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I honestly think it’s a pretty great time to be someone with a creative spirit and a little ambition. Anyone with an idea and a little time on their hands can open a store in no time, and start selling their way to a better future. For a lot of us, Etsy is the easiest place to begin.

There aren’t a lot of fees (although there are some), you don’t have to worry about web design, and you’ve already got a massive audience of active buyers to tap into without any marketing. Bring a company like Gelato into the mix, and you don’t even need to think about making and shipping products yourself, you’ve got a partner that does it all for you.

If all of this sounds appealing, but you’re sat there wondering how you get started, this is the guide for you. Think of it as the no-fuss set-up blueprint for your brand-new POD company on Etsy.

Continue reading “Selling on Etsy with Gelato in 2026: The Beginner’s Guide to Setting Up Your POD Brand”

Custom Ink has been one of the most well-known names in the custom t-shirt printing space for years, and for good reason. Its platform is easy to use, offers decent prices at scale, and handles everything from design to shipping.

But as I’ve ordered more shirts across different use cases, from small runs for internal events to print-on-demand ecommerce, I’ve learned that there are plenty of alternatives that offer more flexibility, better pricing, or faster turnaround times.

Whether you're a brand owner, an event coordinator, or just need a one-off design, the best Custom Ink alternatives are often more tailored to your needs. Some focus on high-volume rush orders, others are designed for ecommerce stores that don’t want to carry inventory, and some are perfect for solo creators who need just one shirt.

I’ve researched and personally tested each of these platforms to give you a clear breakdown of what works best, and when. This guide walks through eight standout options and explains what each one does better than Custom Ink.

Continue reading “Best Custom Ink Alternatives: My Picks for 2026”

Personally, I’ve been a big fan of Gelato as a print on demand vendor for a while now. They’ve always seemed like a company with their “finger on the pulse”, going eco-friendly before most of their competitors, building a worldwide network, and giving sellers tools other platforms can only dream of (like AI-powered pricing support). Lately though, this company is pulling out all the stops.

You may know Gelato upgraded its (already amazing) premium plan this year, with new extras like free personalization studio, discounts of up to 35%, and specialist tools like Instant Collections (launch entire catalogs instantly with AI), Magic Mockups, and the Velocity Switch migration tool.

What you might not know, though, is that they also added a new printing option: Direct to Film (DTF), and that’s honestly a bigger deal than you might think.

Continue reading “Gelato Direct-to-Film (DTF) Printing: Everything POD Sellers Need to Know”

Everyone says that launching an Etsy store is easy, and for the most part it is. You don’t need to worry about website design, and you’re launching products on a marketplace that already has millions of buyers, so that takes the pressure off. But there are tough parts too, like figuring out what to sell.

Taking the print on demand route can make things a bit easier. You’re not producing your own products, or dealing with shipping yourself. But you’re still competing with a lot of companies selling similar things, and you’ve got to be pretty careful with Etsy’s rules. For instance, you can’t sell anything if you’re not the “original designer”, so stock image shirts are out.

Still, a little research, and the right print on demand partner can make a world of difference. So here, I’m going to walk you through some of my top picks if you’re selling Gelato products on Etsy next year, and how you can make them stand out.

Continue reading “The Best Gelato Products to Sell on Etsy in 2026”