12 Profitable Desktop Publishing Business Ideas

Updated: July 24th, 2023

If you are looking for desktop publishing business ideas to begin your path to entrepreneurship, you are in the right place.

With starting a desktop publishing business, there are plenty of opportunities that can help you follow your dreams and build a successful career. 

In this post, you will discover profitable business ideas, perfect for those who want to have a flexible job, capable of multiplying the average income, while becoming your own boss.

Check out the full list below to help you find your next idea!

Here they are:



1. Start a website development business

Website developers create websites for their clients. as a website developer, your responsibility is to ensure a website is visually appealing and easy to navigate. Web developers also focus on improving the website’s performance and capacity.

To become a website developer, learn different web programming languages. Your customers can be eCommerce business owners or brick-and-mortar businesses looking to have an online presence.

How much you can make: $200 — $350,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $1,750 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How I Started A $20K/Month Web Design Agency

How a founder turned his passion for marketing and technology into a successful Boston-based web design and SEO company, generating over $20k in sales each month by focusing on serving the niche market of small businesses through affordable and personalized services, while establishing his reputation through B2B networking and online initiatives.

About
Scott started Up And Social almost 10 years ago
Revenue
Scott grew the business to $25K/month
Costs
It cost Scott $2500 to start the business
Read by 25,421 founders

2. Start a custom prints business

Custom print businesses often focus on printing everything, including business cards, photos, and even custom T-shirts.

To start an online custom prints business, choose a niche to help your business stand out and attract the right target audience. Then, focus on producing quality prints of different sizes, materials, and designs. You may hire designers online or search for designs in online design communities. Then, validate the designs before you begin mass production. Finally, set up an online store, and launch the business.

Remember that with the growth in popularity of selling custom prints, expect to face stiff competition. Therefore, you should market your custom prints on social media to maximize your reach.

How much you can make: $3,700 — $3,000,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $3,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 365 days (?)

How I Stumbled Into A $300K Business Framing Tweets

Framed Tweets, an online store that offers customers the opportunity to frame tweets as art, started by grossing $20k in its first year and increasing to $110k in the second year, and now has monthly gross sales of $20k from Instagram ads, spending about $300 a day.

About
Zach started Framed Tweets (Now its Sticker Mule) almost 7 years ago
Revenue
Zach grew the business to $9.5K/month
Costs
It cost Zach $999 to start the business
Read by 41,408 founders

3. Start a branding agency

A branding agency helps create, develop, maintain and improve brands. The role of branding agencies is to create, plan, measure, and manage branding strategies for clients to support them in advertising and other promotions.

Business branding has always been a vital part of a business. With branding, businesses reach more customers daily and stay relevant to their existing customers. As companies compete to get more customers and remain relevant, there is a high demand for branding solutions.

Starting a branding agency can be a profitable and satisfying business venture. To start a branding agency, you must be able to weave together disparate pieces of data and information into compelling narratives so you can help a business convey its story or express its unique values and culture.

How much you can make: $3,000 — $741,666/month

How much does it cost to start: $1,500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)

How I Started A $5,000/Month Luxury Branding Agency

How one founder started a luxury boutique branding house and quit her corporate job, becoming a successful entrepreneur with a team of contractors, interns, and VAs, expanding services to personal styling, social media management, and content creation, while building an online course and planning to become a community for female entrepreneurs.

About
Elva started Elva Li Luxury Branding almost 8 years ago
Revenue
Elva grew the business to $10K/month
Read by 13,879 founders

4. Start a print communication business

5. Become a graphic designer

Graphic designing involves creating sketch designs and materials for corporate clients, advertising agencies, public relations firms, and publishers. Besides, graphic designers provide visual solutions to specific company images, log design, and branding problems.

Graphic design is an excellent career for creative thinkers who enjoy using their talent and artistic skills combined with technology and communication abilities to come up with unique solutions for their clients.

How much you can make: $8,000 — $81,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 165 days (?)

How We Make $7.5K/Month With A Productized Service

Draftss.com is a productized graphic design and front-end code service on subscription that made $66k ARR in 2019, has an MRR of $9.6k as of July 2020, and offers add-ons such as designers being added to team in interacting tools and front-end code services on WordPress using various page builders like Elementor and Divi.

About
Junaid started Draftss almost 6 years ago
Revenue
Junaid grew the business to $15K/month
Costs
It cost Junaid $100 to start the business
Read by 11,322 founders

6. Start a souvenir shop

A souvenir shop is a retail store that sells items that are typically associated with a particular place or event. These items can range from t-shirts and hats to postcards and magnets.

To start a souvenir shop, you must find a suitable location, such as a busy tourist destination or a famous shopping center. You will also need to purchase inventory, such as souvenirs and other novelty items, and attractively display them. You may also need to invest in marketing materials, such as signage and social media advertising, to attract customers.

To operate a souvenir shop, you must keep track of your inventory and restock as needed. You should also keep track of your sales and expenses to ensure your business is profitable. Customer service is also essential in this type of business, as you will interact with people from different parts of the world.

Overall, a souvenir shop can be a fun and rewarding business idea for those who enjoy interacting with people and showcasing unique products. If you are interested in starting your souvenir shop, do thorough research and seek advice from experienced business owners. Good luck!

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

7. Start a large prints design business

8. Start an ebook formatting business

How much you can make: $17,000/month

How long does it take to build: 450 days (?)

How I Started A $17K/Month Business Selling Project Management Ebooks And Courses

Praveen Malik shares how he started a $17k per month project management blog business in 2016 with negligible revenue, and grew his gross profit margin to about 80% by selling his own eBooks and marketing third-party training programs through his blog.

About
Praveen started PM-by-PM about 8 years ago
Revenue
Praveen grew the business to $17K/month
Read by 10,323 founders

9. Become a painter/decorator business

A painter/decorator business is a company that provides painting and decorating services to residential and commercial properties. This business involves preparing surfaces for painting, mixing and applying paint, and completing various decorating tasks such as hanging wallpaper or installing crown molding.

To run a successful painter/decorator business, it is essential to have a strong work ethic and attention to detail. You should also have a good understanding of color theory and be able to recommend appropriate paint colors for different spaces. Having excellent customer service skills is also essential, as building good relationships with clients is crucial for generating repeat business.

To attract clients, creating a website and social media presence is advisable to showcase your work and provide contact information. You should also consider offering competitive pricing and ensuring that your work is completed on time and to a high standard. It is also a good idea to have insurance coverage in case of any accidents or damages during the course of your work.

Starting a painter/decorator business can be a rewarding and fulfilling opportunity for entrepreneurs with an eye for detail and a passion for creating beautiful spaces.

How much does it cost to start: $125 (?)

How long does it take to build: 365 days (?)

10. Start a cartoonist business

How much you can make: $100 — $4,700/month

How much does it cost to start: $475 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How We Started A $4.7K/Month Business Selling Custom Hand-Drawn Avatars

Avatoon.net founders share how they started a $4.7k/month business selling custom hand-drawn avatars and grew to an average of $5,000 per month with ~100 clients through SEO-focused marketing and serving returning companies.

About
Zoltán started Avatoon almost 6 years ago
Revenue
Zoltán grew the business to $4.7K/month
Costs
It cost Zoltán $800 to start the business
Read by 8,013 founders

11. Start an office supplies business

How much you can make: $500,000 — $749,997/month

How long does it take to build: 150 days (?)

How I Started A $300K/Month Premium Office Furniture Business

Branch Office Furniture offers a new approach to the office furniture industry, selling high-quality furniture directly to businesses with space design, delivery, and installation included at one-third to one-half of the price of comparable quality products, resulting in over $1M in sales since launching in Q1 of 2019.

About
Greg started Branch Furniture over 5 years ago
Revenue
Greg grew the business to $500K/month
Costs
It cost Greg $350000 to start the business
Read by 16,128 founders

12. Start a desktop publishing tutorials business

meet the author
Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.