Print on demand (POD) lets you sell custom-designed products without buying inventory upfront. When a customer orders, the POD service prints and ships the item directly to them under your brand. Shopify has deep integrations with all major print on demand platforms, making it the best ecommerce platform for POD businesses. This guide covers the best Shopify print on demand apps and how to get started.
How Print on Demand Works with Shopify
You design products using your POD app, which syncs them to your Shopify store automatically. A customer orders from your store, Shopify passes the order to your POD provider, they print and ship it, and the tracking information is sent back to Shopify. You never handle physical inventory. You pay the POD provider’s base price when an order comes in and keep the difference between that and your retail price.
7 Best Shopify Print on Demand Apps
1. Printful
Printful is the largest and most trusted POD platform integrated with Shopify. It offers over 300 products including t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, phone cases, posters, hats, bags, and home decor. Printful handles the printing, packing, and shipping with reliable quality and has fulfillment centers in the US, EU, and Mexico. There are no monthly fees — you pay per product only when an order comes in. Printful integrates directly with Shopify in minutes and syncs products, orders, and tracking automatically.
2. Printify
Printify is a print on demand network — rather than printing in-house, it connects you to a network of 90+ printing providers worldwide. This gives you flexibility to choose the printer with the best price or location for your target market. Printify generally has lower base prices than Printful, which means higher margins. The free plan supports up to 5 stores. Premium ($29/month) gives 20% discount on all products, which significantly improves margins for high-volume stores.
3. Gelato
Gelato focuses on local production — it prints in 32 countries so products are produced close to where customers live. A US customer’s order is printed in the US; a German customer’s order is printed in Germany. This results in faster shipping (2 to 5 days in most markets) and lower international shipping costs. Gelato is ideal for stores targeting multiple countries simultaneously. Free plan available; Gelato+ starts at $14.99/month with 30% discount on samples.
4. SPOD (Spreadshirt Print on Demand)
SPOD boasts the fastest production times in POD — 48 hours from order to shipment for 95% of orders. For Shopify stores targeting customers who expect fast delivery, SPOD’s speed is its key differentiator. It has facilities in the US and EU. No monthly fee and 20% discount on samples. The product range is smaller than Printful or Printify but covers all core apparel items.
5. Gooten
Gooten positions itself as a premium POD solution for established brands, offering custom packaging, private label options, and a dedicated account management for stores doing 500+ orders per month. Its product catalog is extensive (140+ products) and includes items not available on other platforms like kitchen tools, baby products, and stationary. No monthly fee for standard access.
6. Apliiq
Apliiq specializes in fashion-forward POD with embroidery, woven labels, inside tags, and pocket prints in addition to standard DTG printing. For clothing brands that want a premium, high-fashion look rather than the standard print-on-white-tee aesthetic, Apliiq produces a distinctly more polished product. All production is US-based. Pricing is higher than Printful but the product quality justifies a higher retail price.
7. Teelaunch
Teelaunch offers unique product categories that other POD providers do not cover: bluetooth speakers, jewelry, pet products, cutting boards, and outdoor flags. If you want to differentiate your store with products not available on Printful or Printify, Teelaunch’s niche catalog is worth exploring. US-based production. No monthly fee.
How to Start Print on Demand with Shopify
Step 1: Choose Your Niche
The biggest POD mistake is designing generic products. Instead of “inspirational quotes on t-shirts,” go specific: “t-shirts for marathon runners with funny race finish line quotes” or “mugs for dog rescue volunteers.” Niche stores outperform general POD stores because the designs are more relevant and buyers feel the product was made specifically for them.
Step 2: Create Your Designs
Use Canva, Adobe Illustrator, or Procreate to create your designs. POD files need to be high-resolution PNG files (minimum 300 DPI at print size). Most POD apps have a built-in mockup generator that shows your design on the actual product — use these mockups as your product photos in Shopify.
Step 3: Install Your POD App and Sync Products
Install Printful or Printify from the Shopify App Store. Connect your store, upload your design, select the product and variants, set your retail price, and click Publish to Shopify. The product appears in your store immediately with your design mockups as the product photos.
Step 4: Set Your Prices
POD margins are thinner than traditional retail. A Printful t-shirt costs $14 to $18 to print and ship. To make meaningful profit, price at $28 to $40. Do not compete on price with generic POD stores — compete on design quality and niche specificity, which justifies a premium price.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Printful or Printify better for Shopify?
Printful is easier to start with and has more consistent quality. Printify has lower base prices (better margins) but quality varies by printer. Most successful POD stores start with Printful for reliability and switch product lines to Printify once they find winning designs to improve profitability.
Do I need to buy inventory for print on demand?
No. Print on demand is entirely inventory-free. You only pay for a product when a customer orders it. There are no minimum order quantities and no unsold stock risk.
How long does Shopify print on demand shipping take?
Standard Printful production is 2 to 7 business days, plus shipping time (2 to 8 days for US standard shipping). Total delivery is typically 7 to 14 days. SPOD is fastest at 48-hour production. Gelato delivers fastest internationally by printing locally in the destination country.
Can I sell print on demand products on Shopify without a website?
You need a Shopify store to connect with POD apps. However, Shopify’s Starter plan ($5/month) gives you a product page and buy button without a full website — you can embed products on social media or a simple landing page. For most POD sellers, the Basic plan ($29/month) is recommended for the full store experience.
What products sell best with print on demand on Shopify?
T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs are the highest-volume POD products. Posters and wall art have good margins. Phone cases have high interest but high return rates due to model fragmentation. Pet products (bandanas, bowls, signs) perform well in animal-lover niches. The best-selling POD products are always the ones with the most specific, resonant designs for a defined audience — the product type matters less than the relevance of the design to the buyer.
Final Thoughts
Shopify and print on demand are a natural pairing — zero inventory risk, direct supplier integration, and automatic order fulfillment. Start with Printful for reliability, focus relentlessly on a specific niche, and invest your energy in creating designs that resonate deeply with that audience rather than producing generic artwork. POD businesses that succeed long-term build a brand around their niche identity, not just a product catalog.
