Printify Review: Overview, Pricing And Features

Dropshipping is a popular ecommerce business model that allows you to sell products online without having to purchase or store any inventory upfront.

With dropshipping, you act as a middleman between the manufacturer and the consumer, and you only need to place an order with the manufacturer after an order comes in from the consumer.

There are a few ways to do dropshipping. One popular method is known as print on demand.

Today, we will be taking a look at Printify, a popular print-on-demand platform. We’ll discuss how it works, explore its features, and take a look at its plans and pricing.

Image Source – Freeeup

What Is Print on Demand?

Print on demand is a form of white label dropshipping. Essentially, you create a brand logo or slogan which can be printed on products such as t-shirts, caps, accessories, mugs, books, and more.

You then connect with a manufacturer/print provider who will supply all of those physical products for you and print your logo on the product.

Print on demand platforms make this easy by giving you a list of print providers you can choose from.

You will usually pay the supplier for the cost of the item and the shipping.

The way you make a profit is by adding a markup to the price that the supplier charges you when selling the product to consumers.

Image source: nextscoop

Pros and Cons of Print On Demand

Why use print on demand as your dropshipping method? Before we review Printify, let’s go over why you would want to use print on demand and some of its pros and cons.

First, the pros:

• You don’t have to purchase any inventory upfront. This means that you can get started with minimal investment.
• You do not need to store any inventory.
• You don’t need to do any printing yourself.
• Shipping and handling are taken care of for you.
• When you use an online print on demand platform, payments and billing are usually taken care of for you as well. This means that unlike regular dropshipping, you don’t have to place a separate order with the manufacturer.
• Unlike regular dropshipping, you can sell products that are entirely unique and which nobody else is selling.
• You can have the product packaged so that it appears to be sent by you.
• You can use the print on demand platform to create your online store.

Of course, everything has its cons as well, and print on demand dropshipping is no different:

• You have to create designs that are unique and gather interest. If you are not a good designer yourself, you will need to outsource this work.
• Your profit margin will depend on how much of a markup you put on your products, which in turn will depend on how popular your designs are.
• Not having control over the handling and shipping can be a con as well, as you will have to rely on the print on demand platform to be reliable. This is why it is important to choose your print on demand platform carefully.

What Is Printify?

Printify is a print on demand site that is free to join. Once you sign up, you can choose from their selection of products, upload your custom logo, and start selling.

They claim to have over 250,000 merchants and 30,000 products on their site. They also claim that they have over 90 print providers that they work with and that they generate over 3 million mockups every month.

How Printify Works

As mentioned, Printify is free to join. After choosing items that you want your logo to be printed on, you can upload your logos and designs.

Before you start selling, you can purchase a sample product to be sent to your own address so that you can see the product for yourself.

This gives you a chance to get a feel for the quality of the material and whether your logo was printed on the item the way you like.

It also allows you to vet for different print providers until you find one that you like the best.

If you like how the product came out, you can add it to your online stores and start accepting orders.

Printify integrates with different platforms and sales channels, such as WooCommerce and Etsy.

All of the payments will be handled by Printify.

Kinds Of Products Available on Printify

There are thousands of products available on Printify, with many products being available in different colors or styles. Following are just some of the main product categories you can sell using Printify:

• T-shirts
• Hoodies
• Long sleeved shirts
• Shoes
• Sportswear
• Sweatshirts
• Tank tops
• Pants
• Skirts
• Dresses
• Swimwear and bikinis
• Socks
• Scarves
• Hats
• Underwear
• Baby bibs
• Baby bodysuits
• Tote bags
• Backpacks
• Duffle bags
• Accessory pouches
• Bracelets
• Pins
• Necklaces
• Phone cases
• Wall decals
• Posters
• Canvases
• Tapestries
• Wall clocks
• Shower curtains
• Shower towels
• Beach towels
• Shower mats
• Blankets
• Duvet covers
• Mugs
• Thermoses
• Stainless steel water bottles
• Pillows
• Pillow cases
• Pet beds
• Notebooks
• Journals
• Stickers

Choosing A Print Provider

As mentioned, there are over 90 print providers available on Printify. Each print provider may have different shipping options and rates, depending on where they are located.

They may also work with different items or use different printing and engraving methods for products.

Paying For Your Products

Every item on Printify will have a retail price. It is up to you to decide how much of a markup you want to add to the retail price when selling an item on your store.

When a customer makes a purchase, they will be charged for the purchase (that money will go to you). However, your credit card or Paypal account will be charged as well for the retail price of the item and for the shipping fees.

Getting A Sample

It is important that you get a sample of the product first before you add it to your store.

This is because although you can use a digital mockup generator to see how your product will appear, the reality is that the final physical product may appear differently than what you saw in the mockup generator.

This is because the mockup generator may not be entirely accurate. In addition, different print providers may use different printing methods, which can impact the appearance of the final product.

The digital files that you upload can also affect the way your product appears.

You will have to pay the full retail price for the sample product, as well as shipping. No discounts are available, but you can get $29 in sample credits when you sign up for Printify Premium.

Shipping

You can not set prices for shipping. Shipping rates are set by the print provider, and they will be based on the item being shipped and the location of the customer.

As far as shipping times, Printify says that most items will be shipped out within 2-7 days after an order is submitted. However, how long shipping will take will again depend on the print provider and the location of the customer.

While you don’t have direct control over shipping rates and times, you can browse shipping rates and times of all print providers and choose to work with the ones you like best.

Mockup Generator

Printify has a designer and mockup generator tool that you can use to upload logos.

First, choose a product that you would like to sell. Under each product, you will see the retail price (as well as the discounted price for Printify Premium users).

After choosing a product, you will be able to choose a print provider. For each print provider, you will see information such as shipping rates, estimated production times, where on the item they can print your design, available colors, and more.

The mockup generator itself is fairly easy to use. For new users, you can play around with the sample designs provided by Printify until you get the hang of it.

When you upload a design, you can modify its length, width, position, etc. You can preview your final design in different colors.

Once you are satisfied with the design, you can add it to your store. You can create a description and choose a picture.

You can then set prices for the product. Different prices can be set for different sizes and colors.

Your profit margin will be automatically calculated and displayed for you, which can help you choose the right price.

Packaging And Branding

Since Printify is a white-label service, their name will not appear anywhere on the final product or shipping label.

There will be no way for your customers to know that you are using Printify.

You do not have control over the kind of package, box, or bag that the item will be shipped in.

This will depend entirely on the print provider (whose information will also not appear on the label).

You also can not insert a private note into the package.

What you can do, however, is update your store settings so that the shipping label on the package has your store name or company name. This way, it will appear to customers as if the product was shipped directly from you.

Refunds, Replacements And Cancellations

Once an order is sent to the print provider, orders can no longer be canceled and you can not get a refund.

If a customer received a product that was different than what they ordered or was faulty, they can get a replacement.

If the replacement had issues as well, a refund may be issued, but it will be in the form of credit on the Printify site.

Designing A Logo Or Image

You can design your own logo or image by using software such as Photoshop or GIMP and then upload it to your online store.

However, there are other options if you are not great at designing. You can purchase designs or images. For example, you can purchase stock photos at Shutterstock (make sure that you have full rights to the image).

You can also hire a freelancer to design a logo or image for you. Sites like Fiverr are useful marketplaces for this.

There are certain logos and images that you can not use on Printify. This includes things such as copyrighted material and illegal or inappropriate content.

Integrations

Printify has apps for integrating with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Etsy. There is also a custom API that you can use to connect it with your own ecommerce store.

Printify Affiliates

Besides becoming a merchant on Printify, you can also become an affiliate. This means that all you will have to do is promote products; you won’t have to bother with creating a design and uploading it.

However, your revenue will also be a lot less. You will only earn five percent from each sale that you make.

Printify Customer Service

Printify has 24/7 customer support. There are two ways to reach their team: by using the contact form on their website or by sending them an email.

There is also a comprehensive help center with a lot of information and answers to many common questions.

In addition, Printify has a number of guides available to help you with your print on demand business.

For example, there are guides on how to sell on Etsy, how to sell stickers using Printify, how to sell embroidered products, and how to be a better designer.

Pricing

There are three pricing options for Printify.

The basic plan is free to use. It includes all of the basic features, such as the mockup generator, unlimited designs, five stores, integrations with WooCommerce, Etsy, and Shopify, and 24/7 customer support.

The premium plan is $29/month when billed every month or $24.99 per month when billed every year. It allows you to create up to 10 stores. It also allows you to use the custom order import feature and get up to a 20 percent discount on products.

There is also custom pricing available for enterprise stores. This is useful if you have a lot of orders and specific needs, such as custom integrations or unlimited stores.

With custom pricing, you can get early access to new features, custom APIs, and an account manager.

Tips For Making Money With Print On Demand

Regardless of whether you are using Printful or any other print on demand platform, there will always be ways you can maximize your success. Following are some tips on how to get more sales and increase your profits.

1. Choose the Right Markup

One of the most common challenges that print on demand sellers face is making a satisfactory profit.

Remember that you have to pay for the base price of the product, as well as any fulfillment or shipping fees. Choosing the right markup is crucial for achieving a good profit.

Let’s take a t-shirt as an example.

Let’s say the retail price of the t-shirt is $8 and shipping fees are $2. This brings the total base price to $10.

You can offer free shipping and simply add the price of shipping to your markup.

If you are paying a base price of $10 and selling the t-shirt to consumers for $20, you will be making a $10 profit per sale. In other words, you will have a 50 percent profit margin.

However, you won’t always be able to add such a high markup. It will depend entirely on how popular your logo is and how many sales you are getting.

If your markup is too high and you are a new seller without a lot of reviews, you may find it hard to attract customers.

Printify recommends that you aim for a profit margin of 30 percent, but every business will be different.

2. Developing a Style Vs Following the Trend

It’s a good idea to develop a style that you follow with your designs. This way, you can attract more fans and repeat customers.

Another way to look at it is to choose a particular niche instead of being too broad.

The reality is that certain generic designs will always be popular; there will always be a demand for them. However, if you go that route, there will be nothing to set yourself apart from other sellers and you may have trouble attracting customers.

The same goes for following a new trend or fad. It’s a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, you can tap into the trend in order to get sales. On the other hand, you won’t be unique and you won’t be able to establish a brand.

3. Market Yourself

You can’t expect to simply set up a store and watch the sales roll in. As with any business, you will need to market yourself until you become successful.

This starts with developing your brand. Set up profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and other social media platforms.

Consider using paid advertising to advertise your products. Your ROI will depend on the conversion rate of your ad campaigns and the profit margin you make per sale.

Best Printify Alternatives

There are several platforms that are alternatives to Printify. Some of them includes:

1. Printful

It is a Printify alternative with fulfillment centers in Europe, Canada, the USA, and other locations around the world.

With Printful, you are provided with more third-party integrations than Printify. Take, for instance, Printful integrates with Magento, Shopify, BigCommerce, Squarespace, Weebly, Amazon, eBay, WooCommerce, etc.

Conversely, Printful facilitates warehousing and fulfilment of customized products like Amazon FBA. That way, you can store your POD products in their warehouse across several countries, while they ship it to the customer once an order is made.

2. Gooten

Gooten is a POD company that offers similar services like Printful.

They offer over 150 high quality POD products that you can customize and sell to customers.

Just like Printify, Gooten integrates with other top eCommerce platforms like Shopify, Etsy, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce.

Also, Gooten allows custom integration via its API tool.

3. Teespring

Here’s another noteworthy Printify alternative that can help you run a POD business.

Teespring (now known as Spring) is a POD platform that was established in 2012. Over the years, Teespring has evolved into becoming a print on demand giant for selling customized t-shirts and other items.

With Teespring, you can sell custom printed products on other platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Discord, Instagram, Streamlabs, and TikTok.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Printify A Legit Company?

Printify is a legitimate company that was established in the year 2015. Although it is one of the latest print on demand platforms, Printify has evolved in all aspects of the print on demand processes.

Who Are The Best Printify Print Providers?

Print providers are printing companies that imprint your unique designs on customizable products.

Unlike other self-managed POD services like Printful, Printify works with over 90 print providers across several countries.

Here are the best Printify print providers:

• Australia: Prima Printing and The Print Bar
• Canada: Print Geek, Duplium, etc.
• China: Vandal, Subliminator, ArtsAdd, etc.
• Czech Republic: OPT OnDemand
• Germany: X-Print, Shirt-King, etc.
• Latvia: AVMM, Print Pigeons, Uniqcube, etc.
• Poland: Print Logistic
• United Kingdom: Prodigy, Print Clever, WPaPs, etc
• United States: SunFrog, Printforia, Printed Mint, MyLocker, Monster Digital, Miami Sublimation, Ink Blot, FYBY, Color Way, Awkward Styles, etc.

Does Printify Have Good Quality?

Printify has a fluctuating product quality. This is because their product printing process is handled by multiple print providers. Not to mention, reviews by several Printify users are both excellent and poor in terms of product quality.

Can You Make Money With Printify?

Yes, you can make money online with Printify. As a print on demand platform, Printify allows you to create designs on products and then sell them to customers without the hassles of product manufacturing, shipping, and fulfilment.

Additionally, Printify integrates with Etsy, eBay, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Shopify, and PrestaShop to allow you to sell your customized products.

If you also built a custom online store, you can use the Printify API for custom integration with your developer knowledge.

Wrapping Up The Printify Review

Print on demand isn’t going to make you rich overnight.

However, it is a solid way to sell products online without ever having to store any inventory or purchase stock up front. With Printify, you can surely make money by dropshipping custom products without keeping inventory.