How to Start a Print-on-Demand Business in 2024?
The concept of print on demand sounds amazing and super easy – all you need is inspiration and some free time to add your own unique designs to custom products and list them online.
Print-on-demand sites will handle inventory, fulfilling and shipping orders, allowing you to focus on growing your brand and revenue.
Follow our simple step-by-step guide to learn how to start a print-on-demand business in 2024.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through those links. This comes at no additional cost to you.
What Is a Print-On-Demand Business?
Print-on-Demand (POD) is a business model where products are printed after a customer orders.
Many print-on-demand companies like Printify offer additional services like shipping products to your customers, online design tools, and seamless integrations with popular eCommerce platforms and marketplaces.
This means you can quickly launch your online store and focus on marketing while your printing partner handles the rest.
With the global print-on-demand market value set to reach $48.4 billion by 2032, now is the perfect time to enter this thriving industry.
Stick with us as we explore how to start an online business with no upfront costs and go through the pros and cons of this business model.
How to Start a Print-On-Demand Business in 2024?
If you want to start selling custom products online, print-on-demand is one of the best ways to do it. It’s easy to start, and you can customize a wide range of high-quality products for free, gaining an edge over your competition.
Follow these simple steps to go from a business idea to making money.
1. Pick a Niche
A niche is a specialized market segment for certain products. Defining a niche market has many benefits, like higher profits, reduced competition, and less money spent on advertising.
Choosing a profitable niche is possibly one of the biggest challenges you’ll face in your eCommerce journey.
If you’re unsure what niche you’d like to pursue for your brand, start with something you’re passionate about. It can be anything, like fitness, camping, grumpy cats, or true crime.
Where should you look for that profitable niche idea? You can start by:
- Looking for the best-selling products in 2024. Do a simple Google search and check out what others are selling.
If you deep-dive into the details, you might also discover trends teetering on mass popularity.
- Using Google Trends to explore trending topics across the popular search engine, Google News and YouTube.
It’s a useful tool for quickly assessing the popularity of any topic. It visualizes search queries across various languages and regions.
- Finding keywords that are relevant to your target market.
Use Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, Semrush, or other similar tools to find what people are searching for.
If you try selling to everyone, you’re likely to fail. That’s why it’s important to identify your target market and pick a niche, such as dog lovers or new parents.
2. Decide What to Sell
The seemingly endless variety of print-on-demand products goes beyond just custom t-shirts, hoodies, and custom coffee mugs.
Check out some of the most popular items other print-on-demand companies customize and sell:
Go through our Product Catalog to find even more relevant items.
Whatever you decide to sell, keep your customers in mind so your items don’t get lost in an overcrowded market. The products you choose need to make sense for your niche.
These are some of the best places to kick off your research and see what sells:
- Amazon. Check every department individually for additional ideas.
- eBay. An excellent place to see what’s trending.
- Etsy. Easily find popular gift and product ideas.
Don’t forget to take a tour on Facebook, X, Reddit, and other relevant social media platforms and print-on-demand websites to see what people are saying and buying.
If a certain niche-based community is quiet, it’s wise to pick one that’s more lively.
3. Create Designs
Although POD relies heavily on unique designs, you don’t need artistic skills to start a print-on-demand store. You also don’t have to be an experienced designer to create custom products.
Doing your market research and extracting the best ideas from the internet and your social networks is a key step in creating profitable designs for print-on-demand products.
Draw inspiration from sites like:
A word to the wise – only use your research as a starting point to create your own original designs. Never plagiarize or claim another creator’s work as your own.
If you don’t want to spend time creating designs, you can always hire a professional designer. However, before you start scouting for talent, make sure you’ve properly identified your needs.
Hire an expert with Printify or use popular freelancer sites like Fiverr or Upwork to find talented designers who can bring your vision to life.
Don’t forget to check your designs – what may seem like an awesome idea in your head might be completely misunderstood by your target audience. The most common way to test-run ideas is by sharing designs on social media, online forums, or within your personal network.
Quick Tip Box
Check out our article on graphic design tips for print on demand for more insights, advice, and inspiration.
4. Decide Where to Sell
We offer integrations with some of the world’s most popular sales channels:
The easiest way to sell your print-on-demand products online is through a dedicated marketplace or eCommerce platform.
What’s the difference?
- eCommerce Marketplace
An online marketplace like Etsy or eBay functions just like an offline market, where merchants gather to sell their goods to a steady flow of shoppers.
The only difference is that you list your products on a website and use targeted keywords to help customers find you.
- eCommerce Platform
Using a dedicated platform, like Shopify or WooCommerce, allows you to build your own standalone website and integrate it with a print-on-demand service to sell custom products.
This gives you complete control over your brand’s appearance, marketing strategy, and customer experience, enabling you to create a more customized and potentially more engaging shopping experience.
Quick Tip Box
Skip connecting to sales channels and sell products through a custom link by opening a Printify Pop-Up Store.
5. Set Up a Store
After you’ve explored online marketplaces and platforms and picked the one that’s right for you, it’s time to set up your store.
Although online store setup differs for each platform, it’s often a pretty straightforward process that only requires a bit of your time. You’ll most commonly have access to a finished platform or pre-built and customizable templates.
Enable essential features like payment gateways, shipping options, and customer service channels to ensure a smooth shopping experience for your customers.
Taking the time to set up your store properly is crucial to ensure the success of your business.
6. Pick Your Supplier
When starting a print-on-demand business, you can’t do without a reliable supplier who will fulfill all of your incoming orders.
The importance of finding trustworthy print-on-demand companies to fulfill your online store orders can’t be overstated – your reputation as an entrepreneur depends on it.
This is where Printify comes in. Whatever you aim to achieve, our mission stays the same – to help merchants make more money with less effort.
Our easy-to-use print-on-demand and dropshipping platform lets people from all walks of life design and sell custom products without worry. Once you make a sale, our Print Providers do all the heavy lifting – printing and shipping.
Our team works diligently to ensure you get the highest quality products, the best prices, and the lowest shipping costs in the industry.
- 100% Free
You don’t need any upfront investment. Anyone can sign up and use our platform for free. You pay for a product only after you’ve sold it.
- Seamless Integrations
Integrate Printify with some of the world’s most popular eCommerce marketplaces and platforms.
- Wide Range of Products
Our Product Catalog offers a large selection of high-quality products, from t-shirts to home decor, for you to customize with unique designs.
- No Minimum Order Quantity
Thrive without any limitations – order as few or as many t-shirts and other products as you like.
- 24/7 Merchant Support
Our Merchant Support Team will gladly answer any questions you may have 24/7.
With Printify, you’re in the best hands. Our print-on-demand service is trusted by over ten million merchants worldwide, with more signing up every day.
7. Set a Price
The profit you make depends on how high you set your product retail prices.
Important things to consider when setting a price:
- Shipping and production costs. Account for all the expenses of creating and shipping your products to customers, including taxes and service fees.
- Average price of similar products in the market. Research current market trends and compare product costs for similar items among your competitors.
- Location of your customers. Cut down on delivery time and shipping costs by choosing a local Print Provider.
Proper product pricing sets your online store up for success. Check out our blog on how to price a product.
8. Check the Quality of Your Products
Delivering high-quality items is crucial for building customer trust. If your products meet customer expectations, securing repeat sales will be easy.
As a rule of thumb, the primary step to ensure the value that customers expect from your products is choosing a reliable print-on-demand service.
Printify has partnered with a global network of trusted Print Providers to guarantee high-quality production and timely delivery.
If you want your eCommerce store to have a good reputation, we recommend placing sample orders to test the print, style, colors, and overall product quality.
9. Market Your Products
Your marketing efforts can truly make or break your business. The goal of marketing is to get noticed, drive traffic to your site, provide people with reasons to buy from you and convert visitors into customers.
Here are a few ways to market your business:
- Social media marketing. Easily find and engage with your target audience by maintaining a social media presence.
Create new content, engage with users, and leave positive comments on other accounts. Social media is a smart way to grow your business.
- Influencer marketing. Collaborate with social media influencers to gain exposure to a broader audience and build trust more quickly.
Look for influencers with values that align with your brand and followers that match your ideal customer profile.
- Content marketing. Create and publish blogs, videos, and product reviews to build trust and establish authority in your niche.
High-quality content can drive traffic to your site, convert visitors into customers, and offer opportunities for content monetization.
- Email marketing. Making a mailing list lets you send personalized offers, updates, and newsletters directly to your customers, keeping them informed and engaged.
Fine-tune your messages for different customer demographics to increase the relevance and performance of your email marketing campaigns.
- Paid ads. Invest in targeted ads to reach a broader audience and drive more traffic to your store.
Use tools like Google Ads for search engine advertising or Facebook Ads for highly specific audience targeting.
10. Monitor Your Online Store Performance
Regularly tracking the performance of your online store is essential for maintaining and growing your business.
Use analytics tools to measure key metrics like customer traffic, conversion rates, and user engagement. By analyzing this data, you can identify what’s working and what needs improvement, allowing you to make informed decisions and optimize your strategies.
With consistent performance monitoring, it’s possible to quickly adapt to market trends, promptly address issues, and continuously enhance your customers’ shopping experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is print on demand good for beginners?
Yes! Starting your own store with print on demand requires minimal upfront investment, as you don’t need to hold inventory or handle order fulfillment.
You’ll only need to focus on increasing your store revenue and being competitive in a crowded market.
Can I make a living with print on demand?
Many sellers have built profitable businesses in the print-on-demand industry. Check out our merchant Success Stories for inspiration.
Finding your niche and targeting potential customers with relevant content significantly improves your chances of success.
Is print on demand a profitable business model?
It is if you set the right profit margins on your products. When pricing items, keep all associated tax and service fees in mind.
How much does it cost to start a print-on-demand business?
Starting your own business with Printify is completely free. There are no upfront payments or subscription fees. You only pay for the products you sell after your customers place their orders.
Pros and Cons of Print-On-Demand
As a tried-and-true way of printing for profit, using print-on-demand services has many benefits for a budding eCommerce company.
Let’s go over some of the pros.
Easy to Start
You don’t need extensive entrepreneurial, marketing, or artistic experience. Print-on-demand services are interested in having you as their customers and often offer simple guides and instructions to streamline onboarding.
No Risk
When you partner with a print-on-demand company, you avoid the financial risk commonly associated with more traditional business models.
There’s no need to rent premises, hire staff, or worry about logistics.
No Inventory
Whenever you make a sale, a third-party supplier provides the order fulfillment service and ships products directly to your customer’s doorstep.
You won’t need to keep stock of merchandise or spend money on storage space.
Global Reach
Print-on-demand allows you to effortlessly sell both locally and internationally. The right designs will attract customers from all over the world.
While the advantages of Print on Demand are great, you should also consider some of the downsides.
You Can't Control Quality
You’ll have limited control over print and product quality. The best way to counter this is to order product samples. If you’re not happy with the result, switch your Print Provider.
Longer Production Time
Since orders are only printed after a sale goes through, they can’t be packaged and shipped immediately. This is the downside of having no stock.
Lower Profit
Due to the nature of the print-on-demand business model, costs per product will be higher than if you purchase products in bulk, which directly affects your profit.
With Printify, you can also place bulk orders of custom-printed products to save on shipping costs, but you’ll be taking over shipping products to your customers.
Split Responsibility
While Print Providers handle order fulfillment, your customers will turn to you whenever there is an issue. You’ll be responsible for providing excellent customer support to resolve any problems or concerns they may have.
If you plan to sell products through a Printify Pop-Up Store, we’ll handle customer support for you.
Closing Thoughts
When done right, Print on Demand can be a very profitable endeavor. It’s a go-to eCommerce business model for entrepreneurs, artists, and content creators worldwide.
Launch a new business or scale your existing one without any financial risk by choosing Printify as your print-on-demand service!
Make It Happen Today!
Written by
Vita Stevens
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66 comments
I want to know that either Pakistani shopify store integerated with printify or not? Is it work to sell in USA on Pakistani shopify store?
Hi Romi,
You can sell all around the world. If you were able to create and integrate your Shopify store, then there shouldn’t be any issues.
Hello there!, I’m from India. I’m planning to set up a store on printify, I want to know about the tax implications regading it. Do I have to register for anything ?
Hi Ravos,
Please contact our Support team, and they will be more than happy to help you with tax implications.
Hi there – I would like to sell tote bags but the supplier for the bag I am interested in is based in Poland. How would that work with shipping to different countries eg UK, US, Australia etc? I’m struggling to get my head round that bit. Don’t you find suppliers local to the buyer to fulfil the order? Otherwise it might takes weeks to ship? Thanks.
Hi Clare,
Certainly! Printify works by automatically routing orders to the nearest print provider to your customer’s location if you choose the order routing feature. This ensures quicker and more efficient order fulfillment, no matter where your customers are located. If you have any more questions, please feel free to reach out to our support team.
Hi there … do I need to be part of the e marketplace or plataforms to use printfy? Or can I connect to my own website ?? I use hostinger… thanks ☺️
Hi Danielle,
You don’t have to have a sales channel as you can connect your own website with Printify API. Please check the help center article “How can I generate an API token?” (https://shorturl.at/BEJQV) for more information. If you need futher help, please reach out to Printify support.
Once a sale is made, is the amount automatically deleted from my bank account for the transaction or do I have to go to my account and transfer the funds before the transaction goes ahead
Hi Fred,
The way Printify payment process works, is the payment received by your store for an order includes the product retail price (production price + profit) and the shipping fee.
Once the order is received on your sales channel, it is automatically imported into Printify and sent to production based on your order approval settings. However, as Printify can’t directly withdraw funds from your sales channel, the production price of the product and its shipping fee are charged to your linked credit/debit card or your Printify balance.
To sum it up: your customers buy from you, and you buy from us.
Can you integrate an Etsy store that is only part POD and stocks other stuff too?
Hi Marie,
Yes, you can do that. 🙂
Hello. I’m thinking of creating a POD business, but my company is in Portugal. I want to enter US niches and use distributors from that country and not from Europe. I have some questions:
1) Is it possible?
2) How does it work in terms of billing, do I need to create my company in the US to declare sales?
3) Who/where generates the invoice to que customers?
Thank you very much
Hi there Sandro,
Yes, it is possible and you can sell worldwide. For more detailed information, please reach out to our Support team via 24/7 live chat on your Printify account or here and our team will gladly answer any questions you might have. 🙂
Is there a company that will set it up for you for a fee? I’m finding it difficult to do with my limited abilities. Thanks! jb
Hi Jeffrey,
You can probably search on Fiverr, but please know that Printify doesn’t have official partners that would offer this.
Hello,
I hope all is well with everyone at the office. Can I sell products without having a LLC or Sole Proprietorship license?
Hi there!
Yes, you can.
what if there is something wrong with the product and the customer wants to return?
what would the process be?
Hi Tammy,
Printify is a print-on-demand company, which means that all products are unique and produced only once ordered. This also means that returns and exchanges are not supported if your customer ordered the wrong size, color, or simply changed their mind.
However, in case of a damaged product or a manufacturing error, we offer a free replacement or a refund if you contact us within 30 days of product delivery. Please see more information here.
Hi there, thanks for the info! How does getting paid work? How do i get paid once my products are being sold?
Hi there,
When a customer submits an order in your connected store, your store receives the payment consisting of the product retail price (production price + profit) and the shipping fee.
Then the order is automatically imported into Printify and sent to production according to your order approval settings. However, since Printify can’t pull funds directly from your sales channel, Printify charges your linked credit card or your Printify balance with the production price of the product and its shipping fee.
To sum it up: your customers buy from you, and you buy from us.
Just wondering if there is an option to order product myself in bulk to sell at an in person vendor show?
Hi there!
Yes, you can place a manual order and read more about bulk order options here.
Thanks for the information
Where do I find UK pricing please?
Hi there!
All prices can be found on our catalog, please see here.
Hi thank you for this information!
I am writer looking to collect some information to write an article to publish at my “Medium” account. I am really surprised to read this article. I learned here how say your words in a few word. Thank you!
Hi there,
Happy to hear that!
How are concepts ideas protected?
Hi there!
Perhaps a lot of useful information can be found here in our webinars, where some POD experts are sharing their experience, different tips and tricks.
I like the tote bags inspirational words on them like (always look up to the sky ) something like this. When can I star my platform.
Hi there Bernice,
You can open a store any time. Here are some useful articles about it and if any other questions arise, feel free to get in touch with our Merchant Support team via email [email protected] or live chat on your Printify account.
I remember once in time when buying a personalised t-shirt would be expensive unless you purchased it in bulk. As technology has become more readily available, services have become widespread and circulated our lives also. I’ve never used Printify myself, but now I’m curious. Do you guys sell business cards curiously?
Hi James!
We are continuously adding new products to our Catalog, however we don’t offer business cards yet. Our team will definitely consider adding this product, thank you!
Is it possible when using the printify plugin with shopify, to give the power to my customers to customize their own brand, vs me selling a specific brand? Example My store niche is say sports teams and I select a few specific products/colors/etc, but my clients still have the ability to add their own custom logo and text to the T-shirt or Ball cap. Is this possible?
Hello Jarret!
Currently, we do not offer end-customer customization, however you can process custom orders manually by editing items before sending them to production. Here is our guide.
Let us know if you have any questions!
Hello, does Printify work with the Webflow platform?
Hello! I was wondering if I needed to set up a corporation or LLC in order to sell shirts using prinitfy?
Hi dear. Must I have a website to sell the POD products or can I list them on other online marketplace? If yes , like which ones ? Thanks
Do I need to register my business with the state first?
Hello Elina, Hope you’re doing well..
i have a query… Do i need to register trademark for my brand if i’m selling pod products online..??
Hi,
If Printify is free why do you need to buy a premium subscription and how much is it? If you charge the user for T-shirts is that an extra charge?
Hi Bobbie! Printify is 100% free and we charge only when you have a sale. With Printify premium you will have a discount for blank products, so it means you can earn more with bigger profits. – Elina
hi there, is there a way to edit the inside pages of a book ?
Hi! I am starting a custom designed tote bag business and I wanted to know if I am able to view all available bag options prior to choosing a POD printing and fulfillment service. Am I able to choose any product on the market? I’m looking for high quality bags that come in various colors and sizes.
Heather, thanks for the question! Yes, you can see all the bags on our catalog – https://printify.com/app/products/accessories/bags
You can see available base colors, print providers when you click on each product.
Thanks,
Elina
I am wondering if you have integration with Amazon? I am not seeing it anywhere as an option. Is this something you are planning on doing in the future? Thanks.
Maya, thank you for your questions. We are working on multiple new integrations. We can’t mention names yet, but we will keep you updated and notified. 😉
No Gumroad integration?
how much will it cost me to start
I don’t see it as an option and wonder if I’m missing it or if maybe a product you might add in the future would be a good quality yoga mat. I have designs of my own and yoga mats available at Society6 but would love to be able to have my shirts and mats available in the same place.
Hey, I JUST need help in shipping setting. I have built a shopify store and offered free shipping to USA. When I connected printify it has been set for free shipping too. Which I don’t want. How can I fix it?
I have a Character with lots of colors.
Is there a limit on the amount of colors going on a t-shirt.
Hi, Tony! Unless you use embroidery, there is no specific limitation of colors on a design. But keep in mind – each print provider will have slightly different colors. You can read about it here – https://help.printify.com/hc/en-us/articles/4483617515793 .
I noticed there are not any real design platform, so you should have your designs ready for upload correct?
Yes, you should have designs ready. But we will publish a new article soon ( next week) – where to get free print designs.
Best wishes,
Elina
I would like to know if you are paid by the buyer before you execute and deliver the order. What happens if the customer who ordered has a change of mind and does not receive the order? My question is if the customer pays you or us directly?
Hi there,
Some great Info thankyou!
Any tips on how to actually market the products once the store is up and running?
It’s hard to find info on that. I don’t have any followings on social media etc and wondering if there’s other ways.
Appreciate further tips!
How much money do I have to spend once I’ve designed my T-Shirt? In otherwords, do I have to buy the T-Shirts first, then sell them?
Hi James! No, Printify is free, so you don’t have to pay anything before a real customer purchases a product. You can read more here – https://help.printify.com/hc/en-us/articles/4483638151569
I need help setting up
Hi Ayanna, maybe this is helpful to you – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2d3o13tnxI
Or you can contact our customer care agents and they will help you – [email protected]
Where can I find part 2?
Hey, TJ! We are currently working on Part 2. Is there something specific you want to know? I can suggest some other useful resources.
KR,
Phil
I wasn’t looking for clothing concepts. I was and am looking for print on demand for board games or card games. I design those. Can you do that?