Is Printify Worth It? Honest Review of Pros and Cons

I’ve been in the print on demand game for a while now and I’ve seen my fair share of platforms come and go. But Printify? It’s been a game changer for many, including myself.

When I first found Printify I was intrigued by the low risk entry and huge product selection. Now, after using it extensively I can say it’s a solid choice for newbies and seasoned sellers alike.

But let’s be real – no platform is perfect. While Printify has a lot going for it, there are some quirks you should know about before you get in. In this deep dive I’ll share my honest thoughts on Printify’s pros and cons.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to switch platforms, strap in – we’re about to get into the nitty gritty of what makes Printify tick.

Is Printify good for your print on demand business? Read this to find out.

Quick Summary

• Low risk entry into print on demand with no upfront costs and many products for beginners.
• Quality varies between Printify’s 80+ providers so sellers need to evaluate them and order samples to ensure consistency.
• Printify’s pricing plans fit different seller needs and can be profitable if you manage production costs and pricing right.

What Is Printify?

Printify connects sellers to a network of print providers to create and ship custom products. Founded in 2015 Printify has become a well known platform in the print on demand industry helping artists and entrepreneurs to put their designs on various products. With no upfront costs and products only produced after an order is placed it’s a low risk way to start a business.

Printify acts as a middleman between sellers and different print providers managing the process from design creation to order fulfillment. Users can choose from over 80 print providers with different options for print quality, pricing and product variety.

Designed to be user friendly the platform is accessible even for beginners with no print on demand experience. This printify review will show you how it works and how easy it is.

Printify offers full service, product design tools, shipping and fulfillment. Users can create an account, design products and manage their store through the Printify dashboard.

Printify’s large product catalog and support system is a good solution for starting or scaling a print on demand service store.

How It Works

Printify makes custom products creation and fulfillment easy. Users design with Printify’s tools, mockup generator, design tool and graphics library and then send the design to a chosen print provider to print.

Printify works with around 80 print providers worldwide so there’s a provider for any need. When a customer orders, Printify sends the order to the nearest facility to print, package and ship so sellers can focus on marketing and business growth.

Printify does quality checks including image scaling, color profile, product durability and packaging. While this ensures consistency quality can still vary between providers so sellers need to evaluate providers before committing.

Printify charges the seller’s account for production and shipping costs after a product is sold. Setting the retail price involves considering the target market and other market prices. Tools like the Profit Calculator on Etsy will help you to set the right price by taking into account all costs.

Printify’s Product Catalog

Printify has over 900 products across different categories, men’s and women’s clothing, accessories and home decor. Popular items like t-shirts, mugs and phone cases make it easy for sellers to find products that their audience will love in the printify catalog.

The catalog is updated regularly with around 40 new products added every month to keep up with trends and customer demand. This means sellers always have new products to offer and stay competitive.

Printify is known for competitive rates, often cheaper than SPOD and Spring and competitive with Printful. This helps sellers to have healthy profit margins and offer competitive prices to customers.

How Profitable Is Printify?

Several factors affect Printify’s profitability. One of the advantage is the potential to earn big. With low production costs and competitive pricing sellers can have healthy profit margins. Sellers should aim for a minimum of 40% profit margin for sustainable growth.

Printify has tools and resources to help new sellers to make money. Factors that affect profitability are production costs, pricing and customer retention. By managing these well sellers can maximize revenue on the platform.

Printing Costs and Retail Price

Printify has over 900 printable products in the catalog, updated regularly with new products. Product pricing varies greatly depending on the print provider, so there’s big difference in production costs. For example the price difference between the cheapest and most expensive supplier for the Gildan 18500 hoodie is $4.29.

Setting the retail price involves considering both production and shipping costs. Printify recommends a default markup of 40% for a healthy profit margin. The formula is simple: Retail price = Total cost + shipping; Profit = Total cost * Profit margin (%)

Low production costs means sellers can have better margins and higher revenue. The average net earnings per item sold on Printify is $11.79 so it’s profitable for many. By choosing the right print provider and pricing strategically sellers can maximize profit on the platform.

Printify Pricing Plans

Printify has three pricing plans: Free, Premium and Enterprise to cater different business needs. The Free plan gives access to store management and product design tools, up to 5 stores and unlimited products at standard prices. This plan is perfect for new sellers who want to try out without any financial commitment.

The Premium plan has big advantages, up to 20% discount on all products, making it more profitable than the Free plan. For example Premium users get 36% discount on the Bella + Canvas t-shirt through Print Clever. These discounts can increase profit margins big time, so the Premium plan is worth it for growing businesses.

For high volume sellers the Enterprise plan has unlimited stores, dedicated account manager and custom discounts. Designed for big businesses it has solutions tailored for them.

What About Quality?

Quality is important in the print on demand business and Printify’s use of multiple third party providers can cause variability in product quality and shipping times.

This can result to mixed user experience and overall satisfaction. Despite these challenges Printify has high app store ratings of 4.8 on Shopify and 4.5 on Wix so overall print quality is generally good.

Sellers should choose print providers wisely and order samples before committing to ensure quality. This way they can see the quality themselves and make informed decision for their business.

Product Quality

Product quality on Printify varies by brand so sellers should maintain high standards. For example the Bella+Canvas 3001 shirt is recommended for its high quality and durability. Sellers should order samples before committing to any print provider to see the quality themselves.

Printify’s supplier rating system includes product quality, production speed and stock reliability so sellers can get valuable insights. While Printify has decent product mockups, there’s room for improvement especially with background options.

Print Quality

To be satisfied with Printify’s print quality use high resolution images and order samples through the Printify dashboard. Common issues are designs cracking when stretched or washed and colors not as vibrant as in mockups. These can be fixed by choosing high quality print providers and using the right printing techniques.

Light colored shirts use fabric-absorbing technique, dark ones use iron-on prints. If a customer is not satisfied with the printed product they should contact Printify within 30 days with evidence of the quality issue to get support.

Shipping and Fulfillment

Shipping and fulfillment is a big part of the print on demand business. Printify has different shipping methods, Economy, Standard, Priority and Express to cater different customer needs. Understanding the shipping costs and delivery times is important to manage expectations and ensure timely delivery.

Having multiple shipping options allows sellers to choose the best for their products and customers. This flexibility will increase customer satisfaction and overall business performance.

Shipping Costs

Printify vendors use mostly USPS and UPS for shipping so delivery is reliable. Economy shipping starts at $3.99, Standard shipping starts at $4.75. For faster delivery Express shipping is at $7.99 and additional fee for each extra item.

Shipping costs are determined by the print provider. Printify routes shipping costs for international orders to local providers to reduce shipping cost and delivery times so customers get their orders fast and affordable.

Delivery Times

Standard shipping takes 2-5 business days for domestic US delivery, Priority shipping takes 2-3 business days. Delivery times may vary depending on the method and location of the print provider.

Printify’s multiple shipping options allows sellers to offer faster delivery times which is a big advantage in the competitive ecommerce space. Understanding the delivery times for each method helps sellers manage customer expectations and improve service.

Integrations With Major Ecommerce Platforms

One of the best things about Printify is its integration with major ecommerce platforms. This makes everything smooth and wide reach by listing products across multiple sales channels.

Integrating with Shopify, Etsy and WooCommerce makes product listing, order management and customer interaction easier.

These integrations are important to maximize sales and manage efficiently. Connecting Printify with these platforms allows sellers to automate many parts of their business and save time and reduce errors.

Platforms

Printify integrates with Shopify, Etsy, eBay and Walmart so sellers can reach a big audience. Besides these platforms Printify supports over 8 ecommerce platforms including BigCommerce and Squarespace. For advanced users Printify has a custom API solution for custom integrations.

These supported platforms gives flexibility and convenience to sellers to choose the best ecommerce platform for their business. By using these integrations sellers can boost their online presence and simplify their operations.

Setting Up Your Store

To sell with Printify you need a store set up, an integrated platform and a Printify account. Once a product is designed on Printify it can be published to the integrated store immediately. This seamless process allows sellers to start selling their custom designs to customers fast.

Printify makes international selling easy by automatically routing products to alternative print providers so faster delivery and lower shipping cost.

Pop-Up Stores is useful for sellers on a tight budget or those who rely on social media for sales. They can set up temporary stores for special events or promotions.

Payment options are automated payments and manual order approval to cater to different seller needs. Automated payments can be set to every hour, 24 hours or at a specific time of day so customer orders are processed hassle free.

Customer Support and Seller Help

Customer support is an essential part of any print on demand business. Printify has multiple support options for sellers so they can get assistance on time for their questions and problems. By having 24/7 support through live chat and contact form Printify ensures sellers can resolve issues fast and easy.

This support system helps sellers to navigate the print on demand business so they can focus on growing their online store and providing great customer service.

Printify’s Support Team

Printify’s support team can be reached through email, live chat and help center. Sellers can email and live chat for direct assistance so their questions are answered fast. The chat feature allows users to chat with a virtual agent and request to talk to a support agent if needed.

The contact form helps Printify to gather more information to resolve issues faster so sellers can get the support they need to run their business smoothly. These support channels is a safety net for sellers to manage their operations.

Customer Queries

Printify Connect has a service that helps sellers manage customer queries by outsourcing it to Printify’s support team. This service allows sellers to focus on their business while customer service is handled by Printify. But merchants using Printify Connect must inform customers about reprint approvals as there are limitations on customer reprints.

Sellers can report order issues from their Printify account to get help faster on customer queries. Sellers can also allow customers to return or exchange orders but returns are at the seller’s expense.

MORE: Best Print On Demand Companies

Environmental Impact

As sustainability is getting more important for businesses Printify has taken steps to reduce its environmental impact. Printify implements eco-friendly practices such as minimizing waste through its on-demand printing model, producing products only after receiving orders. This way waste is reduced in the production process and aligns with the growing consumer demand for sustainable products.

Printify is taking active steps to consider the environmental impact of its operations.

Eco-Friendly Products

Printify has a wide range of eco-friendly products that appeals to eco-conscious consumers. Among these are organic t-shirts, recycled materials and biodegradable items made from sustainable materials like organic cotton and recycled polyester. Choosing eco-friendly products benefits the environment and caters to the growing demand for sustainable products.

These eco-friendly options allows sellers to differentiate their products and attract a niche market that values sustainability. By adding these products to their catalog sellers can boost their brand and contribute to a more sustainable world.

Carbon Neutrality Target

Printify is targeting to be carbon neutral by 2030 and has joined the Tech Green Pledge to support this goal. Printify is reducing and offsetting emissions across its operations to achieve this target. This aggressive target shows Printify’s commitment to sustainability and its role in a greener world.

Printify Alternatives

While Printify has many benefits, it’s always good to consider alternatives to make sure you’re choosing the right platform for your business. Other print on demand platforms has different features and integrations each with its own pros and cons. Exploring these alternatives will give you insights on which platform fits your business needs.

By comparing Printify to other platforms sellers can make informed decisions to improve their operations and profitability.

Printful

Printful is a major competitor to Printify, they have in-house printing and fulfillment services so they can ensure better quality consistency. But Printify is generally cheaper so it’s more cost effective for many sellers.

For example the total cost of a product when using Printful is $16.94 with a gross margin of 32.24%.

Although more expensive, Printful’s control over the printing process can result to better quality which is a big consideration for many sellers. By weighing the pros and cons of each platform sellers can choose the one that fits their quality and pricing needs.

Spreadshop

Spreadshop is another alternative to Printify, known for its fast turnaround and lower shipping cost. SPOD claims 95% of orders are printed and ready for shipment within 48 hours so it’s a good option for sellers who prioritizes fast delivery.

This combined with competitive shipping rates makes SPOD a strong player in the print on demand market.

Spring (formerly Teespring)

Spring, formerly Teespring is a print on demand platform geared towards influencers and content creators. This focus makes it a good option for those who want to monetize their online presence through custom merchandise. By using their platform influencers can start selling custom designs to their followers and create another income stream.

Conclusion

In summary Printify is a full print on demand service that caters to a wide range of sellers from beginners to high volume businesses.

With a wide range of products, competitive pricing and integrations with major ecommerce platforms Printify is a solid foundation to build an online store. But it’s always good to consider the variability in product and print quality since it’s relying on multiple third party providers.

By weighing the pros and cons sellers can decide if Printify fits their business and customer expectations. Overall the affordability, wide range of products and supportive features makes Printify a strong player in the print on demand industry. If you want to start or expand your print on demand business Printify is worth checking out.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is Printify?

Printify is a top print-on-demand service that connects you with print providers to create and ship custom products. It’s a great way to start selling personalized items without inventory!

How does Printify work?

Printify connects you with different print providers who print and ship your custom designs to your customers. You just create your designs and they will handle the rest!

What products can I sell on Printify?

You can sell a wide range of products on Printify, clothing, accessories and home decor with over 900 options. You can find something that fits your brand!

How do I ensure product quality on Printify?

How to ensure product quality on Printify? Choose reputable print providers and order samples before committing. Also use the supplier rating system to check their quality.

What are the shipping options on Printify?

Printify has several shipping options like Economy, Standard, Priority and Express so you can choose based on your budget and how fast you need your items. Just remember costs and delivery times will vary depending on the print provider you choose.