How to create your own product line

step 1: Design clothing & home goods

In years past, you would have to buy dozens and dozens of mugs or other products if you wanted to put your own design on them -- and you'd have to pay up front and hold onto the stock until it sold.

But in this new print-on-demand world, you can sell 1 or 1000 of your own custom-designed t-shirts, calendars, shoes, mugs, water bottles, magnets, tote bags, postage stamps, mousepads, bumperstickers or countless all types of other cool products -- and make money doing it, with no investment other than your time and talent.

While many sites -- including Winkflash, Snapfish and iPrint -- offer photo-personalizable items, they don't offer a way to sell products to customers on your behalf.

If you're looking to completely outsource the fulfillment aspects, look at setting up shop with companies like DeviantArt, Zazzle or CafePress.com.

step 2: Make your own greeting cards

Repackage and sell greeting cards you designed -- either by the individual card or in packets of small quantities. You can craft photo greeting cards and holiday cards by mounting a photo print on cardstock, or get the cards professionally printed for you by a company such as Imagekind, Kodak or Moo.

step 3: Go for decor

Do your drawings or pictures just beg to be seen larger than life? You can make (and sell) your own customized oversized vinyl wall decals from Wallhogs -- they'll even handle fulfillment. 

step 4: Cut it out

Some companies out there can make customized life-sized cardboard cutouts of a person, a pet -- or pretty much anything you can think of! (For resale value, think party decor, designs for kids' bedrooms and advertising/promotional materials.) Check out LifeSizeCustomCutouts.com or CustomLifesizeStandups.com for the details.

Step 5: Make a book

There are lots of places now that can help you make your own book -- meaning anything from a coffee-table treasury of your photographic work to a novel or a beautiful wedding album. Get more details about how to do it and who can help in our article, How to make a photo book!

Step 6: More ways to make money

Want 5 more ways to make some cash on the side by selling pictures you've taken? Come check out some very cool creative outlets for your work!