How To Start A Print On Demand (POD) Business In The UK

What Is Print On Demand?

Print on demand works as an e-commerce business that lets you sell unique products without actually having to hold the stock yourself.

Customers will place orders with you for custom-made products, such as mugs, hoodies, T-shirts and phone cases. The products are then produced, packaged and shipped by a third party.

This removes a lot of hassle from your end of the POD business, giving you time to focus on coming up with designs and attracting customers. Print on demand is an attractive prospect for artists, people with design flair and entrepreneurs.

One chief benefit of a POD business is that it can be scaled to a size that suits you, meaning it can be done in your free time as a side hustle, or grown into a full time venture.

The 6 Steps Of Print On Demand

There are six key stages in the print on demand process:

1. Create designs: acquire custom artwork, slogans and patterns to be printed on your items. You can design these yourself or source them.

2. Choose a POD sales platform: set up an online store (e.g. with Amazon, Etsy, Ebay or Shopify) and integrate it with a POD provider (e.g. Printify, Printful etc).

3. Add your products to your online store: you’ll need to create mock items with your designs on them.

4. Orders received: when an order is placed on your store (Amazon, Shopify etc) it will automatically be sent to your print on demand provider (Printify etc).

5. Order fulfillment: the POD provider will produce the item ordered and then package it and send it directly to your customer.

6. You receive payment: your payment will be the sale price minus the fees owed to the store platform and the POD provider.

Starting A Print On Demand Business

Now you understand what print on demand is and how it works, let’s dig a little deeper into what’s needed to start your own print on demand business.

Pick A Market And Products

There’s nothing wrong with trying to cater to all tastes. However, when starting out, it’s best to pick a specific market to test the waters. Ideally, this will be something you have a passion for yourself, such as pets or fitness.

By picking a specific niche, you’ll find it easier to target certain customers and become known as the business that offers the best products for a specific interest.

Potential POD markets might include:

• Fitness: personalised Gym towels, water bottles and fitness clothing.

• Animals: personalised collars, bowls, pet bedding etc.

• Clothing: hoodies, hats, T-shirts etc.

• Accessories: shopping bags, mugs, plates, phone cases etc.

Research your chosen niche

Once you have chosen a specific market, you need to do some research to understand what the demand might be and what your competitors are doing.

Here are some ideas you can use when conducting your research:

• Social Media: check Pinterest and Instagram to see what's being talked about. Search hashtags linked to your niche to identify any trends.

• Keyword research: tools like Semrush, Ahrefs and Google Keyword Planner can provide great information and allow you to identify high traffic keywords related to your niche. Your aim will be to find keywords whose search volume is good but where the competition is low.

• Google Trends: look at what’s currently popular or is increasing in search volume, and search trends on your niche markets.

• Competitors: there’s nothing wrong with checking out established and successful print on demand stores. Try to find POD stores with a similar niche to yours and see what’s selling, what designs are popular, and look for gaps in the market.

Design Creation

Creating good designs for your print on demand business is crucial. It’s the designs that catch customers' eyes and draw them to your products.

If you’re not a keen designer don’t worry, there’s more than one option:

Create your own

• If you’re a digital artist, this option is ideal - but even if you’re not, don’t be scared to give it a go. You might have hidden talents you weren’t aware of.

• Popular design tools include Canva, Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

Buy pre-made designs

• You can purchase designs from the likes of Etsy or Creative Market.

• This option is great if you’re not confident with designing.

• For example, buy fitness designs to use on apparel.

Pay a freelance designer

• This is a good option if you want top notch designs.

• Connect with professional designers on websites like Upwork and Fiverr.

• For example, a designer could create a unique brand and logo for your fitness products.

Trademark infringement

• You need to be certain your designs don’t cross any lines when it comes to copyright and trademarks.

• Be sure you have permission to use any images and graphics, and don’t use logos or artwork that belong to somebody else.

Pick A Print On Demand Provider

Choosing the right print on demand provider is an integral part of setting up your POD business. Don’t forget, the provider will be handling the production and shipping of your products, so pick the one that suits your needs best.

Here are some considerations when choosing your POD Provider:

• Range of products: make sure the provider can cater for the products that you’re selling.

• Printing technology: try to find providers that utilise high end printing techniques such as screen printing, sublimation or direct to garment (DTG).

• Shipping details: compare what the providers will charge you to pack and ship your items. Can they offer packaging that has your company branding on? Also, will the provider turnaround the orders quickly enough to satisfy your customers?

• Fees and returns: check there are no hidden fees with the provider you choose, and find out what their returns policy is. It must fit in with your customer expectations.

• Platform integration: be sure the provider platform can integrate with your selling platform seamlessly.

Print on demand providers

Be sure to shop around for the best providers that suit your needs. Some of the most popular choices are as follows:

• Printful: a very reputable provider that’s known for producing high quality goods and great customer service. They are set up to integrate with most e-commerce platforms and offer a broad range of products.

• Gooten: more suitable for larger print on demand businesses that place bulk orders.

• Modalyst: if clothing is your niche, Modalyst might be for you. They specialise in high end fashion products. They are also quick with shipping.

• Printify: one of the better known providers, which integrates with most selling platforms. Their prices are competitive and they host a wide range of print providers to choose from.

Before committing to a print on demand provider, it’s a good idea to order samples of your products to assess which provider supplies the best products and print quality.

Set Up Your Print On Demand Online Shop

You could create your own website, but it’s likely to be a more expensive option, as it requires a provider to integrate with your store using a custom-made solution.

Most print on demand businesses use an established sales platform that integrates with providers. These include:

• Etsy: simple to set up and attracts customers looking for unique items.

• Amazon and eBay: these are the biggest selling platforms, but the competition is fierce.

• Shopify: a popular selling platform that allows you to tailor your store’s features and appearance. Can also accommodate most print on demand providers.

Pricing Your Products

Clearly, you’re looking to start a print on demand business to make profits. Therefore, you need to set your prices carefully.

Here are some tips to consider when setting your prices:

• Be sure to factor in all your costs (shipping, printing, designs etc)

• Check out what your competitors are charging for similar products to make sure you don’t price yourself out of the market.

• Offer deals to customers on specific bundles or multiple purchases.

Marketing Your Print On Demand Shop

Without customers, your POD business won’t even get off the ground. So, how do you persuade people to buy your products?

• Social Media: use all the social media platforms to market your business (Facebook, TikTok, Instagram etc).

• Content marketing: start a YouTube channel and a blog linked to your market niche.

• Mailshots: send regular emails to customers offering discounts and promotions.

• Paid advertising: once you’re up and running and have made some profits, consider using paid advertising such as Google Ads and Facebook.

Pros And Cons Of A Print On Demand Business

Pros

• Low costs to start the business

• Low risk

• Simple to set up

• No shipping involved

Cons

• Low profits compared to doing it all yourself

• No control over production or shipping

• Dependent on providers

• No quality control

Conclusion

Launching a print on demand business is both a low cost and low risk way to begin your own e-commerce company. It’s possible to build a viable online shop provided you plan carefully by picking the right niche and marketing your business effectively.

Whilst it might not make you a millionaire, you can still reel in healthy profits each month and scale the business to a size that suits you. If it’s just a bit of extra income you’re after, a print on demand business could be a good side hustle. Alternatively, you can go for it and make it a full time venture.

Be sure to check the tax implications of running your own print on demand business, as you will be liable for tax if you hit a certain level of profit.