Best File Type For Etsy Digital Downloads

In today’s post, we’re going to explore the best file type for Etsy Digital Downloads, a topic that’s crucial to understand from the very beginning, and one that often stumps new shop owners when creating their first listing on Etsy.

The bad news is, there is no straight answer to this question, as it will largely depend on the type of digital product you are selling. The good news is that there is an easy way of working out which file types you should offer.

What File types does Etsy accept for their digital downloads?

Etsy supports a wide range of file types for their digital downloads. This can at times seem overwhelming, but gives all digital shop owners the chance to sell their products. 

Here’s a list of the supported digital downloads on Etsy: .bmp, .doc, .ePUB, .gif, .iBook, .jpeg, .jpg, .mobi, .mov, .mp3, .mpeg, .pdf, .png, .psp, .rtf, .stl, .txt, .zip

If you wish to sell a file type that is not supported on this list – don’t panic. There are ways around this. You can use the dropbox or google drive methods outlined in this article, or zip your files, and you will be able to include almost any file type you wish.

Best File Type For Etsy Digital Downloads Which Are Designed To Be Printed (As-Is).

The majority of digital downloads sold on Etsy are designed to be printed. Some examples include:

• Printable Planners
• Printable Wall Art
• Printable Greeting Cards and Party Invitations
• Printable Games
• Printable Tags

In some cases, you may also wish to print and ship your products yourself. If this is the case, you may check out my best printer for Etsy business list.

If you are selling any products, which are ready to be printed as-is, you should be using a PDF file type. A lot of Etsy sellers get this wrong – especially those who sell wall art. As someone who went through 4 years of university in graphic design school, while working at a print shop – there should be no other answer.

PDF files are the universally accepted file type for printing. They are designed to work on all system types, operating systems and hardware types. The PDF is now an open standard, maintained by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). In simple terms, this means:

• A PDF file will appear the same on any computer
• All printers will read and print PDF files the exact same way
• PDF’s are an internationally recognised file type and standardized GLOBALLY

PDF’s will also export at 300DPI – which means that they will be of the highest print quality. And importantly – they will print at the exact size you designed them to be (unless the user changes settings while printing) – meaning your designs will match exactly how they are shown.

If you need more proof, look up ANY professional printing company and enquire about how they wish to receive the files. They will almost always ask for files in PDF format.

Other printable formats for Etsy

There is one thing to note about printable formats on Etsy. A lot of sellers also offer file types such as JPEG and PNG (especially for wall art). After spending years on Etsy, for some reason this seems to be the norm. I’m sure you have come across it.

Why? Most likely due to competition doing research. If you are a new seller, who doesn’t know much about file types, and you take a look at other shops, it would look like the right thing to do. Over the years, it seems more prevalent than not.

Is it necessary? No. Will it hurt your shop? Also no. Is it worth it? It depends on how long you are willing to spend on Each listing. Again, this is only for files designed to be printed as-is. Next we will speak about multi-use file types where you may wish to print OR use as part of another design.

Best Etsy file types for multi-purpose print use

There is a time when you should be using or offering other file types, such as PNG, JPEG, SVG, or EPS. That is when the customer wishes to edit or use the files in some way – rather than printing as is.

Image files such as those listed above, can be inserted and used in documents as part of a design, on websites, to be printed as stickers and on clothing and much more. Again, each file type has a different function and should be used depending on your needs.

PNG

PNGs are an image file type which:

• Allow transparent backgrounds (useful for print-on-demand and as part of design resource packs).
• Use lossless compression, meaning they are great for high-contrast images.
• Are not optimised for direct printing, as they use the RGB color model

JPG / JPEG

JPG / JPEGs are an image file type which:

• A compressed format well-suited for web use
• Is great for displaying minute details on images
• Uses the full color spectrum, meaning photographs will show complete detail
• Does not allow transparent backgrounds

SVG

SVG’s are an vectorised, editable file type which:

• Are vector graphics, which means they can be scaled infinitely down or up without getting pixelated
• Require a special vector art program such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape to be created
• Can be used on websites, but also added to designs to be printed
• Are the primary file types used for Die Cut Machines
• Require specialised knowledge to set up correctly

EPS

EPS’s are an vectorised, editable file type which:

• Is another type of vector file, with little differences to SVG’s
• Are more suited for printing than SVG’s
• Can be used within PDF files, to create a Scalable vectorised PDF

Other file types to use on Etsy

The filetypes previously mentioned should cover 99% of the sales. However, as noted: There are still dozens of other filetypes available for use on Etsy. When to use these should be obvious to the store owner, as the filetypes listed are quite specialised for their own individual uses.

For Example:

• If you are selling video files: Both .mov and .mpeg are suitable
• If you are selling ebooks: .ePUB, .iBook or .mobi are relevant
• If you are selling resume templates: .doc will be the most suitable

Most specialised show owners outside of the printing /arts departments will already have knowledge about the best file types for their business.

What happens if my file type is not supported by Etsy?

If the digital download file type you are trying to sell is not listed as compatible on Etsy, you can still upload and sell them. The easiest way to do so is to use the .zip format, which compresses your files into a sharable format. If you are unsure how to do so, or if your files end up being too large for Etsy, there is a simple workaround detailed here or if you have more than 5 files you can follow this guide for uploading more files to Etsy.

And there you have it, the information required to determine the best file type for Etsy digital downloads.