15 Top Print-On-Demand Companies (And How To Choose One) in 2024

Article by Thomas J Law 1 May, 2024

Print-on-demand companies make it easy for anyone to start an online business from home. You can use their services to:

Launch an online store with custom merchandise
Start a clothing line with no startup capital
Monetize social media followings with unique products
Expand existing businesses by offering new product lines

There are many print-on-demand sites to choose from, so picking the right one is important. What should you look for when choosing a print-on-demand service?

In this article, we’ll look at the important things to think about when picking a print-on-demand service and review 15 of the top POD companies in 2024.

But first, let’s make sure we’re on the same page—what exactly are print-on-demand companies?

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What are print-on-demand companies?

Print-on-demand (or POD) companies are businesses that provide a complete ecommerce fulfillment solution—this includes sourcing and storing products, printing products and packaging materials, and shipping orders to customers.

Print on demand works similar to dropshipping. All you need to do is create eye-catching designs, configure your products, and sell them online—a print-on-demand company will take care of the rest!

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Top 15 print-on-demand companies

What are the best print-on-demand companies out there in 2024? Here are our favorite print-on-demand sites to consider.

1. Printful

Printful

Printful is one of the most popular print-on-demand companies out there.

It has a wide range of printable items, including t-shirts, mugs, phone cases, and bean bag chairs. Printing options include direct-to-garment, cut-and-sew, sublimation, and embroidery.

Printful’s mockup generator makes customization easy, and the service integrates with all major platforms, including Shopify and Etsy. You can also add custom tags to your products and include stickers and inserts in the product packaging.

Printful typically ships products in two to five business days after receiving an order.

2. Printify

Printify provides access to an extensive network of print-on-demand suppliers around the world. As a result, you can choose the best supplier in your country for fast and cost-effective shipping. Of course, this also means that shipping times and product quality will vary depending on the supplier you choose.

This print-on-demand company enables businesses to customize more than 900 products in many ways, including embroidery, sublimation, and direct-to-garment printing.

Printify also offers Premium and Enterprise plans that provide significant discounts for businesses with a high turnover.

3. CustomCat

CustomCat is a US-based print-on-demand company, and orders are typically ready to ship in just two to three business days. This print-on-demand shop offers a few printing options, such as direct to garment, 3D dye infusion, and sublimation.

CustomCat also boasts one of the largest print-on-demand merchandise catalogs available—so it’s a good choice if you’re looking for unique print-on-demand products.

4. SPOD

SPOD is one of the fastest print providers around, with 95% of its orders shipped within 48 hours. SPOD has a smaller selection of POD products compared to other providers, but its simple shipping model and competitive pricing make it an attractive option for merchants.

SPOD offers many different printing options, including digital direct, laser transfer, special flex, and sublimation. Plus, its product customization tool lets customers personalize their purchase with their own images or more than 50 thousand free designs.

5. TPOP

TPOP is a print provider from Europe known for allowing complete customization of the customer experience. It offers the option to add your branding to everything from packaging to packing slip. Once your monthly sales exceed 100 items, you can customize the inside labels of your products as well.

TPOP prioritizes environmental responsibility in its operations. It uses zero-plastic packaging and 100% recycled paper for packing slips. Additionally, its primary supplier is a member of the Fair Wear Foundation, ensuring that apparel products are made in compliance with labor laws.

Shipping with TPOP is designed to be swift and efficient. Orders are printed in France and generally ready to ship within two to four days.

6. JetPrint

JetPrint is one of the best print-on-demand companies for watches and other exciting product categories like shoes, yoga accessories, and homeware. For this reason, it’s an excellent choice for those looking to bootstrap a business around a particular product or niche.

Once you upload your designs, this print-on-demand service will automatically generate professional-looking product photos to show off your products from multiple angles.

Orders are usually ready to ship in three to five business days.

7. Teelaunch

Teelaunch

Teelaunch allows you to sell print-on-demand merchandise via Shopify and Etsy. It also provides an impressive range of products that aren’t as generic as many typical print-on-demand products—including electronics, apparel, and homeware.

Teelaunch offers a few different printing options, such as direct-to-garment, cut-and-sew, all-over print, and laser etching.

Production typically takes three to six business days. There’s also a manual order tool you can use to order products to sell in person.

8. Gelato

Gelato is a global print-on-demand company with more than 100 print partners in 30 countries, delivering products to over 200 countries and territories. It also integrates with all the top online sales channels, including Shopify.

Gelato provides an extensive library of products, such as apparel, wall art, and stationery. Plus, this print-on-demand company works fast, promising to produce and deliver most orders within just 72 hours.

9. Gooten

Gooten is a print-on-demand provider with a catalog of more than 280 products, including apparel, wall art, and home décor. You can sync it with your own online store to easily add and sell a variety of customized products directly to your customers

With a global network of more than 50 manufacturers across over 70 locations, Gooten simplifies the process of scaling your business. It manages everything from printing to shipping, freeing you up to focus on designing and selling.

10. Printy6

Printy6 is a print-on-demand site for Shopify based in China. As a result, shipping takes longer and costs more than many other print-on-demand sites.

However, Printy6 offers many eye-catching and cheap print-on-demand products, including a large range of clothing, accessories, and homeware. Plus, production time takes only one to three days.

11. Lulu Direct

Lulu Direct is the print-on-demand venture of Lulu, an online platform that caters to self-publishers. You can use this POD service to create and sell books to customers worldwide.

Lulu Direct best suits authors who want to monetize their audience or talent with a book product. With flexible formats, book layouts, and binding types, the service lets you have a big say in how the product should look physically.

12. Apliiq

Do you dream of someday launching your own clothing line? That day might be closer than you think, especially when print-on-demand companies like Apliiq exist.

With this service, you can take advantage of a wide range of designs to create your own retail-quality private label products that you can sell through a mix of online and offline retail channels.

Plus, Apliiq offers better wholesale discounts than most POD services, making it a great choice for entrepreneurs who want to launch a fashion brand.

13. AOP+

AOP+

AOP+ focuses primarily on all-over-print products. For those unfamiliar, all-over-print involves printing designs directly onto the fabric, which is then cut and hand-sewn into the final product.

You simply upload the design and choose which products you’d like to create, and AOP+ handles the rest. Shipping costs depend on the item, with the company offering discounts on additional products in the same order.

14. Amazon Merch on Demand

Amazon Merch on Demand is Amazon’s own print-on-demand service. The platform lets you design and sell custom products like graphic tees, accessories, and more.

Getting started is easy—you just upload your artwork, set your retail price, and choose the products you want to customize. Amazon then creates a product page for each item, and when a customer makes a purchase, it handles all the printing and shipping.

15. Prodigi

Prodigi is a print-on-demand platform tailored for artists, photographers, and retailers who prioritize print quality. It lets you choose from over 500,000 products to customize, plus offers a free mockup generator to help you envision your designs on actual merchandise.

Prodigi integrates with all major ecommerce platforms, which simplifies the process of managing your online sales. Plus, it’s easy and affordable to scale, as the platform doesn’t require monthly subscriptions or setup fees.

3 top print-on-demand marketplaces

Now that we’ve covered our top 15 print-on-demand services that allow you to create your own branded experience, here are three of the best print-on-demand marketplaces you can sell your designs on:

Redbubble: Sell your art on more than 70 different products in tons of product categories to an international customer base.
Zazzle: This platform has close to 30 million visitors each month, and it allows you to customize and sell more than 1,300 products.
Society6: This platform lets you sell your designs on a range of products, including a wide selection of premium wall art and décor.

5 things to consider when choosing a print-on-demand supplier

Whichever print-on-demand company you choose will play a crucial role in the success of your business. So it’s essential that you make the right decision for you.

What makes a print-on-demand company a good bet? What should you look for when picking a print-on-demand supplier? Here are five crucial things to consider:

1. Quality products

It doesn’t matter how stunning your designs are if your products fall apart after a week.

For this reason, it’s best to shortlist a few of your favorite print-on-demand suppliers and then order a few test samples from them. This way, you can experience the products’ quality firsthand.

When it comes to printed products, it’s also important to check whether the ink rubs off easily.

And don’t just investigate the products you want to start selling now—try to get a sense of the quality of all the products on offer. You never know: You may wish to expand your product line in the future.

2. Fast shipping times

Thanks to services like Amazon Prime, customers now expect rapid shipping times when shopping online.

So it’ll be challenging to establish a good brand reputation and earn repeat business from happy customers if delivery takes a long time or products arrive late.

For this reason, it’s vital to consider the average shipping time when choosing a print-on-demand company. Ideally, you want customers to receive their products within one week of placing an order.

3. Reasonable product costs and shipping rates

Although quality and speed are essential aspects of a thriving business, costs are perhaps even more critical.

Choosing a print-on-demand company with high product and shipping fees may result in smaller margins—meaning that you’ll make less profit per sale. This can have a knock-on effect that hinders your business growth, as you’ll have less money to reinvest into things like Facebook advertising.

Still, it’s best to focus on how much you’ll make per sale, rather than simply comparing print-on-demand services’ fees. For example, paying higher prices for better quality products may allow you to sell them for more money. Check out Shopify’s profit calculator to calculate your margins.

4. Customization and printing options

Print-on-demand companies often offer different customization options. Depending on your needs, you may require plenty of customization and printing options or just a few.

Do you plan to sell products with simple logos? Or are you planning to express your artistic potential with myriad designs? It’s also worth considering what customized packaging options each print-on-demand company offers.

Whichever print-on-demand site you use, make sure it suits your design and branding needs.

5. Integrations with other platforms

Different print-on-demand services allow you to sell via various channels. Ideally, whichever print-on-demand company you choose will allow you to sell via multiple channels such as:

Make sure you have room to grow. For example, perhaps you want to sell only on Etsy right now. It’s a good idea to make sure there are other options available. This way, you won’t have to switch to a different print-on-demand service in the future.

Start a print-on-demand business today

Print-on-demand is an exciting business opportunity that’s perfect for first-time entrepreneurs. In summary, here are 15 of the best print-on-demand companies to consider in 2024:

When deciding which print-on-demand service to work with, keep in mind these five questions:

Are the products and printing methods high quality?
Is the shipping fast and reliable?
Are the product costs and shipping rates reasonable?
Does the service provide the printing and customization options you want?
Can you sell products via your preferred online channels?

Which print-on-demand site has caught your eye? And what products do you want to start selling? Let us know in the comments below!

Print-on-demand companies FAQ

Is print-on-demand profitable?

While print-on-demand products may have lower profit margins, you can still make a profit by carefully setting your retail prices. The key is to balance the cost from your print provider with the price customers are willing to pay. With strategic pricing and effective marketing, you can successfully leverage print-on-demand to grow your business.

What are the different types of print-on-demand companies?

There are two main types of print-on-demand companies:

Print-on-demand services: These allow you to sell products on your own website and via third-party marketplaces like Etsy.
Print-on-demand marketplaces: These are dedicated print-on-demand platforms where you would sell your designs on products alongside other sellers.

In this article, we focused on print-on-demand services, as they enable you to sell products under your own brand.

What products do print-on-demand companies offer?

Most services offer a variety of print-on-demand products, such as:

T-shirts
Hoodies
Mugs
Towels
Phone covers
Notebooks
Stationery
Stickers
Bags
Posters

Some companies offer less conventional print-on-demand merchandise options, like:

Sneakers, boots, and flip-flops
Yoga pants, leggings, joggers, and jeans
Jackets and sweatshirts
Bedsheets and blankets
Pillows and throws
Watches and jewelry
Wall art
Kitchen accessories
Garden accessories
Kids clothing and toys
Headphones and speakers
Bags and bottles
Face masks

How do I start my own print on demand business?

Find a product to sell.
Choose a design for your item.
Select a print-on-demand supplier.
Make your custom products.
Build an online store for your business.
Promote your POD brand.