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A Comprehensive Guide on How to Start a Print on Demand Business

September 25, 2024
Getting Started
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Table of Contents

In today’s digital age, we have never been more connected through the internet. This creates an opportunity unlike ever before where you can leverage skills, productions, resources from across the globe to start an online business.

hand holding 3 custom design playing cards

A popular and low risk business opportunity anyone can start is print on demand (POD). No matter your background, POD is made to be as simple as clicking one button to connect your online store, as low risk as no holding inventory or dealing with minimum order quantity (MOQ). This guide will explain step by step how to start a print on demand business, regardless of your background and experience.

custom playing cards aligned on a table with white box card deck in the middle

What Is Print On Demand?

Print on Demand (POD) is a business model that allows you to custom-design high-quality products using your artwork and sell them globally online. The most commonly printed products include apparel (such as t-shirts), cups, cards, and puzzles. Once your product is sold, the order is sent to a print-on-demand supplier who prints your design, packages the product, and ships it directly to the customer on your behalf. This allows you to focus solely on the business aspects. This model is ideal for small businesses and entrepreneurs because it eliminates the need for upfront inventory investment. You don’t need to worry about storage or unsold items. Instead, you can focus on creating unique designs and promoting your store. For more information check out our what is print on demand article.

Cardboard box

Steps on How to Start a Print on Demand Business

To understand how to start a print-on-demand business, it’s important to know the step-by-step process:

  1. Choosing your product
    1. Ask yourself the following questions to best determine what product and niche you want to get into.
      • What are you passionate about?
      • Can it be turned into a design?
      • What is your target demographic
      • What are the needs of your market?
  1. Create your designs
    1. It can start from just a pencil, paper and your imagination.
    2. Learn and use design tools like Canva, Photoshop and Illustrator and create your design.
    3. Outsource this work to freelance graphic designers.
  2. Setup your Online Store
    1. Choose from WooCommerce, Shopify, etc or even build your own website.
    2. Build up your website to be on par with your competitors.
    3. Purchase a domain relevant to your business
  3. Select your Print on demand Supplier
    1. Search for print on demand suppliers, compare their pros and cons
    2. Ensure they print on demand your product
    3. Order a sample to test their quality and customer service
    4. Some print on demand offers additional services that may help you start up, search for any deals/promotions.
  4. Create your product listing
    1. Upload your design to your print on demand supplier design tool to create your product
    2. List it on your online store
    3. Add attractive title and product descriptions
  5. Market Your Product/Business
    1. Optimize your website with SEO
    2. Create unique and valuable content for your demographic
    3. Post regularly on social media (Meta, IG, Youtube, Tiktok, etc)
    4. Consider paid ads via Meta or Google
    5. Connect with influencers to promote your business

By following these steps, you can have your POD business up and running with minimal upfront investment.

cardboard box, glasses and a toy van all indicating essential items for print on demand

Choosing the Right print on demand Products for Your POD Business

While apparel like t-shirts and hoodies are always popular choices, consider offering niche or unique products that stand out in the marketplace.

Here are some most profitable print on demand products to consider:

  1. Apparel: T-shirts, hoodies, and hats are POD staples and appeal to wide range of audiences.
  2. Mugs: A seasonal favorite print on demand product which is always in hot demand during festive seasons, fathers date and birthdays.
  3. Posters: Since the most attractive part of the product you sell is your design, you can directly print that onto a poster with a much higher quality image in comparison to those on apparel.
  4. Tote bags: Simple, elegant, easy to print on and great item to match with others.
  5. Custom Cards: From traditional playing cards to tarot cards, these have been a timeless popular print on demand item.

When choosing to sell trendy items, it is crucial to evaluate the potential success of your product. For instance, if you notice a surge in cat-themed t-shirts and decide to introduce your own cat design, consider its desirability. Will consumers find value in your offering? Conduct market research, such as feedback in online communities, to gauge interest in your product.

If the above options are not for you, consider exploring alternative avenues with less competition but growing demand in the print-on-demand sector.

  1. Puzzles: Custom puzzles are gaining popularity, especially for those seeking unique gifts or personalized home décor items.
  2. Home DĂ©cor: Items like custom wall art, pillows, and blankets are great for customers looking to personalize their living spaces.
  3. Personalized Gift Bags: Offering customers the ability to customize gift bags with names, messages, or designs will cater to a market looking for unique, memorable packaging.
  4. Custom Pillows: With options for personalized designs, monograms, or even custom photos, pillows offer a cozy and stylish way for customers to add a personal touch to their living spaces
  5. Custom Backpacks: Custom backpacks allow customers to express their personality or brand through unique designs, logos, or artwork

Whether you choose to stick with proven products or develop a new niche, the most important aspect is to ensure your products stands out and attracts your audiences needs and interests.

overhead view of desk with typical desk items

Marketing Your Print-On-Demand Business

Now that you have a unique and attractive product, the next step is to market it effectively so your audience knows who you are, what you offer, and where they can find you. For this, you’ll need a well-structured marketing strategy that includes SEO, EDM, and SEM. Let’s break these down:

 SEO (Search Engine Optimization) SEO is the practice of optimizing your website to improve its visibility and rankings on search engines like Google. The goal is to enhance the quality and relevance of your pages so that both search engines and users find them valuable. 

 

Start with keyword research 

• Focus on long tailed keywords which are 3 words or more which are specific to your niche • Use free tools to help you find the keywords like Google Keyword planner or Uber suggest 

• Look at your competitors keyword profile, find out what works, which words they rank lower for, and you can take. 

 

Implement on-page SEO 

• Add your keyword into the title, H1, meta title and meta description • Ensure images are the right size, compressed and have alt tags 

 

Create content

• Create rich and value based content based on googles EEAT Guidelines 

• Regularly review your content based on traffic, bounce rate and keywords.

 

EDM (Electronic Direct Mail) 

EDM, or email marketing, is one of the most effective ways to build a list of potential customers and convert them into buyers. By sending out regular email marketing you increase your chances of conversion. 

• Pick a EDM company which meets your needs, they offer different tiered plans, so to being with its fine to use the free or basic plans. 

• Design an email template to save time in the future. 

• Plan out weekly or biweekly and what interest content or promotions you wish to send out. 

• Segment your audience further down the line when you have a big list of them and tailor your emails to each segment. 

 

SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

While SEO and EDM focus on organic traffic, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is about driving paid traffic through ads on platforms like Google, Facebook, and Instagram. SEM can be a powerful way to quickly reach potential customers. 

• Create an Ad Account Via Meta and Google Ads. Be on a look at for promotions on signing up which may be free credits. 

• Plan out your monthly budget and ad ideas. 

• Use a plugin or manually install Meta Pixel and Google Ad codes. In the event of installing it manually, be careful not to edit existing code, backup your site before manually installing. 

• Create your ads and monitor them closely, review them, update or remove them as needed.

a royal flush playing card hand on a blue surface

Scaling Your Print-On-Demand Business 

Once you’ve started making sales, it’s time to think about scaling your print-on-demand business. Scaling involves expanding your product offerings, automating processes, and maximizing profit margins. 

Here are a few ways to scale: 

• Expand Product Offerings: Introduce new products like custom                          notebooks, phone cases, or accessories. The more products you offer              the greater the chance of conversion. On the other hand, you with the             success of your original custom product, you could focus on the                        similar design theme to cross sell to existing customers. 

• Use Bulk Order Discounts: Many POD suppliers offer bulk order                             discounts. If you see a high demand for certain products, consider                   placing bulk orders to lower costs and increase your profit margins. 

• Automate Marketing: Use tools like email marketing automation, social           media schedulers, and retargeting ads to streamline your marketing               efforts and reach a broader audience without constant manual                       intervention. 

• Analyse and Optimise: Regularly analyse your store’s performance                   using tools like Google Analytics. Pay attention to which products are               selling well and focus your efforts on scaling those areas. By                               continuously optimising and expanding, you can grow your POD                       business into a profitable venture.

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Conclusion

Starting a print-on-demand business is a great opportunity to turn your creative ideas into a profitable income stream with minimal upfront costs. By following this guide, you’ll have everything you need to start a print-on-demand business—from choosing the right products to marketing and scaling for success.

Remember, the key to thriving in the competitive POD space is offering unique products, providing excellent customer service, and continuously refining your marketing strategies. With the right approach, your print-on-demand business can grow into a successful and rewarding venture. 

That wraps up our guide on starting a print-on-demand business. Now, if you’re ready to take the next step, let me briefly introduce QPMN as the ideal supplier and partner for your print-on-demand journey.

Why Choose QPMN? 

High-Quality Products Rather than offering an overwhelming range of products, we focus on delivering exceptional customization for two key items: custom playing cards and custom jigsaw puzzles. From card stock to finish, we provide the tools to create high-quality, custom products that stand out from the competition. 

Read more 

Business Support 

Our adaptive bulk discount system is designed to maximize your profits with ease. Unlike typical POD suppliers, where bulk discounts apply only to large single-customer orders, at QPMN, you can combine orders from multiple customers and designs to qualify for bulk pricing—giving you more flexibility and better margins. 

Read more  

 Advanced POD Design Tool 

We’ve enhanced our design tool to address a common limitation in the market: the ability to duplicate designs. With QPMN’s latest update, you can now create and print unlimited duplicate images for custom playing cards—something not commonly available in other platforms. 

Read more  

Let us help you create a successful custom card and jigsaw puzzle print on demand.