What Is Print-On-Demand? Is It Worth It? Which One Should I Choose?

More than once I have been asked by people watching my videos or reading my articles what exactly a Print-On-Demand service is and how it works. Though I have responded to them individually, I thought it would be good to write an article on this and create a video attempting to explain what it is.

What is Print-On-Demand?

A Print-On-Demand service is when a company uses photos/scans/digital files of your artwork to create art prints and many other types of products with your art on them. Once production is complete, that same company will ship the product to the customer.

Once the artist has uploaded a digital file of their artwork to the Print-On-Demand platform, their job is finished. When a customer orders a product with your art on it, the company then creates the product, ships it, and pays you your cut of the profit.

From what I have seenPrint-On-Demand websites have what is called a “base fee” for each product. On some, you will then be asked to set your profit above and beyond that base fee. This means that if an 8×10 print has a base fee of $10, and you want to have a personal profit of $10. The price for the customer will be $20. Some websites will allow you to put a monetary value in for your profits, others will ask for a percentage. There are other Print-On-Demand websites that don’t allow you to set your profits on each product and they just tell you what your profit will be for the product sold. This can range anywhere from a 5% or greater profit per product based on the base fee.

Print-on-demand style selling isn’t for everyone. Here is a list of pros and cons to help you decide if selling through a print-on-demand is for you.

Pros Of Using Print-On-Demand:

1. They Print Everything For You

One of the major pros to using a Print-On-Demand service as you may have already figured out is that you don’t have to worry about the production of any of the products. You may not be able to produce a shower curtain with your artwork on it, but through a print-on-demand this is possible! Or maybe you don’t have the space to keep fifty 8×10 art prints in your studio (or corner in the basement). Not having to keep a supply on hand is very nice.

2. They Ship Everything For You

Another major pro is not having to ship the products. Though don’t mind packing up paintings to ship, it always takes time and can sometimes be a hassle depending on the size. This means that you don’t have to have boxes, bubble wrap, wrapping paper, etc. to package and ship your products.

3. Reach Customers Faster

Using print-on-demand allows you to reach customers around the world faster. Many of the print-on-demand companies have production facilities around the world. This means that if someone in Australia orders an item, they use the facility in Australia to produce and ship that product. This drastically reduces both costs of shipping and the time it takes for a product to arrive to the customer.

I recently spoke with an artist from South Africa who strictly does digital art. By using a print-on-demand service, they are able to cut down on shipping costs and reach their customers faster. Also, being a digital artist means that they need their artwork printed onto something. They don’t have to produce their own products and keep inventory on hand.

4. Everything Is Always “In Stock”

When I do markets, I have to guess which of my products will sell the best. Sometimes what sells well at one market doesn’t sell well at another so I end up selling out of something I didn’t expect to. This means I have leftovers of another product. I can’t use a print-on-demand necessarily at markets, but selling the majority of products through print-on-demand means that you aren’t playing the guessing game of what you have to keep in inventory. People can order whatever they want, whenever they want.

5. Print-On-Demand Platforms Bring Customer To You

Print-on-demand platforms usually have a solid customer base to begin with. This means that you aren’t trying to bring customers to a new website or social media page. This pro is also the flip side. Just because the platform is getting a lot of traffic that doesn’t mean they are necessarily going to find your shop with your products.

Cons Of Using Print-On-Demand:

After reading my pros, I asked myself why I don’t put more focus on the print-on-demand websites that I use. I have two main points that I will address.

1. Many Print-On-Demand Products May Not Be Suited For Your Art

First, print-on-demands may not be the most profitable for all types of art. The type of art I do isn’t geared towards the types of customers that many print-on-demand platforms mainly get. Many of my animal or landscape paintings look great as art prints, but who wants a rectangular-shaped painting of a tiger on a water bottle? On the print-on-demand websites that I am a part of, most of the products that I have sold are prints or stickers because they look good as those products. Also, my mixed media artwork on wood isn’t meant to be made into prints. I have made some card versions of some but other than that I just sell originals. I often see digital artists who create designs/logo-type art do very well.

2. Potential Profit Vs. Customer Price

Second, often the base price is so high that if you want to make a good profit then the market price is going to have to be high. Let’s give an example:

A 12×16 art print on Redbubble has a base price of $21.44. I have a 100% markup on it so my profit margin is $21.44. This means that the customer is paying $42.88. Then the customer has to pay the shipping on top of that making the print cost $76.08

There is a company that I use to produce prints for me called The Giclée Factory. For a 12×16 art print, they charge $9.08. Shipping for just one product is $14.99 (It stays at $14.99 if you are ordering multiple prints to one shipping address so the more ordered, the better it is). This brings the production and shipping total to $24.07. They will produce the print for me and ship it directly to the customer (this is called drop shipping). If I sell the print for the same price as it is being sold for on Redbubble including shipping ($76.08), I am now making a profit of $52.01 instead of $21.44. That is well over double the profit. Or, you can actually charge less and still make the same amount.

Here is a chart version. It might help to see it this way:

This is the main reason I don’t put much effort into the print-on-demand websites I joined a few years back when I was first starting out. I like being able to make a higher profit from my prints, and then I also know the quality of the products being shipped because I have worked with the same company for some years now.

3. They Control Your Profits (Not All Print-On-Demand Platforms)

This ties into the last con but I thought I should make it separate. Also, this doesn’t apply to every Print-On-Demand platform but it does apply to many.

There are some that won’t allow you to set your profits for the products you sell. There will be fixed amounts that you can’t change. I really don’t like this as it takes a lot of the control and sense of freedom away from the artist. Again, not every site is like this and some sites allow you to change just some products. Just be aware and do some research before signing up.

Which Print On Demand Service Is For Me?

If you have done any research before reading this article, you will know already that there are more than just one or two print-on-demand platforms to choose from.

My list below is definitely not a complete list of all of the print-on-demand type platforms. These are just some that have been included in my articles “Where to Sell Your Art Online” and “Where to Sell Your Art Online: Volume 2”. Some of them allow you to sell originals, while others are just print-on-demand. If you want to add any to the list below, just leave a comment with some info about it!

Only Print-On-Demand

To go to any of the websites, just click on the logo.

Redbubble

Redbubble is actually one of the better print-on-demand services in my opinion. You are able to adjust the profit margins for all of the products and their base prices are lower than many other platforms. They have a ton of different products that your art can be turned into including art prints, clothing, furniture and more.

Check out my full review of Redbubble here: https://www.briansloanartist.com/redbubble-review/

Society6

Society6 is often compared to Redbubble from what I’ve seen. They allow you to set your profits only for certain products while for the other products it is a fixed amount that you can’t change. For this reason, I don’t like Society6 as much. They also have a large variety of products that your work can be put on.

Check out my full review of Society6 here: https://briansloanartist.com/society6-review/

Zazzle

Zazzle has a ton of different options for what you can put your products on. To be honest, I don’t know a terrible amount about Zazzle but I do know that they have options for designers, makers, and associates. There is a lot to read on their website if this one interests you.

Printful

Printful is a unique print-on-demand service in this list. They aren’t a platform where people come to search and purchase your items, they allow you to use their system on your website, Etsy shop, etc. in order to sell products with your art on them. I have never used them, so if you have, I’d love your feedback below!

Threadless

Threadless tries to focus a lot on branding and customization. Artists have more options to customize their storefront to make it their own and not have it look like a generic shop on some website. They allow you to set your profits for all products which is a big plus. Threadless also has great base prices compared to almost all other platforms (even lower than Redbubble). 

TeePublic

TeePublic started as just a clothing shop but has since expanded to a full-on print-on-demand company. The major downside to TeePublic is that they control the profits. They say that artists on TeePublic make the highest earnings per product, however, there is an asterisk there and that only refers to T-Shirts. Their base prices for art prints for example are higher than Threadless and the artist profit is very small in comparison. This is one I probably wouldn’t consider selling on because you as the artist don’t have as much control.

Print-on-Demand & Original Art 

Not all of these websites have as many product options like the ones that are only print-on-demand. However, you can also sell/advertise your original art on all of these websites.

Artfinder

Artfinder allows you to sell prints via print-on-demand. I don’t sell with Artfinder anymore, but the print-on-demand was new in the last year or two (2020 or 2021) if I remember correctly. With free accounts, you could select a certain number of your products to be print-on-demand available. With a paying subscription, you can have more.

Check out my full review of Artfinder here: https://www.briansloanartist.com/artfinder-review/

Artmajeur

Artmajeur is a European company that allows you to sell originals as well as some print-on-demand items. Their print-on-demand catalogue is basically just art prints. They do also sell digital files which aren’t available on every website. You can set your profit for each size of art print. I’ve sold the odd print on Artmajeur but never that much.

Check out my full review of Artmajeur here: https://www.briansloanartist.com/artmajeur-review/

ArtPal

ArtPal allows you to sell prints and a couple of products with your art on it through their print-on-demand. You can set your percentage of profit on these products which I like. I have been on ArtPal for a few years and haven’t sold anything via print-on-demand. However, I do know of others who have sold prints and mugs with their art on them.

Check out my full review of ArtPal here: https://www.briansloanartist.com/artpal-full-review-what-is-it-how-to-use-it-what-i-think-of-it/

Fine Art America

Fine Art America is a large platform not only for selling original art but also for print-on-demand products. They rival some of the platforms that are only print-on-demand for the number of products your art can be turned into. You can also set your profit for each individual product including the variations of the products. I have sold a few prints via their print-on-demand service. Their base price, however, is high compared to others. I used them to sell prints for a little bit but quickly changed when I found a cheaper option that had just as good, if not better, quality.

Check out my full review of Fine Art America here: https://www.briansloanartist.com/fine-art-america-review/

Saatchi Art

Saatchi Art is also a very popular and trusted platform where artists sell their work. Other than selling originals, they have a print-on-demand system set up for high-quality art prints. When you are creating your products, there is a scroll bar you can use to set your profits on the prints. It does have a minimum and maximum but the difference is large enough it should please most people. I have sold a handful of prints through Saatchi Art as well as some originals.

Check out my full review of Saatchi Art here: https://www.briansloanartist.com/saatchi-art-review/

Should You Use Print-On-Demand?

In all honesty, I think it depends on what kind of art you create and what your goals are. As you know, I deal a lot with selling original art and my type of art is mainly only good for printing as art prints. This has led me to not put much effort into print-on-demand. However, I know many artists that deal strictly with Print-On-Demand and are very successful with it.

As mentioned above, there are pros and cons to them. If you are unsure, try out a few of the sites mentioned above or any others that you can find. I like the platforms that allow me to sell original artwork along with the print-on-demand possibilities. 

If you have good or bad experiences with Print-On-Demand platforms, please let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading this article! 

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