Inside: How to Make TeachersPayTeachers Products in Canva (while following terms of use!)
There are loads of tools out there for creating products for Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT). Most teachers tend to lean towards PowerPoint because they are familiar with it, and may have already created things there.
However, lately there has been a shift towards a newer tool to the TpT world– Canva.
I was a blogger before I was a Teacher-Seller, so Canva is a familiar old friend I know like the back of my hand. PowerPoint is a better tool for creating the actual products, but if you don't have access to PowerPoint, then it won't help you.
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Canva has a free version anyone can access and use to create printables they can sell on TpT. There are a few key guidelines you'll need to follow, and you should ALWAYS check the terms of use before choosing a new platform to use commercially.
I recommend using your own clip art that you purchased or found for free on TpT.
Teachers will keep coming back to Canva because it's so easy to use, and easily accessible. Even if you aren't a designer, you can easily create eye catching graphics, and LOOK like a professional. I think everyone should have a Canva account!
What is a Canva?
Canva is a graphic design platform that allows users to create a range of visual materials and products such as pin images, cover photos, product previews, social media graphics, and more. You can access their vast library of design elements, templates, images, fonts and graphics as a user. You can also combine and a lot of times customize these elements to create unique designs. Using Canva, teacher-sellers can create engaging and appealing TpT products to share with their audience.
Interested in learning more about creating educational printables? Join my Facebook group, where I go live several times a week to take questions and talk about creating worksheets on PowerPoint and selling printables on TeachersPayTeachers and MORE. Click here to check it out.
Canva also has a very user friendly interface.
You can spend a few hours learning the ins and outs of Canva, and easily have it mastered in an afternoon, but it's also the kind of tool you can find new ways to use every time you use it.
They are always releasing new tools and apps to make the whole experience not only easier, but also creates a more robust designer.
Can I use Canva for TeachersPayTeachers?
Absolutely! And I one hundred percent recommend you DO use Canva in you TpT business.
Looking for a step by step tutorial? Check out my Canva Tutorial for Creating Crowns to Sell on Teachers Pay Teachers on YouTube.
There are LOADS more ways to use Canva than just creating products.
I also have a growing library of Canva templates available inside my membership, go grab them!
Pin for later:
Why I Don't Like Canva For Creating TeachersPayTeachers Products
There are a few things right now I don't like about Canva, and that keeps me using PowerPoint for PDFs.
- It's difficult to link – This is my biggest issue. I can't flatten a product easily (like I can in PowerPoint!) and keep links on my products. This is ESSENTIAL to my business.
- You can't have two different fonts, or font sizes, in one textbox.
- Page limits. I know it's super high right now, but it used to be 30. Then it was 100 for awhile, now it's 200. Yes, you can still create the PDFs in two different files and then combine them outside of Canva, but why have a tool that needs another tool?
- Files are on Canva, not your computer. This means you can only access your files when you're on their program. Not ideal if you have spotty internet, but amazing if you have limited hard drive room.
- Confusing Terms of Use. I have received several conflicting reports of what is okay vs against terms of use with Canva.
Now that's out of the way, we can talk about the real benefits, and why I love Canva.
Since I have a list of why I don't use Canva, I wanted to create a list of why it's super beneficial too, so here:
Why Canva is a Great Tool:
- Create your own templates. This is a game changer. Create templates for your brand, then add them to your brand templates, and reuse them. Forever.
- Basic shapes are easy to use. It's simple and easy to add a border around your resources using their shape tool.
- Easy to adjust sizes. You can use their magic resizing button to create different sizes for your designs. This is great for creating pins from shop images, or creating previews from shop images. The possibilities are endless.
- Massive library of images. You're sure to find whatever you need in their huge library of stock images. Make sure you're following their terms of use though, only free images.
How Do You Make a TpT Banner in Canva?
There are tons more ways to use Canva besides just creating products.
Now when it comes to using Canva, I recommend using it to create shop images, marketing, and things like banners.
I have a TON of Canva templates you can use for your leaderboard images, banners, logos, and more inside my membership!
With Canva, there is no end to the amount of branding you can add to your store and social medias to market your TpT store. This is the real bread and butter of Canva. Being able to personalize all of your images is fun and rewarding.
I love adding new images each new season to my TpT store.
You can see above the main images you can create. Use them to draw attention to different parts of your store, or welcome viewers.
TeachersPayTeachers makes it a little confusing to update all of these images, so I'll show you where you can find all of the places to upload them.
First is your profile picture / logo. This is the pink circle at the top of the image I shared.
You can find this, as well as the quote box under “My Account”. Head to “store profile” and you'll see right where to put them. Here is a link that will take you there so you don't have to navigate. Store Profile on TpT Link
Your quote banner does not have to be an image, you are welcome to use text instead. I've seen a lot of stores have an arrow pointing to the green star above it, prompting viewers to follow their store.
It's a little confusing to find though, you'll have to go to your dashboard, then head over to marketing, and finally it's under “customize”. Customize my TpT Store by Adding Banners Link
Then of course, you have your product cover thumbnails. This is often the first and last impression people will have of your store. You will create thumbnails for each product you create, and they will show up here.
How do I make TpT Products in Canva?
My favorite way to use Canva is by using templates. Not THEIR templates, because you can't use their templates to create your own commercial use products, but my own templates I created for my products.
Here is a quick walkthrough of what you can do with Canva when it comes to selling products on TpT:
You can look over their terms for using Canva for commercial purposes here.
So now that we are crystal clear: Using free elements–or your own elements–you can create awesome products on TpT using Canva.
I highly recommend joining my TpT Facebook group, I walk you through creating a product on TpT every week on Thursday. This is a very complex question, and I review it every week in the group. I can go into much more detail with a video than I can with words, so hop on over!
Can I sell Things I made on Canva on Teachers Pay Teachers?
Yes, as long as you obey their terms of use, you can use products you created on Canva on your TpT store. Avoid pro elements by using your own clip art, and don't use their templates to create your product.
Looking for more advice about selling on TeachersPayTeachers or creating resources?
Join the Facebook Group for Creating and Selling Educational Printables!
Ready to learn more about creating printables on PowerPoint and selling them on TpT (and other sites!)?
Join my Facebook group!
I go live Thursdays at 9am EST and answer your questions, and show you how to create amazing printables you can sell TODAY!
See you there!
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Click here to join my membership and get started today.
