Print Aura Review (2024): Is this the POD Platform for You?

In today’s Print Aura review, we’re looking at one of the most well-known and popular print on demand solutions in the current market.

The question is, can you really trust Print Aura to take your print on demand business to the next level? Here’s everything you need to know to decide if this platform is right for you.

What is Print Aura?

Let’s start with the basics. Print Aura is a white-label print-on-demand solution provider, first launched by Matt Brickley in 2012. Don’t let the (slightly outdated) Print Aura website fool you.

The platform has evolved drastically over the years, offering new products, features, and high-quality printing technologies.

It also offers a relatively straightforward backend environment, making it easier for merchants of all sizes to start selling online.

Print Aura’s product collection focuses mostly on apparel, such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, onesies, and dresses, but there are plenty of other options available too.

The company can produce custom drinkware, wall art, accessories, masks, and even bags for your online store.

Like many Print on Demand providers, Print Aura also supports companies with a variety of useful design tools, helpful educational resources, and integrations with leading ecommerce platforms. Plus, the company has no minimum order quantities, and a large daily printing capacity.

How Does Print Aura Work? Ease of Use

As mentioned above, Print Aura is designed to help any would-be business owner start selling custom products in no time. You don’t need any extensive business acumen to get started. Plus, because the company specializes in print on demand, there are no inventory or fulfillment issues to manage either.

To get started with Print Aura, all you need to do is sign up for a free account on the platform. You’ll need to enter an email address and password, then choose which platform you want to use to sell your products.

Print Aura isn’t a POD marketplace, so you will need to connect to your own ecommerce platform, such as WooCommerce, Shopify, or Etsy.

Next, you’ll jump into the design tool, selecting one of Print Aura’s 100s of products to customize. You can upload images, like patterns and logos onto your product, or experiment with colors, fonts, and other components.

We recommend making sure any images you upload to Print Aura are high quality, or you risk a less than perfect product.

Once you have your mockups, you can order a sample of your items, or add them straight to your integrated ecommerce store or marketplace. Configure all of your settings for shipping, returns, and custom packing slips, then simply wait for the orders to roll in.

Whenever a customer places an order, Print Aura will automatically receive information about the order, so it can produce your products and ship them to customers. Most items have a turnaround time of 3-5 business days, and Print Aura delivers products worldwide.

The Features

Compared to some other Print on Demand tools, the Print Aura platform is a little basic. There are no advanced tools for things like logo design or creating your own website or storefront. However, if you already have your own ecommerce platform, or you’re using a marketplace like Etsy to sell, you should have everything you need to get started.

Here are some of the key features of Print Aura worth noting:

Customizable Products

At the heart of the Print Aura platform is the wide range of customizable products you’ll be able to access and sell through your own store. There are hundreds of different solutions to choose from, in different colors, styles and sizes, and there are no minimum order requirements.

Everything is printed on demand, so there are no inventory issues to worry about. Like many of the best print on demand companies, Print Aura offers a lot more than just t-shirt printing.

Print Aura’s products include everything from tees, t-shirts and tank tops, to dresses, onesies, pocket t-shirts, pants, hats, tote bags, cups, mugs, wall art, accessories, and masks.

Everything is customized with high-quality full color printing technology, using DTG (Direct to Garment) methods. Unfortunately, there aren’t any options for screen printing or embroidery.

Design Tools

As mentioned above, Print Aura has its own mockup generator, where you can create digital versions of your products, and examine what each item is going to look like.

The mockup tool isn’t quite as advanced as some of the others we’ve seen, but it’s easy enough to use. You can choose the product you want to sell, upload images, insert text, and access a tutorial in the designer itself.

Plus, you can undo and redo design changes, experiment with different colors for your products, and switch between the front and back of different items. You’ll be able to see the price for your product as you create, and you can add items straight to your checkout if you want to order a sample.

Branding Options

One of the best things about print on demand, compared to business models like dropshipping, is you have more opportunities to make your brand stand out.

Print Aura allows you to fully customize your branding, to ensure your items match your business. You can even customize packaging slips and shipping labels with no extra charge, or add business cards to parcels.

There are also options for customizing neck labels, hang tags, and individual bagging options. Plus, you can add stickers to your packaging for an extra fee.

Order Fulfillment

Finally, Print Aura handles all of the logistics and delivery aspects of running your business on your behalf. The company ships just about everywhere, with prices starting at around $5.50.

Standard order processing times are usually between 3-5 days, although expedited processing is also available for 2-day turnaround times. The company’s printing services are quite reliable for a POD service.

Although, like all POD products, Print Aura’s items can vary in quality, the company does adhere to strict quality assurance guidelines. Print Aura’s guarantee states all products will be free from defects caused by printing or manufacturing errors, or they’ll pay to replace your products.

Print Aura Pricing

So, how much does Print Aura cost?

Similar to many other POD companies, Print Aura doesn’t charge entrepreneurs anything to get started with the platform. There are no monthly subscription costs, but there are still setup costs to consider, for your products, Shopify store, and so on.

You’ll need to pay for the base cost of your products, which can vary depending on the item you choose and your customization options.

A basic T-shirt, for instance, costs around $7.25. On top of that, you’ll pay for extra branding features (like package stickers), and delivery.

Shipping costs vary depending on the option you choose, and the location of your customers, as well as the number of items you want to ship.

For instance, shipping a single t-shirt costs around $5.50 for standard shipping in the USA, with an extra $1.25 for every additional item.

UPS shipping with tracking, which can deliver products in 2-3 days costs around $11.25 for the first time, with an additional $6.25 fee for every extra products. Currently, this option is only available for some products.

Print Aura does allow you to track orders, so you know where your packages are at all times. However, the company doesn’t take any responsibility for customs delays or product losses.

Print Aura Print Quality and Best Selling Products

One of the most important things to consider when choosing any POD vendor is the quality of the prints you’ll receive. According to Print Aura reviews, the quality of some items can vary, particularly depending on the designs you upload.

Additionally, Print Aura uses the CMYK color mode for printing, which could mean you face some color shifting issues if you use RGB-based PNG images within the design maker.

On the plus side, Print Aura does have it’s quality guarantee in place for peace of mind. Plus, you can order samples of your products directly, but there are no discounts when you do this.

In terms of best-selling products, Print Aura has a handful of great options to choose from. Accessories like phone cases and drinkware sell relatively well on the platform. T-shirts and pocket t-shirts, as well as sweatshirts and dresses are also popular.

Print Aura Integrations

Since Print Aura isn’t an all-in-one print on demand marketplace like Redbubble, you will need your own sales platform to sell items through the company.

The good news is that Print Aura offers a handful of native integrations with leading solutions like Shopify, Opencart, Storenvy, Etsy, and WooCommerce. Unfortunately, there aren’t any custom APIs or extra integrations available yet.

If you’re having trouble with any integrations, you can access how-to guides and FAQs on the platform to help you, or reach out to Print Aura’s customer support team.

Print Aura Customer Support

Speaking of customer support, Print Aura offers a handful of resources to sellers. You can reach out to the team directly via phone number or email, although there are no chat or social media options.

Print Aura does promise to get back to you on the same day if you contact them between 8am and 4:30pm EST, however, which is a nice touch.

Unfortunately, Print Aura has earned some mixed reviews on the support it offers to sellers. Some say representatives struggle to address their concerns, and others say they haven’t heard back from the team for days.

It’s also worth noting that Print Aura won’t handle support for your end customer for you. You’ll need to manage returns and refunds yourself.

If Print Aura makes a mistake with your order, it will replace the item sold, as long as you get in touch within 30 days. However, if your customer simply decides they don’t want a product, or there’s an issue with the item that’s outside of Print Aura’s control, you won’t get a refund.

Print Aura Review: The Verdict

Ultimately, Print Aura has mixed reviews as a print on demand service. On the one hand, it does offer fast production and delivery times, a wide range of products, and an easy-to-use back-end environment.

However, it’s design tools aren’t as advanced as some of the solutions available from other vendors.

Plus, Print Aura is limited in terms of its product options and integrations, making it a slightly less appealing solution for companies that want to scale quickly.

It’s also worth noting that the platform is a little clunky and outdated in places.

We’ll leave you with the key pros and cons of Print Aura, to help you make your decision:

FAQ

What is Print Aura?

Print Aura is a print on demand platform, designed to provide would-be business owners with access to white-labelled products they can customize and sell. The company handles production and fulfilment on the behalf of your business, and integrates with a variety of ecommerce tools

Is Printful better than Print Aura?

Printful is definitely better than Print Aura in some ways. The platform is more advanced, offers a wider range of products, design tools, and integrations, and provides more printing options to choose from. However, Print Aura may be a less expensive option for beginners.

Is Print Aura good for beginners?

Print Aura is one of the easiest platforms to use for beginners, with low costs for products, simple design tools, and straightforward integrations. However, it does have some relatively clunky areas, and limited customer support.