Printify is one of the most popular print-on-demand (POD) services around at the moment, making it easy for virtually anyone with a creative mind to set up an ecommerce business.
The premise is simple: if you have a design idea to print on, well virtually anything, Printify will do it for you. Mugs, t-shirts, hoodies, wall decor, shower curtains, you name it.
Entrepreneurs really like Printify because it integrates well with ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, eBay, BigCommerce, and even works with TikTok Shop.
But with so many POD services to choose from, we know it can be a bit difficult. That’s why we signed up and used the service. Here’s our full, hands-on, personally tested Printify review.
Quick Verdict
- Third party printing facilities
- 24/7 Custommer Support
- White label products
For the vast majority of ecommerce entrepreneurs, Printify will tick all the right boxes, so yes, it is absolutely the best POD service for almost anyone looking to get into the print-on-demand scene.
Founded in 2015, Printify has rapidly grown in popularity, distinguishing itself from other services by offering a vast network of print providers around the globe.
This extensive network allows users to select the best providers based on cost, location, and quality, ensuring faster delivery times and lower shipping costs.
It has 900+ products currently, from custom apparel to home decor items, so you won’t ever feel the need to look for another service.
Then, it’s got a network of over 90 print providers strategically located throughout the globe, making it easy for businesses virtually anywhere to streamline shipping logistics, improve delivery times, and choose from a diverse network of printing providers.
One of the things that we really liked about Printify was just how well it integrates with different ecommerce platforms like Shopify, allowing you to bring your idea to market in a matter of hours.
Printify even gives you an array of tools, such as its Product Creator and the Earnings Calculator, making it easy for you to know exactly how your product will look, and how much money you’ll make.
We’ll dive into its features in more detail, but the unanimous verdict amongst our experts is this: Printify is one of the very best print-on-demand services available in 2024.
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Our goal is to provide our readers with trustworthy, reliable insights that can guide their decisions in the ever-evolving ecommerce landscape.
In essence, when you read our reviews, you're benefiting from the collective expertise and experience of a team committed to truth and transparency.
How Printify Works
Printify is a print-on-demand service for anyone who wants to sell custom-made items online without the hassle of making and shipping them themselves. Imagine you want to sell a cool custom-designed t-shirt.
With Printify, you can create your t-shirt design, then choose a company from Printify's big list to make and ship the t-shirt whenever someone buys it from your online shop.
You don't need to worry about touching the t-shirt or mailing it; Printify handles all that behind the scenes.
It works smoothly with popular online shops like Shopify, Etsy, and WooCommerce. So, if you have a shop there, you can easily add your designed products. If you don’t, well good news, it hardly takes a few minutes to set one up!
From comfy hoodies to mugs and pillows, you have over 300 types of products to choose from and design.
This way, you can focus on creating cool designs and promoting your shop, while Printify takes care of making and sending the products to your customers.
It's a great way for beginners to jump into selling custom products online without needing a big investment or a garage full of stock.
Printify Pricing – How Much Does the Service Cost?
There’s little doubt that Printify’s pricing contributes significantly to its success. Their first plan, eponymously titled Free, is great for people just starting out. It costs nothing, and lets you set up to 5 stores per account, with unlimited product designs.
Here’s a quick overview of their pricing and the features you get between the Free and Premium plans:
| Features | Free | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $0 | $29.99/month ($24.99/month if billed annually) |
| Supported Stores | Five | Ten |
| Third-party integrations | Yes | Yes |
| Discount on products | No discount | 20% discount on all products |
| Support | 24/7 (live chat and contact form) | 24/7 (live chat and contact form) |
There’s also a third plan, Enterprise, which is designed for merchants with high daily sales.
The pricing is custom-designed based on your needs, and along with everything that you get in Premium, this plan also gives you additional discounts on all products.
Printify – Pros and Cons
Now that you know the pricing plans and what the service does, let’s talk about some of the main pros and cons of Printify.
Pros 👍
- Free to use: If you’re just getting started with print-on-demand, Printify is arguably the most appealing option. It costs absolutely nothing (you don’t even need a credit card to sign up), and lets you set up to five stores.
- No product limits: Unlike many “free” plans, Printify’s free offering doesn’t limit you to a selection of products. You can access their full catalog of 900+ products.
- Extensive print provider network: With a network of more than 90 print providers worldwide, you can choose the best match for their needs based on location, price, and quality.
- Easy to use: Arguably the biggest benefit is just how easy Printify is to use. You don’t need to be a tech whiz to get started, as the entire UI is very thoughtfully designed to accelerate adoption.
- Additional tools: I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that tools like the mockup generator (now the Product Creator), for Printify are great for visualizing the designs before you order.
- Custom branding options: You can apply custom branding such as neck labels and add branding inserts to your products to replicate the feel of a major brand at significantly lower prices.
Cons 👎
- Dependence on third-party providers: Printify doesn’t control the quality of the final product; that depends on the print provider you choose. While Printify ensures a level of standard, variations between providers can lead to inconsistency in product quality or fulfillment times.
- Limited Control over Fulfillment: As with most print-on-demand services, you have less control over the fulfillment process, including packaging and shipping speed. This can be a challenge when trying to offer a customized unboxing experience or expedite orders.
- Costs: While there are no upfront costs for creating products, the unit price of items can be higher than purchasing inventory in bulk. This might reduce profit margins, especially on the Free plan without the discounts available on the Premium plan.
- No custom packaging: Since there’s no custom branded packaging available, the products you ship won’t arrive with branded boxes. However, you can add packaging inserts.
- Transparency over shipping prices: While Printify does declare all the costs upfront, lead times for shipping are an issue. Selecting a product and print provider through Printify reveals an estimated number of business days next to the shipping cost. This figure represents the typical production timeline for an item, rather than an estimate of how quickly it will be shipped.
Features
The main reason why Printify is so popular amongst ecommerce entrepreneurs is because of the sheer array of features that it offers.
Product Catalog
One of the things that really sets Printify apart from other competitors like Printful is the sheer range of products (900+!) that you can choose from.
Printful, arguably the second biggest POD service, has 230 products, which puts things into perspective. Some of the main product categories that Printify offers include:
- Home decor items
- Men’s clothing
- Women’s clothing
- Kids’ clothing
- Food, health, and beauty products
- Accessories (phone cases, mouse pads, etc.)
- Home and living products (journals, games, blankets, etc.)
As a business owner, this gives you considerable freedom to choose what you want to sell and customize it your way. You don’t have to be limited to conventional apparel like hoodies or T-shirts!
Automatic Order Routing
Maintaining stock is often a big challenge for smaller ecommerce entrepreneurs. Printify offers automatic order routing, so in case one print provider is unable to ship your order, their network will re-route it to another.
This is a very handy feature, especially during sales seasons when demand rises.
Integrations
I know we’ve talked quite a bit about this, but it’s really impressive just how many integrations you get with Printify. Here’s a full list of integrations you can choose from:
- Shopify
- Etsy
- Walmart
- eBay
- TikTok Shop
- PrestaShop
- BigCommerce
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Shutterstock
On top of that, Printify also gives you access to its API, giving you access to bespoke opportunities.
For instance, individual merchants can connect Printify through the API to any ecommerce platform or application they use, giving them greater control over both store and product management.
Managing Shipping
Once a customer places an order, the product is automatically sent to the print provider closest to the customer's location that offers the selected product.
This localization strategy not only reduces shipping times but also minimizes shipping costs. Printify offers transparent shipping rates and times, which can be easily communicated to customers upfront.
Additionally, the platform provides tracking information once the product is shipped, allowing both the seller and the customer to monitor the delivery process.
As a seller, you don’t need to worry about negotiating rates with shipping companies or managing logistics; Printify will do all of that for you.
As you explore different print partners for a specific item on Printify, you'll come across an initial estimate for shipping costs.
Remember, these figures are just starting estimates, indicating that the actual shipping fees might exceed the initial numbers provided.
For a more accurate understanding of shipping costs, Printify offers a detailed shipping rates page. This resource details each print partner, presenting base shipping costs for various items categorized by size and broken down by destination country.
It further provides insights into the expected delivery times for different locations.
It's crucial to recognize, however, that the choice of printing partner and the type of product selected can greatly influence shipping costs.
These costs can fluctuate widely, occasionally necessitating the absorption of shipping fees on your part to prevent potential customers from being discouraged by high shipping charges at the point of purchase.
Overall though, we really liked just how easy Printify makes it for ecommerce store owners to know how much they’ll end up paying for shipping.
Product Creator
Printify’s Product Creator is one of the best tools for visualizing your products and seeing how they’ll appear before you start promoting them in your store.
From the get-go, the tool's intuitive design interface stood out, making it incredibly straightforward to upload my designs and see them come to life on various products.
You can see the exact measurements of each design, allowing you to carefully fine-tune the final design and check the placement and sizing of each impression.
The customization options provided a level of control I hadn't seen on other platforms. Being able to tweak the colors and placement of my designs allowed me to perfect each product to exactly how I imagined it.
However, it wasn't all smooth sailing. There were moments of frustration, especially when trying to match the exact hues of my brand colors. It took some back and forth, but it eventually worked..
There’s even an option to download the designs in PSD format, letting you optimize the image with a more comprehensive tool before uploading it back in.
Oh, and you can try out the editor for free; you just need to create an account. What truly impressed me was the Product Creator.
Seeing my designs on products without having to pay for samples or arrange a photoshoot was a game-changer.
It saved me time and money, two things always in short supply when you're trying to grow your business. That said, while the mockups looked great online, I learned the hard way to double-check the print quality preview.
A couple of early designs didn't quite meet the print quality threshold, leading to some less-than-stellar samples. It was a learning curve, but it taught me to pay closer attention to the resolution of my initial designs.
All in all though, it’s hard to find some serious flaws with Printify’s Product Creator. You get access to a free graphics library, and even a template and layer management tool to flesh out complex designs.
Ease of Use
The team at Ecommerce-Platforms.com, including me, found Printify extremely easy to use. It’s very easy to upload designs and place them on whatever product you’re trying to create.
We found that the whole process of selecting a product, finding the right provider, uploading your designs, configuring them properly with the right dimensions is very easy.
I’d also like to mention that there’s also a Product Migration Tool, so if you’re using another platform, Printify does help you bring everything over.
If you already have a store, you can also integrate it with Printify. We tried that with an existing Shopify store, and it took less than a minute to sync everything.
This way, when someone places an order through your store, Printify gets to work and ships it directly. When I tried it through our test store, Printify even gave us options on the delivery times and the total costs.
Ultimately, this gives users on your site considerable control over what they want, and how quickly they want it. From the DPI of the print to the print area size, you can see everything to help you make an informed decision.
And, while I mainly tried it with Shopify, it integrates just as well with WooCommerce, Etsy, Shopify, and other ecommerce-platforms.
Essentially, Printify acts as a bridge, syncing products and orders across your online stores, ensuring a smooth workflow.
One thing I’d also like to mention: their transparent pricing structure. Printify makes it clear what the cost per item is, including the printing and shipping.
This transparency allows users to price my products competitively while maintaining a healthy profit margin. When an order comes in, Printify handles the printing, packaging, and shipping.
And, while the shipping times might not always be accurate, I’d still say it’s well within the margin of error.
Shipping and Fulfillment
Printify offers four shipping options:
- Economy
- Standard
- Priority
- Express
Economy shipping is the cheapest, starting from $3.99, but also the slowest, taking 4-8 business days for domestic delivery within the States. Economy doesn’t allow for international delivery either.
I’d say both Standard and Priority are suitable choices. Standard is the most popular, with rates starting from $4.75, and taking around 2-5 business days for domestic delivery. If you’re shipping internationally,
Express was designed for deliveries where speed is important. It costs $7.99, with an additional $2.40 for each extra item, but the shipping times are 2-3 business days, inclusive of production.
What countries can you not ship items to?
Printify’s Print Providers (the vendors) can ship your items to almost every country, with the exception of:
- North Korea
- Russia
- Belarus
- Ukraine
As mentioned above, you can check the rates and shipping estimates for each provider. Shipment tracking is available for most providers, so it’s another plus when you’re shipping orders out to your customers.
Product Range
Printify has one of the most extensive catalogs that you’ll find, including over 900 products. From calendars to acrylic ornaments to all sorts of apparel, Printify has it all.
The company does a great job of categorizing products too, and you’ll find some helpful options such as:
- Eco-friendly
- Assembled in the USA
- AOP (all over print) clothing
- TikTok ready (fast-selling items curated for TikTok)
- Printify Choice (their top-selling choices)
The company has expanded far beyond conventional products and apparel, and they even offer items such as branded coffee.
The company partnered with Roastify for this, so if you were thinking of starting your own brand of coffee, without all the manufacturing hassle, here’s your chance!
It doesn’t stop there, though; they even have a selection of beauty products from Formula Labs, from snail mucin serums to hair oil and more.
It’s easy to see that the company wants to use its product selection as a key differentiator, and it’s succeeded for the most part.
If you wanted a print-on-demand provider that could brand virtually any product that you could think of, Printify would be your best choice.
While quality usually varies depending on the print provider you choose, Printify does maintain some modicum of quality control through:
- Checking new products when they arrive at one of their printing facilities,
- Before the printing begins
- After the printing to compare the original designs with the product.
One thing I also quite like is that they have a fairly comprehensive ranking system for Print Providers, giving them a rating based on:
- Product quality
- Production speed
- Overall reliability
User Reviews – What Others Think of Printify
As you can probably tell, the internet is quite divided on Printify. For instance, one user on Reddit wrote that he loved Printify’s services, claiming to have shipped 15+ shirts using the platform:
Another said that they loved the website and the customer service from Printify:
But, it’s not all roses and sunshine. For instance, a user on Reddit wrote about their experience on how their order was messed up, though they were able to secure a refund from Printify:
Obviously, your experience is likely to differ depending on the Print Provider you choose. The good thing is you can check reviews and ratings for any provider, which could help you adjust your expectations.
Customer Support
Printify offers a variety of support options to assist its users around the clock. You can reach their support team through two primary methods: a 24/7 chat service and a contact form.
The chat service starts with Snappy, a virtual agent that can escalate your issue to a live support agent if needed.
This service is designed to provide quick and efficient answers to help you focus on your business. For a more detailed inquiry or if you prefer not to use the chat, you can submit an issue using the contact form.
Keep in mind that all responses to your inquiries will be emailed to you, and you can also track all communications and replies under the “My Requests” section in your Printify account.
We tested the chat service first, and it was, for lack of a better word, snappy. The AI agent is spotty, but does return a bunch of relevant help center articles.
Plus, I have to give it to Printify; they have a fantastic knowledge base with some really well-written articles. You’ll find the answer to virtually any question you may have.
Printify Pop-Up Store
The Printify Pop-Up Store was launched to help users quickly set up a digital storefront for selling their print-on-demand designs.
This service is particularly beneficial for creators, influencers, and small businesses who want to monetize their audience or brand without dealing with the complexities and costs of inventory management and order fulfillment.
Users can choose from a wide range of products, apply their designs, and share their unique store URL (Printify will generate one for you). It’s 100% free, with Printify taking a cut from each item.
Essentially, this is designed to help users save on the costs of setting up a store. However, if you want to stand a realistic chance of growing your store, you may want to consider setting up an actual ecommerce store.
We do like the concept though; it really shows that the company is thinking outside the box and trying to facilitate its users.
Printify vs. The Competition
Printify vs. Printful
I’ll keep this short: Printify wins this battle due to two main reasons: product choice and its network of Print Providers. Printify has 900+, while Printful has around 230.
In the same vein, Printify has a massive network of print providers, allowing them to ship anywhere in the world while keeping costs low and offering flexibility.
This last point is important, because Printful manages its own fulfillment centers, which allows for more consistent quality control and potentially faster processing times, but may not offer the same level of flexibility in provider choice and shipping optimization.
One area where Printful does succeed is branding opportunities. Printful provides more extensive branding opportunities, including custom packing slips, labels, and packaging, which can be crucial for businesses aiming to strengthen their brand identity.
Printify also offers customization options, but the range and depth of branding services can vary depending on the chosen print provider.
Printify vs. Gelato
While both Printify and Gelato have global print partners, the latter focuses more on reducing its carbon footprint, using eco-friendliness as its main USP. However, the choice of products is nowhere near the same.
Pricing structures between Printify and Gelato differ, with Printify offering a free tier and a premium subscription that provides discounts on product costs, which can enhance profit margins for businesses.
Gelato operates on a no-subscription model, focusing on offering competitive prices for its products and shipping.
The decision between the two could depend on your business model, volume of sales, and how the pricing impacts your overall profit margins.
As for shipping, Gelato prides itself on local production to speed up delivery and reduce environmental impact, which might appeal to eco-conscious brands.
Printify's model of choosing your print provider gives you flexibility in balancing cost and shipping speed, potentially optimizing for local markets.
Further reading 📚
The Bottom Line – What Do We Think of Printify?
So, what do we think of Printify? We love it. It’s as simple as that. The vast selection of products, combined with the flexibility to choose from a global network of print providers, sets a high bar for customization and scalability in the print-on-demand industry.
I'm particularly impressed by how seamlessly it integrates with major ecommerce platforms (inlcuding Shopify, and WooCommerce), making it an excellent choice for both novices and seasoned sellers looking to expand their online presence.
The platform's ease of use, from product creation to fulfillment, ensures a smooth operation, allowing sellers to focus more on their creative visions and marketing strategies.
All things considered, I find Printify to be a robust and reliable partner for anyone venturing into the world of online selling with custom products.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Absolutely. Selling on Printify is definitely worth it, especially since you can start selling virtually for free!
Yes! There are countless examples of people making lots of money with Printify. It all depends on the designs that you have in mind.
This isn’t a direct comparison; Printify is a POD service, while Shopify is an ecommerce platform. That said, Printify does integrate with Shopify quite well.
Printify wins in several departments: product range (Printify has 900+ while Printful has 230), the number of print providers, and the extensive branding options.
The base plan, which lets you set up to 5 stores, is free. The Premium costs $24.99/month if you pay annually.
Yes, it is possible to make a living with print-on-demand services, but it requires effective marketing, unique designs, and a strategic approach to stand out in a competitive market.
Oh yes. Printify is print-on-demand, meaning the order is only processed when someone places it, so yes, all sales are handled directly (you don’t need to keep any stock).
This comes as no surprise, but it’s the t-shirts. They have a ton of providers, and you can design them any which way you want!
Printify offers a range of pricing plans including a free plan with no monthly fees, a Premium plan for $29 per month (or $24.99/month if billed annually), which provides up to 20% discount on all products.
Printful, on the other hand, doesn't require a monthly fee for basic services but offers a Pro account at $49 per month, including additional features.
Yep, you don’t need to be a designer (though it’s highly recommended). Their Product Creator tool is fairly easy to get used to, and offers a ton of features.
My comment is I would like to build a fashion house in America and have an E-commerce platform. Need some help.
Hello Stephanie, feel free to get in touch. We’ll do our best to help.
Very very nice and easy logos about printify, our company in india wants to be deal with printify about logo designs clien
👍
Their UI is solid, but I like Printful’s better. Also, there is more flexibility with Printful in terms of customization and branding.
👍👍👍
Their UI is solid, but I like Printful’s better. Also there are more flexibility with Printful in terms of customization and branding
Printify is the easiest to design and integrate as I have found. The only downsides are: No Hats, No Models. The shower curtains do have models, however the rest of their products do not, as yet. Printful I have found to be a little more time consuming setting every little detail.
Thank you for this review. We are using Shopify with Printify integration. Fortunately, multiple platforms can integrate with Shopify if someone decides to do so.
Various CMS tools are available to create E-commerce platform. But I would suggest creating custom own tool where you can add more features which are lacking in readymade tools.