Choosing the best print on demand company to partner with for your online business is a critical step to success. This guide will explain the importance of picking the right print provider and detail what you need to know and consider while choosing one. Let’s get you started on the right path.
⭐ Dive into each of the below topics to help you pick the best print on demand companies for you.
Why is picking the right print on demand companies crucial for your business?
Print provider companies are not built the same
Not all Printify print provider partners are the same. Depending on their printing techniques, in-house innovation, and technology, among other defining factors, one print provider may be entirely different from the other.
Some print providers may also use different printer technology that requires printing methods or printing on different materials. Even when print providers use similar printers, print technology, or even be printed on the same garment, each print provider has their specific tests and post-production procedures. These things make them unique and achieve their desired color output and product.
Different pricing and print areas per print on demand company
Besides having differences in their production procedures and printing on different fabric options, print providers also have different print areas. This means that some print providers offer larger print areas or more print areas in general, which may include sleeve printing, product tag printing, and printing on both sides of the garment.
Pricing is also a significant defining aspect of a print provider. You will notice that Printify’s print providers have different base prices and because they are located in different regions, their fulfillment prices vary from each other. This means that depending on where you plan to sell your products, the base price and shipping cost may be a factor to consider when choosing a print provider.
Different fulfillment costs per print on demand company
Before selecting a print provider to work with, it is essential first to understand the options available to you. Start by familiarizing yourself with all Printify print providers on our website on the Print Provider page, and then you may want to view their websites. Another crucial step is identifying which print providers are in the locations closest to your customers, their base prices, and of course, it is wise to compare their shipping rates on the Shipping Rates page.
Once you have clearly understood and identified which print providers are best suited for your business, you’ll be ready for your next step.
5 things to consider when choosing a print provider
Before selecting a print partner, it is crucial to decide after anticipating the print providers’ potential issues. With print on demand, the printing process is automated, and the custom material is provided, so you are already miles ahead of someone starting their own printing business from scratch. However, other underlying aspects that are crucial to the business need to be mitigated. These may include, among other issues, fulfillment times, shipping costs, and the print location’s proximity to your customers. If you pick the right print provider, they will help solve a lot of these issues instantaneously.
Below Are 5 Essential Criteria to Consider Before You Settle On the Print Provider You Want to Partner With for Your Business.
1. Consider their price and location
Location. Location. Location. This saying is as relevant to online businesses as it is to a brick and mortar. With online companies, the difference is the location that matters is that of your print provider compared to where your customer is based. An ideal scenario is when your print provider’s site is closer to your customer, minimizing the shipping times of products and cutting on shipping costs. This will not only be good for your prices per order, but in a world where instant gratification is desperately sought after, your products will be delivered with shorter delivery times, which your customers will love.
Pricing is also one of the critical characteristics of a good print provider or print on demand company. Printify print providers have a variety of base prices, and since they are based in different locations, their fulfillment costs are not the same across the board. Therefore, it is essential to pick one based on your preferred region and where you intend to sell your products. These will dictate the base price and shipping costs considered when selecting your print on demand company.
A print provider’s capacity can also help you expand your customer base. If a print provider has printing facilities in different locations, it allows you to expand your customer base without a worry. You also want to make sure that the print provider you choose can print the products you require. Depending on the print provider, they could print a range of products from different printing facilities and deliver them across a country or continent. That gives you the freedom to diversify your product range and cater to different markets. Just make sure all the print provider facilities deliver what you need in a short timeframe and are within your budget.
2. Consider their availability and customer service
Customer service is a good indicator of how easy it will be to run your company. If your business partners are always available and willing to help, it’ll be comfortable and even pleasant to deal with them even when issues arise. Print providers perform a crucial role in a print on demand online business. It is therefore imperative to know that they can be reached and are willing to help. You want to choose a print provider that can communicate effectively and listen to your requirements and concerns and respond with the level of urgency you need for the business. Traditionally, companies that offer services on a factory level are not known to be easy to reach. And naturally, you would have to do your research to find out how difficult it would be to deal with a print provider.
But with Printify, you don’t have to research at all. We have a dedicated customer service team available to you at all times. By getting on the Printify platform, we become the bridge between you and your print provider. If you would like to contact your print provider, you can quickly reach out to us, and we will mitigate any issues for you. Excellent communication will go a long way, as they will take the time to understand your needs and work with you to accomplish these.
Part of offering you a professional service would mean keeping you informed of any changes throughout your experience. Printify also keeps you updated on any ongoing updates, emergencies, or situations that arise that may affect your business. We announce any new arrivals and update you on any new products in the catalog. This means communication is easy, and the print provider you deal with is responsive and helpful. We are willing to go the extra mile to ensure that your print job is completed correctly and to a high standard.
3. Check the quality
What matters the most to a customer is the end-product they get from your store.
The quality of both the item delivered and the print quality of your custom design can be what determines the success or failure of a business. By partnering with a good print provider, you will be ensuring that the quality of the products you are delivering to your customer is top-notch. That is why it is essential to check the quality of work a print provider has before partnering with them. It is also good to see other merchant reviews to see how consistent the quality of the products delivered stands up over time. To check for physical quality, you can opt to do this by ordering a product sample.
The sample you receive will be what your customer will be buying from you. This means that if what you receive is good quality and the printing is also very vivid, the colors are just right, and the print quality is high, then your customers will be receiving good quality products from your brand. However, if your sample has issues, the final product shipped to your customer will likely have issues. Getting physical samples is crucial in establishing a good print on demand brand.
You may also want to dig further into your chosen print provider to see if they are updated and current in printing processes, methods, and trends. If a print provider invests in the latest and leading print technology, it’s good to indicate that your product will be finished to a higher quality. Print providers with modern technology and advanced digital printing presses provide unparalleled clarity, precision, and quality print consistently, which guarantees that you will be receiving a highly professional print output for your products every time. The quality of printed material can reflect the quality of your products or services. You want it to have a lasting impression and for it to be of a high-quality finish.
4. Make sure they are reliable
We live in a world of free and instant, so it’s only fair that customers are drawn to free shipping and fast delivery times. Every print provider has an estimated shipping time they have calculated, and sure it should be enough to ship your products to your destination. However, shipping times shifts between seasons can occur, and delivery delays may happen. But that’s understandable only if you’re sure that your print provider is proactive. This means if delays happen, they are unavoidable and your customer won’t feel slighted in the least. It is vital to ensure that your print provider delivers your products on time consistently and that minor delays that can be avoided do not occur. We have shipping time estimated displayed for each print provider on our platform. We also are quick to communicate any issues regarding this so you can inform your customer. When picking a print provider, be mindful of your customers’ strict deadlines, as those may make it harder to meet. Also, check if the print provider you choose has any guarantees or promises to reinforce its reliability.
5. Find out what other sellers feel about them
Print providers have to invest a lot of money into their facilities and printing technology. They also need to be able to fulfill your products on time. The only way to check how good a professional is is to check their reputation. A good print provider is one that has been in business for a significant amount of time. They don’t have to be a legacy brand, but they need to be established enough to partner with your business. That way, they will be familiar with the industry and have more experience and expertise. A reputable print provider will also be careful not to tarnish their reputation with any of their customers. They most likely will do a final check on the print work before and after it goes to production to ensure they retain their high-quality standards.
Other sellers’ reviews are a good indicator of how good a print provider is. Available data can also be an excellent way to determine the credibility and trustworthiness of a print provider. You can choose to check reviews on sites and forums, and social media, such as Facebook, Reddit, or Youtube. You also get the rating based on accumulated data for each print provider on Printify.
Printify’s print provider Ranking is based on print provider data from all of our print providers. The data is based on the Product Reprint Ratio (the number of reprints they’ve had), the Delayed Production Time Ratio (a Print Provider’s time to fulfill an order), their engagement with merchants, and of course, merchant Reviews. A combined score is calculated based on the data, and an overall score of 1-to-10 is awarded to each print provider. This score is displayed next to the print provider’s name on every product so you can quickly determine which one is the best for that particular product.
Printify & print on demand companies out there
Printify has partnered with a large number of print on demand companies to facilitate your online business. These print providers are based in different parts of the world. A strategic move from Printify to make sure that there is a print on demand company for your wherever you are.
As a result, we have over 90 printing locations across the globe that can fulfill your orders on key print on demand categories such as:
1. T-shirts & apparel
The Dream Junction
Renowned for supporting art, fashion, and music besides being a family business. The Dream Junction focuses on low-cost production for quality products. The products include t-shirts, hoodies, bags, crop tops, tanks, and children’s apparel. The Dream Junction is among the Printify providers associated with many brands such as Next Level, Hanes, Gildan, Generic Brand, Bella+Canvas, Rabbit Skins Anvil, and District. The Dream Junction’s fulfillment locations are the DJ East – Hebron, Kentucky and the 1DJ West – Santa Ana, California in the USA.
Monster Digital
Monster Digital boasts decades of experience producing soft goods using robust software from the latest technologies. Their products include t-shirts, sweatshirts, slouchy tops, hoodies, long sleeve shirts, and tanks. Most popular brands include Bella + Canvas, Next Level, and Gildan. Their fulfillment location is Miami, Florida, USA.
Click here for more print on demand companies that print apparel.
2. Home decor & accessories
SPOKE Custom Products
Founded in 2013, SPOKE Custom Product is known for its power in innovation, problem-solving, and craftsmanship. Think SPOKE, think fastest product deliverer. SPOKE brands include Case-Mate and Generic Brand. There are numerous SPOKE products, including clocks, stickers, magnets, towels, laptop sleeves, tumblers, mugs, and stationery. SPOKE products are made using printing technologies such as 3D printing and Dye Sublimation. The fulfillment location for SPOKE is in Norcross, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
MWW On Demand
This is an MWW affiliate, best known as a custom and textile printing provider. It is family-owned, centered on top American products and reputable customer service, and adapts to new manufacturing trends to improve its quality. MWW On Demand offers a wide range of products, including pet beds, blankets, leggings, personalized aprons, shirts, towels, comforters, and many more. MWW On Demand has several distribution centers and a single fulfillment point; Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA.
Click here for more print on demand companies that print Home decor & Accessories.
Unlike other print on demand platforms, Printify does not produce or print products. Instead, we connect merchants with a vast network of vendors worldwide. Here are two good reasons why:
1. We always have a print on demand company working for you should something cause a seize in operations in one of our print providers. With our new Automated Order Routine feature, your order will simply be replaced by an available print provider who will be able to facilitate a quick solution. You will get your orders produced and fulfilled with little to no hiccups.
2. More print on demand companies means more diverse print on demand merchandise with even better prices. Product costs are a huge part of determining a profit margin for your business. A variety of products and at different costs means you choose how affordable you want your products. Creative a diverse print on demand company portfolio means we can negotiate prices for products that meet any online seller’s need, from the cheapest to the more expensive. With Printify, you can get affordable, custom-designed t-shirts made in the USA and still earn a profit.
With a significant portfolio of print on demand companies, a great product catalog, and the best prices in the market, it is clear to see that Printify is the print on demand platform of choice for merchants who want to earn more. Printify is free for everyone, but we also offer a paid subscription where you can save up to 20% on all items that will lower retail prices, resulting in more sales and more profit.
Know the best print on demand companies on Printify – print provider ranking explained
Selecting a print on demand company directly impacts how some of your business’s essential features will be fulfilled. This is because quality, quick fulfillment times, and reliable delivery are also fast are some of the features of an established print on demand business. Choosing your print provider does not always feel as critical in the moment, mostly because it happens right before you design your products, which is exciting. It is, therefore, crucial to making these decisions in the most straightforward way possible. That is why we created a way for you to make these prime decisions quickly and within the shortest time possible. A method for you to pick out the top print provider quickly with guaranteed certainty that the choice you make is a good one.
With Printify’s Print Provider Ranking, you can quickly select the right print provider depending on your prerequisites and factoring in the print quality and production times. Your only task is to find the product you wish to sell from the wide range of products offered on the Printify platform and click on it for its respective Print Providers and their ranking. We came up with an algorithm that continuously helps us rank every Print Provider available on the Printify platform and ensure that the rankings are always up to date.
What is the print provider ranking?
The following elements determine the Print Provider ranking: the Product Reprint Ratio, the Delayed Production Time, and User Appraisals. Simply put, this means that a compound score is calculated after the Print Provider’s time to complete an order, the total number of reprints that they have had, and their interaction with users and suppliers have been considered. This is the best possible way to evaluate the print provider services’ quality while going through other sellers’ feedback.
Additionally, the Print Provider Rankings are shown by order of individual Print Provider for every product for your convenience. This appears immediately after clicking on the product you wish to sell then scrolling to see which Print Provider is offering the product. Alongside each Print Provider’s name, you will find their score in numbers, their Print Provider Ranking score. Their number score represents their overall rating. You should seriously consider the ranking before placing orders for an informed decision. To make it easier for you, after choosing the product you want to sell, you can click on the “Sort by” function followed by “Printify ranking,” which allows you to filter the Print list Providers to start with the highest-ranked Print Providers.
Can I influence print provider rankings?
Printify merchants can influence the ratings of print providers in several ways. One significant way of affecting these ratings is to leave any feedback on your tester order. You will be able to rate your Print Provider on a scale of 1-5 stars when given your tester order. After placing your sample order, a more comprehensive review window will open up where you can write down your sentiments besides providing general feedback about the Print Provider’s quality and fulfillment promptness.
While Print Provider Rankings are an easy way to determine the best print on demand company to work with, it is imperative that you also do your research regarding brands, colors, prices, shipping prices, production times, and shipping times. While we aspire to help you make a quick, informed decision, you will need more tailored information when choosing the best print on demand companies for your business as you grow your business.
Why choose Printify’s network of print on demand companies
All through our years of service in the print on demand industry, we have worked with the commitment to become your platform of choice for exclusive benefits and features, with a wide variety of products. To aid our efforts towards becoming your preferred platform, we have diversified our print provider portfolio by joining forces with over 15 print providers located in different parts of the globe, namely North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia. As a result, we have managed to acquire a vast network of more than 90 printing stations with over three hundred custom products on the Printify platform.
Therefore, we can confidently say that we are the most widely placed and differentiated print on demand platform that there is so far. We strive to ensure that our network of print on demand companies always has an endless list of options and are great partners for your business. We also continue to invent and implement features that make it easy to operate your business. Our goals remain to make your work easier and your profit margin higher as we aspire to take away the strain from your side as much as we possibly can. One way we do it is by creating this guide to help you navigate one of the most crucial aspects of your business, picking a great print provider.
