Why Print on Demand Business

POD, or print on demand business, has achieved giant leap in these recent years, thanks to emergence and prevalence of digital printing technologies. In this passage, by solving the three whys, we’ll burrow deeper into this business model and discuss whether it’s worth the trying.

Written by Procolored - Published on Aug 2, 2024

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Written by Procolored - Published on Aug 2, 2024

Passage Summary

Why Print on Demand Business

POD Printing Methods

Popular POD Printing Products

How to Integrate Procolored into POD Business

Why Print on Demand Business

POD, or print on demand business, has achieved giant leap in these recent years, thanks to emergence and prevalence of digital printing technologies. In the following paragraphs, by solving the three whys, we’ll burrow deeper into this business model and discuss whether it’s worth the trying.

So very first, what is print on demand?

Print on demand, often abbreviated as POD, is an emerging business model opposite to traditional manufacturing industry. Print on demand orders tend to be of rather small quantity, so the products won't get printed until there's an order being placed. To business owners, print on demand business model effectively mitigate risks of having unsold stock on hand.

1. Why did Print on Demand Spring Forth

The history of manufacturing can be dated back to the Industrial Revolution in 19th century, during which steam engines and other machines have been invented and improved, speeding up transformation of production model. Ever since then, manufacturing has remained the dominant production method of commodity industry due to its considerable output and centralized automation.
As consumers, manufacturing products benefit us a lot - in shopping malls, supermarkets or even online stores, manufacturing products are easy to fetch and are always at affordable prices with a never-run-out stock; even when they were sold out, consumers can easily find another substitute.
But if we intend to start our own business and now style ourselves as sellers, manufacturing industry can be such a nightmare - Can you afford the large stock on hand? Where to store them? What if they have low sales ? What to do if your competitor sells the exact same product $10 lower?
Then innovation occurs where there’s a need - now we got print on demand.

Passage Summary

Why Print on Demand Business

POD Printing Methods

Popular POD Printing Products

How to Integrate Procolored into POD Business

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The purpose of a business is
to create and keep a customer.

Peter Drucker, famous management consultant

3. Why to Start a Print on Demand Business

Given the above, print on demand business has rapidly developed, greatly benefiting from innovation in printing and Internet technology, as well as preferences of consumers. However, the bigger momentum of its prosperity lies in its flexibility and dynamic, exhibiting features as below:

3.1 Lower startup cost & lower risk

Easy startup of print on demand stores - Printing suppliers like Printful or Gelato can be found on Internet as easily as e-commerce platforms! Print on demand business empowers entrepreneurs with great flexibility since it can be easily set up with help of online services, from material incoming to product selling, without expensive rent for office, tedious site inspection or endless negotiation.

No need for large stock - Generally, entrepreneurs don’t have to worry about the excess stock problem since print on demand products won’t get printed until there’s an order being placed, except that some producers prefer to keep several white label or printed products on hand as quality reference.

3.2 Considerable profit margin

estimated print on demand market size (2022 as base year )

So far everything sounds good, but before venturing into this new business, is print on demand worth it? Let the statistics tell the truth: According to Precedence Research, the market size of print on demand business has reached $6.34 billion in 2022. Being placed with high hope, it's estimated to progressively soar and reach $10.17 billion in 2024.
Printify, a leading print on demand company, also did related researches and found out that the average print on demand profit of its sellers is about 20%, some businesses can do even better, of about 30%.

3.3 Global reach & broader market

Most online print on demand companies and e-commerce platforms have established steady cooperation relationship with global logistics carriers, that means they not only provide print on demand sellers with a complete commodity system, but also trusted shipping services and a much broader global market.

POD Printing Methods

To start and run a successful POD business, selecting one suitable and efficient printing method is significantly important. Thanks to development of printing and printing-wise technologies, there are numerous printing methods emerging on today’s POD business market.

1. POD Printing Methods - Digital Printing

Compared to screen printing which requires certain human effort, digital printing emerged as a more modern method - normally it applies printers and other machines to deliver printings on diverse substrates. With progressive development and advancement of related technologies, more and more digital printing methods like DTG (Direct-to-Garment), DTF (Direct-to-Film) and UV (Ultra-Violet) printing are gaining increasing popularity, revolutionarily leading to a smarter printing market.
The actual printing process diversifies according to specific digital printing methods, yet they still share things in common:

All digital printing processes apply printing machines to deposit ink or toner onto the desired substrates. Using machines to proceed with printing effectively heightening both printing speed and accuracy.

Designed to conform to printing machines, digital printing requires digital file such as graphics created in software like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, so that they can be interpreted and printed out.

Most finished digital prints require extra equipment or devices to cure the printed ink or toner, presenting more durable and enduring printing outcomes.

1.1 Digital printing vs traditional printing

Different from digital printing, most traditional printing methods don’t directly print out graphics. Instead, one or more particular printing templates must be created first for further loading of inks.
Though classified as relatively primitive, traditional printing is still widely used on the current printing market. Take screen printing for example. According to Grand View Research, screen printing remained to be the most popular printing method in U.S. (which is widely acknowledged as one of the most vital printing markets), attributing to over 56% of the revenue share in 2023.

screen printing took up over 56% of US T-shirt printing revenue in 2023

Dissimilar to digital printing, traditional printing like screen or offset printing, basically works like this:

As the very first step, an specific printing template of the desired graphic must be created, that can be stencils in screen printing or metal plates in offset printing. Generally, each template can only be used to print graphic in same color.

Inks later will be applied on the printing template to “print out” the exact text or graphics.

Same as digital printing, the finished prints need further drying or curing to stay firm on the printed substrates.

1.2 Differences in traditional and digital printing

Coexisting on the thriving current printing market, both traditional and digital printing undoubtedly have built their own loyal user base. So what on earth do they distinct from each other?

Applicable material: Digital printing is young - it was first invented and applied in inkjet printers only during 1950s-1960s. With rapid development and upgradation of printer technology (especially in the areas like compatible inks and built-in curing devices), digital printing has accordingly broaden its applicable printing substrates.
Take garment printing as example. Screen printing, as one traditional textile printing method, is recommended to be applied on fabrics like cotton, polyester and so forth, but better avoid delicate ones like silk. DTF printing instead, can be used on a wider range of fabrics including cotton, polyester, blends, nylon, spandex and even silk or other fine fabrics.

Applicable business model: Besides its application of printing machines, one more significant feature of digital printing is that it’s designed to present unique but not universal printings - that’s to say, it can only handle printing tasks of smaller quantity.
Traditional printing like screen or offset printing instead, usually are applied in manufacturing businesses thanks to their shared pre-made printing templates.

Applicable graphic type: As previously mentioned, each printing template of traditional printing supports graphic content in one color only, failing to accommodate with multicolored designs at a time. In screen printing, when to achieve graphics in multiple colors and layers, numerous templates must be made and there’s strict calibration needed when printing out each template in sequence.
Differently, digital printing enables multicolored, intricate and complicated printings at a time, and at the same time presenting a broader color gamut and detailed color reproduction thanks to printer color space.

Environmental Effect: Though still playing important roles in the current printing community, traditional printing is also criticized for its negative effects on the environment. Screen printing particularly, is often not a preferred choice for new beginners due to its emission of VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) during the printing process.
On the contrary, by taking measures like applying low-VOC inks, and reducing the usage of chemical solvents, digital printing highly improved its degree of environmental friendliness.

1.3 Why choose digital printing for POD business

Higher cost-efficiency: Compared to screen or offset printing, digital printing requires lower upfront investment and are more widely used for smaller quantities, perfectly meeting business needs of POD model.

Simplified workflow: Digital printing uses printing machines to complete printing tasks, requiring less human effort in both template preparation and ink application. This effectively transforms printing process from manual operations to automated workflows.

Quicker turnaround: Let’s take garment printing as example. The difference between traditional and digital printing might be minor when we’re aiming to print out graphics with simple designs and single colors.
But imagine using both screen printing and DTF printing to print the picture on right, and here’s what we’re supposed to do:

Step

DTF Printing

Screen Printing

Step 1

Use a DTF printer to print out the graphic with all colors!

Break down the graphic layers into specific stencils. Some prefer to do that by color, some instead by color pathway provided in graphic processing software.

Step 2

Spread adhesive powder.

Prepare all the inks needed, sometimes you need to mix inks to achieve your desired color.

Step 3

Use an oven to cure the powder.

Now we’re going to print! Confirm the template order first, then use a squeegee to pull the corresponding inks on in sequence onto fabric. Make sure to calibrate the printing placement.

Step 4

Use a heat press to bond the graphic with your fabric, then done!

So after the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and maybe several more squeegeeing, your printing is finally done!

Evidently digital printing is way good at processing multicolored graphics, successfully saving you from endless waiting time and tedious printing workflows.

Minimal workspace: Same as computers, printing machines in early days were huge and bulky. And with progressive development in electronic technologies and production techniques, most printing machines have be reshaped into smaller size. But still, machines for screen printing and other traditional printing methods still take up a wider space than digital printing does.
Thanks to smaller machine size and much easier operation, digital printing can be completely performed in a relatively limited place, making a POD business possible for people in a budget.

Xerox 9700, laser printer in old days, image: wikipedia

More friendly to environment and human health: As it’s previously mentioned, traditional printing like screen printing emits VOCs during its printing process, which not only does harm to environment, but also exhibits negative impact on human health, leading to troubles like headaches, dizziness or even respiratory problems.
Comparatively, digital printing exhibits higher friendliness to both our health and our surroundings, providing us with a much sustainable working environment.

1.4 How to Proceed with Digital Printing

DTF (Direct-to-Film) printing:

DTF, also named as Direct-to-Film printing.
DTF printing applies DTF inks, adhesive powder, oven and heat transfer to deliver printings on fabrics like polyester, cotton, silk and more. Similar to HTV but different from sublimation printing, though there are more and more rigid printing substrates being experimented with, DTF printing mainly is used for textile decorations.
A complete DTF printing process works like this:
1) Graphic design: Confirm your graphic that’s about to print.
2) Printing: Execute printing on PET film.
3) Powder spreading: Spreading adhesive powder on the finished printing.
4) Powder curing: Use an oven to dry the adhesive powder.
5) Heat pressing: Place graphic on the desired objects and use a heat press to patch it.

Sublimation printing:

Sublimation is a printing method that applies sublimation inks, printer and heat press to transfer dye onto materials such as polyester fabrics or other rigid surfaces. Compared to HTV printing, the printing process of sublimation tends to be much easier, and it goes like:
1) Graphic design: Confirm your graphic that’s about to print.
2) Printing: Execute printing on sublimation paper.
3) Heat pressing: Place graphic on the desired objects and use a heat press to patch it.

image: https://blog.spgprints.com/paper-for-sublimation-printing-on-textile

DTG (Direct-to-Garment) printing:

DTG printing is a method of printing directly onto textiles and garments using specialized inkjet technology. It is particularly useful for printing full-color designs on t-shirts, hoodies, and other apparel items.

A complete DTG printing process works like this:

1) Pre-treatment: Depending on the fabric type, especially for dark-colored garments, a pre-treatment solution may be applied to ensure better ink adhesion and color accuracy.
2) Printing: The garment is placed in the printer, which then applies water-based inks directly onto the fabric. The printer can handle full-color images, gradients, and fine details.
3) Curing: After printing, the garment is heat-set to cure the ink, ensuring it is durable and wash-fast.

Laser printing:

Laser printing is a form of digital printing that uses a laser beam to create an electrostatic charge on a drum, which attracts toner particles. The toner is then transferred to paper or other media and fused with heat and pressure.

A complete laser printing process works like this:

1) Laser Scanning: A laser beam scans the drum, creating an electrostatic image.
2) Toner Application: Toner particles are attracted to the charged areas on the drum.
3) Transfer: The toner is transferred from the drum to the paper.
4) Fusing: Heat and pressure are applied to fuse the toner to the paper, making the print permanent.

UV (Ultra-Violet) printing:

UV printing is a process where a special type of ink is cured using UV light immediately after being printed onto the substrate. This immediate curing process ensures that the ink dries instantly, reducing the risk of smudging or bleeding. UV printing is known for its versatility, as it can be used on various materials, including paper, plastic, metal, glass, and even three-dimensional objects.

A complete UV printing process works like this:

1) Graphic design: Confirm your graphic that’s about to print.
2) Choose the appropriate substrate (e.g., paper, plastic, metal, glass).
3) Start printing: The UV printer applies UV-curable ink to the substrate in small droplets.
4) UV Curing: UV lights inside the printer immediately cure the ink, causing it to dry and adhere instantly.

UV DTF printing:

As the name implies, UV DTF printing is a combination of UV and DTF printing, it works perfectly as a crystal sticker maker. It can directly patch on objects like mug, bottle, things of bevel or cylinder shapes. But it can not be used on fabrics.

A complete UV DTF printing process works like this:

1) Graphic design: Confirm your graphic that’s about to print.

2) Start printing: First prints on the base film (a kind of film that covered by glue on one side).

3) Laminating: The base film must be laminated with backing film.

4) Transfering: The printed graphic will be transferred from base film to backing film, emdowed with viscosity.

5) A crystal sticker is ready to be patched.

2. POD Printing Methods - Heat Transfer Printing

2.1 What is heat transfer printing

Heat transfer printing is a method that utilizes heat and pressure to transfer designs or graphics onto diverse materials, generally textiles and other flat surfaces. Unlike traditional printing methods such as screen printing, heat transfer printing deliver custom decors simply through printing and pressing machines, without too much human effort needed. It can be applied on POD products like custom apparel, home decor, and promotional items.

2.2 How to proceed with heat transfer printing

Basically, heat transfer printing applies printers to print graphics out and the printing process mainly involves: graphic design - printing - heat pressing, but it varies with specific printing methods. In the following passage, we will take a closer look on heat transfer printing through three popular ones - HTV, sublimation and DTF printing.

HTV (Heat Transfer Vinyl):

HTV, also named as Heat Transfer Vinyl printing.
Vinyl is a kind of thin and flexible component suitable for various fabrics, including polyester, cotton, leather, linen and more. Vinyl has an adhesive layer on one side that can be activated by heat and pressure, achieving tight and stable adhesion to the desired objects.
HTV printing applies vinyl printer, vinyl cutter and heat press to complete a successful printing, and generally they work together as below:
1) Graphic design: Confirm your graphic that’s about to print.
2) Printing: Execute printing on vinyl sheet.
3) Cutting: Use a vinyl cutter to line out the wanted part.
4) Trimming: Trim out the unwanted part.
5) Heat pressing: Place graphic on the desired objects and use a heat press to patch it.

image: https://www.siser.com/news/the-basics-and-benefits-of-siser-easyweed-heat-transfer-vinyl/

Sublimation printing: Sublimation printing can be both digital printing and heat transfer printing. For more detailed, please refer back to the previous passage.

DTF (Direct-to-Film) printing: DTF (Direct-to-Film) printing can be both digital printing and heat transfer printing. For more detailed, please refer back to the previous passage.

2.3 Which heat transfer printing suits your business most

With strong compatibility with fabrics and easy operations, these three printing methods are all suitable for starting a POD apparel business. However, in actual application, there are still noticeable differences among them.
To choose a heat transfer printing that suits your business most, we have to dig deep into their ins and outs, mainly as listed as the chart below:

HTV

Sublimation

DTF

suitable fabrics

polyester, cotton, leather....

polyester

polyester,cotton,

leather, silk....

suitable rigid surfaces

×

metal, wood, glass...

×

machine needed

vinyl printer,
vinyl cutter,
heat press

sublimaion printer,
heat press

DTF printer,
oven,
heat press

consumable needed

vinyl inks,
vinyl sheet

sublimation inks,
sublimation paper

DTF inks,
PET film,
adhesive powder

printing process

1. design
2. print
3. cut
4. trim
5. heat press

1. design
2. print
3. heat press

1. design
2. print
3. spread powder
4. cure powder
5. heat press

design options

low

high

durability

high

quality

medium

high

Suitable fabric range: Both HTV and DTF printing can be used on fabrics of a wide range, including polyester, cotton, leather, linen and more. Sublimation printing can only be used on polyester fabrics.

Design options: DTF printing exhibits the highest tolerance to the desired graphics. HTV instead, can only handle simple printings since the cutting and trimming process can’t support graphics with exclusive silhouettes; sublimation instead, can only present high-quality printings on fabrics in light colors, or the printing colors will be much darker and dimmer than how they should be.

Generally speaking, with its wide range of suitable fabrics and striking printing outputs, DTF printing undoubtedly exhibits the highest cost-efficiency and perfectly fits the needs of POD business model.

Popular POD Printing Products

With lower upfront investment and hassle-free online operation platforms, POD business undoubtedly is the most popular option for entrepreneurs with budget or workspace concerns. However, to run a successful business, selecting a proper niche market is also crucial.
Now you might wonder, what are the most worthwhile products that deserve the venturing? Get signs from the 2023 Global POD market: In 2023, the global POD market has achieved around $5.1 billion size. Within this, apparel printing dominantly accounts for 37.5%, followed by home decor and accessories that takes up considerable quotas.

image: https://market.us/report/print-on-demand-market/

1. Apparel

With the growing preference for personalization, custom apparel has been one of the largest industries in POD market since its first days. Supporting by the evolving printing technologies that have overcome the ink-fabric compatibility issues, customization nowadays has been widely applied on different fabrics for different end use.

Custom T-shirt: T-shirts undoubtedly take up the majority of custom apparel market. For one reason is that with their simple structure that enables easier production, their price tend to be lower. For another reason is that among diverse apparel types, T-shirts can be the most commonly seen garments due to their versatility in everyday scenarios - be it casual dress on ordinary days or team clothing for group activities.

Custom hoodies: Hoodies are another popular POD apparel type with its adaptability to cooler weathers. Thanks to their casual design and suitability to all ages and multiple occasions, there are also great needs of hoodies customization achieved by printing, patching and embroidery, second only to T-shirts.

Sportswear: With development of fabric technology, sports apparel has evolved from natural fibre like cotton and wool, to lighter fibre like nylon, polyester, spandex and so forth materials, making it also suitable for daily dressing. Encouraged by the widespread fitness craze, there are growing sports activities and matches hosted by non-official organizations, remarkably increasing the custom sportswear demand.

Besides the mentioned three apparel types, accessories like caps, socks are also hot custom items on the consumption market. Empowering desires to mark out individual preferences and characteristics, custom apparel and its accessories with no doubt dominate the POD market and are estimated to continue growing.

image: Procolored user @Sandra Vasquez

image: Procolored user @Mickayla Bays

2. Home Décor

With broad sharing and promotions on social medias and online magazines, “DIY furniture”, “custom wall art”, “holiday decors” and so forth topics have become top trends in interior design field，and have aroused increasing needs of the relevant custom products. According to Printful, the most popular custom ones are as below:

image: Procolored user @ Juliana Rolle

Personalized cushions and throw pillows: Working as back support tools or simply for decoration purposes, cushions and throw pillows are commonly seen items on sofa, bed or tatami. On today’s market, custom and decorative pillows stir people’s purchase desire especially. One report from Business Research shows that the global decorative pillow market has reached $3404 million and will be progressively grow and reach $6096 million in 2032.

image: https://www.businessresearchinsights.com/market-reports/decorative-pillow-market-108989

Custom wall art: Wall art encompasses wall decorations like photographs, paintings, posters, canvas art, etc. With improving technologies like printing and engraving, wall art nowadays also embraces a transformation towards customer-wise personalization, creating limited editions of individual portraits or life records.

Commonly seen home goods like throw blankets, coasters, festive banners are under the trend of customization too. All these custom home décors help create a therapeutic atmosphere that convey the host’s fashion taste and personal preferences.

3. Drinkware

What is custom drinkware? Just recall how many Stanley tumblers you’ve ever seen on Internet and in real life. Drinkware has always been a promising customization market and Stanley tumblers make it even more prosperous - straw covers, initial keychains, cup handles, lid name plates... numerous emerging accessories take up the market, making cup decoration a widespread fashion trend.
For other drinkwares like mugs, cups or water bottles, 2D or 3D stickers are also on sale to buyers that long for unique marks on personal possessions.

image: https://www.wpri.com

4. Sticker sheet

Sticker sheet, or gang sheet, is a whole film or paper with desired graphics on it. Compared to buying finished POD products like custom shirts or getting their own decorating machines, many consumers nowadays prefer buying customized sticker sheets for their easier storage and application.

How to Integrate Procolored into POD Business

Procolored provides lightweight and user-friendly DTF, UV DTF, UV and DTG printers to help achieve printing on fabric, acrylic, glass and so on materials. With the upgraded compact size and developing configuration, Procolored products are sold in more than 58 countries and regions, empowering over 30,000 home-based entrepreneurs to launch and expand their POD printing businesses.
Wondering what printers are on sale and how to pick your suitable one? Let’s take a closer look into Procolored products.

1. DTF (Direct-to-Film) Printer

DTF printer, also known as Direct-to-film printer, applies DTF ink and PET film to achieve printings transferable from film to a wide range of fabric, including cotton, polyester, cotton-polyester blends, spandex, nylon, denim, canvas and so forth.
Configured with patented Procolored Siphon Circulation System and diversed printable sizes (we recommend A4 DTF printer for new beginners, A3 DTF printer for small studios), Procolored provides the best DTF printer collection with stable and impressive performance to meet your different needs!

How DTF printers work:

Procolored DTF Printers Comparison:

2.UV (Ultra-Violet) Printer

UV printer, also known as Ultra-Violet printer, applies UV ink and built-in UV lights to achieve printings directly on surfaces of wood, metal, acrylic, crystal, glass and so on materials.
Procolored provides UV printers of diverse sizes for different needs - A4 & A3 UV printer for decor printing including wood plate or phone case; A1 UV printer for lawn sign or advertising board printing.

How UV printers work:

Procolored UV Printers Comparison:

3. UV DTF Printer

Unlike UV printing machines, UV DTF printer (also known as UV DTF transfers) doesn’t directly print on object surfaces, it prints on film first and get the inks dried by UV lights. Then the printing will be needed to laminated and transferred make a final crystal sticker.
Like UV printer, UV DTF printer can be a printer on wood, metal, acrylic and so forth materials, and even with a wider application - UV DTF printing can also be patched on beveled or irregular surfaces.

How UV DTF printings work:

Procolored UV DTF Printer：

So far Procolored only provides one UV DTF printer on sale. This printer combines printing and laminating together, efficiently improving the workflow of creating crystal stickers.

4. DTG (Direct-to-Garment) Printer

DTG printer, also known as Direct-to-Garment printer, can achieve printing directly onto fabrics (better of over 80% cotton) with amazing color accuracy and vibrancy. Besides using as a Tshirt printer, DTG printer can also be applied to produce other custom apparels or decors, including hoodies, socks and even curtains.
Procolored provides DTG printers of innovative technologies and diverse sizes, presenting you garment printing with smooth workflows and striking printing outputs.

How DTG printers work:

Procolored DTG Printers Comparison:

About the Author - Simon

Simon has worked in inkjet printing industry for years. He has the rare ability to see print related issues from many perspectives. Witnessing the gradual development of digital printing especially inkjet printing, Simon knows better about what the users are looking for and how the new technologies will truly help big or small businesses.