Shopify Print On Demand – Comprehensive Guide

E-commerce is the new way to do business over the internet. With e-commerce retail sales expected to reach $5 trillion by 2022, now is the ideal time to begin an online business.

However, not every vendor understands how to buy and sell products via the internet. To date, most business owners believe that running a physical store is less expensive than running an online store. However, this is not the case.

You can put your personal touch on everyday products and sell them online, from t-shirts to posters, backpacks, and books. However, if you go the traditional path of buying and stocking your inventory, you may end up with a pile of unsold products.

Print-on-demand services make it easier to avoid the time, financing, and risk associated with inventory management, allowing you to create unique products at a portion of the cost of manufacturing them yourself.

Over the last few years, the POD (print-on-demand) industry has grown by 12%. Moreover, the global print on demand market is expected to grow to USD 6.17 billion in 2022, up from USD 4.91 billion in 2021.

This guide will walk you through a thorough examination of Shopify print-on-demand world. Including advice on how to get started, suggestions for products, dropshipping tools, and dropshipping suppliers.

Table of contents for this article.

• What Is and How Does POD Works?
• Best Selling Shopify Print on Demand Products
  • Unisex T-shirts
  • Children’s T-shirts
  • Mugs
  • Full-Printed Hoodies
  • Full-Printed Yoga Pants
  • Jewelry
  • Bluetooth Speakers
  • Posters
  • Tote Bags
  • Fanny Packs
  • Backpacks
  • Stickers
  • Wall Art
  • Cushions
  • Hats
• Shopify Print On Demand Suppliers
  • Printful
  • SPOD
  • Printify
  • Apliiq Print On Demand
  • CustomCat
  • Teelaunch
  • T-Pop
  • Lulu xPress
• Tips for Starting with Shopify Print On Demand
  • Always Order Samples
  • Be Strategic About Shipping
  • Create Mockups that Show Off Your Products
  • Find Your Niche
  • Use Online Tools to Your Advantage
• Conclusion

What Is and How Does POD Works?

A print on demand business is one in which you collaborate with a supplier of white-label items (such as tote bags or baseball caps) to customize and sell them per order, under your label, and with your designs.

With POD, you don't pay for the product until after you've sold it, so there's no need to buy in bulk or keep inventory on hand. As a result, it has become a popular commercial model in the field of e-commerce.

Furthermore, with print-on-demand services, your supplier handles all aspects of the sale, from digital printing to processing orders and shipping. Another significant advantage of print-on-demand is that it only takes a few clicks to realize an order after you've made a sale.

Best Selling Shopify Print on Demand Products

You can place your design ideas on everyday products like tote bags and backpacks and sell them in your shop. They are also an effective means of increasing sales. According to a Printful study, 45% of print-on-demand shop owners expect to see an increase in sales in 2022.

In the following list, you’ll see the top selling Shopify print on demand products with their search trends over time provided by Google Trends. This way you can see the interest of potential customers on that determined product:

1. Unisex T-shirts

It's almost always a good time to launch an online t-shirt shop. T-shirts can be worn all year, unlike swimwear, which is only useful in the summer and sweaters, which are only useful in the winter. As main clothing in the summer and under heavier clothes in the winter.

2. Children’s T-shirts

If adult t-shirts are popular, you can imagine that children’s t-shirts are far beyond that. Take your most amazing unisex (and family-friendly) t-shirt designs and offer them as kids' shirts to expand your adult t-shirt line.

This is an excellent upsell because parents enjoy matching with their children. When choosing a print-on-demand t-shirt provider, consider factors other than price and quality. You could, for example, choose an eco-friendly or hypoallergenic material.

3. Mugs

Mugs, are among the most famous print-on-demand products due to their versatility and widespread use. Mug sales peak during the holidays but beyond that remain consistent.

Experiment with different mug designs. A colorful mug with an interior could be a top seller. Enamel mugs POD are also very fashionable. They have the appearance of a tin cup, which is commonly used for camping, and offer themselves with fun designs and slogans.

4. Full-Printed Hoodies

We were accustomed to seeing almost identical styles in print on demand hoodies: spot-focused designs in the front, back, and sides of the sleeves. These designs were mostly based on alphabets, numbers, and words.

However, you can now design full-printed hoodies with stunning digital prints and vibrant colors, making a stylish and bold style statement.

Because of this distinctivity, they have an increased perceived value, and clients will be willing to pay more. For this reason, don't be afraid to raise the price.

5. Full-Printed Yoga Pants

Full-printed yoga pants, like hoodies, have designs that cover the entire pants. People began wearing these leggings to music festivals, and they quickly became extremely popular. You may even have seen a pair of successful and popular galaxy design yoga pants.

Thanks to these new possibilities you can offer to your customers fully personalized leggings with the option to add a logo, or whatever they want.

6. Jewelry

Jewelry comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes, and it is often small and lightweight, making it suitable for shipping. It also makes an excellent product for personalized designs and engravings. Furthermore, there is enough demand for jewelry all year.

One route to take with POD jewelry is to create extremely niche-specific designs. Because jewelry is quite expensive to produce, many manufacturers do not cater to smaller customer groups or niches.

Print-on-demand jewelry is ideal for these targeted groups because it allows you to create jewelry that is unique to them and their desires without taking any risks.

7. Bluetooth Speakers

Bluetooth speakers are another one-of-a-kind custom product that you can create and sell online. Throughout the year, there are two spikes in demand: the holiday season and the summer months.

This provides you with two excellent opportunities to run targeted advertising campaigns that can generate sales. Teelaunch, a POD marketplace, provides a few Bluetooth speaker options for customization and online sale.

8. Posters

If you are looking to sell your art online, you don't have to sell abstract canvases or expensive paintings. You can turn your ideas into posters that are available to everyone rather than just a select group of people

Posters have long been and will continue to be popular. After all, people will choose a wall showing art that they love rather than a plain blank wall.

9. Tote Bags

Tote bags are an excellent print-on-demand product to add to your shop because they are simple to design. Because the designs are printed on a plain, rectangular surface, they are simple to scale, adapt, and repurpose from other POD items. You can even upsell or cross-sell the matching tote bag.

Launch your POD tote bags for free or at a reduced price with a qualifying purchase. This allows existing customers to tell potential new customers about your brand when they see the totes.

10. Fanny Packs

Fanny packs, or bum bags as they're known in the UK, are currently one of the best-selling print-on-demand products. Fanny packs have experienced a significant resurgence in popularity as designer fashion brands have released their editions, making them cool once more.

Fanny packs are now extremely popular, and attractive ones sell quickly. People can wear them around the waist traditionally or as a sling bag with a more trendy look.

11. Backpacks

Backpacks are another one-of-a-kind print-on-demand item you can sell in your online store. They have a distinct sales trend, with sales peaking during the summer season (May through August) and then declining throughout the remaining portion of the year.

If you sell POD backpacks, you could easily start back-to-school promotions for a variety of groups, including college students, high school students, and parents with children entering middle or elementary school.

Shopify print-on-demand dropshipping suppliers like Printfy offer a variety of backpack options that you can customize.

12. Stickers

Stickers are an iconic Shopify print-on-demand product that is still widely used today. According to Google Trends, demand for stickers has remained consistent over the last five years. You can make some eye-catching print-on-demand stickers that are fun and appealing to your audience.

13. Wall Art

Home décor items such as high-quality wall art always have piqued the interest of buyers, in particular since COVID. During the pandemic, 64% of US consumers refreshed their homes, and the trend continues.

Selling your design wall art is a great choice for your online store if you're an artist or simply enjoy curating art. Consider the app iLikeMaps. The company sells a variety of map collections in various styles such as art deco, classic, and more.

14. Cushions

Cushions are another notable POD product that can be sold in any e-commerce store that specializes in home décor. The trend has been constant during the last 5 years, with increased consumer interest since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cushions are a great addition to any lifestyle or home care company and can be a good upsell or cross-sell chance in your store.

15. Hats

Hats are an excellent accessory for a relaxed look and everyday wear. You can work with Shopify print-on-demand on a variety of hats, including:

• Snapback
• Sandwich brim
• Trucker hat
• Baseball cap
• Custom knitted beanies

Hats are in high demand all year, and there are plenty of options making them a good shot.

Shopify Print On Demand Suppliers

Choosing the best print on demand manufacturers to collaborate with and bring your idea to life can be time-consuming. Each platform has its unique product catalog, shipping implications, and unique characteristics that will influence your decision.

We've reviewed some of the best print on demand sites for creating, selling, and shipping your personalized products to help you narrow down your options.

1. Printful

• Shipping: Most products are prepared for shipment within two to five working days from Mexico, the United States, or Europe, with 50% of orders done in less than three days.

Shipping to the United States begins at $3.99 and requires three to four working days (in their shipping map they have timeframes for other destinations). Shipping costs vary by product, with discounts available for extra items in the same order.

• Printing options: Depending on the product, Printful provides direct-to-garment, beadwork, cut and sew, and sublimation printing.
  For a more personalized customer experience, you can also add tear-away tags, inserts, and stickers to your packaging at an additional cost.
• Unique features: A built-in mockup generator allows you to be ready to sell in mins. Printful also is the one with most integrations with marketplaces and commerce platforms., including Shopify. In addition, they provide a 20% discount on sample orders.
• Recommended for: Both new and experienced entrepreneurs looking for a flexible, well-rounded option that can scale with them. It's also a good option for selling phone cases or print-on-demand t-shirts.

Printful is one of the best Shopify POD suppliers, offering a wide range of items to customize as well as features to help you get started, such as product and t-shirt mockup tools and logo design services. Printful's catalog has what you're looking for if you want to sell clothing, prints, home decor, or accessories.

You can also add your own brand image to your products and packaging, even inside labels and packaging inserts, for an additional fee. Printful also provides marketing video and graphic design services, as well as special bulk offers of up to 30%.

2. SPOD

• Shipping: Ships within 2 days from the United States, with domestic shipping starting at $3.57 and an approximate arrival time of 3 to 8 working days.

Costs are calculated based on the total order value rather than specific products or quantities. For more information, visit SPOD's shipping calculator.

• Printing options: Digital transfer/laser transfer, thermal sublimation, digital director, and special flex, depending on the product.
• Unique features: Product customization tool that allows customers to personalize their order with their images, their designs, or over 50k free SPOD designs. There is also a 20% discount on test orders.
• Recommended for: People new to POD who want quick fulfillment, simple shipping, and competitive pricing. SPOD also has one of the greatest customization tools in the game if you want to give clients the option to personalize your items, such as a t-shirt with a picture of their dog.

Spreadshirt owns SPOD, one of the best Shopify POD businesses. It has one of the quickest fulfillment times in the industry, with 95% of orders shipping is completed within 48 hours, ensuring a positive experience for customers.

While it does not have the most products available, it does have some of the most competitive costs and an easy-to-use item designer.

It also has a straightforward shipping pricing model that is centered on the value of the items you order. Calculating shipping costs for orders involving multiple products from various categories can quickly become complicated with most print-on-demand companies.

SPOD simplifies the process of creating shipping rules that optimize your profitability by utilizing upselling and cross-selling to motivate clients to add more to their cart with costs based on order value.

3. Printify

• Shipping: Because Printify is a vendor network, it sources and prints items from partners all over the world. This also implies that the print company you select will have an impact on the location, packaging, products, shipping costs, and production times.
• Printing options: Sublimation, cut and sew, direct to garment, embroidery, and more, based on the print provider and product.
• Unique features: When you're ready to scale, you can pay the monthly premium subscription for 20% off all purchases, which can allow for higher profit margins.
• Recommended for: Anyone looking for a versatile and cost-effective Shopify print-on-demand solution that allows you to find a printing partner who ships specific items from a specific region of the world should consider this solution.

Printify is notable for giving you access to a large network of print on demand partners all over the world. This not only means a larger product selection, but it also allows you to select your printer according to the country in which you would like to sell for cheaper and faster shipping.

Overall, Printify has some of the highest margins and the widest product selection available. The inherent drawback is that product quality and printer service can vary depending on who you work with. Additionally, working with multiple vendors will necessitate additional setup.

4. Apliiq Print On Demand

• Shipping: Orders can take a maximum of seven days to be produced. Apliiq provides weight-based shipping starting at $3.99 to the United States and ships internationally to over 150 countries. You can spend a 10% rush order service charge or choose expedited shipping for faster fulfillment.
• Printing options: Add your brand name, clothing tags, or embroidered patches to make your products truly unique. Apliiq also provides options for digital print, screen print (for larger orders), cut and sew, and embroidery.
• Unique features: Apliiq provides more robust customization than other platforms, allowing you to design the inner lining of a hoodie or add patches, pockets, and other embellishments to your clothing.
• Recommended for: Anyone interested in fashion and trying their clothing brand with top-quality apparel at a premium price, especially if you want to purchase in bulk to have items on hand to sell offline.

There are few better choices than Apliiq if you want to initiate a clothing line that prioritizes design and quality above all else. It's the best Shopify POD clothing provider with a wide range of styling options that allow you to create your own retail-quality premium brand apparel products.

Apliiq is a strong partner for anyone who wants to start a line of clothing and sell across a mix of online and offline retail channels, as it offers better wholesale special deals than most print-on-demand suppliers (beginning at 20% off for a bulk order of ten).

You can consider upgrading to a plan that includes 100 personalized fabric labels sewn onto your products for $100 per year.

Instead of giving a discount on samples, as most businesses do, you pay a fee for quality assurance, which includes an in-house production artist reviewing your product and making minor changes to your design.

When you're ready to dropship or order in bulk, you'll know your customers are getting the best version of your product.

5. CustomCat

• Shipping: Orders are produced in the United States and are normally ready to be shipped within two to three working days. Domestic shipping takes one to seven working days, and international shipping takes four to fifteen days.

Domestic shipping to the United States costs $4.99 for the primary item and $1.50 for each extra product, whereas international shipping costs $7.50 for the primary item and $5.95 for each extra product.

• Printing options: Sublimation, 3D dye diffusion, direct-to-garment, and embroidery printing.
• Unique features: An optional paid plan of $30 per month gives you access to some of the lowest prices in the industry ($7 tees and $3.50 mugs).
• Recommended for: They have one of the biggest catalogs on this list, which makes it ideal for sourcing hard-to-find products.

CustomCat is a huge print-on-demand company with the largest product catalog on this list (over 550 and counting). CustomCat is a good all-around supplier with competitive cost and fast fulfillment times if you're in search of one of the best print on demand services businesses with a variety of products.

It has a large selection of products and brands to choose from, as well as a paid plan for $30 per month to get a price reduction on its entire catalog.

6. Teelaunch

• Shipping: Orders are typically ready to ship in three to six working days from facilities in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom. Shipping costs are determined by the item and the destination.
• Printing options: Direct to clothes and cut and sew all-over printing for apparel, as well as laser etching for tumblers and cutting boards.
• Unique features: Teelaunch provides a product customization tool that allows customers to add their names or upload a photo to a product. It also generates high-quality professional item mockups for some items, including lifestyle photos.
• Recommended for: Anyone looking for a one-stop shop for producing high-quality products. Teelaunch makes it simple to find high-quality items at reasonable prices.

What shines out the most is the high quality of the mockups it creates for you. It provides professional-looking product images for use in marketing materials, as well as lifestyle pictures for some of its items.

Teelaunch has all the components to help you build a print-on-demand shop. Including a competitively priced catalog of quality goods (including rather unique pieces like Bluetooth speakers), satisfactory fulfillment times, and a functional customer support team.

7. T-Pop

• Shipping: Purchases are printed in France and are ready to ship in two to four days. Orders within France are delivered in two to three working days, orders within the rest of Europe are delivered in 3 to 7 days, and international shipments in five to ten days.

Shipping rates are based on weight, which you can learn more about on T-Pop's shipping page.

• Printing options: Cotton apparel is dyed direct-to-garment, while polyester and accessories are dyed sublimation.
• Unique features: White-label customer experience includes fully customizable packing slips as well as environmentally friendly printing, products, and packaging.
• Recommended for: Anyone selling within Europe or looking for a high-quality print-on-demand supplier with an environmentally friendly and ethical supply chain and business practices.

T-Pop is a European print-on-demand company specializing in apparel and accessories. Everything from the wrapping to the packing slip will carry your brand when clients receive your order. You also can add your brand to the inner labels of your items for €2.50 if you have a monthly sales volume of 100.

T-Pop's commitment to the environment, from "zero plastic" packaging (advertised for customers to see) to 100% recycled paper packing slips, is what makes it the best print on demand service.

They make everything and even more to ensure that its supply chain is as humane as possible. Its primary supplier, Stanley/Stella, is a member of the Fair Wear Foundation, an association dedicated to ensuring labor law compliance in the manufacturing of apparel products.

8. Lulu xPress

• Shipping: Ships to over 150 countries in three to five working days from fulfillment centers across the United States, Canada, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Shipping to the United States begins at $3.99. For more information, visit Lulu's pricing calculator.
• Printing options: Paper type, binding type, trim size, print quality and color, and matte or glossy finish are all options for digital printing.
• Unique features: Your books can also be sold on Lulu's marketplace, or as an eBook with Lulu.
• Recommended for: Authors, illustrators, teachers, comedians, and other creatives who want to monetize their talent or audience by selling a book or calendar.

Lulu xPress is the POD division of Lulu, an online self-publishing platform. It makes it simple to design and sell your print on demand products, such as books and calendars, which you can personalize in a variety of ways.

Lulu xPress is one of the best print-on-demand suppliers for photographers, educators, writers, and creatives, particularly those who already have a following that they want to monetize.

Lulu allows you to convert digital writings into a physical product, such as making your webcomics into a coffee table book, in addition to the standard merch that creators typically sell.

Tips for Starting with Shopify Print On Demand

While using a print-on-demand service may be simpler than managing your own inventory, there are some considerations specific to this strategy that you should be aware of. Fortunately, there are creative solutions to the majority of the problems you'll face.

1. Always Order Samples

When using POD services to sell online, product quality assurance is critical. You want to ensure that your product appears and feels exactly as you intended, and the perfect way to achieve that is to be your client and experience what it's like to receive your products firsthand.

Aside from ensuring product quality, samples are helpful for taking your product pictures for your website and social networking profiles.

2. Be Strategic About Shipping

Even if you're not shipping items yourself, shipping can be complicated due to shipping times and costs, as well as how to set the right requirements with customers. The best print-on-demand companies will be upfront about shipping costs and proactive in communicating any potential delays.

When it comes to shipping, make sure to account for printing times. Whatever the shipping times are, add two to four days for producing, or more, depending on the product.

3. Create Mockups that Show Off Your Products

While models can assist you in taking impactful photos of your items, mockups are a viable alternative that will be prominent on your product pages.

Many POD services can assist you in creating mockups of your products on people. However, other services and free mockup templates are available to help you bring your products to life.

4.  Find Your Niche

Because your margins will be smaller with print-on-demand products, you'll want to position your brand strategically. Because your targeting will be significantly more precise, having a well-defined audience can help you lower your customer acquisition costs and maximize your potential profits.

Having a niche makes it simpler to build an audience that can be used to your advantage. You can try the following strategies:

• Use FindNiche’s Shopify database tool to find the most profitable Shopify POD niche. With this tool you’ll be able to filter products by revenue, making it easier to find the best-selling ideas. Moreover, you can search by specific keywords and find the niche with the best sales and growth opportunities.
• Spend $10 on Facebook ads to test your merchandise with your target market.
• Collect visitors' email addresses so you can continue to advertise to them for free.

5. Use Online Tools to Your Advantage

Shopify's online tools can significantly reduce your workload and optimize tasks that would otherwise be time-consuming or impossible. It's never been simpler to manage a business as a solopreneur, from product research to competition monitoring.

Some of the Shopify tools you could find useful are

• Shopify store database: This tool allows you to research and review the top stores, your competition stores, and possible target niche stores. You can filter by monthly visits, sales, products, categories, and specific keywords such as print-on-demand.
• Ad Spy: It's only a matter of time before you have to spy on your competitors to check what they are doing on the usual advertising platforms such as Facebook or YouTube.

If you want to stay aware of how many ads and on which platforms is your competition advertising, the ad spy tool will help you accomplish it. This is much more needed because you need to try at least to reach the same potential clients as your competitors.

• Shopify product research: You need to find the most profitable niches to start your business, rapid growth will allow you to expand to new niches faster.

For that matter the Shopify research tool allows you to filter by keywords and revenue, so you can find the best item to start your business off on the right foot.

Conclusion

This is a very complete guide on Shopify print-on-demand, we shared with you a lot of information including providers, best-selling items, and tips. Now is your turn to start your own POD business and start earning money with dropshipping.