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It doesn't matter if you're planning to create your own business online or add new income streams to an existing one, printing on demand is a cost-effective, high-profit opportunity to sell a new array of products that customers will enjoy.
Making physical items featuring your original designs can be a lucrative and fun method of sharing your ideas in a targeted audience. But setting the production process that includes sourcing blank products, transferring your designs, the storage and distribution of your goods, as well as shipping them across the world is a huge undertaking for any start-up business.
This is where print on demand (POD) can come in.
It's a simple option to offer custom items and it doesn't require you to do any of the production work.
What exactly is print-on-demand?
Print on demand shops use a third-party company (a printer or manufacturer of print-on-demand (also known as a printer) to customize white-labeled (brand-free) products. They send the print manufacturer their artwork digitally. Then, that art gets placed on shirts, phone cases or water bottles, sticker as well as other items.
The manufacturers also take care of the packaging, delivery, shipping, and any extra charges. Most print providers will package the products and put your logo on their packaging.
Print on demand stores is essentially an intermediary, linking the client to the printing business. Printing is done by the manufacturer as they're ordered each one at a given time and there is no inventory.
Successful print on demand stores specialize in a niche. They create unique designs that appeal to a specific audience and foster their reputation as expert in their field. If you have strong creative skills as well as a love about a particular subject it is possible to create the print-on-demand business with less risk than if you created and stored your stock yourself.
Photo (c) https://rollstore.se/
Ways to use print on demand to generate revenue
There are four different ways to make money from the print-on-demand business model, and three are requiring very little risk or investment from your end.
Make new revenues for an existing business
There is a chance that you have an existing company, or a few. They could be online in offline mode, as well as both. Utilizing a print on demand method, you will be able to boost your earnings by offering a new line of custom products.
Consider, for instance, that you run an online company that sells cosmetics. You have a brand, a loyal customer base, as well as an assortment of products. Print on demand is a method of creating products. you can launch the line of t-shirts hats, and various other types of apparel featuring your brand name or other designs that will attract your clients.
You can then use these products to create upsells, gift ideas and bonus items when you spend a certain amount of money or as the basis of their daily shopping experience.
Since these products are only made when it is needed, you don't need for this to create a lot of momentum to be profitable. It could add a little bit to the core of your business however, any growth is an increase.
Create a brand new print on demand business
There's a chance that you'll have to go through the product design phase, but your production development will mainly consist of designing new products and finding the raw materials that your designs will be able to work on.
Sell print on demand services to other businesses
Many businesses like to create customized products. Some give them to employees. They also give them away to vendors and suppliers. Some prefer offering these to customers similar to those in the second and first examples in this list.
The B2B market of printing on demand is its own special business since companies are likely to purchase larger quantities, and they are different in their needs and expectations compared to individual customers.
It will require a significant amount of startup capital for this method, but it is possible to establish a print on demand manufacturer your own and accept orders from retailers online or other companies who require custom-designed products.
T-shirts are among the easiest items to produce using print on demand. It is necessary to have screen printing equipment (at the very least) or perhaps equipment to employ direct-to-garment printing and different methods. In addition, you'll need learn when and how to use each technique.
If you'd like to print on different substrates, you'll require things such as laser printers.
Again, this is a labor and cost-intensive business beginning, and not the ideal choice if you're just starting your first company.
Be the supplier of white-label products
The last one is one that is the least practical and most difficult to establish. In this case, you'd compete with other suppliers of blank merchandise. Your inventory would be available. It is necessary to keep, print or customize and then ship items that are requested by an on-demand printing service.
Though it's the costliest businesses, this model does have more stability as it's not as vulnerable to market trends.
Pros and cons of printing on demand companies
We'll clarify the basics. So far it might seem like there are no downsides to adding print on demand for your company or starting a new one. There are some things to be aware of as well as the numerous reasons to choose.
Pros
Let's begin with the positives.
Very little beginning investment
You only sell something once someone has placed an order for it. And you aren't managing every aspect of the product's production or the shipping process. It's just an order facilitating service.
There are a few upfront costs standing in your option of making use of print on demand to generate revenues, other than starting and implementing it. It is not necessary to obtain a business loan, or buy a whole lot of equipment, or design or create physical items. Create your own online store, build relationships with a printer and then begin selling.
No inventory management or storage with minimal effort
There's no need to have stock or have a space to keep it. That means, it's not just that there's little upfront investment required as well as no monthly cost for storage.
Scaling this business simply requires larger and more frequent orders. You won't need many (or even any) employees in order to run the operation as well. The entire process happens outside your office.
Of course, you'll have to put into labor in order to implement marketing strategies, provide customer assistance, and maintain your presence on the internet.
Ability to sell wherever the supplier can ship
Printing companies can deliver almost anywhere across the world. You aren't limited to local shoppers, regions, or even countries. This means that within your area of expertise, you are able to offer your products to any person, at any time.
Huge product variety
We'll discuss this more in the next few paragraphs and we'll cover many different products you can sell using print on demand services. This is about far more than T-shirts and mugs even though they're a great place to begin.
Cons
However, there are a few drawbacks to print on demand business which you should be aware of prior to you dive in. Here are the main ones:
Customer service is on you
Printing companies may be doing the actual job of making the products, but you are the one interacting with your customer. Therefore, you'll require establishing an online customer support system.
If your customers have any questions, they'll come to you. If they are unhappy, they'll come to you.
Reviews they write will be about you. It's not the type of enterprise you'll be able to create to operate in autopilot. You'll need to be able to assist your clients, take care of the telephone, respond to messages and emails, reply to live chats, when it is available, and take care of any issues that might occur.
Fulfillment delays
Since each item is custom-made printing on demand, orders aren't able to be shipped the exact day they're placed. In an age where consumers are starting to, perhaps not in a reasonable way, anticipate instant one-day and same-day delivery options, this isn't possible using print-on-demand.
Once the artwork is submitted to the printing firm by you or from the client, the business is required to finish the completion process. Just one thing needs time to be produced.
While this doesn't mean months, it's also not possible to occur in just a single day. Therefore, customers who order print on demand merchandise need to be advised that the order won't be fulfilled by tomorrow.
Responsibility and blame are increased.
If anything goes wrong with the quality control process, it'll be your responsibility. In the end, this is how customers will perceive the issue. When the item is shipped and the quality of the item isn't great, even though it's the printing company's fault, the customer will put the blame on you.
It's the reason you should ensure that you choose the right company with for the fulfillment of your order. Your reputation is not theirs, in the balance for the customer.
Unboxing experiences
While most print providers utilize packaging that reflect your company's image, they're just less likely to provide the kind of unboxing experience certain companies use in order to make their experience memorable enough to talk about via social media.
The types of print-on-demand items
The first step is to get the obvious stuff to the side.
Clothes.
Of course you can do T-shirts. You can also print on demand for dresses shirts, polo shirts, sweatshirts, short sleeve, long-sleeve tanks, as well as all other types of tops or shirt you imagine.
You can also wear other kinds of clothes -- pants, shorts, hats, socks, and many more. All of this in female, male, or unisex styles, as well as infants, toddlers, as well as kids.
The shoes aren't likely be a thing, however it is possible to wear flip flops, sandals and items of that sort.
Apart from clothes, you could utilize printing on demand to design an array of customized products using:
- Mugs
- Phone covers
- Tote bags of many varieties
- Backpacks
- Posters
- Coasters
- Bottles of water
- Rugs and mats
- Wall art
- Towels
- Pillows
- Ornaments
- Stationery and notepads
- Pens and pencils
How can you begin the business of printing on demand?
So, let's get at the root of this. If you want to create your own shop using the print-on-demand model This is what you have to accomplish.
And by the way in case you already own an enterprise and would like to incorporate print on demand items to your business, you can just leave out the initial two steps, but the rest will still apply to your.
1. Choose your niche
Before you begin to build your store, it is important ensure that there is a steady market and a demand for your product idea.
Some of the more popular segments for print-on demand products include:
- Animals
- Social activism
- Humor and memes
- B2B
- Hobbies
- Festive Season
But again, there's an endless number of subgenres, genres and categories. If you want to make greater profits from the print-on-demand company, then you must aim for a more popular niche. If you're just interested in to make this a source of revenue, but you are more enthusiastic about a niche that may be less well-known but is a fan of yours choose whatever niche you like!
2. Check out what's trending online
3. Decide on the products you want to offer
Once you've settled on your target market you wish to target in terms of the kind of art that you'll display The next step is to select the items you'd like to market. Clothing? Merchandise? Some other thing?
Use the list of products from the previous post, select the ones you'd like to start with, and get going. You can always add more at a later time. Just make sure the print company you select to partner with has the products you want to sell.
4. Obtain artwork designs
Businesses that already have a print on demand plan and want to add print on demand as a different line of product it is possible to incorporate branding elements such as tags, logos, specific products you sell, or various other graphics that your customers will love.
You can also allow customers to submit their own graphics and create truly unique merchandise. Businesses both new and established can create this.
For new businesses it is necessary to build an inventory of your own artwork you can feature on your website and then make sales. Where can you find these graphics? You have a few options.
The first step is to hire it out. Use sites like Upwork as well as Fiverr to hire an artist and let them create the design for you to sell. If you're lacking designs skills or require more possibilities than you can create yourself it's a good option.
Another option, should you are planning to keep creating new graphic designs, is to hire someone to create the designs within your company.
And your third option If you've got the necessary skills or are looking to begin learning then you should do it yourself.
If you decide to go with this route Graphic design can be an individual skill. The more you don't know then the more to master.
Considerations for Graphic Design
Here are some ideas for graphic design to keep in mind before you begin to work on your designs.
The overarching principle is that whatever you design should be simple to comprehend. Confusing, cluttered, and busy designs that are hard to understand don't do well (unless that's your niche). To help you understand this take into consideration aspects of design such as these:
- Colors. You need the right mix of complimentary colors (not overly numerous!). It also has to be able to match the material that it is printed on.
- Fonts. It is important for any words you choose to use to be simple to read, so choose the font that's not overly busy. You'll also need to consider font size in relation to the type of product you're designing. In this case, for instance, you could want the font to be smaller on the phone case rather than on a T-shirt.
- Accessibility. Be sure that your design is easily accessible for those who have vision impairments. It is important to consider factors like contrast in colors and visibility.
- Spacing. Use an appropriate amount of "white space" that is white space that surrounds graphic elements. This helps them to stand out and make them easier to consume.
- Printing specifications. The printer which you're working with probably have specific requirements for every product. Most have templates that are available to use and download, but make sure that you're adhering to their guidelines regarding document bleed the color mode, dimensions, etc.
- Hierarchy. If you have a design comprising multiple elements, consider thinking through the ones that you want to place emphasis on. Which ones are most important? You can then set those apart using the spacing, size, color or bold fonts.
Pro Tip:Many printers, at most for certain types of merchandise, charge lower fees when designs are just one or two shades. If you can create an effective design that requires fewer colors, you can enjoy higher margins.
You'll need to invest (both financially and with your time) in design tools. Canva, Pixlr, and Photoshop are common options.
Photoshop is the most advanced of those three, but offers a higher learning process.
When you've finished designing your design, you'll need to create mockups. Certain print-on-demand manufacturers will mock up your designs onto their own products. This can be helpful, but you might still need to create your own or tweak the mockups to show them on different occasions (various designs and backgrounds) for your marketing material. It's also helpful for testing how your design looks across different applications.
You can also hire contractors to assist you in mockups, if Photoshop isn't for you.
One last design consideration
If you're not displaying original designs images, art work, or artwork on your merchandise, you must ensure your work is in compliance with the copyright and trademark laws.
Fan art created using licensed characters, text from publications, copied quotes or images downloaded from internet are but a few examples of work that can't be sold at profit without a license from the creator. The images you purchase from photo stock sites might not be legal for resale also when you don't have an appropriate permission.
Please take time to research intellectual property laws and consult legal professionals.
5. Create an online store
If you already have a business, you probably already have your own online store. In this case it's just a matter of include print-on-demand products or services to your current shop. If you're starting your own business, you'll start from scratch.
provides all the functionality the product page needs, the checkout process, marketing, SKU and product management, taxes and financial compliance. It also includes the other tools you'll require for running an online company.
Take product images
The fulfillment company you work with may have blank images of their merchandise to make use of as a base for mockups. If you have some graphic design skills, you can place your artwork into these pictures, or contract someone to take care of this for you.
In addition, many printing companies will design your designs for you on their products in a matter of minutes. They are however, rather limited so the background or usage case you see may not appeal to the people you target.
Another great option is to actually order an assortment of samples from your supplier. It will let you test their quality, shipping method, and time to turnaround. If all goes according to plan then you'll be able to create products that which you are able to photograph in settings that fit the market you want to target. As a bonus Your own images are likely to be non-copyrighted and safe for utilize on your site.
One day, you might opt to have photos taken of people who wear the items that you've created. It is also possible to display images of the various designs and then show the blank products customers can buy with these designs. However, this will be more ineffective.
If you allow your clients to design their own images, then it's best to display the unfinished products in greater detail.
Where should you sell online?
It's not to suggest that you still shouldn't make use of these platforms. However, if you prefer the increased reach available through these websites, we typically recommend using Woo as well as online marketplaces, and not solely the market places. It is important to have at least one platform that you can manage and control everything.
6. Find a good supplier
If you've identified what you want to make, it's time to find a fulfillment partner. Choose one that provides:
- What products do you intend to market
- Choose the right printing method to achieve your dream -- some methods might have limitations when it comes to colors or styles
- Pricing that allows you to earn a profit
- Shipping costs that are fair
- Rapid fulfillment and quick turnaround delivery on time
- Worldwide impact (if this is of interest for you)
- A green approach to printing and the process of shipping
- Excellent customer service to you and your clients
Quality isn't limited to the product itself, but the quality of printing, as well. Printing companies may give you more options, like sublimation printing. This is a form of printing which lets you print designs over the entire item, not only a pre-set portion.
Decide which criteria are most important to you and then choose a printing service which is compatible with your ideals as well as your needs. Make sure you look for reviews online to find the right partner to be satisfied with.
Here are some fulfillment partners that can work with your print on demand store:
7. Find out your price
Next, you'll need to decide what you want to cost. One benefit of print-on-demand printing is that costs are very simple to predict. It means that you will have a predictable profit margin.
Printing companies will charge an retail price for their white labeled items with a possible charge for them to properly set up and print your designs on their merchandise. Together with the shipping cost and that's all there is!
You will also be aware of the cost per unit.
The only thing you need to do is determine the amount of profit you'd like to generate for each item, and balance this against what you expect customers will spend. The important thing here is not to make a decision at the beginning that "customers aren't going to pay this price" to purchase your product.
When it comes to customized products, customers are willing to pay more. If it's something like fan art, creative humor, or causes they care about, they'll pay more because they feel there's an emotional element to the purchase, which is far greater than the price.
For a simple instance, picture Darth Vader on a mug with a caption that reads, "The caffeine is strong with you."
People will pay way more to get it than buy a standard cup. The product has unique value to the buyer. Don't undervalue your print on demand products. And the great thing with websites is that you can always alter your pricing later on.
8. Start marketing and measuring outcomes
That's why the final step is to market and measuring the results. It's a whole subject on its own.
After you've established your initial product and brand then you'll be spending the bulk of of your period as the owner of the shop in marketing efforts. Marketing is an ongoing process, not a checklist to complete and move on.
What is the best-selling item? What's not doing well? Is it your pricing? The artwork? The product itself? Do you offer the right delivery options?
Are you appealing to an appropriate group? Do you have the message getting to people? Do your customers know about your print-on-demand products? Are you able to bundle them along with other products, or even make these a gift for some purchase?
Sell your designs by printing on demand
Print-on-demand printing is an incredible opportunity for designers to sell their designs in almost any item -- notebooks, T-shirts, stickers, phone cases and much more without worrying about investing a lot of money dealing with inventory, trying deal with shipping costs or managing fulfillment.
If you want to be successful, make the effort familiar with your customers and sell items that address their issues, and locate the right fulfillment partner to run your business. The software allows you to create a beautiful and efficient print-on-demand store that seamlessly integrates with the fulfillment company.