In this post, I will cover what printables are, why everyone is talking about them, and how to use them!
When my mom asked me “what are digital products?”, that was a great opportunity to write a post about them. Did you notice how she asked about digital products and this post is about printables?
Sometimes digital products and printables are used interchangeably. The exception being that not all digital products are printables but all printables are digital products.
In my prior work, I created so many digital products for other biologists across the US to use as a tool. At the time, the digital products I created were how-to guidance documents, survey forms, and templates for writing biological surveys.
Those same digital products could be printed out or saved on their computers so they can use the “Find” function on their computers to search for key terms.
Not only are digital products used by professionals everywhere, but they are great for everyday personal use as well!
I’ll get into the world of printables how they are great for every day users, read on!
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
WHAT'S IN THIS POST?
What are Printables?
Printables are digital products that you can print at home, work, or at any business with printing services such as Office Max, Staples, Fedex, etc.
If you do a search online, you can find free printables like the ones I create for my readers on my blog or paid printables that you can purchase online (I sell printables in my online shop!) such as platforms like Etsy or Teachers Pay Teachers.
Printables are most commonly downloaded as a PDF or image file (JPEG and PNG) and can come in many different sizes, types, and designs.
Examples of Printables are:
- Wall Art
- Planners
- Budget Trackers
- Monthly Calendars
- Recipes
- Checklists
- Reference and Cheat Sheets
- And so much more!
At Little Peace of Happiness, I like to create printables that are useful to my readers and customers such as my Sleep Kit for Overthinkers, Budget Planner, and Wall Art.
I am working on new digital products all the time. So if you haven’t already, sign up for my email list to get emails on new printable freebies and special discounts for product releases.
Related Reading: How to Print Your Printables
Why Are Printables so Great?
- Instant Gratification
- Long-Lasting and Damage Free
- Saves you money
- Eco-Friendly
- Customizable
Printables give you Instant Gratification
As a digital product, printables are an instant download that you can save to your computer or online cloud. You don’t have to wait for anything to be shipped to you and you can start using your printable right away.
Printables offer instant gratification and you can download them from anywhere. You can be sitting on the couch hanging out and your printable is available to you as soon as you hit the download button!
Printables are Long-Lasting and Damage Free!
With a printable, you don’t ever have to worry about your download getting damaged so long as you keep a copy of the original in a reliable storage space. If your printed printable gets damaged by spills, you mess up writing on it, or it gets worn and torn, you can reprint it again!
Have you ever experienced getting a fresh new planner and you’re all ready to plan your month or week and then you accidentally ruin your page by writing in the wrong month? You have to cross it out and now you’ve just lost space in your new planner.
Or how about a really useful reference guide or cheat sheet that you always refer to? Maybe you’ve misplaced it or damaged by everyday wear and tear. As a printable, you have the original to go back and print it again!
As a digital file, you can reprint any pages you need for whatever the occasion!
Printables Save You Money
Printables can also save you a lot of money! There are so many different printables out there and instead of buying a printed product over and over again such as that planner, you can pay one price.
Who doesn’t like saving money? When you buy a printable or download a freebie from me or from any other creator, that product is yours forever for personal use. There is no limit to how many times you can reprint your printable.
When you download or pay for a printable you have it for life. There are also so many free printables out there that you can download too!
Related Reading: How to Print Your Printables
Printables Are Environmentally Friendly
As a paper product, printables are also recyclable. I love and live by using a weekly planner, but I hate the waste that comes with it. Planners that you buy from the store can have plastic covers or thick cardboard with embellishments that you end up adding to the landfill when you’re done with it.
Not only that, but I don’t ever use all of the pages that come in the ready-made planners that I’ve bought from the store. Those extra pages are wasted because they’re just not useful for me.
Because printables come in PDF and image file types, they can also be used and edited digitally on the computer, tablet, or phone, with note taking software such as Adobe, Xodo, Noteshelf, Notability, Goodnotes, and Microsoft OneNote.
Now you don’t have to worry about adding more waste to the landfill and you can customize a printed item to your heart’s content!
Printables Are Customizable
Printables are long-lasting and you get to choose how and when you want to print your printable.
Gone are the days of wasted pages that come in recipe books, planners, books, etc. Now you can DIY a printed item that meets your needs and works best for you. Printables offer the freedom to print single-sided, double-sided, multiples of a certain page, and you can put them in any order you want.
You can bind your printables in any of the following:
- US Letter Binder
- Half-size Mini Binder
- Folio Binder
- Discbound Notebook
- And even have it bound at a print shop!
We’re all unique in our own ways and having the freedom to customize brings out a creativity that is yours. You no longer have to compromise with what publishing companies think you need and how they think you will use it. Now you can have a printed product that is suited to you that will give you the most optimal productivity and functionality.
How Can I Use Printables?
How you use a printable all depends on the type of printable it is. Printables can come in many different sizes and creators will often tell you what sizes their printables come in.
Instructions
Creators may also provide you with instructions on how you can use your printable. Printables that come in the form of a checklist such as a shopping list are pages you can reprint and make a new list every time you go shopping.
Sizing
Common sizes for printables come in US letter and A4 size paper; however, some creators will make printables specific to a certain product such as a journal.
Wall art printables can come in varying sizes and resolutions to fit your frame. When looking for a printable, always read the description for the resolution quality and size you are downloading or purchasing.
Printing
Other printables such as my LPH Budget Planner give you many pages so you can choose which pages you want to print. All of the pages in a printable pack (a lot of printables in a download) are not always printed.
If you download a printable that has many pages, it’s a good idea to go through the pages on your computer or phone before printing them out so you can decide which pages you want.
You can also print the printable in a different size than what it was created in as long as the resolution supports the size. For example, a US letter size printable can print the US letter size and anything smaller than it. It is possible to go larger, but the resolution and image quality may not be as great.
For more guidance on printing printables from the LPH store or library, read my detailed post on How to Print Your Printables.
Wrapping Up
Downloadable printables are digital creations that you may print at home or at a local printing station. Printables are great because once you have the digital file, you can print the same file over and over again.
Printables can come in many forms and can be anything that you want to print for your home, work, or business and its intended use (personal or commercial) is dependent on the creator.
There are free simple printables available online as well as larger printable packs that you can purchase online from places like Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers.
I create free downloadable printables and send them to those on my email list. I carry printables in my store and you can check out my latest out printables here! When you sign up for my email list, you get updates on new freebie printables, new printables you can buy from my store, and special reader discounts!
Related Reading: How to Print Your Printables
Sending you a Little Peace of Happiness,
Pin Me for Later!
