You’ve heard about dropshipping and you’ve heard about print on demand (POD). Both concepts intrigue you, but you’re not sure which one is best for you.
Does that sound familiar?
A lot of people approach dropshipipng and print on demand as an either-or situation. They think that if you start a dropshipping store, you can’t start a print on demand store. That’s patently untrue and displays short-term thinking.
Dropshipping and print on demand have a lot in common. They’re both e-commerce business models, neither requires you to hold or manage inventory, and each is a great option for beginning entrepreneurs.
Here’s information about the print on demand fulfillment model and how it can work WITH dropshipping.
Just want the top print on demand dropshipping suppliers? Here:
What is Print on Demand?
Print on demand—often abbreviated to POD—is exactly what its name implies. It’s a fulfillment model where items are printed to order. Customers buy an item in a particular color, design, size, etc., and a supplier prints and fulfills it after it’s purchased.
Think in terms of t-shirts…that’s a common example. The old way of selling t-shirts is to design it then order a large quantity—to spend thousands of dollars to order hundreds of shirts. Then you sell those shirts…online, in person, or wherever else you might find customers. When you run out of a particular size, too bad, you’re out. And if, heaven forbid, your entire order doesn’t sell, you’re stuck with inventory and out that investment.
Print on demand flips that model on its head by only producing the shirts when someone orders. Which means you never have extra inventory, you’ll never run out of a size, and you don’t have a huge up-front investment.
A huge benefit of print on demand is how you can list products on your store. Instead of offering products you can afford to bulk order, you can create and list products in all sorts of designs and colors to see what your customers like. All without investing thousands of dollars.
The Downsides of POD
I know print on demand sounds like an awesome option for selling products online. And it really is. But I’m here to present the realities so you can make the best decision for you.
With print on demand, your margins are WAY smaller than with wholesale, large-run orders. I recommend using print on demand to create and test products quickly and cheaply, and then moving to a higher margin model with the proven products you know you can sell. This approach balances making money with reducing risks.
Quality is another factor in print on demand, just like with dropshipping. As you’re choosing products to get your designs printed on, you’ll want to purchase sample products and make sure they meet your quality standards.
Dropshipping + Print on Demand
When you have a dropshipping store, adding print on demand is a smooth next step. In fact, print on demand is essentially a form of dropshipping because the supplier handles fulfillment for you. So you already understand the supply chain model and you can better serve your customers with more targeted products.
Ideally your store is selling to a particular audience in a particular niche. Within that niche, you can offer whatever products make sense. For example, if your audience is moms in their 30s, you may want to cross-sell a POD item like this in addition to your dropshipping offerings:
In fact, that product is probably fulfilled by print on demand even though it’s sold on Amazon.
Dropshipping and print on demand go very well together when you’re building a brand in a niche. So don’t limit yourself to one or the other.
Print on Demand Suppliers
In addition to the dropshipping Shopify apps you should have, it’s simple to add on an app that does print on demand design, product, and fulfillment.
Here are some go-to print on demand suppliers that will help you set your dropshipping business apart.
These are in no particular order; all are reputable. If you don’t know what products you want to offer, choose a platform with lots of options. If you know the product(s) you want to offer, choose the best supplier of those products.
Printify
Printify is a great option for those just getting started with print on demand. They offer a wide variety of products from many different suppliers, and it’s super easy to create and list products on your site.
Types of Products:
- Shirts
- Other apparel
- Bags
- Phone cases
- Jewelry
- Socks
- Hats
- Mugs
- Pillows
- And more…
Pricing: No platform fee, affordable product prices
Shopify App: Yes
Shipping Costs: Depends on product and supplier, but is visible and transparent
Fulfillment Time: 2-7 days to process + 3-5 days to ship
Built in Mockups: Yes
Printful
Printful is all about helping you build your print on demand business. They have a ton of products, and even offer design services. As you get more advanced in your e-commerce business, they offer warehousing and fulfillment so you can increase order size, cut costs, and increase margins at scale.
Types of Products:
- Shirts
- Swim suits
- Dresses
- Jackets
- Other apparel
- Baby bibs
- Hats
- Bags
- Phone cases
- Socks
- Aprons
- Wall art
- Beach towels
- Bean bags
- Mugs
- Pillows
- And more…
Pricing: No platform fee, affordable product prices
Shopify App: Yes
Shipping Costs: Depends on product
Fulfillment Time: 2-7 days to process + 1-8 days to ship
Built in Mockups: Yes
RageOn
RageOn is best known for its all-over-print style. You can list your products on their marketplace as well as on your Shopify store. Their style is detailed artwork, so this platform works great for designers and artists.
Types of Products:
- Shirts
- Hoodies
- Shoes
- Socks
- Dresses
- Blankets
- Aprons
- Yoga mats
- Shower curtains
- Pillows
- And more…
Pricing: No platform fee, more expensive products because of all-over-print
Shopify App: Yes
Shipping Costs: Depends on product and supplier, but is visible and transparent
Fulfillment Time: 7-10 days to process + 2-10 days to ship
Built in Mockups: Yes
Lulu xPress
If you want to sell printed journals, books, or calendars, Lulu xPress is a great option. Their products are incredibly affordable compared to other print on demand book providers and their quality is outstanding. You can bulk order if you want to sell in person, but you can dropship single items to customers as well.
Types of Products:
- Books
- Journals
- Notebooks
- Calendars
Pricing: No platform fee, very affordable products
Shopify App: Yes
Shipping Costs: Depends on product and supplier, but is visible and transparent
Fulfillment Time: 3-5 days to process + 1-7 days to ship
Built in Mockups: No, just proofs
WC Fulfillment
WC Fulfillment has some unique POD products like watches and wallet cases. They don’t have nearly as many product choices as other platforms
Types of Products:
- Wallet cases
- Phone cases
- Watches
- Mugs
- Laptop cases
- Shirts
- Blankets
- Leggings
- Wall art
- And more…
Pricing: No platform fee, moderate products
Shopify App: Yes
Shipping Costs: Depends on product and supplier
Fulfillment Time: Depends
Built in Mockups: Yes
Gooten
Gooten has a ton of products and are focused on helping you grow and scale your business. You can sell on Amazon, Shopify, Etsy, and even with a simple custom order form. They’re one of the most reputable companies in this space and have a lot of educational resources on things like taxes, fees, customer service, and more.
Types of Products:
- Shirts
- Pillows
- Blankets
- Bags
- Phone cases
- Magnets
- Puzzles
- Ties
- Umbrellas
- Hoodies
- Socks
- Onesies
- Dog beds
- And more…
Pricing: No platform fee, some great product deals while others are expensive
Shopify App: Yes
Shipping Costs: Depends
Fulfillment Time: 3-4 days to process + 1-12 days to ship
Built in Mockups: Yes
Find Other Suppliers
If you don’t find the product you want, you can just search for the name of the product + print on demand. For example, “dog collars print on demand” turns up several POD suppliers you could try. Remember, always order samples to check quality.
Who Should Do POD?
Print on demand is a business model anyone can start. It pairs well with dropshipping and other e-commerce approaches.
People who can benefit most from print on demand are designers and artists. Print on demand gives these groups another way to make money and sell their graphics around the world.
Many designers sell on Zazzle, TeeSpring, RedBubble, and other similar website. These are essentially dropshipping platforms because you design the shirt and the company prints and fulfills when there’s an order.
But the margins are very small on those site. They’re great for starting out but you’ll make more money starting your own print on demand store.
If you’re a designer, print on demand is a great way to see your designs on products, create graphics, see if they sell, and scale popular items.
Even if you’re not a designer, you can start a store with a designer friend, or you can acquire designs from other sources (see below).
Make Your Dropshipping Store Unique
When you start a dropshipping business, you’re generally selling products that are pretty easy to get access to—from AliExpress or other suppliers. Print on demand is a great way to set your store apart and offer unique products that others aren’t.
You can attract customers with your unique niche products and use your more commoditized products as upsells and in bundles. Or vice versa: use your custom POD products as upsells on your other products.
Print on demand products can help attract new customers—after all, you’re likely the only one selling them if you use your own or buy proprietary designs. Offering POD products also keeps customers coming back.
Print on Demand Niche Product Examples
Your niche will drive the types of products you offer and the styles and designs you put on them.
Here are some examples of products that fit within different niches:
| Niche | POD Product Example |
| Books | Canvas tote |
| Pets | Breed-shaped jewelry |
| Beauty | Compact mirror |
| Fitness | Workout gear |
| Fashion | Any type of apparel |
| Sports | Funny t-shirts |
Pick the products you offer strategically, make sure they’ll appeal to your target audience.
Best Niche Print on Demand Designs
If you’re a designer, you can set yourself apart with unique, custom designs on a variety of products. But if you’re not a designer, you can find and buy designs from a lot of different places.
Hire a Designer – You can find a freelance designer on FreeeUp or other freelancing platforms to create designs for you.
Buy a Gig on Fiverr – There are a lot of great designers on Fiverr specifically for print on demand products.
Designious – Buy and license pre-made designs from Designious.
Graphic Bundles – Purchase a graphics bundle from somewhere like My Design Deals (you can save 10% through that link).
If you’re looking to differentiate your dropshipping brand, print on demand is a great option. There are a lot of choices, it’s easy to set up, margins are good…and it’s fun!