Over the last few years I've experimented with using Canva not only to design items, but also to print them. If you're not familiar with them, Canva is a company that offers free design tools for making lots of different items such as classroom handouts, website graphics, mugs, t-shirts, calendars, business cards, and more. (If you want to learn more about the 19-year-old that started Canva, I recommend the podcast How I Built This. It's pretty amazing!) I'm sharing my personal experience in case you're interested in getting a few items printed yourself. (This isn't an ad, by the way, I get absolutely nothing whether you use them or not!)
Canva offers 40+ printed items and of those, I've ordered t-shirts, business cards, postcards, and envelopes for a mix of personal and business projects. My overall experience has been a positive one, but it may or may not work for you, depending upon your particular needs. Here's what I see as their strengths:
- Small Quantities
If you've ever looked online to get a sticker or greeting card with your custom design, you've probably realized how difficult it is to order very small quantities! I have a sticker printer that I love to order from, but their minimum quantity is 125! Similarly, greeting cards are often sold in quantities of 25+. With Canva, you can buy just twelve stickers or a single greeting card. This is awesome if you want to make stickers for your book club or design a custom card for a friend! - Convenience
If you already use Canva to design your item, it's super convenient to just take the extra step and order from the same screen. The system will also check to see if your design needs to be resized or if there are any changes needed to make a good print. I've been printing from quite a few different places as I experiment with making greeting cards and stickers and have found it a relief to use a familiar interface. - Speed of Delivery
Earlier this summer I unexpectedly ran out of the business cards I include in every online order. Yikes! My regular printer usually takes about two weeks to deliver, so I decided to order small quantity (50-100) from Canva. At 20 cents per card, these were more than I usually pay when I order 1,000 at a time, but on the flip side, I got them in a few hours. Yes, hours! I had no idea that for some items Canva was connected to local FedEx shops, so my order was sent there to print rather than sent through the mail. This is definitely something to check if you do craft shows or have other events where you might need something unexpectedly fast. - Good Quality
I've been pleased with the quality of the items I've ordered so far. My favorite so far has been these envelopes with my lavender painting on them. The paper is absolutely beautiful and the colors are true. It almost looks like an art print! (If you know your paper types, it's 120 gsm; standard paper is 80. The higher the number, the better the quality.) I paid $2 for 5 colorful printed envelopes (on sale), U.S. shipping included. - Cute Packaging
Okay, I buy plenty of things without cute packaging, so it's obviously not a deal-breaker for me. However, it just makes me smile when I get a Canva package in the mail that has a cute saying or some pretty tissue paper. Here's an example of a paper bag and box:
So why wouldn't Canva printing be a good fit for you? I can think of a few situations:
- Cost
If you want to make items like mugs or mousepads to resell, you'll have to buy in large quantities to get a discount. It's possible that other printers will be able to beat Canva on price depending upon the item, especially if they run a sale. Canva does include free shipping (as far as I can tell) so you'll want to figure that into your calculations when looking at different printers. - Variety
Canva seems to offer a variety of popular items, but don't carry everything. So while you can order a t-shirt, maybe you won't be able to choose the exact color or style that you'd prefer. And if you want something unusual like custom-printed shoes, you'll definitely have to go elsewhere. - Delivery Address
As far as I can tell, you can only order items sent to the address on the credit card. Other printers may ship directly to your customer, sometimes even with your branding for an extra fee. If you run your business mainly online (rather than via local shops or craft shows), you'll have to calculate the costs for re-shipping the items to customers and make sure you're still turning a profit. It also means that if you design a cute tote bag for your sister's birthday, you're going to need to be on the ball and order it well ahead of time, since you'll have to ship it out to her after it arrives at your place.
When I'm evaluating new-to-me services, I often read reviews where people are disappointed that a product doesn't meet absolutely every possible need for every scenario. I get that -- who wouldn't want something like that? But the longer I'm in business, the more I really appreciate that there are businesses that don't try to be everything for everyone. They do a smaller number of tasks, but they do them very well. For me, Canva might not meet my every printing need, but I'm happy to have an easy way to make a single prototype of a new design, buy limited quantities for special projects or occasions, and to have quick turnaround for those times when I need it.