go through the steps of selling art prints online and discover how to start a print-on-demand business on Etsy with Printify.
Step 1: Set up an Etsy store
Start by signing in or registering for an Etsy account. Select Sell on Etsy and fill out all the required details, like language, country, currency, and payment.
You’ll need to add a product during the registration process. Don’t worry about completing these details now – simply create a draft and delete or update it later.
Check out our articles on how to start an Etsy shop and how to make money on Etsy to learn more about preparing and marketing your store.
Find your Etsy niche
Standing out on Etsy starts with defining a niche that reflects your art style.
For example, vintage-inspired prints like retro travel posters or floral art often appeal to decor enthusiasts.
Consider these tips to refine your approach and help you reach the right audience:
- Choose your niche. Focusing on a specific style or theme, such as minimalist line art, gives you a unique brand identity.
- Identify your audience. Envision your ideal buyer – whether collectors or people seeking affordable home decor.
- Highlight your USP. Showcase why your work is unique, from limited editions to sustainably crafted items, to make sure your art sells.
- Research competitors. Analyze shops similar to your own business for insights into pricing and trends.
An absolute rockstar in all things Etsy is eRank – the ultimate tool for discovering hot niches, trends, and top-searched keywords on the platform.
Step 2: Pick and prepare your products
To start selling art on Etsy, you’ll need products on which to transfer your digital images.
Printify offers a wide selection of things to sell on Etsy. Our high-quality canvases, posters, and other custom products are perfect for selling art online:
Sign up for a free Printify account and browse our Catalog of more than 1,000 products perfect for your print shop.
Seeking inspiration from merchants who have a profitable Etsy shop with Printify? Check out Success Stories from Brett and Daisy and Gina Van De Voorde.
Step 3: Create a design
Once you’ve picked a product, click Start designing to upload your original art using our Product Creator.
It includes a range of helpful features to add your existing designs to physical art prints:
- Upload original artwork. Easily showcase your unique designs by uploading images, illustrations, or photos.
- Asset library. Add text in various fonts and colors, select free Printify assets or templates, use AI image tools, and browse the integrated Shutterstock library.
- Pattern and layering tools. Remove backgrounds, overlay elements, and add details to enhance your prints.
- Instant mockups. Preview your designs on real-life product mockups and use them for high-quality listing images.
When the designs are ready, connect your Etsy store with Printify and hit Publish from your Printify Products page to add listings.
Manage your Etsy prints directly from Printify, including setting prices and adding descriptions. All changes will transfer automatically after publishing, making your workflow seamless and efficient.
Leverage professional design software like Adobe Illustrator or free graphic design alternatives for additional editing features. Advanced layering, vector editing, precise guidelines, and high-DPI export options help create print-ready files.
Step 4: Set the right price
Pricing your products will depend on quality and market conditions.
Researching similar prints is a great way to find a reasonable price point that keeps you competitive while leaving enough room for profits.
Factors to consider in your pricing strategy:
- Production costs. Factor in expenses for printing, shipping, and materials.
- Market competition. Compare products from other sellers to stay competitive.
- Time and labor. Consider the time invested in creating your designs.
- Profit margin. Aim for a margin of around 45% to cover costs and maintain profit.
- Etsy fees. Account for transaction, listing, and processing fees.
Etsy expenses affect your overall profits, so weigh them into your pricing strategy. Here’s a quick breakdown of the main fees:
- Listing fee. $0.20 for each item listed, renewed every four months.
- Transaction fee. 6.5% of the sale price (including shipping).
- Payment processing fee. Varies by country. In the US, it’s 3% + $0.25 per order.
Want a full breakdown of Etsy fees, all applicable costs, and calculated examples to determine your pricing strategy? Learn how much Etsy takes per sale.
Step 5: Devise a marketing strategy
A well-planned marketing strategy will help you reach your potential customers, retain their interest, and increase Etsy sales for your custom prints.
Follow this quick guide to get started:
- Identify industry trends. Look for bestselling prints on Etsy, eBay, Amazon, and social media. Try Google Trends, BuzzSumo, or Semrush to track trends using relevant Etsy keywords.
- Analyze the competition. Find your competitors on the Etsy marketplace and explore their social media and product reviews. With this information, address their customers’ pain points and advertise your own products.
- Find your target audience. Create a buyer’s persona based on customers’ demographics, interests, and purchasing habits. Align your branding and print listings with their needs and expectations.
Engage with customers on their preferred channels. Survey your own social network with tools such as Google Forms or Crowdsignal and explore Facebook groups and Reddit threads to gather insights.
From there, craft a marketing strategy that suits your needs. Use social media, influencer or content marketing, email, paid advertising, or a combination of all.
Our article on marketing your Etsy store has all the information you need to implement the right marketing strategy from the get-go.
Step 6: Learn and adjust
Selling and marketing art on Etsy is just the beginning. Use Etsy Stats to get insights on your store’s performance, traffic, and how shoppers engage with your prints.
Click on Stats in Etsy’s Shop Manager to access information, such as:
- Metrics overview. View Etsy shop-level data, including visits, orders, conversion rate, and revenue at any selected timeframe.
- How shoppers found you. See how much of your print shop’s traffic comes from Etsy search, ads, marketing, or social media.
- Listings data. Discover your listing views, favorites, orders, and sales revenue.
Analyze this data to understand what works well and what needs improvement. Look for patterns to refocus your efforts and improve your Etsy listings.
Sell prints today
What are the best-selling prints on Etsy?
Let’s explore bestselling products from other artists and popular Etsy sellers to help you narrow down a profitable niche:
- Original artwork. MarArtCreation showcases a unique style brimming with authenticity, offering unique pieces that resonate with art enthusiasts seeking originality.
- Vintage posters. CuratoPrints specializes in curated landscape paintings, tapping into a historic niche that appeals to customers looking for timeless prints.
- Custom holiday prints. MusingsOfMeiMei provides stylized print designs as holiday gifts, demonstrating the appeal of customized products for special occasions.
- Large gallery art. FineArtBloc offers a diverse selection of large gallery art for home decor, catering to customers seeking accessible statement pieces.
- Abstract and unique patterns. Catherinemarionart features colorful and beautifully rendered prints inspired by flora and fauna, bringing rich diversity to customers.
Take inspiration from this broad range of customer favorites to build a successful Etsy shop. Pursue your passion of creating original pieces and start selling art on Etsy.
Sell prints on Etsy with Printify
Printify lets you create and sell art on Etsy without upfront costs or complex setups.
Our print-on-demand service integrates directly with Etsy, offering up-to-date resources, management tools, and fulfillment options to prepare and sell artwork efficiently.
Here’s what makes Printify an excellent choice for selling prints on Etsy:
- No upfront costs. Start selling on Etsy without investing in inventory or equipment.
- Easy Etsy integration. Connect your Etsy shop directly to Printify, streamlining orders and saving setup time.
- Beginner-friendly features. Use Printify’s Product Creator to design high-quality products, from framed prints to custom canvases.
- Hands-off fulfillment. Our global network of Print Providers manages printing, packaging, and shipping, freeing your time to focus on your art and customers.
Start making money selling prints today
5 Tips to successfully sell prints on Etsy
Your Etsy shop and prints should stand out, attract the right customers, and leave a lasting impression.
Here are some valuable tips on how to sell art prints on Etsy successfully.
1. Brand effectively
Maintaining a positive brand image is essential for successfully selling prints on Etsy.
Help people recognize your Etsy shop and the quality of your prints by including these components in your storefront:
- Shop icon. Create a logo for your Etsy business using graphic design software. Produce quality brand visuals that convey something meaningful about your brand and aesthetic.
- Professional banner. This branding asset is the most prominent graphic in your store. Make sure it’s top quality and use a 4:1 aspect ratio with a minimum 1200px x 300px resolution.
- Store information. Add a shop owner photo and tell people about your business. This will add authenticity and humanize your brand, giving customers greater confidence in your products.
- Retail policies. Set expectations with your Etsy shop policies. Outline shipping estimates, payment options, and order return guidelines for customer satisfaction.
- FAQ section. Demonstrate your expertise and provide valuable information regarding your art prints to ease customers’ shopping journey.
As always, keep an eye on your competition. Incorporate what works and improve upon their drawbacks to establish your own unique identity in the Etsy print market.
2. Optimize your store
Improving your store page will make it appear higher in search results, helping you gain customers and increase sales.
Explore these optimization tips for your Etsy store:
- Use high-quality photos. Post Etsy listings featuring beautiful product photos from different angles. Place the best image first since that’s what buyers see in search results, and follow Etsy’s guidelines for uploading images.
- Include keywords. Add relevant terms in product titles, descriptions, and alt-texts, placing the most important keywords first. Find popular terms using tools like eRank or Sale Samurai.
- Use all 13 tags. Every tag is an opportunity for your product to match with more searches. Add descriptive tags and try to use contextual language, including natural multi-word phrases.
- Refresh your listings. Etsy’s algorithm reviews how recently an item was listed or relisted to keep results relevant. Plan a routine schedule to update your listings periodically.
Small changes can bring big results to your online business. If you want to learn more about listing and search engine optimization for selling art on Etsy, check out how to get noticed on Etsy.
3. Add a video to your Etsy listing
For many shoppers, descriptions, Etsy tags, and photos aren’t enough. They want to view the product in a more visually dynamic way.
Videos are a great way to stand out as a professional and reliable seller. With them, you can:
- Show context. Demonstrate how the product looks in real life to improve buyer confidence.
- Build trust. Create a stronger connection between your brand and customers.
- Add value. Highlight the process and time put into creating art to justify the price and increase customer purchases.
Showcase the best qualities of your prints by exploring these tips for stunning Etsy videos:
- Pay close attention to the whole frame. Consider the entire arrangement of the video. Both the printed art and the background influence purchase decisions.
- Follow Etsy’s guidelines. Video listings can be five to 15 seconds long, with an ideal resolution of at least 1080px or full HD.
- Stabilize the camera. Use a tripod or stabilizer to improve the quality of your shots.
- Have good lighting. Create the video in a well-lit environment so that potential buyers can see your print clearly.
For more information, see Etsy’s guide on how to add a listing video.
4. Sell smart using the print-on-demand business model
The greatest benefit of Print on Demand is its convenience. As an automated fulfillment model, it lets you avoid inventory costs, storage fees, and shipping logistics when selling physical prints.
At Printify, our Print Providers handle fulfillment while you focus on the creative work.
Apart from Etsy listing fees, Printify lets you add as many different products to your Etsy shop as you want without any additional investment.
5. Engage with your target audience
Building meaningful customer relationships helps drive engagement, improve traffic, and keep customers coming back – equating to more sales.
After identifying your customers and what type of content they like, create and align your strategies to engage with them through your social media, content, and emails.
Explore these tips to build and maintain a good relationship with your customers:
- Thank buyers for their purchases. Show gratitude by leaving a short thank-you note for your customers. On Etsy, head to Shop Manager, Settings, then Info and Appearance. Scroll down until you see the Message to Buyers field.
- Advertise yourself. Your shop’s About Me section is a great place for promoting relevant marketing channels like your own website, blog, and social media.
- Interact with your customers. Respond quickly to your followers and build hype around your print store through discounts and promotions.
If done well, these methods will influence your buyers and help spread the word about your Etsy business.
Frequently asked questions
Earnings from selling art on Etsy vary widely, depending on factors like pricing, product demand, and your marketing strategy.
With Printify’s print-on-demand model, you can set your own profit margins and start without upfront costs or inventory, drastically reducing expenses.
Although Etsy charges listing and transaction fees, setting the right prices and keeping your costs low can help you create a profitable art business.
Yes, selling on Etsy is worthwhile if you’re strategic. Etsy provides a built-in audience with millions of active shoppers. Using Printify, you can streamline operations without excessive upfront costs or worrying about order fulfillment.
Selling prints on Etsy can be highly profitable, especially for digital art and print-on-demand products.
By focusing on unique designs and using Etsy’s platform effectively, you can generate steady sales and build a loyal customer base of art buyers. Keep an eye on shipping costs, pricing, and promotional strategies to optimize profits.
Earnings for Etsy sellers vary, but most sellers make a few hundred dollars monthly, while successful Etsy sellers can make over $50k a year.
Profit depends on factors like how much effort you invest, your niche, your fulfillment method, and the appeal of your art to Etsy’s audience.
Yes, Etsy is a perfect place to sell prints. Open an Etsy account and integrate Printify to immediately prepare custom art prints, canvas art, and even watercolor posters without handling inventory or logistics.
Here’s how to sell using Print on Demand on Etsy:
- Open an Etsy store and sign up for a free Printify account.
- Choose items from our Catalog and personalize your products.
- Connect your Etsy account to streamline fulfillment.
- Promote your store using Etsy Ads and Etsy SEO.
You need an Etsy account, quality product listings, and a clear branding strategy. Using Printify simplifies fulfillment and production, so you can start making money online without having to prepare prints manually.
Make sure to write detailed product descriptions, optimize with relevant Etsy tags, and consider running Etsy Ads to attract more customers.
Learning how to create printables to sell on Etsy can be competitive but rewarding. Success often depends on your marketing skills, use of Etsy SEO, and product uniqueness.
Many artists selling prints or craft supply items learn how to sell digital artwork on Etsy through trial and error until they find the perfect strategy and fulfillment method.
Closing thoughts
Whether you sell physical or digital prints, get your work out there by carefully planning your Etsy art business strategy.
With the right mindset, design ideas, and fulfillment method, you can find success on the Etsy platform. Here’s a quick recap of the steps you should take:
- Set up an Etsy store.
- Pick your products.
- Prepare the print.
- Set the price.
- Devise a marketing strategy.
- Adjust and optimize your Etsy store.
Become an Etsy artist and turn your passion into a thriving business without any upfront costs, inventory, or logistical worries by leveraging Printify to offer prints effortlessly.
