Printify review is a much needed thing. If you’re a graphic designer or small business owner, buying custom designed products can be a gamble. On the one hand, you can make a lot of money this way. On the other hand, you can end up paying for boxes of product that didn’t sell.
You’re probably familiar with print-on-demand services. There are many out there, including Printify, Printful, Printura, and dozens of smaller suppliers.
How do you know which one is best for your business?
I’ve done the legwork and found out everything you need to know about one of these services: Printify. In my Printify review, I’ll give you a thorough overview of this service, so you can make an informed decision.
What is Printify?
Printify is a print-on-demand service. This means you can make a custom design, like a business or band logo, and they’ll put it on merchandise for you.
Unlike traditional print shops, which deal in bulk, print-on-demand services only build products after they’ve sold.
They sell the basics, like men’s and women’s tee shirts and hoodies, but they go much further than that. Printify sells a wide variety of products, including sneakers, sandals, boots, fleeces, tank tops, leggings, skirts, and swimsuits. Many of their clothing options are available in children’s sizes.
They also create non-clothing merchandise, including handbags, totes, backpacks, phone cases, mugs, koozies, and even blankets.
How Does Printify Work?
I’ve gone through Printify’s product creation process, and it’s very simple.
To begin with, you’ll need a design or a logo. Then, you’ll need to choose which products you want to sell. The website is easy to use, and the design tools are straightforward.
You can resize your image to be as large or as small as you want, and position it wherever you like on the product. This is all done on Printify’s site, with no need to install third-party software.
Once you’re happy with your design, you’ll need to choose a supplier. Since Printify outsources their work to independent print shops, decide on a supplier that makes the most sense for your needs.
Now that you have a design and a supplier, it’s time to list the product on your site. You can also list your products on online marketplaces like Etsy and Shopify.
You’ll need to choose a selling price, too. Keep in mind that Printify will deduct their cost from whatever they pay you. For example, if Printify charges $7.50 for a particular tee shirt and you list it for $15, you’ll receive $7.50 from each sale, and Printify will keep the other $7.50.
Finally, you’ll be asked to enter a product description. Make sure this is as accurate as possible. It will automatically be included on any sites you’ve linked to your Printify account, so this is your chance to grab some eyeballs.
Keep reading this Printify review to get a better understanding of Printify.
Where Does Printify Ship From?
In this Printify review, I’ve already mentioned that Printify outsources its work to independent shops. Since the work is done at these smaller businesses, the exact shipping location will depend on your supplier.
Printify has suppliers in California, Georgia, Colorado, Florida, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Michigan, and North Carolina. They also have overseas suppliers: two in Australia, three in Canada, four in China, one in the Czech Republic, three in Germany, six in Latvia, one in Poland, and six in the UK.
If at all possible, you’ll want to choose a supplier that’s close to your customers. If you run a local business in Michigan, it doesn’t make much sense to choose a Chinese supplier.
While Printify offers express shipping, this is only an option in the US. Express shipping can get your product to your customers in three days for most products. Regular shipping takes a week to ten days and is the only option for international orders.
What E-Commerce Platforms Are Integrated With Printify?
Printify is integrated with several e-commerce platforms. These include Shopify, WooCommerce, and Etsy. I’ve taken a look at Shopify’s Printify app, and here’s what I found.
First, you’ll need to download the app. Next, you’ll need to sign into your Printify account or create one if you don’t have one already.
Once you’ve done that, any design you create on Printify will automatically sync to your Shopify account. This is very convenient, and can save you lots of time if you have a store on a supported platform.
On platforms that aren’t integrated, you’ll have to manually create listings for each product you create on Printify. This can be time-consuming, but Printify supports most major online stores.
Printify is integrated with several e-commerce platforms. These include Shopify, WooCommerce, and Etsy.
Where Printify Excels
Printify is faster and easier to use than most print-on-demand services. Their design-builder is pretty simple, but still gives you lots of control over what your product will look like.
In terms of quality, this seems to vary depending on what supplier you choose. Some Printify suppliers are very popular and get great reviews, while others are heavily criticized. As long as you do your research beforehand, you’ll get good quality products.
Their pricing is reasonable. It’s not the cheapest on the web, but they charge less than some of the more expensive print-on-demand services. You’ll get a good balance of savings and quality.
Printify’s customer service is excellent. They respond to emails within a day, and their phone support team is always available to help you out.
They also have a large help section on their website, with articles answering dozens of common questions. These include guides on design, shipping, and integrating your Printify store on other sites.
Some Printify suppliers are very popular and get great reviews, while others are heavily criticized. As long as you do your research beforehand, you’ll get good quality products.
What Printify Could Do Better
While doing my research, there were two common customer complaints that I saw multiple times.
The first is the fact that their design tool doesn’t support Adobe .ai files. A lot of graphic designers don’t like this, because they’re used to working with .ai files.
That said, it’s easy to export an .ai file in a variety of formats. I’m surprised designers are so upset about this because they’re used to exporting completed work anyway.
The other complaint is that the printing is of poor quality. This is most likely due to certain subpar suppliers that I’ve already talked about. If you do your research first, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Tips For Getting The Most Out of Printify
To get the best possible experience, there are some steps you’ll want to take. Here are some of the big takeaways I’ve found for you in this Printify review.
#1 Order Samples
How do you know if the shirt or mug you created is any good?
You certainly don’t want to find out about problems after you already have an unhappy customer. The only way to be sure is to order samples for yourself.
This can be annoying since you’ll have to pay for them, but it lets you perform some quality control. You’ll also be able to get a sense for the quality of the fabric and the ink, which is helpful when you’re writing product descriptions.
#2 Use Higher Contrast Images
Printify uses a digital printing method instead of screen printing. This is a win for customers since print-on-demand screen printing is expensive. However, images that were bright and vivid on a computer can lose contrast when they’re printed this way.
To avoid this, you’ll want to use a higher contrast than you would if you were using your image online. This is another reason to buy samples, too: you can catch color inconsistencies before your product hits the market.
#3 Accept That Nothing is Perfect
If you’re anything like me, you want your products to come out exactly as you’d imagined. Unfortunately, the only way to do that is to do the entire job yourself.
Unless you start your own print shop, this isn’t going to happen.
That said, make sure to contact Printify if there are any issues with your purchase. They only make money if you do, so they have a strong incentive to help you succeed. That is the point of this Printify review, to show both the bright and dark aspects.
#4 Do Your Research
You’re reading this Printify review, so you’re already doing this. Keep going! Look at the pros and cons, and consider what’s important to you.
I’ve already mentioned suppliers, but it bears repeating: research them, too. A good supplier can make the difference between five-star reviews and one-star reviews.
Printify vs. Printful: An Apples-to-Apples Comparison (Competitive Printify review)
While I was researching, the other most popular print-on-demand service was clearly Printful. Since they’re the main competition, I wanted to see how they stack up against Printify. Here’s how they compare:
#1 Suppliers
While Printify outsources their order fulfillment, Printful does all of their work in house. On the plus side, this saves you the effort of choosing a supplier. On the other hand, you won’t have a second choice if there are quality control issues.
There’s one thing Printful does that Printify doesn’t: they will warehouse goods from third-party vendors.
#2 Order Fulfillment
I’ve already listed Printify’s fulfillment locations. Printful has fewer, but they’re in different locations. In the US, they have fulfillment locations in California and North Carolina. They also have international fulfillment centers in Canada, Mexico, Spain, and Latvia.
#3 Lead Time
Printify’s lead time can be anywhere from 2 to 7 days, depending on your supplier. Printful ships all orders three days after they’re placed.
#4 Integration
I’ve already talked about Printify’s integration, but this is an area where Printful really shines. They integrate with Etsy, WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce, Storenvy, Amazon, Weebly, Tictail, Gumroad, Ecwid, Shipstation, Bigcartel, and Inktale.
#5 Pricing and Selection
Printful has slightly more options to choose from than Printify. On the other hand, their prices are also higher. Which one is more important will depend on your needs.
#6 The Final Verdict
Printful offers better selection, more consistent quality, and more integration. On the other hand, Printify charges less, so you’ll make more from each purchase. They also have a variety of suppliers, which means you can get even better quality if you shop around. This Printify review gives you an idea and better understanding.
Ultimately, the choice is going to come down to your needs, especially for people with international customers. If you have customers in China, for example, Printify will be the better choice since they have a supplier there.
Printful has slightly more options to choose from than Printify. On the other hand, their prices are also higher. Which one is more important will depend on your needs. (Click to Tweet)
The Pros and Cons of Print-on-Demand Services
Last but not least, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: is a print-on-demand service right for you?
Let’s look at the pros and cons in this Printify review.
Pros:
- With print-on-demand services, you only pay for products that you actually sell. This is great for startups, or for people who serve niche markets. It’s also good if your sales are unpredictable. Do 100,000 people buy that narwhal mug, or does nobody care? With a print-on-demand service, you can put it in your online store worry-free and find out.
- They’re scalable. If your store suddenly becomes popular and your sales surge, you won’t be stuck ordering a bunch of older products to keep up with demand.
Cons:
- They’re more expensive than bulk printing services. Simply put, it’s cheaper to make 200 shirts at the same time than it is to make them one by one over the course of a year. If you already have a successful store with high sales volume, it can make more sense to buy in bulk.
- They have slower delivery times. If you order in bulk and ship products yourself, you can get your customers’ orders in the mail the same day they’re placed. Print-on-demand services need to make the product each time it’s ordered, which delays shipping by a few days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Printify better than Printful?
Printiful is the most popular print-on-demand service. Suppliers: Printifyoursources their order fulfillment, and printful does everything in house. Order Fulfillment: Printify has more fulfillment locations. Lead Time: Printify: 2-7 days. Prinful ships all orders three days after being placed. Integration: Printful integrates with: Etsy, WooCommerce, Shopify BigCommerce, Storenvy, Amazon, Weebly, Tictail, Gumroad, Ecwid, Shipstation, Bigcartel and Inktale.
How good is Printify?
Printify is faster and easier to use than most print-on-demand services. The quality depends on what supplier you choose. Do your research before-hand to select which supplier you want to work with. Pricing is reasonable. Good balance of savings and quality.
Can you make money with Printify?
Yes, just depends on how many items you sell per month.
Does Printify work with Amazon?
Yes.
Is Printify quality good?
Printify is known for providing products with exceptional quality. The good thing about Printify is that it gives you the option of choosing from a large pool of suppliers. Therefore, online stores can easily select the best supplier depending on their previous reviews and after evaluating the product quality through samples.
Is it worth selling on Printify?
It is definitely worth selling on Printify because it is a user-friendly print-on-demand platform that facilitates both experienced and budding entrepreneurs. In addition, online stores can rely on Printify for quick and efficient order fulfillment without worrying about the different challenges involved in domestic and international shipping.
Is Printify cheaper than Printful?
Yes, Printify is cheaper because the production cost of Printify is lower than Printful. However, Printful provides more options than Printify, so the final choice depends on your requirements.
Wrapping Up
Printify is a solid print-on-demand service that will get your products to your customers with little fuss. Their website is easy to use, and they integrate with the largest e-commerce sites.
Their pricing is in the middle of the pack, and they have suppliers throughout the US as well as overseas. Quality is variable depending on the supplier, but there are plenty of good ones out there.
Printify hits that perfect sweet spot between value and quality.
If there’s something I missed in this Printify review, or if you’d like to share your own experiences with Printify, leave a comment!
