15 Tips to Increase Your Sales on Print on Demand Websites

how to increase sales on print on demand websites 15 tips

Are you looking for ways to increase your print on demand sales? If so, you’re in the right place! In this article, I’ll be sharing with you 15 tips to will help you maximize your print on demand sales, whether you sell through your own website or a marketplace like Redbubble or Etsy.

If you’re just getting started, you may want to check out these posts first:

There are a few things you can do to maximize your print on demand (POD) sales. POD is a great way to get your work out there, and it can be a great supplemental income stream. But like with anything, there are ways to optimize your POD sales and make the most out of this opportunity. By following these tips, you can give yourself a better chance at success.

photo of a woman thinking about how to increase print on demand sales

Tips to Increase your Sales on Print on Demand Websites

Try to complete at least one task per day related to your print on demand business. For example: post one tweet, one Instagram post, create one new design, one update to your website etc. If you can do more than one task that’s great, but even just one thing a day will help your business grow over time.
Connect with other artists on social media (Facebook groups for example) or forums where available (Zazzle). Ask for feedback from them if you feel comfortable doing so!
Upload as much high quality work as possible. The more designs you have, the more chances you have of making a sale.
Research the latest trends and use them as inspiration to create new designs in your own style. You can use Pinterest or check the top selling designs on your chosen POD platform.
Update your social media pages, even just one or two and focus on them. Instagram and Twitter great for artists. On Facebook it’s challenging to get likes on your page, but it could get your real life friends interested. Try using new tools like Facebook or Instagram stories, or even Snapchat if you are adventurous.
Post new designs and products consistently. Try to stay somewhat active and consistent in all of your POD shops (uploading new work, commenting/following etc.) I’ve definitely noticed an increase in sales/activity when I’m active. If you have too many stores to stay active, maybe pare it down to the few that you have been most successful on.
Don’t stretch yourself too thin. Going off the point above, if you have too many stores you might feel overwhelmed or too lazy to upload work to all of them, so I suggest deleting those ones you don’t like or don’t have much success with.
Research your target audience and find out what they like to see and buy on products.
Make new colorways of popular designs that are well received. Different colour variations of a popular design or rework an element of that piece so it can have more mass appeal.
Have a website or blog external to your social media, like this one! It helps with your visibility and to show up in Google searches.
Tell your family, friends and coworkers about your stores and they might support you! You could even gift them stuff from your own stores for Christmas and birthdays etc. to get them excited about your work.
Go back through your old designs and either delete ones that aren’t working for your brand or update titles, keywords, descriptions, etc.
Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions (SEO). When buyers are searching for products on a print on demand marketplace, they will often use keywords to find what they are looking for. Make sure that your product descriptions include relevant keywords that buyers are likely to use, in order to increase the chances of your products being found.
Always keep learning. There are lots of great sources online for marketing your brand or honing and learning new skills. Check out Skillshare for some free or paid courses in marketing, design and many other skills.
Subscribe to my blog! I’m always posting new content on selling your art on POD websites so make sure you don’t miss out.

By following the tips above, you can make the most of your print on demand stores and ensure that your products are selling as well as they can. With a little bit of effort and some creativity, you can take your print on demand business to the next level and make it a success.

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ve found this blog post helpful. Let me know if you have any other tips to add in the comments below! Also check out the resources section of my website for even more print on demand tips.

Cheers,

Check out these other posts for more information on selling your art on POD websites:

Complex Mandala Drawing Template

~ Julie ~ 3 Comments

Following the success of my Mandala Drawing Templates, I decided to create a new, more detailed version of the template so now you can draw even more complex mandala designs!

Just click on the template image below to open it up a new tab and then you can right click and choose “save image as” to download it to your computer.

You can also download my full Mandala Drawing Templates bundle as a PDF here! (It’s free)

How to Use this Mandala Drawing Template

Print the template off on an 8.5 x 11″ piece of paper and then use it as a guide underneath copy paper or even sketchbook paper to draw your mandala!

I find it works best to paperclip it on at least 2 sides to prevent it from moving around under the page while you draw.

Looking for ready-made mandala drawing templates? Check out my new Mandala Drawing Workbooks!

You could also use this template as a layer in your digital painting program to help you draw digital mandalas.

Here is an example of a mandala I drew using this template:

I hope you will find this mandala template useful!

New in 2020: I’ve created a video to demonstrate how I use my drawing templates! Watch it below:

Let me know what you think of this template by leaving a comment below! Also feel free to share your mandalas with me on Instagram by tagging me @julieerindesigns, or post it below!

If you’re new to drawing mandalas, or want something a little less complex, you might want to check out my other Mandala Drawing Templates here!

Also check out my other freebies and digital downloads available in my Downloads Shop.

Have a great day everyone and have fun drawing those mandalas.

Cheers!

Mandala Drawing Templates

~ Julie ~ 16 Comments

Welcome to my blog! I am excited to introduce these mandala drawing templates, which will help you create beautiful mandalas with ease. Say goodbye to the hassle of using compasses or household objects to draw circles, and start using my templates for a smoother and more efficient mandala drawing experience.

How to download the mandala drawing templates

To download the mandala drawing templates, simply click on the image of the template and open it in full size. You can then right-click and download or print directly from your browser.

You can also download the whole mandala drawing template bundle in PDF format for your convenience.

Whether you choose to draw straight on the print-out or use it as a tracing template, you can easily create stunning mandalas with my templates.

LIKE FREEBIES? Join my mailing list below to get access to a FREE MINI COLOURING BOOK!

To keep the template in place while tracing or drawing, you can use paper clips or masking tape. Alternatively, you can use any other materials that you have on hand to keep the template secure.

Watch me demonstrate how to use these templates in the video below.

Looking for ready-made mandala drawing templates? Check out my Mandala Drawing Workbooks!

For a more free-style mandala design, use this second template with no cross lines. On the other hand, if you prefer a more structured approach, use the first template to draw your mandala.

Let me share with you a couple of mandalas that I created using these templates:

I personally used the first template to trace the colored mandala, while I drew the black and white mandala directly onto the printed template without the cross lines.

I am confident that these templates will be a helpful tool for you, just as they have been for me.

Say goodbye to the tedious process of drawing circles with cups and plates. With these templates, you can easily create beautiful mandalas with ease.

If you do end up using these templates, please feel free to share your artwork in the comments section below or tag me on Instagram @julierindesigns. I would love to see the mandalas you create!

And don’t forget to check out my Modern Mandala Art class where we use these templates to create 2 stunning mandala designs!

To sum up, my mandala drawing templates are designed to make the process of creating mandalas easier, more efficient, and enjoyable. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just starting, these templates will help you create beautiful designs with precision and ease. I hope you find them helpful, and I look forward to seeing your mandalas!

If you enjoyed using these mandala drawing templates, make sure to check out my digital downloads shop for even more freebies and mandala coloring pages. You’ll find a variety of designs and styles to choose from, all available for instant download. Head over now to explore the collection and continue your mandala drawing journey!

Cheers,

How to Clean up Line Art using Photoshop and Illustrator

~ Julie ~ 8 Comments

cleaning up line art in photoshop illustrator

Hello friends! Today I would like to share with you how to clean up line art drawings using Photoshop and Illustrator.

Smoothing out your line art is especially important if you are selling artwork printed on shirts and other products through Print on Demand stores like Redbubble, Zazzle, Society6, etc.

This is just one of many ways I create designs, and a technique you can use to turn black and white drawings into digital line art — which you can then use any way you choose.

How to Clean up Line Art using Photoshop and Illustrator

Start out with some ideas in your sketchbook, and make a short list of designs to try drawing. I often look online for inspiration and have a few things in mind before I get started.

Once you have a design you like, re-draw it lightly on a clean page in pencil.
Go over the pencil drawing with a black Sharpie or another fine black ink pen, to get something like this:

Make sure you erase all pencil lines.
Scan each design separately into Photoshop.

Clean up the image as much as possible using tools such as desaturate, Brightness/Contrast, Curves, and erase to clean up any little black dots or dust bits that are showing.
You can also use the colour selection tool to select the black line only, then create a new layer and fill it in with black. Once I am finished with this step, I save the file as a .PSD.
Next open the .PSD file in Illustrator, and use the Live Trace or Image Trace tool to turn your design into a nice smooth vector image. This is a great tutorial on using Live Trace in Illustrator that I often follow.

The result of this process is that you get much smoother lines. This is important if you are having the designs printed, especially in large sizes.
Save the image as a .AI file.
Open up the file in Photoshop and set the pixel size to something large, like 10,000 x 10,000 pixels.
Fill or colour your line drawing however you like. I like to use layers, fill with gradients and use layer settings (ex. Screen) or just paint on another layer using a drawing tablet. There is basically an endless variety of ways you can use your line art.
Save your finished design as the correct file type and size(s) for the POD site you are creating for. I always save a .PSD file as well (with all my layers in tact) so I can open it again later and use the same design multiple times.

Here are some examples of work that I have used this technique for:

tangled black and white yin yang mandala live trace illustrator

pot head teapot live trace illustrator tutorial

And there you have it! Hopefully you now have a little bit of insight into how I create my designs for sale, and maybe even learned a new technique to try out for yourself.

Feel free to leave any questions or comments about this process in the comments section below.

Have a great week everyone!

Cheers,

Selling your art on Print on Demand Websites – Zazzle vs Society6 (Part 1)

~ Julie ~ 14 Comments

Welcome to part 1 of my 2 part series about Selling your art on POD Websites: Zazzle vs Society6!

I’ve been selling my designs on Zazzle and Society6 for several years now. So, I would like to share what I’ve learned so far about these two different Print On Demand demand platforms.

I hope this guide can help you decide which of these sites could be best for you!

“Print On Demand” basically means an item is printed or created after it has been ordered. You upload your art or designs onto a website and digitally place them on different product mock-ups. Then, the company prints and ships the product to the customer after they buy it, and pays you a commission in return.

You do not have to pay for anything or maintain an inventory, so this is a fairly risk-free way to get your art and designs out into the online world!

There are several websites out there who offer this service. I chose Zazzle and Society6 after doing some research because they are both popular and widely known, offering good customer service and fair designer programs.

Pros and Cons of Zazzle vs Society6

Now I would like to discuss some of the major differences (mainly pros and cons) between Zazzle vs Society6. This is my experience as someone who lives in Canada.

Audience

Society6‘s audience is fine art based. There is more of a focus on prints, and different ways of displaying unique art work (ex. framed art prints, tapestries).

Zazzle caters more towards audiences looking for graphic design based products. Think wedding invitations, birthday cards, and business cards.

Also, graphic t-shirts with funny/topical sayings are top sellers on Zazzle.

Store Front

As an artist I prefer Society6‘s store front, as you can customize your store front to show either just your designs as prints, or the different products you have for sale. You can also sort by new, random or most popular.

On the Zazzle storefront your “Home” tab is the landing page for your storefront.

Under the “Home” tab your “Most Popular” products show up first, followed by your “Categories”, then “Recently Sold” products, and finally “Latest Products”. You can customize which categories are shown and re-arrange these under the Store Settings.

There is also a “Products” tab which shows a mix of your most popular items, a “Collections” tab (which can include your own products as well as other people’s), followed by “Comments” and “About” tabs.

While this storefront is a major improvement from what they had before, I find it a little cluttered and also think it may be confusing or overwhelming for a first time user.

A redeeming factor for Zazzle is that you have the ability to have multiple stores under the same account, which is not possible on Society6 at this time.

Ease of Upload

When I first started I thought Zazzle was easier to create products with, but once I caught on to Society6 I realized it is actually less work in the long run.

This is because first you upload your original image and choose the appropriate tags, and then your work is automatically placed on all of their different products. You may have to adjust the size or orientation for some products but most of them should work if your image is large enough.

On Zazzle you upload your image only once but then you have to create each item separately (they do have a “Quick Create” tool but I don’t recommend using it), and then add custom tags for each product. This one by one process can be very time consuming.

One thing that does set Zazzle apart though is that you (and your buyer) can customize each individual item with text or other images, all within their website.

Society6 has no options for customization after you’ve created your products, besides changing the colours of some items.

Earnings

Now the part you really want to know – which of these websites can make you the most $$??

Personally I have made more on Society6, but it will completely depend on your style of artwork, target audience and how well you market your products.

On Zazzle you can set your own commission rate, so it can be as high as you choose — but keep in mind it will be hard to compete with other stores and get sales. The typical commission rate is usually around 10%. I get anywhere from 0.10 cents to $10 depending on the item sold.

On Society6 you get a fixed commission rate on products, but you can choose your own commission for prints. I generally earn about $4-$5 per sale, so the set commission rate seems pretty fair to me.

Also keep sales cycles in mind. Generally I get the most sales around the Holidays and Back to School (August) while the Spring and early Summer is generally quite slow.

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 of Selling your Art on Zazzle vs Society6 including information about: Payment, Quality of Products, Marketing of Products, Shipping, and my own Summary remarks!

What has been your experience selling on Print on Demand websites? Do you have any of your own tips to share? Feel free to leave your comments below!

Cheers,