Let's Talk About Printables
My name is Heidi. I teach about art and creativity. I believe that anyone who feels a pull to create - can CREATE! Using an artists artwork (such as Printables) can be a fun and relaxing way to create because the art is already created for you.
A Printable is artwork that you can download, print and use for your creative or decorative projects. It tends to be a finished digital product meant to be added to a creative project such as art journaling, bojo, scrapbooking, card making, added to letters and more.
You might add a flower (from a Printable for example) to a handwritten letter, use it as ephemera in cardmaking and scrapbooking projects or add the element to an art journaling page. I'll give you some examples in the video below.
My favourite way to use Printables is to make them into DIY stickers. All you have to do is to print the artwork onto sticker paper using an Inkjet printer. It's so easy that anyone can do it! I'll explain more about this below.
Some Printables are best printed on white paper such as standard copy paper, thin cardstock, thin watercolour paper, thin textured cardstock, vellum and papers like this. These are just some of the many paper options that you have for printing.
Just make sure that the paper you choose is compatible with your printer.
Purchase and Download
I have many Printables for sale in my Etsy shop but you may have found other artists and brands to purchase from too. Just follow these easy steps.
After purchasing the digital artwork, you'll receive an email confirming your purchase. Just click on the download button on that email to instantly download the art onto your device or computer.
If you purchased the digital art on Etsy, you can access your files by going to your personal account. (Make one if you do not have an Etsy account.) Click on your photo at the top of the navigation menu (which connects to your account). Find and click on "purchases/reviews". Find your purchase (of the Printable) and then click on the download button by your purchase details.
Your purchase will be downloaded immediately to your device/computer. After that - you can print on your choice of paper.
Create DIY Stickers
I adore printing on STICKER PAPER so that I can create DIY stickers. My favourite brand of sticker paper is Avery (but there are other really great brands out there). You can get white or clear sticker paper - just be aware that clear sticker paper may look more milky or translucent rather than clear.
Sticker paper is not always labeled as "sticker paper". Typically you are actually looking for full sheet shipping labels that are 8.5 x 11 inches in size. Make sure to purchase the type of shipping label paper that is compatible with your printer (typically an inkjet printer).
Don't have an inkjet printer? Laser printers work great too! You can also take the artwork to a Print Shop and have it printed professionally. You can put in your order via their website if they have one or bring the art on a thumb drive with you to the physical location of the Print Shop.
You can find shipping labels at your local office supply shop (such as Staples) or on Amazon.
After printing the stickers out, I wait a few minutes to make sure the ink is fully dry before cutting out the images/shapes. While the printing usually doesn't smear, I don't like to take chances - especially on clear/translucent sticker papers. After cutting the images out, I place them into a bowl (a small ziplock bag or some easy storage system) so that I can use them right away. :)
In the photo I am holding a sticker from the "Elspeth" Printable set and am getting it ready to place it into my Moleskine art journal.
Print on your choice of paper
While I love the DIY stickers, sometimes the artwork is best printed on white paper. And sometimes, I want a more economical choice of paper too.
You can print the Printable onto copy paper, thin cardstock, transparencies (inkjet only), presentation paper or other printer-compatible papers. Even on vellum!
Tip: NEVER print your Printable onto Transparency using a Laser printer. The heat from the laser printer will melt the plastic. Always read the label of your paper to know what printer you should use with that paper. Transparencies are always printed using inkjet printers.
In this photo, you can see that I printed the Printable page onto copy paper. I really like using a 28 lb copy paper (it's still very affordable but just a bit thicker paper that prints really well) and it handles watercolours just a bit better too! The flower (a printable) was cut out and adhered onto this art journal page after the page was dry. It is best to adhere your stickers after watercolouring your page, where possible.
What can you do with Printables?
Printables can be used for many things but they tend to be primarily used for paper crafting projects, homeschooling or household labeling projects.
I adore using Printables for art journaling or Bible art journaling. :)
Depending on what artwork the Printable has, you can use Printables for scrapbooking, card making, creating banners, making placemat cards, bojo, journaling, planners, home decorating projects (like decoupage, collage), creating labels for the kitchen/home/office and more.
I really enjoy using digital papers (see photo) for book making, collage, mixed media art journal pages and more.
Why does Heidi like Printables so much?
Where can I find more Printables?
Does everyone call it a Printable? Or do they sometimes use other terms?
What are Heidi's favourite papers to print on?
Do Printables always come in packs or collections?
I'm looking for a specific image or type of Printable. Can you help me out?
My Print Shop doesn't print pdf's! What do I do?
Will you (Heidi) be adding more seasonally themed products to the shop?
Ready to get started?
Head to my Etsy shop to see what products are available!
The shop will be updated monthly with more products for your enjoyment. :)
Go to the Shop
