Digital Downloads & Why They’re Awesome

What’s the deal with all the digital downloads? Why not just ship the physical product instead? Let’s cover the reasons why digital downloads can be a great option!

Why Physical Items Are Great – But Aren’t Always Better

Sometimes it’s better to have the physical product of a paper good mailed to you. I can print the images at their highest quality on the perfect material, die cut them to their unique shape, and even laminate them for you. Great! But unfortunately it also has some downsides.

First of all, let’s talk finances. While I absolutely love every bit of support given to my business, sometimes it’s just not in a customer’s budget to pay for a complete physical product to be mailed to them. Material costs, time compensation, and shipping fees add up.

Second, the quality can differ. Hopefully not on my end, since I always do my best to create the highest quality pieces. But when you ship physical paper goods, things can get iffy. Packages can get bent, wet, damaged, or even stolen. I always do my best to protect your order as much as possible! But these potential risks are just part of the deal.

Digital Download Benefits

There are so many pros when it comes to digital downloads! Let’s talk about them.

1. You keep the file forever.

Once you’ve purchased a digital product from the shop or downloaded one of the freebies, that file is yours! So long as you keep your Etsy account, save your receipt email, or back up your device, you will always have that file. That means you can print it as many times as you need!

2. You can customize it to your needs.

Sometimes you need to print something at a unique size that differs from the original file size. Thanks to the magic of technology, you can easily change your print settings to the size you need! You can also print on the type of paper you want, use grayscale or full color ink, and cut it out the way you want. You can hole punch pages the way you need and laminate or frame posters as you see fit. Don’t have the equipment to do all this? There are plenty of printing companies that will do it for a small service fee. So many possibilities!

3. It’s budget friendly.

Digital downloads require much less time and materials on my part. While I still work hard and spend a lot of time creating the content, it doesn’t require me to acquire materials or print, cut, assemble, laminate, etc. any items. You also don’t have to pay any shipping fees because it’s sent directly to your inbox! This means the final cost of a digital download is significantly less than a physical product. Not to mention they are sometimes free in the freebie library!

So there you have it! Of course, I always appreciate when someone gets a physical paper good from my shop. And sometimes that’s the best option! But there are plenty of digital options as well for those who prefer it. Here are some of the most popular digital downloads from the shop:

Which do you prefer? Physical paper goods that are ready and mailed to you, or digital downloads you can print and customize whenever you want?

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