Do you
need to use a print-on-demand service for your business?
A few years ago, there were only a handful of such services. But today, there are so many of them that checking out each one will cost so much time on your end.
There’s no need to do that anymore since we narrowed down your options to the best print-on-demand companies you can use.
Let’s get started.
What are the best print-on-demand companies in 2022?
Choosing a print-on-demand service takes as much research and comparison as choosing an ecommerce platform.
Each service has its own advantages and disadvantages, features, shipping details, and even ecommerce integration.
To make it easier to compare all these print-on-demand services, we specified these details in each print-on-demand company in the list.
Here are all of them:
- Printful
- Printify
- Gelato
- Teelaunch
- Sellfy
- Gooten
- GearLaunch
- Spring
- Lulu xPress
1. Printful
Printful is the current king of print-on-demand service in the world today. It started in 2013 with the idea sprouting from the co-founder’s living room.
In 2021, the company already reached unicorn status with a valuation of more than $1 billion. They also opened more locations globally.
Here are important details regarding Printful:
● Ecommerce integration: Printful offers integration with a vast list of ecommerce platforms, including Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and many others. The service also has good integration with online marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, and eBay. If you need a custom solution, Printful also has its own API for developing print-on-demand solutions.
● Features: Printful offers free tools like their own design maker for making product designs and mockups. There’s also the keyword scout that works as a built-in marketplace keyword research tool on Etsy. Printful also has a logo maker and a merch maker for online celebrities.
● Shipping: On average, the shipping time to the United States is around 3-6 business days and starts at $3.99. For the rest, it’s anywhere around 2-7 business days and largely depends on the order volume and capacity. Printful ships to most countries excluding Cuba, Iran, Crimea, Syria, and North Korea.
● Pricing: Printful has a free version and a plus version for $9 per month that enables you to customize products and integrate with various platforms. The highest plan they offer costs $49 per month and will give you access to more tools and a carrier-based shipping option. Both paid plans come with a 14-day free trial period.
● Best for: Printful is a good option for those who want to start a print-on-demand service on different ecommerce platforms. It’s also ideal for beginner and experienced people who want flexibility in pricing and a wide variety of products to sell.
Check out more about Printful here.
2. Printify
This one is a little more unique than the rest. Printify is a print-on-demand network that provides you with a lot of printing partner options around the world.
Since there are a lot of available printing partners to choose from, that means you can ship faster in a more cost-effective manner.
On the downside, this also means there’s a chance that the printing quality may vary according to the printing partner.
Here are important details regarding Printify:
● Ecommerce integration: Printify integrates with the most popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, BigCommerce, and Wix. They also offer custom API solutions for advanced users and businesses.
● Features: Printify comes with its own mockup generator so you can see how your products will look once printed. The tool also comes with a Shutterstock integration, though each image will still cost you. The best part is the print providers that are located in over nine locations around the world.
● Shipping: Because Printify is a print-on-demand network, the shipping rates and production time vary on the provider that you choose. In addition, each provider offers different products and shipping providers.
● Pricing: Printify offers a free plan as well as a premium one, though the free plan only allows 5 stores per account (on the bright side, you can have unlimited product designs). The premium plan costs $24.99 per month when paid annually. This price already comes with a 20% discount on all products. Printify also offers an enterprise plan with custom pricing. The enterprise plan comes with a custom API integration and a dedicated account manager.
● Best for: Printify is best for those who want a cost-effective print-on-demand service that has providers in different locations.
Check out more about Printify here.
3. SPOD
SPOD is definitely one of the best print-on-demand companies out there owned by the global clothing and accessories platform Spreadshirt.
The platform also has an efficient dropshipping service so you can create, build, and expand your print-on-demand business.
Here are important details regarding SPOD:
● Ecommerce integration: SPOD makes it easy to sell print-on-demand products on various ecommerce platforms and marketplaces. In fact, SPOD integrates well with Shopify, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Magento, and a few others. There’s also the API for custom integration. For selling on marketplaces, you can use their Order Desk integration.
● Features: SPOD has a mockup generator where you can upload your design and see how your products look. There’s also a customizer tool where you can configure the product’s details, pricing, and even sync it to your store.
● Shipping: To make it easier, SPOD has a shipping calculator so you can easily determine the timeframe for the deliveries based on destination and order value. That means shipping rates aren’t fixed and may change depending on the courier. The lowest so far for the shipping cost is around $4.51 for goods that cost $13.51 and below.
● Pricing: Using SPOD is completely free. Like with most other free platforms, you only have to pay when a customer places an order from you. Other costs like marketing and designer fees are up to you.
● Best for: SPOD is best for those who want to use a good print-on-demand service that’s basically free. It’s also great for those who want to have more transparent shipping and enable customers to see the costs outright.
Check out more about SPOD here.
4. Gelato
Gelato is a little similar to Printify. In fact, the guys behind Gelato call themselves a “software” company since they have no printers.
Because of this, their print-on-demand service is simple, programmable, and borderless. They have a presence in more than 200 countries and territories around the world.
Here are important details regarding Gelato:
● Ecommerce integration: Gelato integrates well with most of the popular ecommerce platforms around like Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Wix, and a few more. For custom solutions, Gelato also has its own API, with keys you can manage inside its dashboard.
● Features: Gelato comes with premium apparel mockups and premium wall art mockups. You also get Shutterstock Essential and access over 1 million royalty-free photos and vectors to use on your products. There’s also a one-click product expansion tool, workflow automation feature, and live-rate shipping.
● Shipping: Gelato produces their products locally in 34 countries and a presence on all the continents of the world. They also have a fairly fast shipping time, with some locations committing in only around a day or two (mostly due to local production). Products made regionally have a shipping time of around 4-6 days.
● Pricing: Gelato has a free plan that limits its usage to up to 2 users and 2 stores. The paid plan costs $7.99 per month on the annual plan and will give you access to premium mockups, image filters, and other features. The usage is also extended up to 5 users and 10 stores. The paid plan from Gelato also comes with a 30-day free trial.
● Best for: Gelato offers one of the cheapest prices per month in the print-on-demand industry, so it’s best for people who are still starting their own ecommerce business. Because of the lack of advanced design tools, Gelato is also best for those who are already experienced in product design.
Check out more about Gelato here.
5. Teelaunch
Teelaunch was created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs — with it being an idea its founders conceived to help escape their day jobs.
Because the founders believe in speed and how people want things fast, they created partnerships with factories around the world.
Currently, they have a presence in various parts of the United States. They also have a factory in Australia, Canada, Spain, and United Kingdom.
Here are important details regarding Teelaunch:
● Ecommerce integration: Currently, Teelaunch has integration with only a handful of ecommerce platforms — Etsy, Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. The company also has an API for custom solutions.
● Features: Teelaunch has a mockup generator and design tool that generates great-looking mockups. The mockup generator also has an auto generation feature for creating product mockups.
● Shipping: Teelaunch offers an average shipping cost, which is around $2 to $10 when shipping within the States. The price almost doubles when the recipient lives outside the US. The delivery time, unfortunately, reaches around two weeks.
● Pricing: Teelaunch is completely free to us. There are no subscription fees to pay nor are there any maintenance fees (which is probably one reason why product rates are a little high). What you pay will only be the products your customers’ order.
● Best for: Since Teelaunch is free to use, it’s perfect for those who don’t want to spend a dime on using a print-on-demand service. Since the products are a little high though, it will be better if your brand already has a high and loyal following.
Check out more about Teelaunch here.
6. Sellfy
Sellfy isn’t only a print-on-demand company, it’s also an effortless ecommerce platform made for creators who want to sell physical, print-on-demand, and even digital products.
It’s a little similar to how Etsy works — with the bonus of being able to create your own products and storefront.
Here are important details regarding Sellfy:
● Ecommerce integration: Sellfy allows integration with various platforms like WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, YouTube, and Facebook. However, the integration it allows isn’t like the other print-on-demand companies — but more in embedding the products on your website and social media platforms.
● Features: Sellfy has an easy-to-use product editor that can help you create products based on your design ideas. Since it’s an ecommerce platform, Sellfy also comes with built-in marketing features like email marketing and tracking pixels — as well as reliable payment features.
● Shipping: Sellfy has somewhat tricky shipping rates. If the customer ordered one item only, they will pay for the first product cost. For those who ordered more than one item, the customers will have to pay the highest first product cost and the lesser cost for the additional items. The delivery time for recipients within the US takes 5-11 business days while international delivery takes 7-27 business days.
● Pricing: The pricing tier in Sellfy is built like any other ecommerce platform. There’s a free plan where you can sell ten products. The starter plan, which costs $19 per month, is for those with annual revenue of $10,000. The business plan costs $49 per month and the premium plan costs $99 per month. All plans come with standard ecommerce features.
● Best for: Sellfy is perfect for those who want to try selling for the first time without their own external storefront or online store. It’s also a good print-on-demand ecommerce platform for those who are looking to expand their business with new customers who browse the Sellfy catalog of products.
Check out more about Sellfy here.
7. Gooten
Gooten is a print-on-demand solution that’s more geared toward those who want to scale their already existing business.
The company uses on-demand manufacturing and consolidates store operations so you can have an easier time selling your products.
Here are important details regarding Gooten:
● Ecommerce integration: Gooten has built-in store ecommerce integrations with a lot of platforms that will enable you to automate the order fulfillment. You can integrate with BigCommerce, Shopify, Etsy, and WooCommerce. Gooten also has an API for those who need to integrate with platforms not on the list
● Features: Gooten’s features lean more on ecommerce features rather than print-on-demand ones. There’s an email automation feature as well as a tool for automating sales tax. On the design part, there’s a tool for creating branded neck labels and packing slips.
● Shipping: Gooten’s shipping time frame usually falls within six business days, though they tell their customers to allow 2-12 business days for the delivery. Shipping rates largely depend on the product and shipping options, though the lowest could be somewhere around three dollars.
● Pricing: It doesn’t cost anything to use Gotten as there are no upfront or hidden fees at all. The only time you have to pay for something is when a customer orders something from you. That also means you will be able to use all the features right from the start.
● Best for: Gooten is best for entrepreneurs who want to leave whatever is possible to a third-party company. It’s definitely a good platform for those who want to scale their business and focus more on things that truly matter.
Check out more about Gooten here.
8. GearLaunch
GearLaunch is an ecommerce hybrid platform that has a large catalog of print-on-demand products, fulfillment features, and other ecommerce tools.
Although you can always upload your designs and start selling, you can also tap from their popular products.
Here are important details regarding GearLaunch:
● Ecommerce integration: Currently, GearLaunch integrates only with Shopify, as there’s already an app existing within the big platform. The other option that you can with GearLaunch is to create your store within the platform — with your own custom domain name.
● Features: As for features, GearLaunch doesn’t have that much. They do have a mockup generator though so you can see how the final products look and show them in your storefront as well.
● Shipping: GearLaunch ships to a lot of countries. However, they also don’t ship to as many countries as they ship to. They do have an exhaustive list of countries they ship to and they don’t ship to for reference. The average time is around 3-5 days. As for the rates, the smallest shipping rate is $4.99 for customers within the US. For other countries, the price almost doubles to around $8.99.
● Pricing: GearLaunch boasts a zero startup cost so you can sell print-on-demand products without any upfront cost. The only thing you will have to pay is the base cost of the product that your customer ordered. Even when using Shopify, the app is also free — and the things you have to pay are only Shopify-related costs.
● Best for: GearLaunch is best for people who want to try their hands in the print-on-demand industry without any upfront cost. Since the platform only has a mockup generator, it works best for those who already have a pre-existing design at hand.
Check out more about GearLaunch here.
9. Spring
Spring — formerly Teespring — was one of the most popular print-on-demand companies a few years prior.
The name change in 2021 makes more sense since this company has long graduated from simply selling “tees”.
In fact, they now have more than 180 products, and a lot of those products are not even apparel or clothing.
Here are important details regarding Spring:
● Ecommerce integration: Spring integrates smoothly with Shopify. But besides that, you can’t use the platform with any other ecommerce platforms. Even with other marketplace platforms, Spring doesn’t have any native integrations for them either. On the bright side, you can create your own custom store with the platform.
● Features: Spring has its own mockup generator that will enable you to see your products before selling them in your store. They also have a unique non-print-on-demand feature called “mint-on-demand” for selling non-fungible tokens.
● Shipping: In terms of delivery timelines, Spring commits a 9-12 business days time frame for standard shipping and 4-5 business days for rush (domestic only) shipping within the US. International shipping takes a little longer — at around 12-15 business days. Spring also doesn’t track the packages anymore once they reach the target country. For shipping rates, the cheapest they offer is $3.50 for stickers and $4.99 for apparel.
● Pricing: For pricing, Spring doesn’t have any upfront and hidden costs. It’s completely free to use for anyone who wants to sell on the platform. You only pay the platform when you sell something. They have a base price for products and you get the difference between that and what the customer pays.
● Best for: Spring works best for those who want to sell print-on-demand products without having to pay for anything until a customer orders a product. It also works for those who don’t have a store yet and are willing to use a free platform as a starting ground.
Check out more about Spring here.
10. Lulu xPress
If you’re a reader, you must be familiar with Lulu, which is an online platform for authors and self-publishers.
Lulu xPress is their print-on-demand service that enables its customers to create and sell print products like books, magazines, and calendars.
Here are important details regarding Lulu xPress:
● Ecommerce integration: Lulu xPress integrates well with Shopify. Customers can order directly from the online store and Lulu’s global print network with it. Lulu has a feature called “direct integrations” which connects Lulu books with other popular platforms like WooCommerce. There’s also an API for custom solutions.
● Features: Lulu comes with a lot of guides and templates for your print product. There’s also a product configurator tool and a file converter. Lulu also creates a compelling book cover by itself complete with the title, subtitle, contributors, and description.
● Shipping: Lulu xPress has printing facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, and Australia. For shipping time within the US, Lulu xPress has an “Express” option that delivers in one day. For countries that are a little out of the way of their printing facilities, the shipping can reach for as long as 17 days via regular mail. Lulu xPress uses FedEx as the primary carrier and they ship to countries that the carrier also services.
● Pricing: The platform is free to use. You can self-publish your products with Lulu xPress without any cost. Only pay when a customer orders from you. Specifically, you will be charged for the manufacturing, shipping, and fulfillment costs related to the order.
● Best for: Lulu xPress is best for authors and self-publishers who want to sell printed products without having to print the products themselves.
Check out more about Lulu xPress here.
Using a print-on-demand company in 2022
Because of the abundance of print-on-demand companies nowadays, it’s getting a little hard to select the one that’s best for your business.
That’s because aside from the features, you also need to consider how the service integrates with the ecommerce platform you’re using.
Fortunately, most of them integrate quite well with the most-used ecommerce platforms around like Shopify and WooCommerce.
By the way, if you want to create your own ecommerce website, make sure to check out z.com’s hosting plan which includes a free .com domain, a free SSL certificate, and a whole lot more.
