Are you ready to make your OWN planner and sell it? Read on as I share with you HOW to print and sell your own planner. There are a number of ways to print and sell. It can be as easy as taking your PDF to Staples. But I want to show you how to print and sell with excellence!
When I decided to create a Christian-centered planner, I knew I wanted to strive for excellence. As a Christian, everything we do in the name of Jesus needs to be excellent. So naturally, I wanted this to be reflected in my products.
Your Printing Options
Printing on Demand or Drop Shipping
There are several companies that will do drop shipping or printing on demand. Printful or Printify are a few examples. And while it is an easy route to take, you won’t get the details through those companies. If you are looking for the extras that make your product stand out– such as custom sizing, ribbon bookmarks, or coil-bound planners– you will not get these details from a print-on-demand company.
Drop shipping or printing on demand is a great option, especially when starting out, but just remember you will not get the little details or custom options going this route.
Printing in Bulk
I choose to print in bulk. Printing in bulk does require you to decide how many planners you want to print for the entire year. I will typically hold a survey with various options for the design of my planner and print, based on the survey responses.
I partner with a printer overseas and have used them for several years and love them. They provide a number of custom details for my customers, and that is another reason I love using them and choose to print this way.
There is, however, a risk to ordering in bulk. It requires that initial cost. If you are just getting started, it is important to choose the right quantity to purchase at first. My first year, I used a domestic printer and spent far too much money.
The most important strategy that I teach in Print School, and what I would suggest to someone getting started, is to do a pre-order campaign. Kickstarter is an example of a company to pre-sell your item and with that money, you can place your order. I like this strategy and recommend it because it mitigates risk.
Where to Sell Your Planner?
One word -- Shopify. I personally sell all of my products on Shopify and cannot say enough good things about them. It houses everything for my print business. It’s a one-stop shop for Tech Stack. It houses my inventory, payment, and product handling, as well as other wonderful features.
Those are my tools! Do you feel ready to get out there and sell your planner?
Be sure to listen to the podcast episode to get the full rundown of my printing and selling tools.
If you are still at the beginning stages and need to create your planner, I always encourage you to start by clarifying your user’s journey. Who is your planner or product for? Sit in this ideation phase and find the heart behind the product. Then you can create.
In my last episode, I reviewed ideation and the other 7 steps to go from idea to completed product. Go give a listen to get caught up and get inspired!
If you are curious about resources, Print School is a great resource to learn and have me help walk you through the entire paper product process. You can also check out my free workshop, or join my Facebook group!
