Wondering how to make money with Canva this year? You’re in the right place. One of the reasons Canva is such a powerful design tool is because there are countless ways to turn your skills into income. In this guide, I’m breaking down four of the best ways to make money using Canva, ranging from side hustle ideas to full-time income streams.

What’s exciting is that three of these methods can become mostly passive, meaning you create your products once, list them online, and continue earning without doing more work to fulfill orders. That’s my favorite kind of business model. So let’s get into the first method.

Method 1: Creating Print on Demand Designs

The first way to make money with Canva is by selling print on demand (POD) products. With print on demand, you design artwork that gets printed on products like t-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, mugs, posters, and more. There are tons of product options to choose from.

The best part is you don’t manufacture, ship, or store products yourself. A POD provider handles all of that. You simply create the design, upload it to products, and list it for sale. When someone orders, the POD company produces the item and ships it directly to the customer.

This setup makes POD a great passive income opportunity, because once your designs are created and listed, you don’t have to touch anything else. You pay the base cost to your POD provider and keep the remaining profit, giving you control over your pricing and margins.

The Basic Process

1. Decide which products you want to sell.
2. Create the designs in Canva.
3. Download designs (usually as transparent PNG files).
4. Choose a POD provider like Printify or Printful.
5. Connect that provider to your online shop.
6. Upload your designs, place them on products, and publish your listings.

Canva has a massive library of elements, icons, illustrations, and fonts you can use to create designs. The free version offers plenty, while Canva Pro unlocks more advanced features and premium assets.

If Canva doesn’t have what you need, you can purchase elements from third-party sites such as Creative Market or Creative Fabrica and upload them into Canva. Just make sure you purchase a license that allows you to use the assets commercially.

Once your designs are ready, choose a POD provider, connect it to a sales platform—like Etsy or Shopify—and set up your listings. When a customer orders, the printing and shipping happen automatically.

Method 2: Selling Canva Templates

The next way to earn money with Canva is by selling editable Canva templates. These are designs that customers can open in their own Canva account and customize, saving them time and effort.

Templates have exploded in popularity because so many people now use Canva for business, school, and personal projects.

You can create templates for things like:

• Invitations
• Social media graphics
• Workbooks
• Slide presentations
• Business branding materials

There’s strong demand across a wide range of niches, especially on platforms like Etsy.

Since templates are digital products that require no ongoing work, they offer excellent passive income potential.

The Process

1. Research products on platforms like Etsy to see what sells.
2. Create your template inside Canva.
   • Important: Use only free Canva elements and fonts.
     Canva does not allow selling templates containing Pro assets.
3. Generate a template link, which allows buyers to make their own copy.
4. Create your deliverable—usually a single PDF with:
   • Branding
   • Instructions
   • A clickable link to access the template
5. Upload your product to your shop and start selling.

Buyers receive access instantly and can begin editing their template right away, making this a hands-off income stream after setup.

Method 3: Selling Printables

Another profitable way to use Canva is by selling printables. These are digital files buyers download and print themselves. Unlike templates, printables don’t need to be edited by the customer before use, making them simple to produce and sell.

Examples include:

• Printable wall art
• Checklists
• Planners
• Workbooks
• Guides
• Ebooks

Again, this is a passive income stream because the files are created once and delivered automatically with every purchase.

How to Create Printables

1. Do market research to identify profitable niches.
2. Create your designs in Canva.
3. Export them in appropriate formats based on the product type:
   • JPEG or PNG for wall art
   • PDF for ebooks or worksheets

Resolution Matters

For print products, you’ll want files to be high-resolution (300 DPI) to avoid blurry printing. Canva Pro allows you to adjust size and quality when exporting. If you don’t have Pro, you can use third-party converters to improve resolution.

Listing Your Printables

Once your files are ready, list them in your shop. Because printables are digital, you’ll want attractive mockup images that show how the product looks when in use, helping customers visualize it.

You can create mockups in Canva or source mockup photos from design marketplaces and overlay your artwork onto them. Offering multiple sizes for wall art is common, so consider researching which sizes are most popular in your niche.

Method 4: Offering Design Services

The final way to make money using Canva is by offering design services. This option is more active than the previous methods because it requires custom work and client interaction, but it also has a higher earning potential.

Businesses often need help with:

• Branding design
• Website graphics
• Presentation design
• Social media content

You’ll work directly with clients, clarify their needs, create designs, and deliver the final files. Canva can handle most of this type of work, though you can use other tools if needed.

Finding Clients

You can find clients by:

• Listing your services on Upwork or Fiverr
• Reaching out to potential clients on social media
• Sending email pitches to business owners

Offering a discounted rate to first-time clients can help you build a portfolio and long-term business relationships.

This method isn’t passive, but it allows for premium pricing and consistent income, especially if you work with recurring clients.

Final Thoughts

There are so many ways to turn Canva into a source of income. Whether you choose print on demand, templates, printables, or design services, Canva offers a flexible and beginner-friendly path to building a profitable online business.

The great part is you can start small, experiment with different products, and eventually choose the method that fits your goals and lifestyle best.

Happy creating—and happy selling!