Best Print-on-Demand Tools for Your Business in 2024
Introduction
The print-on-demand industry has exploded in recent years, with some projections estimating it will reach over $14 billion by 2026. This astronomical growth is driven by the immense opportunities print-on-demand creates for entrepreneurs and small businesses to sell customized products online without the upfront inventory costs and risks of traditional manufacturing.
For creators, artists, authors, and makers, print-on-demand provides an accessible pathway to turn unique designs, content, and ideas into merchandise or products that can be sold. It eliminates many of the barriers that previously made manufacturing and distributing goods at scale impossible for most individuals.
Print-on-demand platforms allow you to upload designs or artwork, set up product listings, and only print items on-demand when an order comes through. This means no more guessing demand or being stuck with excess inventory. For small online businesses, it's the perfect way to test products with minimal investment.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the top print-on-demand services to leverage in 2024 and provide key considerations for choosing the right platform to launch your ecommerce business. Whether you want to sell custom clothing, phone cases, wall art, or photo books, we've researched the leading providers that seamlessly integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other popular ecommerce platforms.
Combined with AI-powered solutions like Marketsy.ai that allow you to instantly build a customized online storefront, print-on-demand technology enables anyone to start selling products in record time. Read on for an in-depth look at the state of the industry and how to capitalize on this opportunity.
Overview of the Top Print-On-Demand Services
Numerous print-on-demand services exist in the market, catering to diverse product niches and business models. Here we overview some of the most popular platforms available:
Printful
Founded in 2013, Printful has grown into one of the largest print-on-demand dropshipping providers with over $100 million in annual revenue. They specialize in apparel, accessories, and home decor, offering products like t-shirts, leggings, backpacks, pillows, tapestries, and more. Printful integrates with over 150 ecommerce platforms including Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, and Amazon. They utilize 7 fulfillment centers located in the USA, Mexico, Latvia, and Spain to print and ship orders typically within 1-4 business days. The company is known for its high-quality fabrics and printing capabilities, especially for producing photographic imagery on products.
Printify
Printify provides a marketplace connecting ecommerce businesses with over 160 print-on-demand suppliers around the world. Store owners can integrate Printify with platforms like Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, and eBay to offer a wide assortment of merchandise including apparel, home goods, pet products, and stationery. Print providers are located across North America, Europe, and Asia, enabling order fulfillment from over 20 different countries. Printify handles integrating multiple suppliers into one seamless workflow. The platform is favored by entrepreneurs looking to source print-on-demand products from several regions while managing everything from one centralized dashboard.
Gooten
Gooten provides a high-quality print-on-demand marketplace focused on apparel, home decor, and phone cases. They vet and partner with over 100 manufacturing facilities located in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Hong Kong. The company seamlessly integrates with all major ecommerce platforms and automatically routes orders to the optimal facility based on product type, production costs, and shipping efficiency. Store owners can easily offer global order fulfillment without managing multiple print provider accounts. Gooten emphasizes sustainability by utilizing recycled and organic materials. Their flagship products include custom clothing like t-shirts, sweatshirts, and tank tops as well as wall art, pillows, blankets, and fabric face masks.
Teespring
Teespring specializes in empowering creators to design, market, and sell custom apparel and accessories. Their platform makes it easy to launch campaigns promoting merchandise and collect pre-orders from customers. Once a campaign reaches its sales goal, the items are printed on-demand and shipped directly to buyers. Teespring integrates with ecommerce platforms like Shopify allowing creators to also list merchandise in their online stores. While best known for t-shirts, they offer other products like hoodies, hats, mugs, and stickers. The company provides creators with marketing tools and analytics to promote their branded designs. Teespring production and fulfillment is primarily based in the United States.
This overview highlights the range of capabilities among leading print-on-demand providers. When combined with an AI-powered ecommerce platform like Marketsy.ai, you have tremendous flexibility to get started selling customized and on-demand merchandise. Next, let's explore key features to evaluate when selecting a print-on-demand service.
Important Capabilities to Look For in a Print-On-Demand Provider
With the wide variety of print-on-demand services now available, it's essential to know what criteria matters most when choosing a platform. Here are some of the key capabilities and benefits to evaluate:
Broad Selection of Customizable Products
Ideally, your platform should offer a wide range of products like apparel, accessories, home goods, and more that can be customized and sold through your ecommerce store. Having diverse merchandise allows you to appeal to different customer segments and test demand. Look for providers that enable you to expand into more products as your business grows.
For example, Printify provides access to over 10,000 unique products by aggregating inventory from their 160+ manufacturing partners. In contrast, a provider like Teespring focuses specifically on a narrower assortment of apparel and accessories.
High-Quality Printing and Materials
The print quality directly impacts customer satisfaction and perception of your business. Seek out providers utilizing high-resolution printing technology and quality fabrics. Printing photographic imagery or complex designs clearly and accurately is crucial.
Evaluate options like different fabric blends, organic cotton, environmental certifications, made in USA, etc. Order samples from potential suppliers to inspect firsthand. For instance, Printful is known for its DTG (Direct to Garment) printers that produce vibrant, crisp images on fabric.
Fast and Reliable Order Fulfillment
To keep customers happy, print-on-demand orders need to be produced and shipped quickly. Look for average order turnaround times under 5 business days from placement to doorstep. The ability to print and ship from regions closest to the customer's delivery address is ideal.
For example, Printify's global network of manufacturing partners allows completing most orders within 3-5 days. Gooten utilizes a dataset of over 22 million addresses to optimize production speed and costs based on the buyer's location.
Seamless Integration With Ecommerce Platforms
Your print-on-demand provider should offer turnkey integration with leading ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, etc. Automated syncing of product listings, order data, and inventory between both systems streamlines management.
APIs and apps available from the print service to connect with your ecommerce store are essential. For instance, Printful offers an app and plugin to integrate with Shopify and WooCommerce respectively.
Intuitive Interface and Workflows
An easy-to-use dashboard for managing your print-on-demand account is vital, especially when launching your store. Look for intuitive design workflows to upload artwork, customize products, and control order settings. Deep analytics on sales and revenue data should also be provided.
Printify has invested heavily in UX design to simplify onboarding and managing multiple suppliers from one centralized dashboard. Their workflows for adding new products and pushing updates are extremely straightforward.
Responsive Customer Support
Selling printed merchandise requires supporting the entire supply chain from design to production to delivery. Choose a print provider with multiple support channels like phone, email, chat, and robust self-help options like knowledge bases and documentation.
Evaluate response times - Printful pledges 24 hour response for urgent issues while Printify answers chat and social inquiries within minutes during business hours. For common questions, comprehensive help centers or product tutorials are invaluable when launching your business.
Comparing the Top Print-On-Demand Platforms
To help summarize the key differences between providers, here is a comparison table of the top platforms:
| Platform | # of Products | Fulfillment Regions | Integration | Avg. Order Time | Material Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Printful | 250+ | USA, Mexico, Europe | Shopify, WooCommerce, more | 1-4 days | High |
| Printify | 10,000+ | North America, Europe, Asia | Shopify, Etsy, more | 3-5 days | Varies by supplier |
| Gooten | 30+ | USA, UK, Australia, Asia | Shopify, others | 5-8 days | High |
| Teespring | 15+ | USA primarily | Shopify, others | 7-10 days | Medium |
This table lets you quickly compare the product selection, fulfillment locations, platform integrations, average order turnaround times, and material quality offered by the top print-on-demand services. Consider creating your own comparison table focused on your business’s specific needs and product niches.
Reviewing sample orders yourself provides the best gauge of true print quality. Take advantage of provider trial periods, samples, and discounts when evaluating potential partners.
Guide to Selecting the Right Print-On-Demand Service
Finding the right print-on-demand platform among the many options available comes down to a few key factors:
Quality and Reliability Are Paramount
Do comprehensive due diligence on the company's reputation, platform uptime, order error rates, and customer reviews. Quality issues will tank your store's credibility. Test samples from multiple product categories to verify print results before fully launching.
For example, Printify's model means consistency varies across its numerous suppliers. So quality assurance is largely up to you. With Printful, the centralized infrastructure often yields more standardized results.
Integration and Workflows Must Be Seamless
The platform should provide turnkey integration with your ecommerce store, allowing easy management and synchronization. Analyze how intuitive creating products and fulfilling orders is within the provider's dashboard.
Print-on-demand services that overcomplicate onboarding or force you to juggle multiple systems are problematic. Go for solutions that simplify operations.
Start With Core Products That Drive Demand
Resist the urge to oversaturate your store at launch. Consider beginning with a focused selection of products that align with current customer trends and allow testing demand before expanding your catalog.
For example, Printify's massive global marketplace can be overwhelming. Printful's curated product lineup of high-margin bestsellers simplifies getting started. Evaluate your niche.
Understand Payment Models and Revenue Potential
Carefully factor in subscription costs, product fees, order minimums, shipping rates, and production costs when estimating profit margins. Compare pricing tiers if available.
For example, Printify has no monthly fees but charges higher per-item rates. Printful has reduced product fees but requires a monthly subscription over a certain order volume. Crunch the numbers based on your business model and projected order volume.
Expect a Learning Curve When Launching
Understand that fully leveraging print-on-demand requires an investment of time to master production workflows, address quality issues, optimize shipping, learn the platform's features, and refine your product designs.
Patience is key - you likely won't achieve perfection right out of the gate. Seek providers with strong educational resources and customer support to accelerate your launch. For example, Printful offers one-on-one expert sessions to advise new store owners.
Getting Started: How to Launch Your Print-On-Demand Business
Once you've selected a print-on-demand platform, here is an overview of steps for launching your business:
Choose your ecommerce platform
Shopify and WooCommerce are prime options. Confirm the platform easily integrates with your print provider. Marketsy.ai offers an instant way to have a customized storefront live in minutes.
Determine your product selection
Research best selling products and identify your niche. Resist the urge to have 100s of SKUs at launch. Start with core products that enable testing demand.
Create designs and mockups
Design appealing artwork and graphics that represent your brand. Order samples from the print provider to fine tune. Outsource to designers if needed.
Integrate the print platform
Follow documentation to connect your ecommerce store with the print provider's API and sync product data. Understand order workflows.
Market and promote your store
Create social media content to showcase your products. Run targeted ads. Offer limited promotions. Build excitement pre-launch.
Optimize over time
Analyze data on top-selling designs, product issues, shipping times, etc. Refine artwork, product mix, marketing, and operations accordingly.
Print-on-demand commerce enables anyone to start an ecommerce business with minimal upfront investment. Follow this blueprint to launch your online store and achieve success!
Conclusion
The rapid growth within print-on-demand opens exciting possibilities for entrepreneurs to turn ideas into income. After reviewing the capabilities of leading platforms, focus on choosing services that integrate seamlessly into your ecommerce store and provide quality printing and rapid fulfillment.
Do your homework by examining product samples firsthand before fully launching. Be prepared to continually test and optimize your product designs, marketing, and operations. Print-on-demand technology will continue to disrupt online commerce and manufacturing. Now is the time to leverage these innovations to launch your own ecommerce business and bring customized products to market.