Introduction
You have probably thought about selling your own custom-designed products. Well, the usual way of doing that will be creating your design, finding materials and a manufacturer, managing your inventory, and sorting out the shipping all on your own. However, that’s not the only way anymore, there is a more convenient, lower-risk way to do it, which is print on demand (POD).
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about starting and scaling a successful print-on-demand business in 2025.
What is Print on Demand?
Print on Demand (POD) is a business model where you create designs, partner with suppliers who print your designs on products when customers order them, and then ship directly to your customers. The beauty of this model is that you don’t have to pay for products until they’re sold. Just like dropshipping, you are eliminating inventory risks and upfront costs, which increase your chance of success by allowing you to test your products.
Although POD has been around for a few years, it has and will continue to grow. According to Grand View Research, the global POD market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 25.8% from 2023 to 2030.
Pros and Cons of POD
Understanding the pros and cons of POD can help you decide whether this business model is what you are looking for. While it has several benefits, there are some limitations that you should know before stepping into the POD world.
The Pros of Print on Demand
Low startup costs
POD requires minimal upfront investment. Unlike traditional retail or manufacturing, you don’t need to purchase inventory in advance or invest in production equipment. Your main initial expenses will be design tools, a few product samples, and possibly website hosting.
No inventory management
You don’t have to order products and keep them in your garage and worry you won’t be able to sell them. It eliminates storage costs and the stress of overstock or understock. At least, you won’t have to worry about it until your business starts to expand and there’s a significant demand.
Quick product testing
When you have a new design idea, you can put it on multiple products and make it available for sale within hours. This rapid testing capability is invaluable because the more and the faster you test a design, the quicker you can identify a winning design. You don’t have to wait for weeks or months to release a design, only to discover the trend is already over.
Work where you want
Although you are selling physical products, it gives you the freedom to work where you want. Since the suppliers handle production and shipping, all you need is a laptop and an internet connection. This flexibility is perfect for digital nomads or anyone seeking location independence.
Scalability
POD is highly scalable. Most POD suppliers can accommodate your growth in sales and offer international shipping. Additionally, you can create a brand and gradually expand your product options.
The Cons of Print on Demand
Lower profit margins
The convenience of POD comes at a cost. Since items are produced individually rather than in bulk, the per-unit production cost is higher, which means lower profit margins.
Limited quality control
One of my biggest challenges that most entrepreneurs need to overcome in POD is product quality. Since you never handle the products yourself, you cannot guarantee the consistency of the product quality. While you can order samples to make sure the colors are right and check the print resolution and the fabric quality, you won’t be able to inspect every item that is shipped to your customer.
Shipping complexities
Shipping can be a significant drawback, especially if you’re selling internationally. Your customers may have to wait for 3-4 weeks to get their products, depending on where they are located. It can significantly affect your sales when they can get them from Amazon, which arrives in just a few days.
Limited product customization
While POD offers a wide range of products, you’re ultimately limited to the items and customization options your supplier offers. Designing a mug with a different shape or using a special material is typically not possible.
Design Saturation
As POD has become more popular, certain niches have become increasingly saturated with similar designs. Standing out requires stronger design skills and marketing efforts than it did just a few years ago. Therefore, make sure to perform market research and make sure that your design has a USP.
How to Get Started with POD?
Starting your POD journey is similar to how you start every business, with a couple of differences.
Find Your Niche
I know how appealing it is to create a product that is for everyone, since a greater target audience means money. However, as we have discussed in other posts, aiming for too broad an audience results in a product that appeals to no one.
Take some time to research potential niches based on your interests and market demand. Are you passionate about pets? Outdoor activities? What is that thing you feel like you can resonate with your target audience?
For example, if you are a fan of Game of Thrones, you will surely be able to create something that resonates with that audience better than someone like me, who has never watched it. The other option is to think about your vision, you might want to build a Japanese streetwear brand targeted at a specific demographic, and that can be a choice.
You can also use tools like Google Trends, Pinterest, and social media to identify trending topics within your areas of interest to discover a niche. Market demand is important, but since you are trying to create products that speak with your audience, you shouldn’t choose something that is completely unfamiliar based on market demand.
Choose Your Products
Once you’ve identified your niche, it’s time to select which products you’ll offer. The good thing about POD is that there are options for you to choose from, which means you remove the frustration of brainstorming your product options. The bad thing is that you only have limited options as we discussed, and that’s why creativity is extremely important in POD.
Which one do you choose from the limited options? Think about factors like profit margins, production quality, shipping costs, and, most importantly, choose the one best suited for your niche. Here are some of the items to consider, apart from T-shirts:
- Phone cases (great margins!)
- Wall art and posters
- Coffee mugs
- Tote bags
- Throw pillows
- Backpacks
Don’t start with too many products at once, pick 3-5 product types and test the market. You can always expand your offerings as you grow, and it will be easier to decide what product types to add when you have consistent customers who can provide some suggestions.
Select a POD Platform
Choosing the right POD platform matters. Each platform offers different products, pricing, integrations, and print quality, and finding the best one for your initial products can make a difference.
Some popular POD platforms include:
- Printful: It has a wide product range and excellent integration with various e-commerce platforms. Their print quality is consistently high, though their pricing is slightly higher than some competitors.
- Printify: Offers competitive pricing through its network of print providers.
- Gelato: Great for global businesses due to their distributed printing network that reduces shipping times and costs.
- Gooten: Offers some unique products not available on other platforms.
When selecting a platform, make sure you understand the pros and cons of each platform and how they can influence your business. Don’t forget to order samples before committing to one. Reading reviews only may not be enough; the best way to make sure that the quality of the products meets your standard is to feel them in your hands!
Set Up Your Store
POD platforms are not ecommerce platforms, they provide on-demand printing and fulfillment, but most often, you cannot build a website on these platforms.
Therefore, apart from choosing a POD platform, you will also find a place to sell your digital products.
Create your own online store
The first option you have is to create your own online store. This gives you complete control over your brand and customers, and you can customize your website the way you want. Check out the “5 Best Website Builders for Online Businesses.”
Shopify is my personal top choice when it comes to building an ecommerce store. It has all the ecommerce features you need for an online store and integrations with most of the best POD platforms, including Printful and Printify. Apart from that, you can also start with $1 for three months to test your designs and products with low risk. Start building your store on Shopify today!
Sell on marketplaces
If you can’t be bothered to create your own website right now, you can leverage marketplaces like Etsy, Amazon, or eBay. The benefit of using these platforms is that you don’t have to worry about traffic since thousands of people are shopping on these platforms. However, it does mean greater competition. For unique and niche designs, Etsy is probably the best platform among them all.
Use POD-specific marketplaces
They are sites like Redbubble, TeePublic, or Society6 handle everything from production to customer service, but of course, they typically offer lower profit margins. Although these platforms provide a seamless and efficient way to start selling quickly, they are not ideal for maximizing long-term profits.
You can choose a hybrid approach where you build your own store for brand building and control while also listing your product on marketplaces to benefit from their traffic. It’s a good strategy to diversify your reach and revenue. Don’t be afraid of building a store if you have no experience; setting up a store on Shopify is easier than you think.
Creating Winning Designs
The design aspect of print-on-demand can be both exciting and challenging. Your designs are the only factor that makes your product unique, and that’s why you need to find the right tools to help you create those designs. If you don’t have a design tool to use, here are some suggestions.
Design tools and resources
You don’t need to be a professional graphic designer to create successful POD products. These design tools provide what you need to bring your design to life, and they can make the process of creating your design faster and easier at the beginning.
- Canva: Canva is a user-friendly design platform that is excellent for everyone, from beginners to experienced designers. Their templates and drag-and-drop interface make creating professional-looking designs a lot easier!
- Adobe Creative Cloud: If you’re more serious about design, programs like Photoshop and Illustrator offer advanced capabilities.
- Placeit: Great for creating mockups of your products being worn or used, which helps you and your customers visualize the end product.
- Design resources: Sites like Creative Market, Envato Elements, and Freepik offer design elements, fonts, and templates that can jumpstart your creative process.
Investing in expensive software or tools is not required for success in POD. However, paid plans also come with more features, and that would be a great advantage if you are a beginner.
Design trends and best practices
I am not a professional designer, but I do know one thing, which is staying on top of design trends is important. Sometimes, creating a design that sells is as simple as following the trends. Being attentive to what’s on Pinterest, Instagram, and even when you are walking through retail stores can provide inspiration and insight into what’s currently popular and help you find the winning design for POD.
Furthermore, there are some design principles that you should follow, according to my research:
- Keep it simple: Designs that are too complex often don’t translate well to products
- Consider the product: Design with the specific item in mind. A design that looks great on a mug won’t be the same when put on a t-shirt.
- Use high-quality images: Low-resolution designs mean poor-quality products
While creating your unique designs, you should also pay attention to the trends and alter your plan accordingly. You don’t want to be creating designs that only follow trends, especially if you are building a brand. But you also don’t want to ignore what people obviously want and create something they may not buy, having a balance is the best approach.
Legal Considerations
One aspect of business that I am most careful about is making sure that I am not breaking the law. Understanding the legal aspects of design can prevent you from making costly mistakes. Here is what you need to know:
Copyright: Never use images, quotes, or characters that you don’t have the rights to use. If they are free, make sure that they are licensed for commercial use. Creating products consisting of Disney characters, famous quotes, or anime, if that’s what you are passionate about, can lead to legal issues and account shutdowns.
Trademarks: Be careful with company logos, slogans, and brand names. Even parodies can sometimes lead to trademark disputes. Make sure to check that they are not trademarked on relevant trademark databases before using them.
Licensing: If you really want to use Disney or anime characters or other brands to create your brand, you will need to look into official licensing programs or contact the copyright holders to receive licenses and permissions. Yes, they cost money, but that’s because they can be very profitable.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Quality Control Issues
As we discussed, you should order samples of every product and do that regularly to make sure that the quality is consistent.
Another thing that will save you some time is to work only with reputable suppliers who maintain consistent quality. However, occasional quality issues can still happen. To keep customers happy, promptly offer returns or replacements for products that don’t meet the quality standards, along with some compensation, such as a discount coupon on the next purchase.
Shipping Delays
Shipping delays are inevitable in ecommerce, especially with POD products that require production time. Clearly communicating production and shipping timeframes is important, which means you should proactively reach out to them and let them know if there’s a delay. Again, you should offer a free gift or discount coupons when significant delays happen.
Being transparent about timeframes from the beginning has significantly reduced customer complaints about shipping times.
Market Saturation
As POD has grown in popularity, certain niches have become increasingly competitive. But that doesn’t mean there is no opportunity. Successful POD businesses are still being built today, you just have to find a way.
You can focus on specific sub-niches when you become an authority or develop a unique brand voice and aesthetic.
Other aspects you can focus on to differentiate yourself are creating a community or providing exceptional customer experience, such as fast shipping, good customer service, easy shopping experience, and more to attract customers.
Maintaining Profit Margins
To increase the profit margins, you can try to focus on higher-margin products when possible. Bundling products is a way to increase the AOV that leads to higher revenue, so although your profit margins are lower, this results in higher revenue. Another way to increase the profit margins is to minimize advertising costs by focusing on organic growth strategies such as creating UGC on social media.
Build your online store and start selling today!
I hope this guide has been helpful and enabled you to start your POD online business today. Success in POD rarely happens overnight, there will be a learning phase and potentially a hundred iterations of your designs to find out what works. Don’t let that stop you, start selling today!
Selling online has never been easier. Launch your business in minutes for $1 with Shopify today!
