Most PLR buyers read the main license carefully and then skip right past the fonts, photos and graphics inside the package. That’s understandable. The ebook or course is what you paid for, and the images feel like decoration.
But the visual pieces often come with their own rules, and those rules don’t always match the PLR license. A pack can give you full private label rights to the text while the cover font or the stock photos are licensed separately. If you rebrand and resell without checking, you can end up breaking terms you never agreed to directly.
Here’s a practical way to check the visual parts of a PLR pack before you put your name on it.
Why the PLR license may not cover everything
A PLR seller can only pass on the rights they actually hold. If they wrote the text themselves, they can usually license it however they like. If they used a font from a type foundry, a photo from a stock site or elements from a design tool, those items came with someone else’s license first.
Good PLR sellers use content they can legally pass on, or explain the rules for each element. Others are vague. The only way to know which kind of pack you bought is to look.
Step 1: Look for a credits or resources file
Open the download folder and look for anything named “credits,” “resources,” “fonts,” “image sources” or “read me.” Many packs list the fonts used in the cover and graphics, often with links to where you can get them.
If the pack includes editable source files (Canva links, PSD, PowerPoint or Word templates), check which fonts and images they rely on. Editable files are where third-party assets usually hide.
If there’s no credits file at all, that’s not automatically a problem, but it’s a reason to ask the seller before you sell anything built from the pack.
Step 2: Check the font licenses
Fonts are software, and each one has its own license. Two common situations:
- Open-source fonts. Many free fonts use the SIL Open Font License (OFL). It lets you use the font in print and digital work, and it allows the font to be bundled and sold with software as long as the copyright notice and license go along with it. What it does not allow is selling the font by itself.
- Commercial or “free for personal use” fonts. These vary widely. Some allow commercial use in a finished design but not in editable templates that you hand to customers. Some don’t allow commercial use at all.
The practical question is: are you shipping the font file, or just a finished design that uses it? A flattened PDF or JPG cover is different from an editable template that requires your buyer to have the font. If you plan to pass along editable files, read the font license for that specific use.
Step 3: Trace the photos and graphics
For each photo or illustration, try to find out where it came from. A reverse image search can help when there’s no credit.
Free photo sites have different terms. Unsplash’s license, for example, allows free commercial use but doesn’t include the right to compile its images into a similar or competing service. Its help center also says it doesn’t offer a license for selling prints or products with the images printed on them. So a photo that’s fine on your sales page may not be fine as the main content of a printable wall art pack.
If you can’t identify the source of an image, the safest move is to replace it with one you know you can use.
Step 4: Watch out for design-tool content
Many PLR packs now include Canva templates. That’s convenient, but Canva’s Content License Agreement has its own limits. Among other things, it restricts reselling or redistributing Canva content on its own and using it in a way that competes with Canva. It also treats free and Pro content differently when designs are used as templates for resale.
What this means for you: sharing a Canva template link with your customers can be fine, but downloading Canva elements and selling them as a standalone graphics pack generally is not. If a PLR seller gives you Canva templates, read their license notes and Canva’s terms before you change how the templates are delivered.
Step 5: Decide what to keep, swap or rebuild
Once you know what’s in the pack, sort the visual elements into three groups:
- Keep: items the PLR seller created themselves or clearly licensed for you to pass on.
- Swap: fonts or photos with unclear or restrictive terms. Replace them with options you have a license for.
- Rebuild: covers and key graphics you want to rebrand anyway. A fresh cover with your own fonts and images is often the fastest way to make a PLR product look like yours and remove the guesswork.
Step 6: Keep a record
Add a line for each font and image source to your license notes for the product. Note the license name, where you got it and the date. If a question comes up later, from a marketplace or a customer, you’ll have the answer ready.
The bottom line
The PLR license covers what the seller can license. Fonts, photos and design-tool content often come with their own terms. A ten-minute check of the visual elements, plus swapping anything unclear, protects your listings and your reputation.
This is general information, not legal advice. License terms change and vary by provider, so always read the current terms for each asset and, if you’re unsure about a specific use, talk to a qualified professional.
Sources
- SIL Open Font License: Official license text
- Unsplash: License
- Unsplash Help Center: Can I use Unsplash photos as part of a product to sell?
- Canva: Content License Agreement
Featured image: Photo: StockSnap (CC0)