Whether you want to sell t-shirts, stickers, mugs, notebooks, or any other merchandise with a design, print on demand is the way to go. One of the most important choices to make when you start a print on demand business is choosing the right provider. 

What Are Print-on-Demand Companies?

Print on demand (POD) is an order fulfillment model where items are printed as they are ordered instead of being created in batches. Once an order is placed, the platform you use sends it directly to the nearest fulfillment center and ships the items out to your customers.

 

Most services offer a variety of print-on-demand products, such as:

 

T-shirts

Hoodies

Mugs

Towels

Phone covers

Notebooks

Stationery

Stickers

Bags

Posters

 

Some companies also offer less conventional print-on-demand merchandise options, like:

 

Shoes

Leggings

Jackets

Sweatshirts

Blankets

Pillows

Watches

Jewelry

Wall Art

Headphones

Speakers

Tote Bags

Water Bottles

Toys

Face Masks

 

There are two main types of POD companies: 

Print-on-demand services

Print on demand services sellers to sell products on their own website and via third-party marketplaces like Etsy.

Some examples of print on demand services include: 

  • Printify 
  • SPOD
  • T-Pop
  • Gooten

Print-on-demand marketplaces

Print on demand marketplaces are dedicated platforms for selling print on demand products alongside other sellers.

Some examples of print on demand marketplaces include: 

  • Sellfy
  • Teespring
  • Redbubble
  • Printful

Printing Method Options

Most print on demand services offer several printing method options to get the best quality results for their wide variety of products. Some popular options include: 

  • Direct to garment
  • Cut and sew
  • Sublimation Printing
  • Embroidery

Direct to Garment

Direct to garment printing, also known as digital garment printing, uses an inkjet printer and water-based ink to print designs directly onto clothing. It results in detailed, high-color images. 

Cut and Sew

The cut and sew process involves printing the design before the product is manufactured and adding it to the garment later on. 

Sublimation Printing

Sublimation printing uses ink and heat to transfer designs onto fabric. This method allows a design to cover an article of clothing from seam to seam. 

Embroidery

Embroidery is sewing a design directly into an article of clothing with the thread creating the design. 

The 12 Best Print on Demand Companies

Without further ado, here are the best sites for print on demand needs: 

  1. Printful
  2. SPOD
  3. Printify
  4. Sellfy
  5. Apliiq
  6. Teelaunch
  7.  CustomCat
  8. T-Pop
  9. Spring (Formerly Teespring)
  10. Gooten
  11. Redbubble
  12. Zazzle

The factors we take into consideration include:

  • Shipping
  • Printing Options
    • Direct to Garment
    • Cut and Sew
    • Sublimation Printing
    • Embroidery
  • Key Features
  • Plans and Pricing

Printful

Printful is a popular print on demand site for clothing. They offer a wide selection of high-quality products and brands. They also offer multiple clothing printing techniques and a  mockup generator is another popular feature. 

Shipping

Standard shipping to the US starts at $3.99 and takes 3-4 business days (see their shipping map for other destinations). Shipping costs depend on the product.  Orders with multiple items are eligible for discounts. 

Printing options

Printful offers 

  • Direct-to-garment
  • Embroidery
  • cut and sew
  • sublimation printing

You can also add tear-away tags to your products, as well as inserts and stickers to your packaging for an additional cost for a more branded customer experience.

Key features

  • Mockup generator
  • Design maker 
  • Support for integrations
  • Free to use
  • No order minimums
  • Custom branding 
  • 20% discount on sample orders

Plans and pricing

Signing up for Printful is free. You don’t have to pay until a customer places an order. 

Recommended for

Printful is great for beginners and experienced entrepreneurs alike  who want a flexible, well-rounded print on demand solution that they can scale later on. 

Product catalog

Printful carries over 220 items from clothing to accessories to wall art. These include: 

  • T-shirts
  • Sweatpants, leggings, and joggers
  • Tote bags and backpacks
  • Mugs
  • Phone cases
  • Bean bag chairs 
  • Framed posters
  • Prints

Printful's home page

SPOD

SPOD, a print on demand company owned by Spreadshirt is a great choice if speed is your priority. Their 48 hour turnaround time is one of the fastest in the print on demand business. They don’t skimp on variety either. They offer over 100 product options and five printing options.  The customization tool allows customers to create their own custom designs. 

Shipping

Domestic shipping in the US starts at $3.57 with an estimated arrival time of 3 to 8 business days. See SPOD's shipping calculator for more details.

Printing options

SPOD offers

  • Digital direct
  • Thermal sublimation
  • Digital transfer/laser transfer
  • Special flex

Key features

  • Customization tool
  • Under 48-hours production
  • Integrations
  • Help-center 
  • Variety of products
  • Shipping calculator
  • 20% discount on sample orders

Plans and pricing

Setting up shop on SPOD is free. Sellers only pay once a customer places an order.

Recommended for

SPOD is a good choice for print on demand newbies who need fast fulfillment, simple shipping, and low prices. 

Product catalog

SPOD’s product selection offers over 110 items including: 

  • Classic t-shirts
  • Premium organic t-shirts
  • Adjustable aprons
  • Baseball caps
  • Women’s longer-length fitted tank top
  • Camper mugs
  • 7-inch crew socks

SPOD's home page

Printify

Printify gives its sellers access to a network of printing partners around the world. This means they get a larger variety of products, faster shipping time, and some of the best profit margins in the print on demand industry. The drawbacks of this setup are inconsistent quality and further setup required to work with multiple vendors. 

Shipping

Products, shipping costs, location, packaging, and production times will depend on the print provider within Printify’s network you choose.

Printing options

Printify offers

  • Direct to garment
  • Sublimation
  • cut and sew
  • Embroidery
  • And more

Key features

  • Mockup design
  • Powerful integrations
  • Manual order creation
  • Self-serve help center
  • 20% discount 

Plans and pricing

Printify has three pricing plans

Free Plan:

$0 per month

Premium Plan:

$29 per month

Enterprise Plan: 

Custom pricing

Recommended for

Printify is a wonderful option for anyone looking for a print on demand provider with 

  • Wide product selection 
  • Flexibility 
  • Low costs 
  • Region-specific printing partners

Product catalog

Printify lets you print your designs on over 250 products including: 

  • T-shirts
  • Hoodies
  • Backpacks
  • Canvas wraps and framed prints
  • Fridge magnets
  • Stickers
  • Swimwear
  • Skirts
  • Blankets
  • Sneakers
  • High heels

Printify's home page

Sellfy

Sellfy is an eCommerce platform for selling digital and physical products from online courses and ebooks to T-shirts and hoodies. 

Sellfy advertises that users can build their eCommerce stores in 5 minutes. Though it lacks the advanced features that some of its competitors have, it’s easy and affordable to use.

Shipping

It can take up to 20 business days between the production time and shipping time for the item to arrive. This varies depending on the location of the customer and the specific product that they ordered. 

Printing options

Sellfy offers

  • Digital products
  • Direct to garment

Key features

  • Specialized for online stores
  • No storage limit
  • No transaction fees 
  • Can be embedded anywhere 
  • Ease of use 

Plans and pricing

Sellfy has four pricing plans:

Free

$0 per month

Starter

$22 per month

Business

$59 per month

Premium

$119 per month

Recommended for

Sellfy is the way to go for businesses that primarily sell digital products and are branching out into T-shirts and other merchandise. 

Product catalog

Sellfy’s selection of digital and physical products includes, but is not limited to: 

  • Ebooks
  • Videos
  • Audio and Music
  • T-Shirts
  • Hoodies
  • Mugs
  • Hats
  • Digital subscriptions

Sellfy's home page

Apliiq 

If you want to start a clothing line that prioritizes design and quality, look no further than Apliiq.

Their wholesale discounts start at 20% off for an order of 10 items, which is better than most print on demand providers.  That makes Apliiq a great partner for new fashion entrepreneurs who want to sell through a mix of online and offline channels.starting at $3.99 to the US

Shipping

Once an order is placed, production can take up to 7 days. Apliiq offers weight-based shipping starting at $3.99 in the US. They also ship internationally to over 150 countries.

Printing options

Apliiq offers 

  • Digital print
  • Direct to garment
  • Cut and sew
  • Appliqué 
  • Embroidery

You can also use their private label option to add your own branded label, clothing tags, or embroidered patches. This way you’re selling as your own brand as opposed to an Apliiq seller.

Key features

  • Support for embroidery 
  • Customization options
  • Private label 
  • Immediate quotes
  • Bulk discounts
  • Guaranteed delivery dates 

Plans and pricing

Setting up for print on demand with Apliiq is free until a customer places an order. Talk to the sales department for private label and guaranteed delivery pricing. 

Recommended for

Sellfy is the way to go for those who are starting their own clothing line with high quality products at high price points.

Product catalog

Apliiq’s selection of high quality products for your designs includes, but is not limited to: 

  • Pocket tees (designs on the chest pocket)
  • Joggers
  • Hoodies with print on interior lining
  • Kangaroo hoodies
  • Snapback hats
  • Denim jackets
  • Eco-friendly clothing

Apliiq's home page

Teelaunch

Teelaunch has a wide selection of products and printing method options. They allow users to sell their products directly on Etsy and Amazon and are one of the print on demand providers that provide item personalization for customers. 

Shipping

Production usually takes 3-6 business days. Then the products ship from facilities in the US, Canada, or the UK. Shipping costs depend on the product and destination. You can see Teelaunch's full breakdown of product costs for details.

Printing options

  • Direct to garment 
  • Cut and sew all-over-print 
  • Laser etching

Key features

  • Product personalization tool 
  • Mockup generator with lifestyle photos
  • Wide product selection
  • Direct integrations with Etsy and Amazon

Recommended for

Teelaunch is a great option for anyone who prioritizes high-quality products and uses TikTok and YouTube in their promotion strategy. 

Plans and pricing

Getting started with Teelaunch is free. Sellers only have to pay for the cost of the product and shipping after a customer places an order. 

Product catalog

Teelaunch isn’t just about T-shirts. Their 120+ item product catalog includes: 

  • T-shirts
  • 3-piece canvas sets
  • Color-changing mugs
  • Monogram handbags 
  • Balloons
  • Penryn backpacks
  • Running shoes
  • Bluetooth speakers
  • Dog bowls
  • Jewelry
  • iPhone cases
  • Phone chargers
  • Journals

Teelaunch's home page

CustomCat

CustomCat is a large-scale print on demand company with a huge product catalog. It lacks some of the advanced features that competitors have, but it offers competitive prices and fast fulfillment times.

 

It offers a wide range of brands and products to choose from, along with a paid plan of $30 a month to get a discount on its entire catalog.

Shipping

Orders are usually ready to ship within 2-3 business days after the order is placed. Then domestic shipping within the USA takes 1-7 business days and costs $4.99 for the first item and then $1.50 for each additional item. International shipping takes around 15 days and costs $7.50 for the first item and $5.95 for each additional item. See CustomCat's FAQ page for details.

Printing options

  • Direct-to-garment
  • Sublimation
  • 3D dye diffusion
  • Embroidery printing

Key features

The paid plan gives sellers access to more items and lower wholesale prices. 

Recommended for

CustomCat’s large product catalog makes it great for anyone looking to source hard to find products. 

Plans and pricing

CustomCat offers two pricing plans: 

Free Plan: 

Free

Premium Plan: 

$30

Product catalog

At 550 items, CustomCat has an impressively expansive product catalog. The highlights include: 

  • T-shirts
  • Sweatpants
  • Laptop sleeves
  • Pet accessories
  • Jewelry
  • Drinkware
  • Windbreaker jackets and pants
  • Jerseys

CustomCat's home page

T-Pop

T-Pop is based in France and is the most popular print on demand company in Europe. They’re known for their environmentally friendly practices including plastic-free packaging and packing slips printed on 100% recycled paper. 

 

Their main supplier, Stanley/Stella, is part of the Fair Wear Foundation, an organization focused on ensuring compliance with labor laws in apparel manufacturing.

Shipping

Orders take two to four days before they're ready to ship. Orders within France arrive in 2-3 business days, the rest of Europe in 3-7 business days, and international orders in 5-10 business days. Shipping rates are based on weight. 

Printing options

  • Direct-to-garment 
  • Sublimation

Key features

  • Integrations
  • Free white labeling 
  • Eco-friendly print-on-demand 
  • Product personalization
  • Package tracking

Plans and pricing

T-Pop charges for product, printing, and shipping costs for every order placed, but has no monthly fees.

Recommended for

T-Pop is the ideal print on demand provider for anyone selling within Europe or anyone who prioritizes eco-friendly business practices. 

Product catalog

  • T-shirts
  • Hoodie dress
  • Aluminum bottle
  • Tank tops
  • Tote bags
  • Sweatshirts
  • Metal and ceramic mugs
  • Cushion and cushion covers
  • Baby bibs and onesies
  • And more

T-Pop's home page

Spring (Formerly Teespring)

Teespring, now known as Spring, is a one-stop shop for creating, selling, and ordering custom products.

One of Teespring’s unique features is the ability to sell directly on YouTube and TikTok. The company focuses on tops and digital products. You will be able to pick from various tank tops, t-shirts, and hoodies for both men and women.

The company will handle production, shipping, and customer support while you are left to handle marketing and selling your goods.Teespring is tailored to meet the expectations of the younger generation as is reflected in its integration capabilities with platforms such as Discord, Streamlabs, Google Shopping, and Twitch.

Shipping

 Spring has different shipping fees, depending on where you are shipping to. There is also an additional cost for additional items. When adding items from different listings to the same shopping cart, each listing’s shipping cost will be calculated separately. See the chart below for details.

Printing options

Spring Offers

  • Screen Printing
  • Direct to Garment

Key features

  • Ability to sell physical and digital goods
  • Social integrations
  • Create custom stores
  • Strategic partner manager
  • Custom fulfillment

Plans and pricing

Spring offers two pricing options: 

Free plan

Free

Premium plan

Price upon request

Recommended for

Spring is a great choice for sellers who don’t want to set up their own storefront online but don’t want to sacrifice quality of products. It’s also great for selling on social media.

Product catalog

Spring is called that now because it isn’t just about T-shirts. The 150 items in their product catalog include: 

  • Short-sleeve and long-sleeve t-shirts.
  • Pocket t-shirts
  • Hoodies and tank tops
  • Leggings
  • Water bottles and coffee cups.
  • Pandemic face masks

Redbubble's home page

Gooten 

Gooten is a great choice if a variety of products is your priority. They offer everything from T-shirts to dog beds. They use several vendors and dropshippers from across the globe to achieve this variety. This makes the product quality inconsistent, but it also keeps the prices low. 

Shipping

Gooten’s print on demand dropshipping network approach enables them to manufacture and ship products close to your customers. This speeds up shipping and cuts down on costs. 

Gooten also enables you to opt for flat shipping rates for domestic orders. Check out their shipping calculator to estimate shipping costs per product and location. 

When a customer makes a purchase, Gooten accepts the order and routes it for production after a two hour wait period. Production can take up to four business days. They add tracking when one of Gooten's vendor's prints a shipping label and the shipping carrier scans it.

Deliveries within the USA can take up to 12 business days and up to 21 working days if you’re shipping internationally. That said, expedited deliveries only take between two and four business days and

overnight shipping just one business day.

 

Printing options

Gooten offers: 

  • Cut and Sew
  • Direct to Garment
  • Sublimation
  • Embroidery Printing

Key features

  • Comprehensive support center 
  • Integrations
  • Over 150 products
  • Fast turnaround times
  • Gooten VIM

Plans and pricing

Gooten is free to use. They only charge for the product and shipping costs. Contact the sales department for the price of Gooten VIM services.

Recommended for

Gooten is a great choice for sellers of unique products that are hard to find elsewhere.

Product catalog

Some of the 150 items in Gooten’s product catalog include: 

  • Journals and notebooks
  • Travel and leisure
  • Ornaments
  • Totes and bags
  • Wearables
  • Kitchen accessories
  • Mugs
  • Home Decor
  • Office supplies and tech
  • Wall Art
  • Apparel

Gooten's home page

Redbubble

Redbubble offers a wide range of products and print designs by independent professional artists. Since their founding in 2006 in Melbourne, Australia, they’ve reached the top of the print on demand business by focusing on eye-catching designs. 

On Redbubble you can use your own designs or purchase professional designs from over 700,000 artists on the platform. Whichever you choose, you will enjoy using the Redbubble app as it is simple yet very appealing.

Shipping

Because orders from independent artists on the Redbubble marketplace are made by 3rd-party printers around the world, shipping costs vary and depend on a few key factors:

  • Whether you ship Standard or Express
  • Where the order is shipping to and from
  • The packaging used to ship each part of the order
  • Orders containing multiple items may be printed at different facilities, adding to the shipping cost

Printing options

Redbubble offers

  • Direct to Garment
  • Sublimation

Key features

  • Huge art database
  • Comprehensive list of products
  • Secure payments 
  • Easy returns
  • Standard and express delivery options

Plans and pricing

Redbubble is free to use. You will only be charged when orders are processed.

Recommended for

Redbubble is great for artists and sellers with unique designs. 

Product catalog

Redbubble’s product catalog includes, but is not limited to: 

  • T-shirts
  • Hoodies
  • Cushions
  • Duvet covers
  • Leggings
  • Skirts
  • Scarves
  • Mugs
  • Phone cases
  • Babies’ and kids’ clothing
  • Stickers
  • Wall Art

Some of Redbubble's products on their home page

Zazzle

Zazzle is a print-on-demand marketplace for selling your designs via their website. There is a vast range of products to choose from in all manner of categories. And as your store is on their website, you earn a commission payment based on your sales.

There is no direct integration for third-party eCommerce stores, but there is an API for you to list your products on a website.

Shipping

Zazzle offers 5 easy shipping options for orders shipped within the US:

  • Zip (speeds up manufacturing time)
  • Zip PLUS (speeds up manufacturing time)
  • Express (1-2 business days)
  • Premium (2-3 business days)
  •  Standard (4-7 business days)

Printing options

Zazzle offers

  • Direct to Garment

Key features

  • Customization options
  • Wide selection of products
  • Set your own royalty rates 
  • Straightforward payment

Recommended for

Zazzle is a good choice for people who don’t want to build their own online store and people who want a wide variety of products. 

Plans and pricing

It’s free to sign up for Zazzle and create products to sell. Sellers earn a 15% commission on every product sale.

Product catalog

At 0ver 1,000 items, Zazzle has the biggest product catalog on this list. These items include: 

  • Mugs
  • Cushions
  • Clocks.
  • Tote bags
  • Badges
  • Key rings.
  • Wall art
  • Wrapping paper
  • Canvas prints.
  • Notebooks, planners, and calendars
  • Smartphone cases and laptop sleeves
  • Wedding invites, favors, and gifts
  • And 1300 more

Zazzle's home page

5 Things to Consider When Choosing a Print on Demand Supplier

Choosing the right print on demand supplier is perhaps the most important decision to make when you start a print on demand business. How do you make the right choice? The five things you need to consider include:

  • Quality products
  • Shipping times
  • Product costs and shipping rates
  • Customization and printing options
  • Integrations with other platforms

1. Quality Products

You wouldn’t want to commit to a supplier just to find out that their T-shirts fall apart after you wear them twice. In order to vet the quality of the items before you set up shop with a print on demand company, shortlist your favorites and order samples from each. That way you can experience the quality yourself instead of taking other people’s word for it. Get a sense of the entire product catalog’s quality by getting samples of a wide variety of products, not just what you want to sell right now. This will make expansion choices easier down the road. 

2. Shipping Times

In a world dominated by Amazon Prime, fast shipping times are expected for many customers. That’s why shipping time is an important consideration for your brand reputation. Ideally, your customers should receive their items within a week of placing an order.

3. Product Costs and Shipping Rates

Once you’ve considered the product quality and shipping times, it’s time to think about money! Product costs and shipping fees are crucial for calculating your profit margins. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean to go for the lowest cost possible at the expense of quality. If you’re paying more for higher quality products, you may be able to sell them for more money. Use a profit margin calculator to help you find a sweet spot.

 

4. Customization and Printing Options

Depending on your needs, you may require plenty of customization options and printing options or just a few.

Are you simply selling merchandise with your logo or selling a wide variety of complex designs? What are your packaging needs? What other branding needs does your print on demand service need to meet? 

 

5. Integrations with Other Platforms

Different print on demand services have different integration options with other sales channels. These integrations may include:

  • Your own website
  • Etsy
  • eBay
  • Amazon
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce

Even if you’re keeping it simple now, it’s better to choose a platform with more integration options in case you expand later on. 

How Sav Can Help

Here at Sav, we’re dedicated to helping creators elevate their passion with an online business. That starts with your own beautiful website. No matter what you sell, which supplier you choose, or who your audience is, we make it easy to build and manage your website. Find out how today!

Luca Harsh

Luca Harsh

Luca Harsh is an in-house content writer for Sav. They live in Chicago with their cat, Polly. Yes, Harsh is their real last name.