Around 700 CE, Buddhists in China’s Tang Dynasty made some of the world’s first prints. They were copies of Buddhist texts, and printmaking quickly became popular. More than a millennium later, artists today still use printmaking to meet demand for their work. Selling prints offers independent artists a unique opportunity: Creators can sell their work at a lower price point—and reach a wider audience—without sacrificing the quality of their designs.
One of the best ways to do this is by using a print-on-demand model. The print-on-demand industry, valued at $8.93 billion, lets artists partner with third parties to manage production and shipping while they focus on making great originals.
Find out more about the best print-on-demand sites for artists, plus tips on how to choose the right one.
How artists make money using print-on-demand sites
Artists earn revenue using print-on-demand (POD) sites by designing products and selling them online. Once ordered, the artist outsources the manufacturing and shipping of those products to a third-party POD partner. The POD company charges per-product base prices, and the artist earns a product markup, which they often set themselves.
Here’s how it works:
1. Choose your printing mediums. POD companies offer a variety of mediums on which to print art, ranging from traditional wall art and canvas prints to iPhone cases, towels, and t-shirts. Just about anything with enough surface area can become a new canvas for your art, so you can be creative with it.
2. Submit designs to the POD company. Format your designs according to the POD company’s requirements, which you can find in the FAQ sections on their sites or as you go through the ordering process.
3. List products. Some POD companies double as art marketplaces. Having your own online storefront lets you control the user experience, display your own branding, and keep more of your profits. If you choose a POD partner integrated with Shopify, the partner will be automatically notified when an order is placed. You can also use Shopify’s Marketplace Connect app to link your Shopify site and Etsy store.
4. Print, package, and ship the product to the customer. POD companies will handle every aspect of this themselves, keeping you informed along the way about the shipment’s progress.
6 best print-on-demand sites for artists
Both graphic and fine artists have options to get their work out there in a variety of different print formats. Here are the top providers to research so you can discover which works best for your needs:
1. Printify
Printify is a popular print-on-demand platform with a vast product range. It offers more than 1,000 options, from phone cases and jewelry to shoes and sweatshirts. The company also has traditional products like canvases, posters, and postcards. Printify partners with many printing companies around the world to help make its services readily available to international buyers. The quality control for these facilities can vary, so you might want to check reviews of individual printers.
Once you’ve designed your products, you can use Printify Connect to link your Printify account with your Shopify storefront. This lets you manage your print-on-demand sales from a single hub.
Pricing
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Free. Unlimited product designs
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Premium. $29 per month, includes up to 20% off all products
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Custom. Custom pricing with additional discounts is available to merchants with high daily sales volumes
Features
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More than 1,000 products
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More than 130 print locations
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Customizable packaging inserts and gift messages
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White label neck printing for t-shirts
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G2 ⭐️ rating: 3.5
2. Printful
Printful boasts a large collection of everyday items like pillows, t-shirts, and phone cases. It also covers the bases for two-dimensional products, including a few hard-to-find options like garden signs and pennant flags.
Printful’s most unique feature is its print-on-demand knitwear: The company can literally knit your designs into clothing by using a jacquard knitting pattern.
Like other top print-on-demand companies, Printful offers a Shopify integration so you can seamlessly manage orders from your ecommerce shop. Printful also offers discounts on sample orders, letting you test out products yourself before offering them to your customers.
Pricing
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Free. Access to all products; 20% off sample orders
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Growth. $24.99 per month for 25% off sample orders and product discounts up to 33%, plus large font print for some items
Features
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More than 435 products
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11 fulfillment centers
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Customizable exterior packaging
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G2 ⭐️ rating: 3.6
3. Gelato
Gelato is a Norwegian print-on-demand and dropshipping company with an extensive collection of wall art products, making it a good option for artists looking to sell traditional art pieces. Its offerings include framed posters, acrylic prints, and even aluminum posters.
The company has a large global reach; Gelato has more than 140 print locations in 32 countries. This can cut down on international shipping costs and delivery times, making the platform a good choice for artists with a global audience.
Gelato offers a Shopify app to automate the print-on-demand process. When a customer places an order on your Shopify site, the app automatically notifies Gelato.
Pricing
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Free. Access to hundreds of products and integrations with Shopify and Etsy
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Gelato+. $25 per month for up to 20% off products, premium design elements and tools, and access to branded packaging
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Gold. $129 per month for up to 25% off products and 30% off branded packaging
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Platinum. Custom pricing and discounts, as well as dedicated customer success and implementation support
Features
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Thousands of products
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140+ print locations
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Customizable packaging inserts and labels with Gold subscription
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G2 ⭐️ rating: 4.5
4. Fine Art America
Fine Art America is an art marketplace that’s also a print-on-demand platform. It allows artists to print their work on products like canvas and posters, as well as on other products like apparel, home décor, stationery, yoga mats, and tote bags.
When you start selling on the Fine Art America platform, you’ll be able to set your own prices and have a profile page where customers can see your portfolio. You can also integrate your Fine Art America account with Shopify through an app. When a customer places an order on your Shopify store, Fine Art America’s partner, Pixels, will ship the product to your customer.
Pricing
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Free. Almost all Fine Art America features are available for free.
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Paid. $30 per month for you to add a shopping cart widget to your website
Features
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Thousands of products
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16 print locations
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Native marketplace
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No G2 rating
5. FinerWorks
FinerWorks has a vast selection of products, including metal prints, wallpaper, cards, and more traditional wall art like posters. Unlike other popular print-on-demand companies, FinerWorks offers only a handful of everyday objects like mugs, pillows, and cutting boards.
FinerWorks offers higher-end wall art products than many competitors. The company offers giclee prints on archival paper, plus matting and framing services. It also offers specialized wood crate shipping for large products like stretched canvases and framed prints.
FinerWorks offers a native Shopify integration, and you can notify the company if you’d like to use it as a print-on-demand platform. This means the company will ship your products directly to your customer, rather than to you.
Pricing
FinerWorks doesn’t charge subscription prices, and you won’t pay extra for print-on-demand dropshipping. The company has three membership tiers determined by the number of daily orders, with higher tiers having additional features. It adds a charge of 10% of the subtotal for all shipping methods besides economy, and it charges 30% of the subtotal for international shipping.
Features
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Shopify integration via FinerWorks
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No G2 rating
6. Redbubble
Redbubble is a print-on-demand art marketplace with 2.8 million artist-sellers. Artists choose the products they want to sell, set up their in-platform storefronts, and set their own prices. Redbubble partners with third-party printers in the United States, Canada, Australia, and a number of European countries, and it claims that 95% of its products are made in the same region they’re ordered from.
While Redbubble allows artists to decide their own profit margins, the platform can take a sizable cut of your profit (either 20% or 50%), depending on your tier. The platform determines your tier based on your sales numbers, engagement with the platform, and personal brand, among other factors.
Pricing
Redbubble does not charge subscription fees, but the platform’s selling fees vary, depending on the artist’s tier. Redbubble determines which account tier you’re in based on factors including personal brand, social media promotion, sales numbers, and adherence to trends. The platform also charges higher fees for artists who mark up their products more than 20%.
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Standard. 50% of monthly earnings
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Premium. 20% of monthly earning
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Pro. No selling fees
Features
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More than 70 products
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Print locations in North America, Australia, and Europe
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No G2 rating
Considerations for choosing a print-on-demand site
Choosing a POD site might feel daunting, but it’s easy enough if you know what to look for. If you can determine your needs, the decision will become a lot clearer:
Number of print locations
If you expect to sell products internationally, look for a POD partner with a high number of international print locations. Local printing can speed up delivery times, since your partner won’t need to ship your products as far.
Customization options
Customization options like packaging inserts and white label options can give personalized feel to your shipments. Printify, for example, lets you add your own label to t-shirts, and lets you send gift messages and add bespoke inserts to your product packaging.
These types of customization options let you add elements of your own branding, from your color scheme and logo to your brand voice. This can help you deliver an end-to-end brand experience. Customers will see your branding not only when they place an order on your ecommerce site, but when they receive their physical product.
Customer support
Providing your customers with high-quality customer service is essential to maintaining customer loyalty. If something goes wrong with shipping—or the product itself—you’ll want to remedy the problem as soon as possible for your customers.
To do that, you’ll need to be able to contact your print-on-demand partner immediately. Consider choosing a company with 24/7 customer support to ensure you can fix issues quickly.
Product range
If you’re looking to sell primarily traditional art products—like posters, canvases, and other types of wall art—you might not need your POD partner to have a large product range. However, selling your designs on objects like dishware, clothing, and accessories like tote bags can help you reach customers who might not be interested in buying standalone artwork.
Plus, selling objects on clothing and accessories can help you put your designs in front of a bigger audience. When a customer wears or carries one of your designs in public, they become a brand ambassador for your business.
Shopify integration
If you’re selling a high volume of products, you won’t want to manually notify your POD partner every time a customer places an order. Look for a POD partner with a Shopify integration to automate this step.
Best print-on-demand sites for artists FAQ
What is the best print-on-demand platform for artists?
The best print-on-demand platforms for artists are Printify, Printful, and Gelato. These platforms integrate with Shopify, letting artists manage their print-on-demand business from their Shopify storefront. Other top platforms include Fine Art America and Society6, which have marketplaces for artists to sell their print-on-demand work.
How do print-on-demand sites work for artists?
Here’s how print-on-demand sites work for artists:
1. The artist creates their design and submits it to the print-on-demand platform.
2. The artist lists the work for sale on their personal ecommerce site (like a Shopify site) or on a marketplace such as Etsy.
3. When a customer places an order, the print-on-demand partner produces the product, packages it, and ships it to the customer.
Is print-on-demand worth it for artists?
Yes, print-on-demand can be a smart choice for artists. Selling print-on-demand products lets artists sell reproductions of their original work at lower price points, allowing them to tap into a market of consumers who might not be able to afford one-of-a-kind work.
What types of products can artists sell on print-on-demand sites?
Artists can sell a wide range of products on print-on-demand sites, from posters, canvases, and stationery to mugs, t-shirts, and phone cases.
