Wednesday, June 26, 2013

A List of Print On Demand Services

Print on Demand companies allow you to sell printed products with your own artwork or photography online without covering the printing cost first.  Generally they allow you to create a store where you sell products with your designs, and they usually also have a public marketplace where all products by contributing artists are sold as well.  Items are only printed once a customer buys them.  You earn a mark-up or commission, but they handle the printing, shipping, etc.  





Zazzle
One of the major leaders in the POD world, this site has a great product selection and an established customer base.  See my full review of this site here.




CafePress
CafePress is one of the first and most popular Print on Demand Services.  It has a large selection of products and a good customer base but if you rely on that base in stead of your own shop you can only earn 10% profit.  See my full review of this site here.  
Spreadshirt
Another well established print on demand company, mainly for apparel. They have shops for both the UK and North America (US and Canada). Their American storefront is at Spreadshirt.com (linked above) and their UK site is at Spreadshirt.org. Unfortunately, you have to set up a shop in both if you want to sell in both markets.   
Image Kind
Image Kinds is mostly art oriented, and was acquired by CafePress several years ago but run is still run separately.

Deviant Art is primarily a social art sharing site with a focus on fan art, but they also allow you to sell prints and number of other printed items through their Print Shop.  Artists earn 20%, though you can pay for a premium account and set your own prices (and get your own products at base price). You can find out more about selling prints on their FAQ page.
Customized Girl
Customized girl offers a wide range of shirts, pants, shorts, and gift--and not just for girls, but for men and kids too (though I imagine women and girls are their main audience).  They have been selling custom clothes and gifts for many year, but just recently began to offer storefronts.  The storefronts are fairly simple--just your logo with products below.  Commission rates vary from 10 -15% depending on the product.  Customers can add customization to any of your products.  
SmugMug
This site has a program for photographers selling printed products with their photos.  It doesn't look like it has a marketplace--it's probably more tailored for professional photographers offering photo gifts to their customers, though I know of people who sell art through them as well.   Though it seems like they have a higher profit margin than most sites, so if you can promote yourself this might pay more. 
Printfection
Printfection's focus is apparel, and they have a good selection of styles and colors.  They also have a few other items like mugs, bags, and such.  See my full review of this site here
Lulu
Primarily for book printing.

Tone Threads
This is a POD specifically for musicians.  You can sell through your own shop/site or through BandCamp.com.
Boom Boom Prints
A print on demand shop aimed mainly at baby and kids clothes and room decor. 
This site offers a set commission rate of $3 to $6.50 per item on T-shirts, Phone Cases, and Prints.
Oarttes
POD site focusing on full bleed, artistic t-shirts. 
Print All Over Me
As the name suggests, this site features items that can be printed completely, all over every inch.
Deny Designs
A site primarily focused on home and decor design.  They are looking for artist but don't give many details about commission rates, how the site works for artists, ect
Screened
An eco-conscious service for selling T-shirts and Tote Bags. They have a very long print area for their shirts.  (Though not as much as CafePress's ALL OVER t-shrits...but those cost a lot more).  
PrintMojo
NOT technically a print on demand service since they do screen printing and embroidery and you do have to actually buy the T-shirts, but they print them, store them, and sell them for you.
Yersies
They mainly sell shirts and offer some features like puffy print and stitched designs (text or their pre-made designs only) as well as regular design printing.
T-shirt Monster
Canadian based - nice range of T-shirts.
My Soti
UK based POD offering t-shirts (men's, women's and childrens), posters, and lap-shades. You set your own mark-up.
Combotique
POD based in France (I've linked to the UK storefront so you can read in English) offering a wide selection of shirt styles, plus mugs, bags, and badges.  You can set your own profit margin, but it can't exceed 5 £ per shirt. 

StickerMule
Sell Stickers and skins in various shapes and sizes.
Spoonflower
Spoonflower sells fabric, wallpaper, and decals...and if you sell through them you get a flat 10% commission. You have to buy at least a $5 swatch for each design you sell to proof it. After that selling through them is free.

Galloree.com
Has a nice selection of shirts, and a smaller selection of gifts.  You set the mark-up.  There doesn't look like there's a public marketplace, so it's all on you for promotion.  

Shirt City
Shirt city offers three different printing products. In addition to shirts they offer hats, undergarments, and a nice variety of gifts including, mugs, colored dog shirts, lanyards, bags, mousepads, buttons vinyl decals. They don't seem to offer paper products (like stickers or cards).
MagCloud
Create your own magazines for 20 cents a page (you can add your own mark-up after that). Your book is listed in their marketplace and can be ordered in single quantities.
EnGreet
The just sell greeting cards. People can customize the cards and send them directly to their recipients, or order them to resend. You earn 20% commission.
RedBubble
RedBubble offers t-shirts, prints, and greeting cards.
Card Gnome
They only offer cards. Their cards are customizable, printed with organic ink on recycled paper, and mailed directly to the recipient. You earn $0.75 on most cards, $0.50 on discount cards.
Greeting Card Universe
Sell cards customers can customize and send directly to their recipient. You earn 15% - 20% (I think...percentage varies based on volume ordered).
Lollypins
Pins only! Artists receive a 15% commission.
Inktastic
You can sell a nice variety of shirts, gifts, stuffed animals, stickers and skins here. They have the best variety of baby and children's clothes I've seen, plus they have maternity. You earn 30% commission.
Minted
This is not actually a print on demand service, but worthy of mention. Like Threadless you can submit designs which are voted on, and if yours is chosen you can win prizes and also receive 6% commission. They also have a photographer program where photographers can set up a shop where their customers can buy prints, cards, etc. and they recieve a 10% commission.
Fine Art America
Sell art online through Fine Art America. Set your own prices and keep 100% of your profits. I believe they only do posters and canvas art, with various framing options.
Selling On Society6 | Society6
Society 6 allows you to sell a small set of products: art prints, iPhone cases, iPhone, iPod, iPad and Laptop skins, Tote Bags, T-shirts, Hoodies and Throw Pillows. On all but the Art Prints the commission is set for you.
Teespring - Crowdfunded Custom Apparel
Teepring is sort of a combination between a traditional print on demand shop and quick-starter--just for t-shrits. You set up a design on a t-shirt (just one, as far as I can tell) and then set the goal for how many t-shirts you want to sell, and then they print them when you reach that amount. The profit margins are much higher for these shirts than for a traditional POD. This seems really good POD for someone who has ONE t-shirt design, and a good way to promote it.
Wordans
You can sell apparel and iphones through this shop.
Arts Now
ArtsNow is a POD based in Hong Kong.  I used this service several years ago and at the time they had poor shipping practices (things arrived poorly packaged and damaged), inconsistent quality, and had some labeling issues that could make it illegal to sell their clothes in the United States.  See my full review of this site here.  



Custom Drop-Shipping Sites


These are similar to Print on Demand in that they but generally you have to provide the online storefront.




Submission Based Sites


The following sites take submissions from artists and pay you for your work if it's accepted. Though not print on demand, they also offer opportunities to artists wanting to earn money from their work.

Threadless
You can submit graphic designs and text slogans to Threadless and if any of yours are chosen you can earn $2,000 in cash, a $500 store credit, and $500 more any time the shirts are reprinted.
Vida
Vida sells ethically sourced* dresses, scarfs, shirts, and pocket squares...artists get 10% commission.    They require exclusive rights to sell your design in the selected product category that you create, but you are free to sell that design on products outside of that category (for instance, if you design for a top, you may continue to sell that design for all product categories other than tops.  They also support a social impact program which provides a crash course in basic literacy, specifically basic reading, writing, and Math skills designed for those who have never received schooling.

Good Joe
$1 of every shirt sale goes to artists, and $1 goes to charity. They accept artwork submission on a number of themes.
Minted
This is not actually a print on demand service, but worthy of mention. Like Threadless you can submit designs which are voted on, and if yours is chosen you can win prizes and also receive 6% commission. They also have a photographer program where photographers can set up a shop where their customers can buy prints, cards, etc. and they recieve a 10% commission.

Sandelei
This site is exclusively for flip flop sandals.  Designs must be approved before inclusion.  



Physical Art Venues


These are venues to sell actual, physical art pieces.


22 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  3. As far as Selling prints of your work, there is etsy, cafepress, zazzle, and deviantart. Etsy for me is too much of a hassle b/c I need to actually handle the shipping and printing and everything.

    Also, you want to get all of your social media networks on par with one another, make it easy for people to be connected with you. on my homepage Obilex.com you can see that I have links to all of my different outlets (twitter, facebook, instagram ebay etc.)

    Personally I use SMugmug.com as a printer and shipper of my work. they give you a whole gallery option and pricing plans. They have their bare minimum prices, and you keep anything over that amount. Say it costs them $2.30 to print out and ship an 8×10 print. if you price it for $12, you get 10 bucks.

    Here is an example of my smugmug gallery.

    obilex.smugmug.com/Art/Obilex-The-Artwork-o

    Hope this helps, and keep up the hard work! If you DO decide to use them, sign up with this link and it will save you 20%

    secure.smugmug.com/signup.mg?Coupon=mcpQSjt2xBNBc

    Keep up the hard work!
    Sam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Sam. Visited your SmugMug site and wow, I'm so impressed by your artwork! I can see where this might be a really good option for those who have success promoting themselves. (Unfortunately that's not me...I'd say 99% of my sales come through the marketplaces of Zazzle/CafePress...so even though they give less of a mark-up, I get more sales through their promotional efforts than my own so it's not a loss for me). I absolutely agree with you about etsy...the hastle of handling inventory, shipping, collecting sales tax, etc. is a big bar to me from going that route. If you don't mind handling all that I know a lot of people do well there, but it's not for me.

      Delete
  4. One needs to specific the required size, required collateral and material, quality standards based on budget and the entire volume of the project for which a quote would be sent.
    online printing services

    Thanks for sharing...!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. T-shirt Monster link is broken. Is it no more?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for this resource! I think it's awesome that there are so many places to have shirts printed piece-mail these days. The days of huge orders are over! It makes it much easier to get a cool custom shirt without paying a fortune. The variety ensures you get a good fabric and the right type of print for the shirt. Thanks for sharing! http://www.mountainscreenimpressions.com/screen-printing.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your Cafepress link to the story was broke. Are you saying Cafepress can use your design without your permission?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I'm not saying that--another site was. Here's the fixed link: http://irregulartimes.com/2011/06/23/with-new-terms-cafepress-seizes-effective-ownership-of-designers-content/ I've looked over the terms and I'm not sure if I agree. CafePress will sell items through other venues but you get a commission--that's basically what this is about. I've never heard of a case of CafePress selling something with someone's design without paying them. But, some have had the pay not be what they would have wanted. The one time I had a design on a product sold "off CafePress" they actually paid me more than the marketplace rate so I was happy. I also don't think I've heard of any designs being used this way that were excluded from the marketplace (which you can do, and only have the items be sold in your own shops).

      Delete
  8. one more name which i like to mention and you can also check and add in your list is thatcanvas.com they only do one thing but they do in best way.

    ReplyDelete
  9. you have share such a excellent list, i ouwld like request to you, add my website what is print on demand

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm afraid your commission rate for CardGnome is out of date. Now it's more like 0 - 20 cents. And the way GCU works is that you can double your commission if you meet a fairly high quarterly sales threshold.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Amazing resource to have on hand. Many thanks

    ReplyDelete
  12. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  14. You may use following POD services like Printful, TeeSpring, and Zazzle.
    Here you can read more about Print on demand dropshipping

    ReplyDelete
  15. Its very informative post, thanks for sharing it with us.You can also Personalised your product with web to print Software

    ReplyDelete
  16. I personally feel your website topic is very unique and reliable for readers. We are waiting new more informative articles for increasing knowledge for the web to print storefront

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. I'm afraid I may not have a lot more articles coming though. I made this blog when I was heavy into working on Print on Demand, but now I just maintain the shops I have and am not as involved, which leaves me with less ideas/material for the blog too.

      Delete
  17. Wow! thank you so much for share good info.

    ReplyDelete