Which Print on Demand Platform Is Best?

Are you trying to decide between Gelato, Printify, and Printful?

If you want to start a print-on-demand business, then you may be wondering which platform is the best one to use for your online business.

Gelato, Printify, and Printful are three popular print-on-demand companies that help you sell custom products online without keeping inventory, buying a printer, or shipping orders yourself.

This means you can create a product, list it in your online store, and when someone buys it, the print-on-demand company prints and ships the order.

I like print-on-demand because it can be a low-cost way to start selling products online. You don’t have to order 100 shirts, store boxes in your house, or hope that everything sells.

But, each print-on-demand platform works a little differently. So, you may be wondering what’s the best choice for you! I get it, this can feel overwhelming.

Gelato may be a good fit if you want global production and local fulfillment when possible.

Printify may be a good fit if you want lots of product options and print provider choices.

Printful may be a good fit if you want branding tools and a more controlled fulfillment setup.

In today’s review, I’m going to compare Gelato vs. Printify vs. Printful so that you can decide which one may be the best fit for your online store.

Gelato vs. Printify vs. Printful

Below is a quick summary of Gelato, Printify, and Printful.

All three can be good print-on-demand platforms. The right one for you depends on what you want to sell, where your customers live, your budget, and what features matter most to you.

For example, if you want to sell wall art to customers around the world, you may like Gelato’s global production network.

If you want to test many different product types, you may like Printify’s product catalog and print provider choices.

If you want branding tools for a clothing or merch business, you may like Printful.

There isn’t one perfect answer for everyone. The best print-on-demand platform is the one that fits your business.

What is print on demand?

Before we begin, let’s quickly cover what print-on-demand is.

Print-on-demand, also known as POD, is a way to sell products that are made only after someone buys them.

For example, let’s say you create a design for a T-shirt.

You upload the design to a print-on-demand platform, list the shirt in your Etsy or Shopify store, and when someone buys it, the POD company prints and ships it.

You don’t have to buy inventory ahead of time.

This is one of the biggest reasons people like print-on-demand – because it can be a great way to test product ideas without spending a lot of money upfront.

You can sell many different types of print-on-demand products, such as:

• T-shirts
• Sweatshirts
• Hoodies
• Mugs
• Posters
• Canvas prints
• Greeting cards
• Calendars
• Photo books
• Tote bags
• Stickers
• Phone cases

This can be a fun side hustle if you enjoy being creative.

But, I always like to be realistic, too. Print-on-demand is not automatic money (no real business is!). You still need to create products people want, write good listings, price your items correctly, and get people to see your shop.

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What is Gelato?

Gelato is a print-on-demand platform that helps you create and sell custom products online.

With Gelato, you can sell products like wall art, apparel, mugs, greeting cards, calendars, photo books, stationery, and gifts.

One thing that makes Gelato stand out is its global production network. Gelato has production partners in many countries, which means products may be made closer to your customer when possible (this may be important to you if you care about shipping speed!).

For example, if you live in the United States and someone in Europe buys from your shop, Gelato may be able to route the order to a production partner closer to that customer.

With Gelato, the print fulfillment company is chosen automatically through its production network, which is very nice and convenient. This means Gelato routes the order for you instead of making you manually pick a print provider, which can make the process feel easier for beginners. This may also be helpful for international orders because products can be routed to a production partner closer to the customer, when possible, instead of automatically shipping everything across borders.

Also, if you sign up for Gelato+ (their premium option), you can get branded labels and custom packaging inserts.

Gelato can connect with popular e-commerce platforms like Etsy, Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and more. This means that when a customer buys from your store, the order can go to Gelato for fulfillment.

You can learn more about Gelato by clicking here. Gelato is currently offering 30% off your first order if you place it within two days of signing up, which can be a nice way to test the platform and order a sample product for less.

You can read my review at Gelato Review: How To Sell Custom Products Without Inventory.

What is Printify?

Printify is a print-on-demand platform that connects you with different print providers.

This means that when you create a product, you can often choose between different suppliers based on price, location, ratings, shipping time, and product options.

Printify is known for having a large product catalog, and you can create products like shirts, mugs, bags, stickers, home decor, accessories, and more.

With Printify, I think ordering samples is very important. Since different print providers may make the products, you’ll want to see the quality for yourself before selling a product to customers.

Printify may be a good fit if you want a lot of product choices and print provider options.

You can read my review of Printify at Printify Review: Can You Actually Make Money From Printify?.

What is Printful?

Printful is another popular print-on-demand platform.

Printful is known for its branding tools and more controlled fulfillment process because it makes items itself, instead of outsourcing them to different print fulfillment companies. This may be helpful if you want to build a more polished clothing brand with specific branding features (like your own logo on the tag and custom packaging), a merch shop, or a product-based business.

You can sell products like shirts, sweatshirts, hats, mugs, wall art, bags, and other custom products.

Gelato vs. Printify vs. Printful Comparison

Below are the differences between each print-on-demand platform.

1. The different types of products you can sell

Gelato, Printify, and Printful all have many print-on-demand products that you can sell, but their catalogs are a little different.

Gelato has products such as T-shirts, hoodies, posters, canvas, framed prints, mugs, greeting cards, calendars, photo books, stationery, and gifts.

Printify has a large product catalog with many product types, such as apparel, drinkware, home goods, accessories, stickers, bags, and more.

Printful also has many popular print-on-demand products, such as shirts, sweatshirts, hats, bags, mugs, wall art, and home items, as well as custom branding options.

When choosing a platform, I recommend thinking about what you actually want to sell first. For example, if you want to sell travel wall art, calendars, or photo books, Gelato may be a good option to look into. If you want to test many different types of products, Printify may be helpful. If you want to create a branded clothing or merch shop, Printful may be worth looking into.

I also recommend starting with a small number of products. You do not need to put every single design on every single item. That can get overwhelming fast. Instead, think about your ideal customer and what they would actually want to buy.

2. Pricing

Gelato, Printify, and Printful are all free to start, but you still have to pay for the product and shipping when an order is placed.

This is how most print-on-demand platforms work. A customer buys from your online store, and then the POD company charges you for printing and shipping the item. Your profit is what is left after product costs, shipping, marketplace fees, payment processing fees, ads, taxes, and any other expenses.

Gelato is free to sign up for, and you pay when an order is placed. There may also be paid plan options if you want extra features (like custom labels) or discounts.

Printify is also free to start and has paid plan options. Because Printify has different print providers, product costs can vary. This means you can compare providers based on cost, location, ratings, and shipping.

Printful is free to start as well, and you pay when an order is fulfilled. Some sellers like Printful for its branding tools and fulfillment setup.

I recommend going to each platform and trying to make/design the item you are interested in and seeing which pricing you like the most (also when compared to their other features). This is the best way to see how much something may cost you.

3. Shipping

Shipping is another important thing to compare because it affects your customer’s experience.

Gelato focuses on local production when possible through its global production network. This means products may be produced closer to your customer, which can be helpful if you want to sell to people in different countries. Shipping costs and delivery times can still vary, so I recommend checking the details for each product before setting expectations in your shop.

Printify shipping depends on the print provider you choose, so this means you’ll want to compare providers carefully. I recommend that you look at the shipping cost, production time, customer location, provider rating, product cost, and sample quality.

Printful shipping depends on the product, fulfillment location, and where your customer lives. You can usually check estimated shipping rates and delivery times before selling.

4. Quality

Quality is very important with print-on-demand because your customer is buying from your store. Even though the POD company prints and ships the product, the customer will contact you if something goes wrong.

Gelato works with production partners to make and ship products. Because of this, I recommend ordering samples of the products you plan to sell so that you can see what your customers may receive. But this can vary because they use the closest printer, so if your customer lives far away, they may get a different fulfillment center.

Printify quality can depend on the print provider you choose. This is why samples and provider research are important.

Printful has a more controlled fulfillment setup, which some sellers may like. But I would still order samples before selling any product heavily.

Samples help you check product quality, colors, sizing, packaging, shipping time, and the overall customer experience. They can also help you write better product descriptions because you’ll know what the product looks and feels like in real life.

5. How easy the platform is to use

Gelato, Printify, and Printful can all be beginner-friendly.

Gelato lets you sign up, choose products, upload designs, connect your store, and use tools for mockups, personalization, and product creation.

Printify is simple to use and gives you many product and provider options. This can be helpful, but it may also feel like a lot at first.

Printful has a clean dashboard and helpful tools for creating products, which may be nice if you want a more guided setup.

6. Store integrations

Store integrations help connect your print-on-demand platform to your online store. This is helpful because orders can flow from your shop to the POD company instead of you manually placing every order.

Gelato can connect with platforms like Etsy, Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and more.

Printify connects with platforms like Etsy, Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, eBay, and more.

Printful also connects with popular platforms like Etsy, Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, and more.

Before choosing a platform, make sure it works with the place where you want to sell. If you want to sell on Etsy, check the Etsy integration. If you want your own website, check Shopify, WooCommerce, or whichever store builder you want to use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to common questions about Gelato vs. Printify vs. Printful.

What are the most profitable print-on-demand platforms?

The most profitable print-on-demand platform depends on what you sell, your pricing, shipping costs, fees, and how well you market your products. Gelato, Printify, and Printful can all be used to make money with print-on-demand. But the platform alone does not guarantee profit. You’ll want to compare the full cost of each product, including printing, shipping, marketplace fees, payment fees, and ads.

What’s cheaper, Printify or Gelato?

The cheaper option depends on the exact product you want to sell, where your customer lives, shipping costs, and any plan or features you use. Printify lets you compare different print providers, so pricing can vary quite a bit from one provider to another. Gelato’s pricing also depends on the product and shipping location, and its global production network may be helpful if you sell to customers in different countries. I wouldn’t choose a print-on-demand platform based only on the lowest base price. I’d compare the full cost, including product price, shipping, delivery time, quality, and the customer experience you want to give.

Do I need to order samples?

Yes, I recommend ordering samples before selling products to customers. Samples help you check quality, colors, sizing, packaging, and shipping. This matters because the customer is buying from your store, even though the print-on-demand company is helping with fulfillment.

Gelato vs. Printify vs. Printful – Summary

I hope you enjoyed this comparison of Gelato vs. Printify vs. Printful.

All three platforms can help you start a print-on-demand business without buying inventory upfront.

Gelato may be a good fit if you want global production, local fulfillment when possible, and a platform that can help you sell to customers in different countries.

Printify may be a good fit if you want a large product catalog and the ability to choose between different print providers.

Printful may be a good fit if you want branding tools and a more controlled fulfillment setup.

The best choice depends on what you want to sell, where your customers live, your budget, and what kind of shop you want to build.

I recommend comparing product costs, ordering samples, checking shipping times, and starting with just a few products before adding too much to your shop.

Which print-on-demand platform do you think you’ll try?

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