What if you could print your t-shirts and other merch with just one click? Sounds fantastic, right? With Print On Demand services, that’s what you can do.
POD websites allow you to fulfill orders of branded merchandise quickly and easily. They allow you to sell your own branded products with no minimum order or setup costs.
Printing your merch is a great way to add another source of revenue from your band’s website and a fun way for your fans to show their support. This blog post will cover making a print-on-demand website, keeping in mind all the things that need to be considered before starting this process.
A Print-on-Demand Overview
Print on demand (POD) is a printing technology in which copies of a document are not printed until an order has been received. POD services allow you to print and ship products only as ordered, eliminating the need for costly inventory storage.
This system is perfect for bands and musicians who want to sell branded merchandise but don’t want to invest in inventory or deal with the hassle of fulfillment.
There are a few Print On Demand services available, but the most popular one used by bands is Merch By Amazon. This service is free to use and easy to set up. Amazon handles all of the fulfillment for you, so you don’t have to worry about shipping orders out to your customers.
Another popular Print On Demand service is Printful. Printful has no setup fees and offers a wide range of products that can be printed and shipped on demand, including t-shirts, hoodies, physical CDs, and vinyl. Printful also has an integration with WooCommerce, which makes it easy to set up your POD shop on your band’s website.
What Is Print-on-Demand Website?
When you print items on demand, you create products only when someone places an order. It means you don’t have a physical inventory that you need to store and ship. Instead, you make a product, take an order, and then have it printed and shipped immediately.
Printing on demand has been common in the publishing and photography industries, but only recently has it become a viable solution for merchandising. With a print-on-demand (POD) website, you use a third-party printing service to create t-shirts, hoodies, and other items based on customer orders.
The company then prints and ships the items, and you receive a commission on each sale. The POD model has become increasingly popular over the last few years, thanks partly to the spread of r/websiteselling and the eCommerce-focused Black Friday sales.
How Does Print-On-Demand Website Work?
There are two main ways that a POD website works. The first method is where you upload the designs on their website. The website will then handle everything related to the orders, including printing, shipping, and customer service.
The second method is where you manage the whole process of design, printing, and shipping yourself. In this case, you will need to create a website with a shopping cart.
A shopping cart gives you more control over the process and can integrate your POD website with order management software. Then, when a customer places an order, you send the details to the printing company, and they will print and ship the items.
Things to Consider Before Making Print-on-Demand Website
There are several things to keep in mind before you start creating your POD website. It includes:
Print Quality
One of the most important things to consider is the print quality. Make sure to research the printing companies and find one that offers high-quality printing.
Shipping Costs
Another thing to keep in mind is shipping costs. POD websites are generally more expensive to ship than other types of products. It is because each item is printed and shipped individually.
Customer Service
Make sure to offer excellent customer service. It is vital if you’re handling the printing and shipping yourself. Print-on-demand websites can be a bit more complicated than other eCommerce sites, so it’s crucial to offer good customer support in case something goes wrong.
Images
Invest in high-quality product photos. It is essential if you sell physical products like t-shirts and hoodies. Customers need to see what they’re buying, so ensure your product photos are clear and of good quality.
Installing Shopify and Printful
The easiest way to start a POD website is to use a prebuilt eCommerce solution like Shopify. Shopify has a POD app that allows you to offer unlimited products in your store without any minimum order requirements. The app also allows you to take credit card payments immediately, which is essential for your business.
Another company that offers POD websites is Printful. Printful is similar to Shopify; its main focus is print-on-demand merchandise.
The main drawback of using Printful is that you can’t use your domain name. Instead, you have to use their URL.
You can also consider using WooCommerce, a WordPress plugin that allows you to turn your WordPress site into an eCommerce store.
There are several Print-on-demand plugins available for WooCommerce, but one of the most popular is Printful. Printful integrates with WooCommerce and allows you to offer print-on-demand products in your store.
Make sure that you choose a POD service with good customer service. You will likely have questions along the way, and the simpler it is to get help, the better.
Final Words
In the POD model, you create unique designs for each product, and then the company prints and ships each item when an order comes in. It means you can sell otherwise unprofitable items for a traditional manufacturer.
POD also allows you to sell custom products, like t-shirts with your band’s logo, that would otherwise cost too much to create in a traditional manufacturing setup. Using a POD service to create branded merchandise has many advantages and drawbacks.
It’s essential to check the reviews for each company before selecting one to partner with. It’s also a good idea to choose a company that offers a wide range of product options, so you can start with a selection of items that are likely to sell.