There was a time not too long ago when it seemed as if paper greeting cards were destined to meet the same fate as answering machines and other obsolete items. Everybody was talking about (and choosing) e-cards and evites. Cards could be sent in the blink of an eye. But despite the odds, paper greeting cards are still going strong and they can be personalized thanks to the popularity of printable greeting cards.
A quick search on Etsy reveals that there are thousands of sellers earning money by selling printable cards. If you’ve been hesitant to jump on the bandwagon, the time is ripe to do it. Here’s our guide to why we believe printable greeting cards are an evergreen niche that you won’t want to rule out as a way to boost your income.
How Popular Are Printable Greeting Cards?
It’s difficult to find statistics about sales of printable items since they don’t fit into a major industry. But we know they’re popular! Why? Because so many people are selling them.
Niches may be large or small. We can tell that printable greeting cards are extremely popular because there are millions of them for sale in successful shops and because there are too many subniches to count. Here are just a few examples:
Birthday cards- Anniversary cards
- Graduation cards
- Thank you cards
- Wedding cards
- Sympathy cards
- Congratulations cards
- Seasonal cards (Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Black History Month, etc.)
Within each of these categories, there are many subcategories. Birthday cards may be heartfelt, silly, or tailored for milestone birthdays. A congratulations card could be for a new job, an engagement, or buying a house. There’s no end to the occasions that may call for a thoughtful greeting card.
Printable cards usually cost less than cards you buy at the store—have you seen those prices? It’s easy to pay $5 to $10 for a single card. By contrast, printable cards may cost just a dollar or two.
What Are the Benefits of Making and Selling Printable Greeting Cards?
Let’s talk about what it’s like to make and sell printable cards and why the benefits shouldn’t be ignored. Here are some of the most important ways that diving into this popular niche can help you.
They’re Easy to Make
Printable greeting cards are so easy to make that once you start, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to try it.
With tools like Adobe, Canva, or PowerPoint, you can create templates for your cards and create innovative designs with just a few clicks.
Make Once, Sell Many Times
Once you’ve made a greeting card, you can sell it in your shop as many times as you like. The profit margin is high when compared with other products. If you give your customers the option to personalize their cards, you can boost your sales and make your greeting card shop their go-to destination when they need to celebrate or congratulate someone they love.
Low Upfront Costs
It costs almost nothing to get a printable greeting card shop off the ground. You’ll need a laptop or tablet, but you probably already have one or the other. The only other things you require are access to the web and design software. We’ll list some of our favorites later in this post.
Work From Anywhere
Many people want to fulfill their dream of working for themselves and having the freedom to do so from anywhere, whether that means a sunny beach, a cozy café, or a terrace in Italy. The process of creating printable greeting cards is so simple that you can go anywhere and get the job done.
Design Software for Creating Printable Greeting Cards
The right design software can make the process of creating printable greeting cards as easy (or even easier) than composing an email. Here are a few of our favorites for you to try. As always, we recommend that you check out each tool’s Terms of Use to ensure that your intended use complies with the tool’s requirements.
Canva
Canva is one of our favorite design tools for all kinds of products, including greeting cards. Even with their free account, you get access to thousands of images and templates. Upgrading to a premium account gives you a bigger library. Everything is done with Canva’s user-friendly drag-and-drop technology, so you can create unique designs with a few clicks.
Adobe Express
Adobe has a free online card maker that you can use without entering a credit card. All you need to do is sign in with your Google account and you’ll get access to tons of free templates and images. You can upload your own images if you choose, as well.
Creative Fabrica
Creative Fabrica is a huge online marketplace where you can buy fonts, graphics, and templates to make printable greeting cards. You’ll pay $3.99 per month to get access to the library of designs, and included in the price is access to CF Studio, where you can create your own designs.
PowerPoint
PowerPoint is part of the Microsoft Office Suite, so if you already have that you won’t need to pay to get it. What we like about PowerPoint is that it comes with a bunch of templates and images, and you can use drag-and-drop tools to create designs quickly and easily.
Greeting Card Personalization
One of the things that can help you maximize your income from selling greeting cards is to give buyers the option to personalize the cards they buy. There are three ways you can offer personalization:
- Created editable PDF files for your customers to download. With this option, anyone who buys your cards can fill in specified fields to make the card unique. For example, an editable birthday card might allow for personalization with the recipient’s name and age.
- Personalize cards yourself before sending them to the customer to download. This is the most labor intensive option, but if you don’t want to create editable cards, you can ask customers to complete a form to tell you what they want personalized, and then take a few minutes to personalize the file before sending it to them.
- Create print on demand cards instead. Some people who want to buy your cards may not have a home printer. You can expand your audience by integrating your shop with a print on demand (POD) service. Customers can fill out a form with personalization requests and the POD supplier will print the cards and mail them to the customer. We like POD options for cards that may be used many times, such as holiday cards or thank you cards.
If you choose the second option, you may want to bump your prices to pay for your time. With the third option, you’ll need to build the POD charges into your prices.
Boost Your Income with Printable Greeting Cards
Whether you already have a printables shop online or you’re considering opening one, printable greeting cards can help you generate a steady stream of income.
Do you want some help getting started? Check out AI Printable Automation to get tips on how to use automation to create greeting cards quickly, so you can start selling!
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