“What if you could create custom products and deliver them directly to your customers, anywhere in the world?” This idea captures the essence of print-on-demand (POD), which has become increasingly popular as the digital marketplace evolves. Its appeal lies in the capacity to create high-quality products without the burden of inventory management. Below, we review the top three print-on-demand platforms in 2024, placing Gelato at the pinnacle of the list.
What Is Print-On-Demand?
Print-on-demand (POD) efficiently minimizes costs and risks by producing and shipping custom products only after orders are placed, allowing creators to cater to niche markets and personalize items.
Print-on-demand (POD) is a business model that offers immense convenience and efficiency in the production and distribution of custom products. With POD, products are only printed and shipped after a customer places an order, which minimizes upfront costs and eliminates the risks associated with unsold inventory.
This model allows businesses and individuals to offer unique designs on a variety of products, including books, posters, apparel, accessories, and home decor. The flexibility of POD enables creators to cater to niche markets and personalize items for their customers.
Whether you’re designing for personal use or scaling an online store, POD offers a streamlined process for bringing your creations to life and reaching customers worldwide.
1. Gelato
Gelato leads the print-on-demand industry with its global network and comprehensive tools, offering flexible production options, eco-friendly practices, and 24/7 support, making it the top choice for businesses and artists in 2024.
Leading the print-on-demand industry is Gelato, the world’s largest network of its kind. Founded in 2007, the platform has presence in 32 countries and connections to over 140 production facilities, empowering entrepreneurs and artists to establish global businesses while maintaining local production.
The platform offers a versatile range of 50 product categories, including greeting cards, t-shirts, hoodies, drinkware, wall art, hats, and calendars. Gelato offers the largest selection of wall art products. Their extensive print production network allows these items to be produced locally and delivered quickly, providing business owners with faster turnaround times and more competitive pricing.
What sets Gelato apart is its suite of 100% free editing tools, which allow users to effortlessly design custom products. Users can access millions of images and graphics from Shutterstock Images. The platform also boasts of integrations to major e-commerce platforms such as Etsy, Shopify, Wix, and WooCommerce.
Customization is essential for merchants using print-on-demand (POD) platforms. Gelato supports this need by offering tools and apps that help businesses reach new customers and increase profits. These include analytics tools that provide valuable insights into customer behavior and business performance, as well as a design maker that allows users to easily create customized and personalized product designs in minutes.
Gelato’s Personalization Studio is arguably the platform’s most compelling feature. With the Personalization Studio, business owners can sell products that can be customized directly by the end customer on platforms like Etsy or Shopify. This could include posters with a collage of photos or a hoodie with initials or a name. The order then goes straight to production, with the entire process fully automated. Gelato is the only print-on-demand platform that offers this service.
A key differentiator for Gelato is its hyper-localized production, with approximately 90% of orders produced in the destination country. This strategy not only speeds up delivery times and reduces costs but also minimizes the carbon footprint associated with shipping. Plus, there is no minimum order requirement.
Gelato is free to use and merchants only pay what they sell. Nonetheless, Gelato also offers monthly subscription plans. Users can choose between three subscription tiers designed to meet diverse business needs: Gelato+, Gelato+ Gold, and Gelato+ Platinum. Starting at $24 per month, Gelato+ includes up to 10% discounts on products, premium mockups, branded labels, packaging inserts, and more.
Gelato+ Gold, which starts at $119, enhances the experience with additional discounts on branded items, smart pricing for shipping, and advanced price-setting options. Gelato+ Platinum, the platform’s custom pricing model, encompasses all previous features plus tailored discounts, dedicated implementation services, and a customer success manager.
With a commitment to sustainability and customer satisfaction, Gelato enables you to build a thriving print-on-demand business with ease. Their customer support is available 24/7, ensuring prompt resolution of any issues.
2. Printful
Printful offers a seamless design-to-shipping process with consistent quality, a vast product catalog, and a fee-free, flexible pricing structure.
Printful is a well-established name in the print-on-demand space, helping entrepreneurs and businesses bring their designs to life since 2013. With in-house fulfillment centers and partner facilities across nine countries, Printful maintains consistent quality control through a standardized three-step quality testing process in all its global facilities. This ensures that regardless of where an item is printed, the quality remains uniform.
Boasting an extensive catalog of 300+ products, Printful offers a diverse range that includes clothing, hats, bags, footwear, home decor, and even pet products. With 22 integrations, including popular platforms like Amazon, Shopify, and WooCommerce, Printful makes it easy to connect your store. Moreover the company’s integration with the Getty Image library provides access to over 80 million images, offering ample creative possibilities.
One of the appealing aspects of Printful is its cost structure. Like Gelato, Printful users can create an account without any signup or subscription fees. The model is pay-as-you-go: you charge your customer the retail price you set, and Printful charges you for the product, fulfillment, and shipping only when an order is placed. Free shipping is offered for orders exceeding $500.
For those seeking more perks, Printful offers two membership types: Printful Growth and Printful Business. You can achieve Printful Growth status by selling products worth $12,000 or more over 12 months or by paying a monthly fee of $24.99. This membership includes several discounts, free digitization for sample orders, and unlimited stores per account. For those reaching sales of $60,000 over 12 months, the Business plan offers higher discount rates, sample order discounts increased to 25%, and priority support.
Printful is particularly recommended for businesses that prefer not to commit to monthly subscription fees or are looking to expand their sales on platforms like Amazon. The company offers comprehensive customer support, including email, live chat, a knowledge base, free courses, and webinars, all available in seven languages.
3. Printify
Printify, a print-on-demand platform established in 2015, connects SMEs to over 80 print providers, offers over 900 products, integrates with ten major platforms, and provides a flexible pricing structure with advanced tools and a user-friendly setup.
Printify, founded in 2015, has quickly become a notable player in the print-on-demand industry. This platform connects small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a broad network of over 80 print providers, facilitating the efficient production and delivery of custom-designed products such as apparel, mugs, and accessories.
Offering access to more than 900 products, Printify integrates with ten major platforms, including Walmart, Shopify, and Etsy. A standout feature is the “Pop-Up Store,” which allows users to create an online store at no cost, making it particularly appealing for beginners.
The platform’s suite of tools includes a mockup creator, text editor, emoji support, and an AI image generator, all designed to enhance the user experience. Plus integration with Shutterstock provides access to millions of images, catering to diverse creative needs.
The pricing structure of Printify is flexible, with a free tier that supports five stores per account and unlimited product designs. For those seeking advanced features, the Premium plan, priced at $24.99 per month (on an annual billing cycle), offers ten stores per account, unlimited product designs, and discounts of up to 20% on all products. The Enterprise plan caters to high-volume sellers, providing the same 20% discount, unlimited stores per account, and unlimited product designs.
For entrepreneurs new to the scene, Printify Studio offers a streamlined approach to launching and managing a print-on-demand eCommerce store. With its user-friendly setup process and quick turnaround times, Printify Studio provides various store creation packages.
These packages range from $199 to $1999, depending on the chosen package, and are designed to assist those with minimal design skills by offering essential tools and expert support.
Final Thoughts
Gelato, the top-ranked print-on-demand platform, excels in global production and sustainability; Printful offers seamless e-commerce integration and a diverse catalog, while Printify provides a flexible provider network and free storefront capabilities..
Gelato, Printful, and Printify offer distinctive strengths tailored to different business needs. Gelato stands out with its hyper-localized production network spanning 32 countries, a vast array of 50 product categories, and a commitment to sustainability.
Printful provides a seamless integration with e-commerce platforms, a wide-ranging catalog of 341 products, and a straightforward pricing structure without subscription fees.
Meanwhile, Printify connects businesses to a broad network of 80 print providers, enabling flexibility in choosing production and shipping options, alongside offering a free “Pop-Up Store” feature.
However, or those seeking the most robust global production capabilities and a strong emphasis on sustainability, Gelato is the top pick. It’s ideal for entrepreneurs and artists aiming to establish a worldwide presence while maintaining local production and reducing environmental impact.