All of these digital products out there and no one really talks about how to use them. Well, I am going to spill the beans (or the tea) about how you can use digital planners without having to print. And if you have bought a template and made the changes but not sure how to use it from there, well this will help you too.
By the way, this came out of an email conversation with someone that purchased a digital planner and was struggling with all the ways that it could be used. This is a legitimate question and glad that I can answer this.
So I provide two file types PDF and PNG. The pdf file can be used in GoodNotes app but I prefer the PNG files to use digitally. I use the pdfs when I want to print the files.
For most digital use you will need GoodNotes which will allow you to up load a picture file like PNG or JPG.
For the iPhone, iPad and MacBook, they come with Freeform app which is a similar app to GoodNotes and functions much the same. What I really like a about Freeform is that you can write with your finger and it allows you to use most types of stylus (electronic or not). I have a generic stylus that I use for freeform all the time.
All you need to do is upload the digital file as a picture and size it to the screen and then you are ready to work freely. If you don't want to right, you have the option to type in the block areas. I like the satisfaction of writing items down but it doesn't look as neat. So, try both and pick what works best for you.
From a pricing perspective, Freeform is often included as an app with Apple products. GoodNotes is really afffordable, like $10 per year (not per month) but you can use across your Apple products.
If you bought a template from Canva and made changes, you just need to go up to the right top corner where it says SHARE and click that dropdown and scroll down to download. When you choose Download, it will likely default to PNG or PDF but you can change that. Once you download the file to your iPad, phone or computer, then up can upload to GoodNotes or Freeform.
This is the easy peasy method for using. There are other platforms you could possibly use these digital products but this is the easiest way I know and I really like it. If I think of all the planners I use now and if I had to purchase each one at a store, that would be several hundred dollars. I think the digital method cost less than $10 for mulitple planners. That's economy and sustainability because they are good year after year.
Happy Planning!