Start a print-on-demand business today
Ready to launch a business with no inventory and minimal upfront costs?
Starting a print-on-demand business is one of the simplest ways to turn your ideas into income. Choose a niche, create your designs, and add them to products like t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, and more.
Sell on Etsy, Shopify, or another eCommerce platform, and let Printify handle printing, packing, and shipping for you.
No storage, no fulfillment stress – just you, your creativity, and a scalable business model that runs seamlessly while you focus on growth.
Disclaimer
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through those links. This comes at no additional cost to you.
What is a print-on-demand business?
The print‑on‑demand (POD) business model lets you sell custom products online – such as clothing, accessories, and home decor – without holding any inventory.
Instead of buying stock upfront, you design white-label products, list them online, and set your own pricing. When someone places an order, the print-on-demand network that supplies your products prints the customized item and ships it directly to your customer.
Here’s how the process works in five steps:
- You choose a product and apply your design.
- You list the item on your online store or a marketplace.
- A customer buys the product directly from your storefront.
- Your print-on-demand partner prints, packs, and ships it directly.
- You earn the profit after production and shipping costs.
Why launch a POD business now:
The global print-on-demand market was valued at $12.15 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $37.85 billion by 2030, growing at a remarkable rate annually.
This sustained growth shows that consumer demand for customized and unique products isn’t just a trend – it’s becoming the standard. That makes 2026 an ideal year to start your own print-on-demand business.
Perfect for entrepreneurs, creatives, and brands ready to launch an online store and build profit, POD lets you focus solely on designing and marketing while logistics are handled for you.
How to start a print-on-demand business in 2026
We’ll guide you through the exact steps to launch and grow your print-on-demand store – from picking a niche to making your first sale.
Want the inside scoop?
Check out Printify’s Sellers Club. Find helpful online courses and guides on launching, optimizing, and scaling your POD business.
1. Pick a niche
A niche is a focused market segment tailored to a specific audience or interest.
Choosing a niche helps you stand out in a competitive space, attract the right customers, and reduce your marketing costs by targeting people who are already interested. It also increases your chances of earning higher profits by meeting specific needs.
Choosing a profitable POD niche is a crucial first step. It determines your target market, shapes your product offerings, and directly impacts your potential for long-term success.
If you’re unsure what niche to pursue for your brand, start with something you’re passionate about – like fitness, camping, or cats.
Looking for profitable niche ideas? Start here:
- Browse bestseller pages. Start with Printify’s best-selling products list to see what’s working right now. These insights come from real sales data across our global network.
- Check trending items on major marketplaces. Search on platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and TikTok Shop to identify what shoppers actively search for.
- Explore popular categories using market data tools. Use Jungle Scout, TikTok Creative Center, or similar platforms to analyze product performance. Combine this with browsing niche blogs, trend reports, and social media hashtags for inspiration.
- Use Google Trends to validate demand. Track keyword interest over time across different regions and languages to spot seasonal or fast-rising topics early.
- Find keyword opportunities tied to buyer intent. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, and Ahrefs can help uncover what people are searching for – whether on Google, Amazon, or niche marketplaces – to align your product ideas with real demand.
2. Decide what to sell
Print on Demand goes far beyond just custom t-shirts and mugs. Use Printify to customize everything from tech accessories to home decor and consumer products.
Choosing the right products for your niche is key to standing out – and there’s no shortage of unique options to make your store memorable.
Check out some of the most popular items in Printify’s Catalog:
Whatever you decide to sell, the products should align with your niche. Keep your customers in mind so your items don’t get lost in an overcrowded market.
Here are some of the best places to kick off your research and see what sells:
- Printify Trends. Discover real-time data on what’s hot in the print-on-demand space – updated regularly with seasonal spikes.
- Amazon. Browse bestsellers and trending categories for top product ideas.
- eBay. Spot popular items through active listings.
- Etsy. Find unique and gift-worthy merch ideas.
- Printify’s Bestsellers page. Updated regularly with our top-performing products.
Check out Facebook, Pinterest, Reddit, and other relevant social media platforms and print-on-demand websites to see what people are buying.
If there aren’t many discussions around a particular product segment in your niche, pick one with more engagement for better sales opportunities.
3. Create designs
Although POD relies on unique designs, you don’t need to have artistic skills or be an experienced designer to start a print-on-demand store and create custom products.
- Printify’s Product Creator offers free-to-use graphics for quick and easy product customization. We also provide an AI Image Generator and Shutterstock integration to take you from designing to selling in a few clicks.
- Alternatively, hire a professional designer through popular freelancer sites like Fiverr or Upwork to bring your vision to life.
- Of course, you can always design your own illustrations if you have an artistic eye. Tools like Adobe are perfect for this.
Conduct market research to find profitable design ideas for print-on-demand products. Draw inspiration from sites like Designious, Pinterest, and Dribbble.
But remember – only use your research as a starting point to create original designs. Never plagiarize or claim another creator’s work as your own to avoid copyright infringement.
Don’t forget to test-run ideas by sharing designs on social media, online forums, or within your personal network.
Quick tip
Check out our article on Adobe Illustrator for print-on-demand design tips, insights, and inspiration.
4. Decide where to sell
The easiest way to sell your print-on-demand products online is by integrating a dedicated marketplace or eCommerce platform.
What’s the difference?
Online marketplace:
Places like Amazon, Etsy, or eBay work just like an offline market where merchants gather to sell their goods to a steady flow of active browsers.
The only difference is that you list your products on a website and use targeted keywords to help potential customers find you.
eCommerce platform:
Channels like Shopify or WooCommerce let you build your own standalone website to sell custom products.
This gives you complete control over your brand identity, checkout flow, and customer experience, allowing you to create a potentially more engaging shopping experience.
No matter your choice, Printify offers integrations with some of the world’s most popular sales channels:
| Marketplaces | eCommerce platforms |
| Etsy | Shopify |
| Amazon | WooCommerce |
| eBay | Squarespace |
| TikTok Shop | Wix |
| BigCommerce | |
| PrestaShop | |
| Big Cartel |
Quick tip
Want a quicker way to start? Sell products through your own unique store link by opening a Printify Pop-Up Store.
5. Set up a store
While setup steps vary by platform, most offer ready-made templates that you can customize to match your brand.
From there, enable the essentials – payment gateways, shipping options, and customer service channels – for a smooth shopping experience.
Taking the time to set up your store properly sets the foundation for long-term success. That means uploading clear, high-quality product images, writing informative and persuasive product descriptions, and using relevant SEO keywords to boost your visibility in search results.
6. Pick your supplier
A successful print-on-demand business relies on suppliers to fulfill all incoming orders. The importance of finding a trustworthy print-on-demand company to do this can’t be overstated – your reputation as an entrepreneur depends on it.
This is where Printify comes in. With our global network of vetted Print Providers, merchants can make more money with less effort – giving you reliable quality, every time.
Our free and easy-to-use print-on-demand platform helps anyone design and sell custom products with no upfront costs. Once you make a sale, we do all the heavy lifting to print and ship your custom products.
Trusted by over 10 million merchants worldwide, you’ll get the highest quality products, best prices, and lowest shipping costs in the industry.
100% free
Sign up and use our platform without any upfront investment. Your customers cover the cost of the product after they make a purchase.
Seamless integrations
Publish your merch on the most popular eCommerce marketplaces and platforms.
1,300+ products
Printify’s Catalog features a wide selection of high-quality products, from t-shirts to home decor, that you can customize with unique designs.
No minimum order quantity
Thrive without limits – order as few or as many products as you like and get a special discount on bulk orders.
24/7 merchant support
Our expert team is ready to help you succeed in your POD journey.
Read more
Not sure how to choose the best print-on-demand supplier for your business? Compare Printify with other players in the market:
– Printify vs Gelato
– Printify vs Gooten
7. Set a price
The profit you make depends on how high you set your product prices.
Consider these factors when setting a retail price to stay competitive in the market:
- Shipping and production costs. Account for all expenses related to selling your products, including taxes and service fees. If you offer free shipping, factor in delivery costs into the retail price.
- Average price of similar products. Research current market trends and compare product costs for similar items from competitor online stores.
- Location of your customers. Cut down on delivery time and global shipping costs by choosing a local Print Provider.
Competitive prices set your print-on-demand store up for success. Check out our blog for more on how to price a product.
8. Check the quality of your products
Great products keep customers coming back – it’s that simple. When your items look and feel amazing, you earn trust, spark excitement, and boost those repeat purchases.
Start strong by choosing a reputable print-on-demand supplier. Printify’s reliable Print Providers meet our Quality Promise to provide top-tier production and fast delivery.
To ensure customer satisfaction, we recommend placing sample orders to check the size, style, colors, and overall print quality of your product before listing it for sale.
9. Market your products
Your marketing efforts can make or break your business. The goal is to get noticed, drive traffic to your site, give people reasons to buy from you, and convert visitors into customers.
Here are a few ways to market your business:
- Social media marketing. Find and engage with your target audience by maintaining a social media presence. Create new content and hop on trends to grow your business.
- Influencer marketing. Collaborate with social media influencers to gain exposure to a broader audience and build trust. Look for influencers with similar brand values and followers that match your ideal customer profile.
- Content marketing. Create and publish blogs, videos, and product reviews to establish authority in your niche. High-quality content can drive traffic to your site, convert visitors, and offer opportunities for content monetization.
- Email marketing. Make a mailing list to send customers personalized offers, updates, and newsletters. Fine-tune your messages for different customer demographics to improve the relevance and performance of your email marketing campaigns.
- Paid ads. Invest in targeted ads to reach a broader audience and drive more traffic to your store. Use Google Ads for search engine advertising or Facebook Ads for highly specific audience targeting.
10. Monitor your online store performance
Once your store is live, keep a close eye on how it’s doing. Use tools like Google Analytics and Hotjar to track traffic, sales, and how visitors interact with your site – so you know what’s working and what needs adjusting.
Watch for patterns:
- Which products drive the most sales – and why?
- Where do shoppers lose interest or abandon their carts?
- Which pages or listings keep visitors engaged the longest?
These insights help you make smarter decisions to improve your store and grow your business.
Don’t forget to listen to your customers. Reviews and feedback reveal a goldmine of information – what people love, what could be better, and what might inspire your next winning product.
Pros and cons of Print on Demand
As a tried-and-true way of printing for profit, print-on-demand services offer many benefits for budding entrepreneurs.
Let’s go over some of the perks.
Pros:
- Easy to launch. You don’t need prior business experience or design skills. Print-on-demand sites like Printify guide you through every step – from uploading your own designs to syncing with major eCommerce platforms.
- No inventory management. Forget warehousing or bulk orders. When you sell a product, your print-on-demand provider handles production, packaging, and delivery.
- Global reach. With a network of international Print Providers, you can serve customers worldwide while running your own eCommerce store from anywhere.
- Flexible and scalable. Whether you’re testing a business idea or building a brand, POD lets you start small and grow fast. Focus on niche markets, test products quickly, and refine your strategy based on customer feedback.
- Low upfront costs. Printify is free – any product and shipping costs are covered by your customers’ orders. This makes it easy to maintain healthy profit margins as you scale – just remember to account for your chosen eCommerce platform fees.
The advantages of Print on Demand far outweigh the negatives, but like any online business, it has trade-offs. Here’s a quick breakdown.
Cons:
- Limited control over product quality. You rely on your supplier for consistent print and product quality. To maintain high standards, order samples and test before adding new items to your storefront.
- Longer production times. Since products are printed after each purchase, delivery may take longer. However, Printify offers express shipping options to help you stay competitive.
- Lower margins than wholesale. Costs per item are higher compared to bulk buying. But a strong pricing strategy and niche focus can still support a profitable business model – plus, you’re free to set your own selling prices.
- Customer service is your responsibility. Although providers handle fulfillment, customers will come to you with questions and issues. Alternatively, upgrade to our paid plan to unlock Printify Connect and let us manage customer inquiries.
Selling products through a Printify Pop-Up Store? We’ll handle customer support for you.
Explore
Check out our blog for the newest articles on how to start a POD business.
FAQ – How to start a successful print-on-demand business
Create a free Printify account and explore our Catalog. Choose items that align with your niche, apply your designs, and connect your store to popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify, Etsy, or Wix. Then, promote and start selling custom products to your customers.
Since it’s a low-risk business model with minimal upfront investment, you can launch your store without the overhead of traditional retail models – no inventory, no warehousing, and no ongoing manufacturing costs.
If you run a print shop and want to tap into the growing global POD market, you can apply to become a Printify Print Provider.
You’ll need to maintain consistent product quality, offer competitive pricing, and meet high standards for shipping and service.
Starting a successful POD business with Printify requires no upfront fees. Only pay for production after a customer places an order.
The only additional costs may come from your chosen sales channel (like platform fees on Shopify or Etsy) and optional design or marketing tools. It’s a low-risk business model that scales at your pace.
In most cases, you can start selling with Print on Demand without a license. However, depending on where you operate, local regulations might require one as your business grows. Always check your country’s or state’s legal requirements for online businesses.
Read more on how to get a business license.
Yes, you can sign up and start designing custom merchandise for free. Since Printify only charges you after a sale is made, you can launch your store and test your product line without spending upfront.
It’s ideal for side hustlers and entrepreneurs entering a competitive market with limited resources.
Closing thoughts
Wondering how to start a POD business? The path is clearer – and more accessible – than ever. With the print-on-demand model, you can launch an online business with minimal upfront investment, no inventory management, and the flexibility to grow on your own terms.
Here’s how it works with Printify:
- Choose a niche. Focus on a specific audience or market segment.
- Pick products. Select items that fit your niche.
- Apply designs. Create custom graphics or artwork and upload them.
- Set up your store. Sync listings, enable payments, and promote.
- Let Printify fulfill automatically. We’ll print and ship your products directly to customers.
Ready to take the first step? Start your print-on-demand journey with Printify today.
Make it happen today!
The post How to start a print-on-demand business in 2026 appeared first on Printify.
