How to start a print on demand business with your own designs

What a print on demand business is

In a print on demand business you design the artwork and choose the products it goes on, such as t-shirts, mugs, posters or tote bags. A provider such as Printful or Printify prints each item only after a customer orders it, packs it and ships it to the buyer.

You pay the provider its base cost and shipping for each order, and your profit is the gap between that and your retail price after selling fees. Printful says there are no upfront costs when selling with Printful, so the main costs before the first sale are samples and your time on designs.

This page covers makers selling their own original designs. Everything that goes out under your name, from the art to the print quality, is yours to check, even though you never touch most orders.

How to start a print on demand business in seven steps

The same order works whether you start a print on demand store on your own site or on a marketplace.

1. Pick a theme and a small product range

   Choose who the designs are for, such as a hobby, a job, a place or a fan community, and start with two or three product types. A short range keeps sample costs down.

2. Make designs you own

   Draw the art yourself or pay a designer under a written agreement that transfers the rights to you. Leave out logos, characters, lyrics and photos that belong to someone else.

3. Choose a provider

   Compare base costs, shipping, print quality and the remake policy. Printful has no monthly fees on its free plan, and Printify's free plan is $0/month.

4. Order samples and check the mockups

   Order each product you plan to list and compare it with the mockup: color, print size, placement and fabric. Printful gives 20% off sample orders on the Free plan and 25% off with the Growth plan.

5. Set prices from base cost plus shipping

   Add the base cost, the shipping charge, selling fees and any add-ons such as printed labels, then price so the margin survives all of them.

6. Settle sales tax

   Check your state's rules for collecting sales tax, and send your provider a resale certificate so it does not charge you tax on items you resell.

7. Write your return policy and launch

   Base your own returns policy on what the provider will remake, publish shipping times you can meet, then launch a few designs and add more as they sell.

Samples and mockup checks before you list

A mockup is a digital picture of your design placed on a product photo. It shows layout, but screens and printers show color differently, and a mockup cannot show how a print feels or how it holds up after washing.

Order a sample of every product and color you plan to sell. Printful allows 1 sample order per month with up to 3 items per order, at 20% off sample orders on the Free plan and 25% off with the Growth plan. Check these points on each sample:

• Color: compare the printed color with your file, in daylight.
• Size and placement: measure the print and check it sits where the mockup shows.
• Edges and fine lines: check that thin lines and small text are sharp.
• Wash and wear: wash apparel samples several times and check for cracking, fading and shrinkage.
• Packaging: see what the buyer will receive, including any provider branding on the slip.

Keep photos of each approved sample as a record of what the product should look like. When a buyer reports a print problem, you can compare their photo with yours before you file a claim with the provider.

How to price on base cost plus shipping

Print on demand pricing starts with what the provider charges you per item. On Printful the charge is based on the cost of production and shipping. Printify's production price doesn't include shipping fees, taxes, and other possible storefront expenses.

For one unisex t-shirt, Printful lists a base price of $11.92 and US shipping of $4.95 for the first shirt. Printify lists $11.40 and $3.99 shipping in its own comparison, using January 2026 prices. Printify suggests a profit margin of 40%.

Then add the selling fees on your retail price. The section below shows what each place to sell takes from the same sale. Price each variant on its own cost: on Printful the same shirt in 2XL is $13.92, and a printed inside label adds $0.99 per label.

Decide whether to charge shipping separately or build it into the price. On Etsy, the 6.5% transaction fee applies to the item price plus shipping, so a separate shipping charge pays the fee too.

How to start a print on demand store: what each place to sell takes

Example: one $30 t-shirt sold through a store connected to your provider. Own stores charge card processing and you bring the shoppers. Marketplaces bring shoppers and take a larger share. The provider's base cost and shipping come on top.

Rights in the art you upload

Printify's policy puts the rights question on you. It says You alone are responsible for Content that You and/or Your Customers upload, and that by uploading you warrant the Content is owned by You or that You have valid authorization. Printify also keeps the right to reject the production of User Products that contain Content that we have reason to believe may be infringing the IP rights of others.

Under US law, copyright in your own drawing exists from the moment the work is created. Registration is voluntary, but you need it if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work. Copyright does not cover names, titles, slogans, or short phrases, so a slogan shirt is protected only by the art around the words, if there is any. The Copyright Office notes that names and slogans may be protected as trademarks.

Fan art, sports team logos, brand names, film quotes, song lyrics and photos found online belong to someone else, so leave them out unless you hold a license. If you hire a designer, get a written agreement that assigns the rights or licenses them for products you sell. This is general information, not legal advice.

Who is seller of record for sales tax

When a customer buys from your own store, the sale is yours: you set the price and take the payment, and the provider bills you as your supplier. You collect sales tax from your buyers where your state requires it, and the provider may also charge you sales tax on what it bills you.

Printful says Printful will charge tax on your orders depending on your customers' location, and it skips the tax only if the tax exemption documentation was submitted and approved before you placed it. Printify charges tax on orders shipped to states in the USA where Printify is registered for sales tax purposes. Printify explains that a resale certificate serves as proof that you are eligible to purchase an item tax-free for resale purposes, so the tax is collected once, from the final buyer.

If you sell through a marketplace, check its tax pages to see whether it collects and remits sales tax for you in each state. The SBA notes that sales tax and other taxes can vary significantly from place to place, and rules vary by state and city, so check with your state's revenue department about registering. This is general information, not tax advice.

Returns, remakes and shipping promises

Providers remake or refund items that arrive misprinted, damaged or defective, inside a time limit. Printful offers a free reshipment or a refund; there is no need to send the item back, and you must report a quality issue within 30 days of the delivery date. Printify's Merchant Protection gives a free reprint or refund within 30 days when an order arrives with a manufacturing error.

Printful does not accept returns or exchanges for buyer's remorse, wrong size, or wrong color. Write your own return policy to match: if you accept size exchanges or change-of-mind returns, you pay for them. Ask buyers for a photo of a faulty item, because for a quality claim Printful asks you to provide a clear photo of the affected product.

Shipping promises carry a federal rule. Under the FTC's Mail, Internet or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule, you need a reasonable basis for stating or implying that you can ship within a certain time. If you make no shipping statement, you need a reasonable basis for believing you can ship within 30 days. If you cannot ship on time, you must seek the customer's consent to the delayed shipment, and the notice must say the customer can cancel the order and obtain a full and prompt refund. Add the provider's production time, 2–5 business days on Printful, to the transit time when you state shipping times.

Choosing a print on demand provider

Printful advertises in-house printing. Printify routes orders through a network of 140+ facilities, and says quality and shipping times can vary between them, which is why you order samples from the exact print provider you plan to list.

Printify lets you connect your account to your Etsy, Shopify, TikTok Shop, or other store; check each provider's integration list for the store or marketplace you plan to use. For base costs, catalogs and plans side by side, see the best print on demand sites and Printful vs Printify.

Where Nation fits

Questions about starting a print on demand business