What Are Printables and Why Are They Awesome? (2024)

Blogging, Etsy

This post contains affiliate links, as a member of affiliate programs and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Are you asking yourself, what are printables? Well, I have your answer! I’ll explain printables, tell you how to use them, and tell you why printables are AWESOME!

Have you ever wondered, what are printables? Do you hear people talking about printables on Pinterest or facebook and you’re not quite sure what they mean? Well you’re in luck! I’m here to answer your question!

I thought today that I would talk a little bit about what Printables are and why they are so awesome! I used to exclusively make and sell printables.

But the question I get most often, because they’re kind of a new thing, is, what are printables?

Printable Prints (or Printables) are pieces of artwork, drawings, graphic design or pictures that you can download online and print yourself.

Some printables are free and some are paid or for sale and you purchase them from a site like Etsy. There are awesome options out there for both. Either way, you usually get a high resolution jpg file that you can print on your home printer, at work, at your local copy shop or FedEx store or at your favorite photo counter at places like Walgreens or Target. There are even some really great printing companies online. And in this day and age, home printers have reached a stage where their quality can really be quite good. This leads me to to the first reason Printables are awesome!

What are printables? Printables are Instant!

We live in a world of instant gratification, who doesn’t want things right away? You can have your new hand-drawn art as soon as you hit the download button! Download the file and you can have it ready to frame in minutes. When I was pregnant with O and had crazy nesting hormones, I would have killed to have the art I wanted to finish his nursery RIGHT THAT VERY SECOND!

And even better, I can think of lots of times when Instant is not only amazing but is essential. Forgot you had a baby shower to go to this afternoon? Print off some art, pop it in an 8 x 10 frame and you’re all set!

Having a holiday party tonight and your house isn’t looking very festive? There are TONS of holiday printables online!

This leads me to the next reason Printables are awesome!

What are printables?Printables are money savers!

Some printables are FREE, but even for printables that you have to purchase, printables are cheaper than pre-printed art prints for two reasons, First, someone selling printables doesn’t havethe overhead of supplies, printing and packaging so the price is much less than art that someone prints for you and then mails to you.

Secondly, you don’t have to pay shipping! Yay! Is there anything better than a free shipping deal? I always feel like I won the lottery when I find a coupon code for free shipping when I’m shopping online. With instant downloads, not only do you get your art fast, you don’t have to pay extra for its quick arrival.

And along with not paying for shipping, here is my favorite reason Printables are awesome:

What are printables?Printables are green and eco-friendly!

Because you’re printing your own print, you’re eliminating all the packaging that pre-printed art needs to make it look nice and protect it in transit. Usually pre-printed art comes with a cardboard board to keep it flat, a plastic sleeve to protect it and then all of that is all inside some kind of envelope which often is lined in protective (and plastic) bubble wrap. All of that stuff is terrible for the environment when you throw it out.

But it’s not just the packaging, Printables are also good for the environment because, as digital files, there is no truck or plane required to transport them to you. No gas is used to move a package, and no pollution or greenhouse gas is produced by those trucks and planes carrying your mail.

Hopefully by now I’ve answered the question, what are printables? The answer is, they’re awesome!

Take a peek at my FREE PRINTABLES page and give Printables a try.Once you try printables, you’ll be totally hooked, trust me!

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