Money-making opportunities are everywhere. The challenge is finding one that fits your capabilities and wants. If you’re looking for ways to express your creativity and profit from the process, print-on-demand might be the answer.
With print-on-demand, you don’t have to wait months to get products printed or hold heaps of inventory in your own warehouse (or garage). To start your business, you just need a couple of design ideas.
So what is print-on-demand? In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to start an online business and make money with print-on-demand.
How print-on-demand works
Print-on-demand (POD for short) is an order fulfillment method where you design products and your POD partner company prints and ships the goods to your customers on your behalf. This is a white-label approach, meaning that there’s no mention of your partner on the product or packaging—all the credit goes to you.
On-demand services fulfill a product only once an order has been made. This way, there’s no wasted stock that ends up in landfills. Plus, you automatically pay your print provider after the customer has paid you for their order. That’s why there’s no upfront cost to get started with print-on-demand.
To start selling:
- Set up an online store on an ecommerce platform (Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, etc.) or an online marketplace (Etsy, Amazon, eBay, etc.)
- Connect your store to a POD platform like Printful
- Create your custom designs, add them to products, and publish the product listings on your online store
Pros and cons of print-on-demand
Print-on-demand is a lucrative ecommerce business model for anyone looking to make some money on the side or even start a full-time business.
But before you dive into the POD business pond, you have to weigh all the challenges and benefits to understand whether this model is right for you or not.
Pros
- No upfront investment. With print-on-demand, you don’t have to pour cash into your new business upfront. There’s no inventory or fancy printing equipment that you need to get started.
- Quick setup. You can add designs to products and start selling the items in a matter of minutes.
- Creative freedom. Print-on-demand lets you express your creativity and not worry about the logistics of fulfillment and shipping.
- Experimentation made easy. A particular design didn’t sell as much as you expected? Thank you, next. Print-on-demand makes it easy to experiment with different design ideas so you can figure out what your customers prefer.
Cons
- Higher cost per item. Your profit margins will be lower compared to other fulfillment methods (like buying in bulk or wholesale). That’s because when print-on-demand companies offer a certain product—printing, packaging, and production staff costs are included in the item price.
- Turnaround times. The delivery time of print-on-demand products depends on fulfillment and shipping times combined. When you buy in bulk or wholesale, your products are made before a sale has happened. So it can take a day to process an order and ship it out. With print-on-demand, products are made after an order is placed, resulting in extra time for processing and fulfilling the order.
Who can benefit from a print-on-demand business
Short answer: anyone with an idea. There are endless niches that unite communities of people who are passionate about the same thing. You can be the person who turns these passions into beautiful products.
Let’s get inspired by others who make money with high-quality print-on-demand products.
Artists and creators
For artists and creators, print-on-demand can help with expanding their personal brand and building a stronger relationship with their communities through customized products. POD lifts all the weight off the shoulders from a logistical viewpoint while artists and creators can focus on creating their art. This way, they don’t have to lose themselves in time-consuming processes like shipping and packaging products.
For musicians, creating custom products for their audience is a no-brainer since print-on-demand opens up another income stream besides touring and earnings from royalties. Plus, imagine your fans wearing your merch on the street and posting it on social media channels. That’s a real-life advertisement. It’s a win-win situation.
Ecommerce entrepreneurs
Print-on-demand and ecommerce entrepreneurs are like having ice cream on a hot day—they just make sense together. Selling custom products online is great for both beginners in the ecommerce world and someone looking to expand their existing business.
Carlos had previously worked in graphic design and marketing. After drawing inspiration from his father, he decided to start his own business venture.
After some time, he took a course on ecommerce and making money selling online to get the ball rolling. After trial and error with his first cat-themed online store, Carlos decided to focus on a niche closer to his heart and create a Latino t-shirt brand.
Global brands and enterprises
Have an established brand but don’t want to waste resources on old-school fulfillment methods anymore? No problem. Print-on-demand is the quickest way how to make merch without losing your precious money and time.
To expand his brand, he decided to get help from POD services. Since veganism is often thought of as a way to be kinder to the planet, it was important for Ferdinand to find a production method that aligns with the same values. That’s how he chose print-on-demand instead of other methods that waste natural resources and significantly contribute to climate change.
Ferdinand now uses POD to sell custom products to his audience and anyone interested in spreading the healthy lifestyle message.
Whether you already create your own art or have a global brand, print-on-demand is your choice if you want to offer merch online. It saves you time, and money, and lets you focus on things you’re passionate about, be it creating art or leading communities.
What print-on-demand customization techniques to choose
So, we’ve figured out all the benefits print-on-demand companies can offer you. Now, let’s choose the technique for your product fulfillment. What’s the difference between direct-to-garment and screen printing and what do they even mean?
Let’s have a peek at what’s best for your online business needs.
Screen printing
Another method used in the print-on-demand space is screen printing. This method involves ink being pushed onto fabric through a woven screen. Unlike with DTG, the ink doesn’t soak into the fabric but rather lays on top of it.
An ink-blocking stencil is put under the mesh screen to create different designs with screen printing. Since each design requires its own stencil, this process can take quite a long time to complete. You’re also limited to minimalistic designs since you can use approx. 9 colors (the more colors you use, the more you’ll have to add to the product price).
Screen printing uses a lot of water and often employs non-biodegradable inks in the printing process, making it a less sustainable choice than DTG printing.
Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing
Direct-to-garment, or DTG, is a printing method where ink is printed onto a garment and then left to soak into the fabric. With this technique, you can print highly detailed and vibrant designs.
To achieve the best DTG print results in terms of colors, use the sRGB profile. This color model is based on three colors—red, green, and blue, hence the sRGB in the name (s stands for standard). When these colors mix together, they create an array of different colors. The sRGB color profile holds data on all of these colors, so they’re streamlined across different screens, printers, and other devices.
One thing to steer clear of when creating DTG designs is gradients. If you want to customize white-label products like t-shirts with the help of DTG, these kinds of graphics don’t print well with this method. Printers will attempt to make up the missing color by spreading the ink, causing the design to have gaps.
Other than that, you can pretty much use any kind of design you like, be it photorealistic images or colorful patterns.
DTG is also a more sustainable business model than, for example, screen printing. These printers are developed with advanced tech that creates almost zero wastewater and uses less energy, all of which lowers the carbon footprint.
With DTG, you can create as many one-off designs as you like and you’re also not limited in terms of color count. Want to print the whole rainbow on a hoodie? Go ahead!
Sublimation printing
The sublimation printing process starts with your design being printed on a sheet of paper. Then, the paper is soaked with sublimation ink and transferred to the product via a heat press. It’s like those old-school heat-transfer designs you could iron onto your t-shirts—but much better.
Heat is a must to achieve the best design results with this method since it activates the sublimation ink and bonds it to the surface. For ink to completely soak into the fabric, it’s put under pressure and exposed to high temperatures of 350–400ºF (176–205ºC).
Sublimation works great on both hard and soft materials so you can use this method to print t-shirts, socks, mugs, and much more.
Whichever technique you choose, be sure to think about what works best with your designs and the products you select. More on that next.
What products to choose for your print-on-demand business
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the abundance of product choices, especially with all the different collections that print-on-demand companies offer. In this section, we’ll look at some of the trending products to sell online, as well as timeless classics you should have on your online store.
Hoodies
You can’t go wrong with a durable, cozy hoodie—it’s a wardrobe staple. Since they’re in high demand all year round, hoodies are perfect to sell for all online stores.
Plus, hoodies are super versatile: you can adapt the style and design to fit your print-on-demand business niche and market different pieces for any occasion.
Eco-friendly products
Sustainability is important for today’s consumers (especially among Gen Z) and store owners have to keep up with the demand. A good way to show your print-on-demand store cares about sustainable production is to offer eco-friendly products.
Stationary
Another print-on-demand product category that’s in high demand all year round is stationary. It includes items that everyone needs, from students and office workers to doodling enthusiasts. We can all use some creative, original stationary in our lives.
Drinkware
Drinkware, especially mugs, has always been a best-selling category for print-on-demand businesses. Printful has drinkware for all occasions:
- Enamel mugs for outdoor adventures
- Mugs for a morning brew
- Water bottles for hydration on the go
- Tumblers for drinks with a little pizzazz
Look at these popular products and think about the niche you want to enter. For example, if you’re opening a store for book lovers, understand what products and, most importantly, designs this audience will appreciate. Maybe a book-inspired fan art on a mug? How about a painfully relatable bookworm pun for a notebook?
How to choose your print-on-demand provider
Another decision to make before you start to sell online is picking a print-on-demand company to be your partner through thick and thin. Maybe you’ll even go with multiple? Let’s have a look at what you should pay attention to when working with print-on-demand services.
Fulfillment methods
As we’ve discussed, there are a bunch of different product customization techniques to choose from. When you research print-on-demand companies, see what methods they offer and decide whether or not it aligns with your business needs.
Not sure if you prefer DTG or screen printing? Totally fine. That’s exactly why you should always order product samples. Only by testing different companies and seeing the products in real life will you be able to understand if it’s what you’re looking for.
Some print-on-demand businesses offer samples with a discount, but with others, you’ll have to pay the full price—so keep an eye out for that too.
Facility locations
See where the fulfillment facilities of POD companies are located. Ideally, they should be in multiple locations all over the globe because that minimizes shipping costs for your global customers. Sure, you might be okay with a print shop just around the corner of your house, but don’t forget about the future.
What happens if your business grows? Will your print-on-demand partner be able to provide the best service for your global customer base? These are things to keep in mind.
Fulfillment times
Fulfillment time is the time spent creating your products, like physically printing and packing a t-shirt for shipment. Smaller printing partners might be able to offer short fulfillment times, but then shipping to a customer far away could take a hot minute. With bigger print-on-demand companies, the fulfillment times will be longer, but if the print providers are available in many locations, shipping times are often shorter.
Product quality
This is the most important thing to be on the lookout for in your print-on-demand partner. Without quality products, your business can’t thrive.
No fast fulfillment times or never-before-seen customization techniques will save your brand’s reputation if the quality of the product itself is just . . . bad. The golden rule, as we’ve said before, is to always order samples. Make sure the products you’re selling are high-quality items you can be proud of.
What is Print-on-demand: FAQs
Is print-on-demand profitable?
Yes! Print-on-demand requires no upfront investment in stock or equipment. You can upload your designs and start selling in minutes.
How to start a print-on-demand business
- Find your niche
- Create an account on Printful
- Connect your ecommerce platform to Printful
- Create designs and upload them to products
- Add products to your store with our free mockups
- Start selling on your online store
Can you make money with print-on-demand?
Absolutely! Some print-on-demand businesses started small and have grown into 6-figure companies. Make sure you pick a niche you’re interested in and do research on different print-on-demand companies to partner with. Anything’s possible with print-on-demand. Even quitting your 9–5 job and becoming a business owner. You just have to start ?
