Editable templates are among the most popular digital products on Etsy. While Canva is the default choice for many sellers, it lacks certain features such as a demo editor and design protection.
My choice of design platform is Corjl for my 8,000 sale digital template Etsy shop, and in this guide, let me walk you through step-by-step of how to use Corjl to sell editable templates on Etsy. Not only will I include screenshots to make sure you can follow along, I’ll also share some insider tips that I’ve learned over the years.
Let’s get started.
What Is Corjl & Why Etsy Sellers Use It
Corjl is an online platform designed for sellers of digital products. It allows customers to edit templates after purchase, directly in a web browser, without the need for design software. Letting customers edit the designs to their liking provides more value and often helps with conversion rates. Etsy sellers use it to make templates like invitations, labels, social media content, etc.
Here’s why Corjl is great for Etsy sellers:
- It automates template delivery and access after a purchase
- Customers can personalise and download the designs themselves, saving you time
- You can offer a demo editor to let customers try the template before buying, which improves conversion rate
Why Choose Corjl Over Canva
Corjl does a lot of the heavy lifting for Etsy sellers:
- Automated Access - When customers buy your template, Corjl automatically sends them an email to access and edit their design without your input.
- Demo Editor - Customers can test out the template before purchasing. You can even watermark the demo to protect your designs.
- Low Free Access Risk - With Canva, anyone with the template link can access it, even without buying. Corjl ensures only paying customers get access.
But Corjl isn’t without some drawbacks. Its mobile editor is not great compared to Canva’s mobile editor. Also the selection of graphics on Corjl is not as high quality, which means you are likely to have to bring your own graphics or stick with text-based designs.
Alternatives To Corjl - Templett Or JetTemplate
Templett offers almost the same set of features to Corjl but overall is a little bit more expensive. It’s still a great choice for selling editable templates.
JetTemplate is ideal for new sellers because it has no monthly fees. You only pay a percentage of your sale after you’ve made a sale, making it a low investment option to get started.
To be honest, all 3 are great options for selling templates on Etsy. If you want a deeper comparison, check out this article where I compare all four options.
A Quick Overview Of How Corjl Works
- Create designs using Corjl's editor
- Link designs to Corjl listings
- Connect Corjl listings to Etsy listings by linking putting in the listing ID
- Corjl then automates the delivery to customers when they make a purchase to give them access to edit
Once set up, Corjl does most of the work, letting you focus on other important aspects of selling on Etsy like creating more designs, marketing, and providing great customer service.
Step 1: Connecting Your Etsy Shop to Corjl
- Log in to or sign up on Corjl
- Go to Settings > Sales Channels
- Click “Connect Your Etsy Shop” and follow the prompts to link your Etsy shop
Step 2: Creating Your Designs in Corjl
The Corjl editor is pretty user-friendly. If you are familiar with other graphic editors like Canva or Photoshop, then you should have no problems adjusting to Corjl. Here’s what it looks like:
In the editor, you can see the design in the middle, with the controls of colours, fonts, styling on the right-hand side panel.
And on the left, you can find the settings that control the whole design, like the export format (like JPG and PDF), background colour, etc. You can also control the fonts that are usable in the particular design. Under Fonts > Fonts Library, you can pick additional fonts to use for your designs. This is also where you can subscribe to Creative Fabrica through Corjl for $9.99 a month to access additional fonts.
On the left-hand side panel is also where you can upload your own fonts or graphics if you have them. Just make sure you have the proper license for them. You can source good quality ones through websites like Creative Market.
Alternatively, you can change the default setting for all your designs under Settings > Listing and Design Settings. For example, for my printable template Etsy shop, I’ve enabled download options for PDF (which lets customers print multiple design on one PDF page), JPG, and PNG (allow for transparent backgrounds) formats. and I’ve also allowed customers to make unlimited edits and never have the order expire. Here are what the settings look like for my Etsy shop:
When it comes to creating designs, start by brainstorming the type of templates your target audience needs, including the design style, set of features, etc. For inspiration, browse popular Etsy shops in your niche, explore Pinterest boards, or visit design inspiration sites like Dribbble or Behance.
Once you have a clear idea, use Corjl's editor to build your template step by step. Focus on clean, user-friendly layouts and make sure your designs are versatile enough to appeal to a wide audience. I'll talk about design best practices more in future articles.
Step 3: Linking Designs to Corjl Listings
After creating your designs, it’s time to link the designs to Corjl listings. Keep in mind that this section takes about linking to Corjl listings, but not Etsy listings which we will cover in the next step.
- Go to the “Listings” tab. This is also where you can manage all your listings under your Corjl account
- Create and name your new Corjl Listing
- Click “Add Designs to Listing” and double click on the design you want to include
- For bundles or listings that include multiple different dimensions, you can add multiple templates to the same listing
Adding a ‘customer instruction’ file to every order can be very helpful in your customers’ editing process. I include an instruction in every order, which teaches customers how to change the background colour, how to add images, etc. Customers can also find common icons and shapes where they can copy and paste in their templates to further customise. Here are the customer instruction file of my shop:
Step 4: Connecting Listings to Etsy
Continuing from the last step, now it's time to link your Corjl listing to your Etsy listing (assuming you have already connected your Etsy shop and have the Etsy listing ready):
- Go to your Etsy product listing and copy the Listing ID (the number that appears after https://www.etsy.com/listing/)
- Paste the Etsy Listing ID into the corresponding Corjl listing
- Copy the Demo Link from your Corjl listing and paste in in your Etsy product description
- Click “Save” and now your Etsy listing and Corjl listing are linked properly!
Step 5: How Customers Can Access & Edit Templates
After a customer place an order, Corjl automatically sends an email to the customer with a link to access and edit their templates. If they don't have a Corjl account, they will be prompted to sign up for a free one easily. This is what the email from Corjl looks like for the customer:
If a customer pays with Apple Pay, Corjl wouldn’t be able to send the access email. In that case, Corjl will notify you so you can manually ask your customer for their email address. And you can resend the email by going to the ‘Orders’ tab in Corjl and find your customer’s order.
Once they signed in, customers can edit text, fonts, colours, and add their own images directly in the Corjl editor. Your customer instruction file can help them greatly during this editing process.
Once they are happy with the design, customers can save their editing progress, or download the file for printing or digital use.
All of this is done automatically without any work from the seller, which is one of the big advantages of using Corjl.
Troubleshooting & Customer Support
Even with a detailed 'Customer Instruction' file, some customers may still have questions about their purchase. Here are some common questions and answers from my shop. Feel free to save them as 'quick replies' for your Etsy shop:
I can't find the email
There should be an email from CORJL that is sent to the email address you placed the order with. Inside you will find the link to create a free account and access your label template.
If you'd like me to send the email to another email address, please let me know and I'll be happy to help :)
How can I add my logo
On the right of the editor, you should be able to see "Add New Image" where you can upload your logo. However, this feature is only available on the desktop version.
How can I change the background colour
On the right of the editor, you should be able to see "Edit Background". Inside you will be able to change the background color. However, this feature is only available on the desktop version.
How can I make more pages
You are able to duplicate pages to make changes without affecting the original design. To do that, click the 'double rectangle' button on top of the Corjl editor. That is the duplicate page button. Then you can navigate different pages using the arrows on the right.
Can you print the template and ship it to me
My shop only sells the design of the (your product category) templates, but not the physical printed (product category). I would recommend downloading the design from my shop and using a service like Avery or Online Labels to print out the design. They are reliable and ship internationally for a reasonable price. Thank you!
Can you resize the template for me
I can help you adjust the size of the template. As template adjustment is a manual process, there will be a small fee. Each resize is (price of your resizing service). If you need it, please purchase this 'template resize' for each resize you need as well as the original template that needs the resizing:
(the link to your 'template resize' listing)
You will have access to both the original and the resized templates.
Corjl also makes this easy by allowing you to log in as the customer and directly access their design. You can make adjustments on their behalf, which can be incredibly helpful when troubleshooting more complex issues. This feature also opens up an opportunity to upsell additional services, like edit-for-you service, to open up another additional revenue opportunities.
