Need inspiration for your next creative sublimation project? Here are some sites to keep in mind for images and fonts you can use to design and sell your products.
Creative Market (CreativeMarket.com) has many images, fonts, backgrounds, and mockups for you to choose from in various file formats. With contributions from graphic designers worldwide, this site is the mecca for designers and newbies alike and is one of the most popular sites for various creative projects. See previews of files, view trending images and designs, and take advantage of sale bundles and free weekly downloads. For tutorials and inspiration, browse through the site’s blog. Creative Market also keeps things simple with three different licensing options that are easy to understand.
So Fontsy (SoFontsy.com) is a popular site for crafters and die-cutters packed with trending designs and content. Top designers have partnered with So Fontsy to provide popular themed art and fonts for anything that can be printed, sublimated, cut, or embroidered. You can browse by theme or decoration method and view trending images and bundles for inspiration. Freebies are frequently offered, with a sign-up option for deal alerts. So Fontsy also provides tutorials to help you design, sublimate, cut, print, or sew. All purchases from the site include a general commercial use license with enterprise use licenses available, and the terms of use for files are clearly spelled out.
Etsy (Etsy.com) is a global marketplace where creators sell unique products and files. Many sublimators and crafters run an Etsy shop, so it’s no surprise that Etsy also offers digital art. To search for images and fonts to use on Etsy, you’ll need to specify terms in your searches, such as the subject, file format, and use. Terms like “download,” “printable,” or “.jpg” will help narrow down results. Pay particular attention to the licensing agreements of each download. Some sellers specify that files are for personal use only, some allow for commercial use, and others offer the download with no guidelines. If in doubt, ask the shop owner before your purchase to determine the licensing terms and how you can use the files.
Free stock photos and images
For free stock photos and images, three popular sites for providing high-quality, royalty-free stock photos and images for download are:
From backgrounds and landscapes to patterns and portraits, generous photographers and graphic artists contribute their images to these sites for rights-free use. Image sizes vary, and some downloads require a login to the site, which may be helpful if you are downloading multiple images at once or visiting the sites often. You can donate to the creator or download the file and use it. There is an option to follow your favorite artists and create collections. These sites are great resources for images with free commercial use licenses and no image credit required.
Commercial use fonts
To find free commercial use fonts, three commonly used resources are:
The great thing about these font sites is that you can view sample text before downloading. All of the sites have categories to choose from, like serif, sans serif, handwriting, and more. Font Squirrel features a font identifier tool you can use to select a font closest to one in an image that you upload. With Google Fonts, all fonts are free and open source. On Dafont.com, you will need to click “more options” from the preview menu and select “Public Domain, 100% free” to show only free for commercial use fonts. Dafont.com and Font Squirrel recommend reading the “Readme.txt” file for each font download to determine if the font is truly commercial-free.
It pays to verify how you can use any creative work that isn’t your own. Downloading fonts and images to resell them as-is or using files to sell products without a license is a prohibited practice that can damage your reputation and cost you dearly. Check licensing agreements for files on anything you download to help sell your products.
Now that you have a list, save these resources for your next creative project. Depending on licensing, you may be able to use them for ads, your website, social media, branding, and other marketing materials to help you continue to grow your business on a budget!
