When purchasing digital files on Etsy it is advisable to do so through while signed into an account on their site. Using guest checkout is possible, but it has disadvantages. And while you can make digital purchases through the Etsy shopping app, you won't be able to download your files from there.
Sign into Etsy to Purchase
For the smoothest transaction, particularly if you're wanting to download your new purchase quickly, start by logging into your Etsy account (or create a new account) using your web browser to access Etsy's site. You can do this from any device, you just need to be using the website rather than the shopping app.
Once you make your purchase and the order has been confirmed, access to your download links will appear right on the confirmation page. Etsy changes what this look like from time to time and it can be easy to miss so if you've closed that page already you can find your files in one of two ways:
1. locate the purchase receipt in your email, links will be found in here
2. navigate to the purchase history of your Etsy account on the website
Here's what the website navigation looks like:
Troubleshooting Email Links
Etsy sends a purchase receipt and download links all in one email. These will come from transaction@etsy.com. If it doesn't show up in your inbox you'll need to check your spam folder, or in gmail check the promotions or social tabs for your inbox.
The email subject line will say "Download Your Etsy Purchase from..." if the seller offers instant download. If the seller is emailing you the files you will get a normal purchase receipt from Etsy without download links and the subject line will say "Your Etsy purchase from...".
Links in the email will only take you to the download page if you are logged into your Etsy account, otherwise you will most likely get their 'uh oh' page. Simply login and try again.
If you checked out as a guest on Etsy, you can only access your download files from the email, so it's important when ordering to ensure you are using the right email address and that you've typed it correctly. (mistakes happen!) If you can't find a purchase receipt from Etsy anywhere in your email, spam or otherwise, the only solution is to contact the seller to ask for assistance.
In this case some sellers may be willing to email the files directly to you. This isn't the approach I take personally as a seller though and you might find other sellers in the same situation, where emailing just isn't always possible.
Personally I prefer to refund guest checkout orders where problems arise and have the buyer re-purchase through an account. This is better for the buyer because they will have future access to download those files again and again if they need to. And it's just nicer not to have to rely on someone if you want/need something quickly!
Either way I recommend always reaching out to an Etsy seller for assistance or advice, most sellers will respond quickly and offer exceptional service to you.
Happy shopping!
Shawnna
p.s. If you are just about to open an Etsy shop, open it through my link here and we both get 40 free listings!
As you can see, this folder contains an HTML file... or does it?
By simply making one tiny change to how the folder is viewed, suddenly that information becomes just a little clearer. Click the 'View' tab in your folder screen, as below, and then tick the 'File Extension' box. By adding the file extensions to the file names in the folder list you get a more accurate view of the actual file types you are looking at.
So, what is a .zip folder anyway? A ZIP file is basically a digital folder containing any number of documents or images that has been compressed into a format that is accepted for upload / download across the internet. (that’s the short version)
All of my own graphics are provided as digital downloads that will arrive to you in a ZIP file and so I’m often asked by first-timers or infrequent users on how to best go about opening such a file.
Hence this little tutorial!
If you’ve never come across a .zip file before and you’re not particularly techie minded it can be a little frustrating to deal with depending on which computer operating system you have and how downloads are automatically handled on your computer. And of course, mobile devices offer a whole separate challenge!
All of the solutions provided here use the default software already included within your operating system, no need for special programs or purchased software, with the exception of mobile devices.
DESKTOP or LAPTOP COMPUTERS
Windows 7 thru 11
- Right-click on the Zip file icon and choose “Extract All”
- When prompted, choose a location for the folder to be extracted into
- Keep the "Show extracted files when complete" box unchecked
- Now click on the "Extract" button to start the extraction
- Once complete, this new folder is now your “unzipped” copy of the Zip folder
- You may keep the original Zip folder or delete it since it is a duplicate
OR
- in your downloads explorer window, you'll find an Extract menu button on the top navigation bar
- click this and follow the prompts, in much the same way as above
Windows XP and Vista
- Double click on the zip folder
- In the window that opens, click on the “Extract all Files” link
- The “Extraction Wizard” will open, click “Next”
- Choose a destination for your unzipped folder
- Click “Finish” to complete the process
- This new folder is now your “unzipped” copy of the Zip file
- You may keep the original Zip file or delete it
Mac
- double click on the zip file
- job done
Special Note: Where you download a zip file to on your computer can affect the ability to extract correctly or fully access the unzipped version. Always make sure that you are downloading zip files to either a dedicated downloads folder, your main documents folder or directly to your desktop. You may then move the folders to other locations as needed. Some of my customers have had issues in particular with Microsoft Live Photo Gallery being the default location for ALL downloads. This won’t work for .zip files!
MOBILE DEVICES
For mobile devices you will need to install an appropriate app in order to download and open .zip files.
iOS
Winzip is a free app and comes highly recommended by experts
- Once the app is installed you will have an option to “Open in Winzip”
- This will reveal the contents of the zipped folder
- Click “Open In” to choose where you wish to extract the zip folder contents to
- You should now be able to access the files in their new location
- Note that you won’t be able to open a file type if you do not have a corresponding app to, but all image files will open in the camera roll or photos app
Android
ZArchiver is a free app and comes highly recommended by experts
- Open ZArchiver and use the file manager to find the zip folder
- Click on the file when you find it
- Use the View option to see the files in the zip folder
- If needed you can extract a single file or extract all
- once extracted the files will be in your main folder for full access
Ever run into problems printing out some awesome free printable you found on Pinterest? Or maybe you purchased some gorgeous party printables on Etsy but they turned out a mess on your home printer?
Well I'm here to tell you that you are not alone! Even seasoned pros will run into frustrations with print quality or printing mess-ups. The real trick is in knowing what to do when these things happen. How do you solve your printing problem without a flood of tears or chucking your printer out the window?
Take a deep breath... here's what you need to know...
TOP TIPS FOR SOLVING PRINTER DILEMMAS
1. Choose the right printer for the job.
Here's the truth, not all printers can handle any job. So if your printer isn't up to it, nothing else you do will get your print job to look perfect. Understanding and accepting this will save you a big headache.
Rule of thumb, inkjet printers are great for text documents and photos while laser jet printers work better for graphics and large color blocks. Because inkjet printers are generally cheaper, this is what most people tend to have at home, and they work just fine for most home applications. But you might struggle when printing certain types of graphics.
Solution: Who do you know who has a laser printer? Is there a printing service near you that you could use instead? If you need to print semi regularly it could be worth researching alternative options before investing in a brand new printer. Either a local option or an online option, whichever works best for you.
2. Know your printer.
This is something that the average printer owner never really does. Explore the printer dialogue box and get to know every possible setting option that you have available to you.
Does that sound daunting? This doesn't need to take long but it will save you sooooo much agro later if you understand that there ARE different setting options for your printer. Just get to know what your printer is capable of with a quick review, make a few cheat sheet notes if you need to, and when you go to print something double check that your print settings are correct for the job.
I'll be honest, off the top of my head I don't know all of my own printer setting options. But I do know that it has a variety of options available and I'll check through these when I go to print anything other than a plain document just to be sure I'm making the most of what my printer can do.
These are things like paper size and weight. Paper tray selection (specialty paper often feeds better from the manual tray). And ink or layout settings, particularly the actual print size options.
3. Printing the correct size.
One of the most common print issues that I come across all the time are printables not coming out at the right size. This is actually quite simple to correct once you know what to look for.
Most printers will try to optimize your printed page for you through automatic settings. If your print job is too close to the paper edge it will automatically scale the print smaller. If it's really small on the page it might make it bigger.
But when you need your printable to print at an exact size as it's intended to be these default 'helpful' settings are really not that helpful at all!
Each printer will have this in the print dialogue box a little differently but you'll want to look for a setting that says "print actual size" or "print at 100%". You want to select this option and make sure that any box that says "scale to fit" is UNchecked. That's it.
4. Printing colors.
This is such a common complaint. And not restricted to the home printer or novice crafter!
The cold hard truth is colors look different from one device to another and when applied on different surfaces. Computers are backlit and with retina or 4K display colors will appear more vibrant than they will do on paper.
And even amongst print surfaces colors will look different on one surface type from another. Matte paper for example absorbs more ink that glossy paper, so the colors are going to brighter or more saturated on the glossier surface.
Each printer will also print a little differently. A little too much yellow and your blue is heading towards green, a little too much magenta and that same blue is sitting on the purple side of the fence. These tiny little differences in how each printer mixes the inks can create unexpected variances.
So what's the solution? Test printing.
If you have very specific requirements for color the best option is to test print everything first. Know that you'll need to experiment, make adjustments or try a different printer and you won't be nearly as frustrated. It's just a matter of accepting that color isn't consistent across all mediums.
When MAC users create files on their computer, invisible metadata files are created by the operating system. (mac users can't see these and their functionality is required on the mac)
There are two types of files created, a folder metadata file called .DS_store and individual metadata files for every file created carrying the same file name but starting with ._ (so a folder containg 6 files will have 7 metadata files).
When such files and folders are created and shared with PC users, these files unfortunately are no longer invisible. The PC operating system is not programmed to hide them the way the MAC does.
And MAC users can't avoid the creation or inclusion of these irksome little meta files.
Conveniently though, all those metadata files are grouped into their own separate folder called _MACOSX. With the exception of the .DS_store file which will show up in both the metadata folder and the real folder that has the download content.
I've provided some screenshots to show you what to look for, and what to avoid:
As you can see, if you've no idea what you are looking at, it could be very confusing!
As an added note... if you use any sort of automated file opening sequence on a folder like this, your program is likely to select the metadata folder simply because it comes first in the list within the zip.
If that happens you'll have to manually go back to the folder to select the right files to open, because the meta files are not actual files you can use, they only contain a thumbnail image of the real file.
Alternatively, if you only ever use a PC, you can simply delete all of the meta files to get them permanently out of your way. It does no harm to delete them and only causes small inconveniences if later opened on a MAC.
When I first started learning computer based illustration and graphic design, you had to pay thousands of dollars for the software. And I only remember knowing of two possible choices... Corel and Adobe.
These days, anyone can be a graphic designer, with the tools and resources to do so more accessible now than ever before. And every year it seems like a raft of new choices crop up. It's quite amazing.
In fact, there are so many design software choices it can be super overwhelming to figure out which one to start with, or which one has the tools you need.
Since a lot of my customers are looking for affordable and simple options, I've made a list of my favorite choices that I would use if I didn't have Photoshop or Illustrator and had a simple project to work on.
These are listed in random order, I haven't tested each so thoroughly that I can rank which one is 'best' - and besides,'best' is a bit subjective depending on your project and skill set.
Also note that these are selected based on desktop computing, although some of these will work well on a tablet. (these are full programs and not apps)
PHOTOPEA
I recommend this one because it's actually compatible with Photoshop files (among others) and looks and feels a lot like Photoshop when you are using it. It doesn't have ALL the features that Photoshop has (obviously) but it's great for creating basic design layouts with lots of drawing tool options.
It's also a web based software, so it's accessible on any device, anywhere.
PIXLR
This is another online editor, also a lot like Photoshop in how it looks and feels. Recently revamped there are now two options; Pixlr X and Pixlr E.
Pixlr X is super basic and only has very limited editing options. Great for projects where you are just adding a text overlay, cropping or making photo adjustments. Pixlr E is the advanced option that mimics Photoshop and has a robust selection of design and drawing tools.
While it will open photoshop files, it doesn't seem to be able to handle larger sized files very well and doesn't keep layers organized in folders, so complex files end up very messy.
GIMP
I hesitate to call this a favorite (it's not), but it's been a few years since I last tried it and I'm adding it to the list because it is a popular free software with advanced editing capabilities. It is very similar to how Photoshop works and has all the tools you could need for either drawing or graphic design. This is a downloadable software.
Beginners will likely find it rather overwhelming as it does have a steep learning curve and isn't particularly intuitive. Luckily there are loads of helpful tutorials available as Gimp has been around for quite some time now.
While it will open Photoshop files it doesn't support all features so some files may not function properly.
SUMOPAINT
Another simple and easy to use software. It has a nice selection of tools for beginners and a friendly navigation.
This is not one that I have personally tested, but it comes highly rated for what it is and is the most likely candidate for me to recommend as a beginners graphic design tool with an easy learning curve.
It is only compatible with image files such as jpg and png and has a more limited selection of tools than some of the more advanced software options but otherwise a perfect option for the occasional project.
INKSCAPE
This downloadable software is a vector graphics editor and a comparable substitute for Illustrator. It opens both Illustrator and Corel Draw vector files with full functionality intact.
It has a very steep learning curve but plenty of tutorials can be found online to get you started.
It's a great option for anyone looking to learn vector drawing or wants to edit an Illustrator file.
While you can use it for graphic design projects I don't really recommend it for beginners unless you're prepared to spend some time upfront learning.
CANVA
This
design program is a closed system editor. What that means is, you can't
create and save files the same way as regular software programs. Files
'in progress' can only be saved inside Canva and you can only download
finished projects in flattened form such as PDF, PNG or JPG.
Designers offering Canva templates therefore will always label their products specifically as Canva templates. If a designer (like me) does not mention Canva in the product details... a Canva specific template is not included.
However, Canva is still a very useful design tool and my PNG format files can be used here with a little creativity. Canva is very user friendly and reasonably quick to learn.
VECTORNATOR
I haven't used this one, but it
looks comprehensive as a vector based program. It's free to download and also available as a mobile app. It
looks to be built for pro designers so there should be good support and
tutorials. An excellent option if you plan to do a lot of designing on
the go.
For Mac users only there is Pages. This is Apple's version of Word + Powerpoint combined making it a versatile editor capable of reasonably sophisticated graphic design, depending what you are looking to do. Usually included with all Mac devices it is available for free in the app store.
Now and again you might find yourself needing to grab a screenshot from your computer, whether it's because of a tech issue you need help with or something you just need to share.
Luckily both PC and Mac come with built in tools to assist and make this a super easy and quick task.
Let's start with the PC. There are actually quite a few different ways to accomplish a screenshot on a PC, but by far the easiest, imo, is the following method.
To create and save the screenshot, just tap the Windows key + Print Screen key at the same time. The screenshot will then be saved to your Pictures > Screenshots folder.
And it's just as easy as that. Should you really not want to share the entire picture you just snapped, you can quickly crop out the parts you want to hide, or you can use one of the tools or methods listed in this handy article that covers all the ways to screen grab.
Here's a keyboard pic showing where the Windows and Print Screen keys are:
So let's cover the Mac desktop now. My favorite tool that I use all.the.time is the Screenshot application. You'll find this in Finder > Applications > Utilities. I drag it to the dock so it's always handy because I use it so often.
Just click the program to open it, then position and size the box you get on your screen to fit what you're capturing and click 'Capture'. The image will then be automatically saved to your desktop.
Mac also has a few other methods to do a screenshot such as keyboard shortcuts, but I much prefer the tool and find it faster and easier to use.
Need help with screenshots on other devices? Find all the other instructions here from CNET.
I use RTF files for delivering download links on my digital products whenever I can't upload the actual files directly. It's a helpful alternative that's commonplace practice in the digital realm, although different sellers may use different types of documents to do the same thing.
So what exactly is an RTF file?
Basically it is just a simplified document file, a sort of up-scaled version of the TXT file. What makes it useful is that it is a universal document type that can be opened in a wide variety of word processing software on either PC, Mac or Linux. It means the file is easily shareable to absolutely anyone.
I like using it for that very reason, but it's also super quick for me to make and save the file too. As an added security bonus, RTF files cannot transmit viruses or malware (unlike word or pdf docs). So it's a super safe file type to use when sharing really simple data.
How do you open an RTF file?
The first thing you should try is to just double-click (or tap on mobile) to open the RTF file directly.
You likely have an app already built-in or installed on your system for opening RTF files. To start with, if you’ve got any word processing app installed—Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, OpenOffice, AbiWord, for example—you can open an RTF file with it.
Most file services—like Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive; will have built in viewers that let you at least read an RTF file, while Google Docs also lets you edit RTF files.
And most operating systems will have a built-in editor that can open RTF files. In Windows, that would be WordPad and in Mac it's TextEdit or Apple Pages.
If you prefer that an RTF file opens with a different app than the one currently set as your default program you can easily change that to your preferred app. On Windows or Mac, just right-click the file and you’ll see an “Open With” command or something similar for choosing the app you want to use. Change your default app for RTF files by selecting the “always use this app to open .rtf files” option.
And that's all there is to it. Simple and easy peasy. :)
When you purchase art work online, whether for your website or blog, a digital craft project or to print out and use as a physical product it is handy to know and understand the file types that are being offered with your purchase.
SVG - there is a lot more to this file type than I will describe here, but the basics are that this image file is scalable, meaning you can resize up or down without any quality loss. This is a popular file type for use with cutting machines like Cricut or Silhouette and compatible with all cutting machine brands.
DXF - this is a type of AutoCAD file and typically presents as a simple outline of a graphic. this is now commonly used by cutting machine users wanting to edit and personalize graphics in their cutting machine software.
When you purchase a computer there will already be a selection of fonts installed on that machine. However, while these included fonts are always tried and tested classics you may eventually have the need for something with a bit more flair.
Installing new fonts to your computer is super easy and something that you needn’t be daunted by.
Here are the steps for PC Desktop and Laptops:
- first download your new font file folder, this will most likely be a zip file
- unzip the font folder
- right click on the font file and select install
- that’s it, all done
- same as above, download and unzip the font folder
- double click the font file and press install
- done
Font files can come in 2 formats: .OTF (open type) or .TTF (true type) So what are the differences?
It’s all about what kind of extra detail is included within the design of the font and the explanation gets a bit complicated, so as a beginner all you really need to know is that both file types work on either Mac or PC, and regardless of which format you’re given, it will work on your machine.
Different fonts you download will have one or the other file type in the folder and sometimes you will receive both options together. OTF files usually come with extra or alternate lettering options (something you might choose to learn about later) so otherwise just stick to the TTF file when there's a choice. But know that either way, you’ll be fine!
Another thing to look out for and know... some purchased fonts will come with a choice of ‘desktop’ fonts and ‘web’ fonts. Always install the desktop font file. The web font version is specifically for web designers.
Have errors during installation? Ensure you are clicking on the extracted font file (not the still zipped up folder file) or that you have administrator privileges on your machine.
Font terms of use: as with any artwork you download from the internet, fonts will have terms of use associated with them. Many free fonts are for personal use only. Some will allow commercial use with a donation and many fonts require the purchase of the font if you wish to use it commercially.
Always respect the creator's terms of use. Artists work hard to earn a living and their generosity should not be taken advantage of. Plus you might get into trouble later.
WHERE TO FIND FREE FONTS
DaFont - this popular site has a big collection of fonts and while a good many are for personal use only you can find some that allow commercial use
1001FreeFonts - a site very similar to above, both sharing a lot of the same fonts
FontSquirrel - a site that offers links to free fonts, all of which are available for commercial use
PremiumFreeFonts - the free section offered by FontBundles.net has an ever-changing selection of free fonts with a commercial use license, it's worthwhile to sign up for their newsletter as you will grow your font collection in no time at all
TheHungryJPEG - a site with way more than just fonts, they have a free section and weekly freebies include many fabulous fonts, all with a commercial use license
Creative Market - this site is a designers marketplace and they offer up free resources every week with at least 1 or 2 fonts each week, again with a commercial use license
Do you have another favorite place to source free fonts? Share in the comments!