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Audience section · 11 posts

For designers

Print-ready files, niche research, copyright safety and earning from your designs.

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First reads for Designers

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DesignersProducts and printing · 8 min readPrint-ready design files: resolution, DPI, transparent PNG, color

A design that looks sharp on screen can come out blurry or muddy on a shirt. We cover the rules of a print-ready file, from pixel and DPI math and transparent PNGs to semi-transparent shadows and color on dark fabric.

Today's trends
Retro scuba t-shirt
Mountain and moon tank
Sign language heart t-shirt
DesignersSEO and listings · 9 min readHow to do niche research for POD

"Cats" isn't a niche, it's a category. A niche that sells sits at the intersection of a specific audience, a specific subject and a specific moment. We walk through niche research step by step using Etsy's own tools and public sources.

Copyright check
Mountain and moon t-shirtNo issues
Retro scuba t-shirtNo issues
Ghost doctor t-shirtNo issues
?Design resembling a famous movie emblemRisky
DesignersCopyright and policy · 9 min readCopyrighted characters, brands and quotes: rules for designers

Common assumptions like "it's fine if I change it a little", "fan art is allowed" and "parody is protected" are the most expensive mistakes a POD designer can make. We cover the decisions you need to make at the design table on characters, brands, quotes, fonts and AI.

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▶0:10
✓10-second video from your product image
5 credits per video
DesignersMarketing · 8 min readPrint on demand on TikTok Shop: selling with product videos

On TikTok Shop, buyers find products by seeing them in videos, not by searching. We cover what POD t-shirt sellers need to know about video, design and delivery. Custombull's TikTok Shop integration is coming soon.

DesignersProducts and printing · 8 min readDTF vs DTG: the right print method for POD orders

POD orders arrive one at a time, in many colors, with different products every day. We look at where DTF and DTG are strong for this order profile, where each struggles, and how to run both methods side by side in the same shop.

Etsy
1
Funny Cat Tee, Cat Lover GiftCompetitor shop A
2
Cat Shirt for Women, Cute KittenCompetitor shop B
3
Cat Mom Shirt, Pet Lover TeeCompetitor shop C
4
Kitten Graphic Tee, Cat GiftCompetitor shop D
5
Cat Dad Shirt, Funny Cat TeeCompetitor shop E
· · ·
9
Cat shirt funny cat shirt giftYour shop
SEO D
Optimize with Custombull

Illustration only. Etsy ranking depends on many factors; rankings are not guaranteed.

DesignersSEO and listings · 9 min readAmazon listing rules: titles, bullet points and backend keywords

Amazon listing SEO is nothing like Etsy's: there are no tags, the same word can't appear more than twice in a title, and backend keywords are capped at 250 bytes. We cover the rules and a t-shirt example.

Order #20417 · correct file
✓SKU and variant matched: Navy · L · front print
✓Print file sent to the producer
DesignersProducts and printing · 8 min readFiles and production flow for embroidery orders

With embroidery, you can't send a PNG to the machine the way you can with printing. We walk through the flow of a single-unit embroidery order, from converting the design into a stitch file and choosing stabilizer to personalized name embroidery and packing.

Cat dad t-shirtEtsy listing · SEO score
A
✓Title length is right
✓All 13 tags filled
✓Tags are 2 to 3 words
✓No repeated words
UndoApprove
DesignersSEO and listings · 8 min readEtsy SEO: the rules for writing your 13 tags

Etsy gives every listing 13 tags, each up to 20 characters. Here is how to fill them without wasting space, without repeating yourself and in the buyer's own words, with examples.

AI mockups · 5 images
✓Ready-to-sell listing images from your design
DesignersMarketing · 7 min readWhat is a mockup, and what makes a good product photo?

In POD, the product isn't printed until an order comes in, so its photo is usually a mockup. We explain what a mockup is, when Etsy allows it and how to build a photo set that gets clicks in search results.

Listing removedIntellectual property report
!A design resembling a well-known brand was reported
!Repeated reports can get your shop suspended
Custombull catches it before you publishThe design and title are checked against copyright and platform policies.
DesignersCopyright and policy · 8 min readCopyright risk on Etsy: which designs can get your shop closed?

A character, a team logo or a brand name can wipe out the work behind dozens of listings with a single report. We explain Etsy's intellectual property rules and the riskiest types of designs.

DesignersProducts and printing · 8 min readGildan 64000 or Bella+Canvas 3001? Choosing a t-shirt for POD

Two t-shirt models widely used in POD mean two different strategies. We compare the Gildan 64000 and the Bella+Canvas 3001 on fabric, fit, price and profit.

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