What is print on demand?

Print on demand lets you sell custom merchandise with absolutely zero upfront investment or inventory risk. You create designs, connect to a fulfilment partner like Printful, and list products on Etsy or Shopify. When a customer orders, Printful prints it and ships it directly — you pocket the margin and never touch the product.

Printful — the top platform to get started Best quality print-on-demand. Start today and earn your first income this week.
Get started →

How to start print on demand in 4 steps

  1. 1
    Create your designs
    Use Canva (free) to create 20+ designs. Niche designs — specific dog breeds, sports teams, professions, hobbies — consistently outperform generic slogans.
  2. 2
    Connect to a fulfilment partner
    Printful or Printify both integrate directly with Etsy and Shopify. Set-up takes around an hour with no technical knowledge needed.
  3. 3
    List on Etsy first
    Etsy's built-in organic traffic makes it the best starting platform. List all your designs with SEO-optimised titles and all 13 tags filled.
  4. 4
    Test and scale with small ads
    Run £1/day Etsy ads on all listings for 2 weeks. Pause those getting no impressions. Scale the ones generating sales.
Ready to start? Printful is the best place to begin Best quality print-on-demand. Join thousands of UK earners already using it.
Start now →

Pros and cons

✓ Pros

  • Passive work
  • Earn £100–£3,000 per month
  • Start within 1–2 weeks
  • Startup cost: Free
  • Low effort required

× Cons

  • Requires consistent effort to build
  • Income may be variable initially
  • Competition exists in this space
  • Takes time to reach full earnings
  • Requires self-motivation

Frequently asked questions

Margins vary. A t-shirt selling for £22 might cost £10 to produce, leaving £12 before Etsy fees. Mugs and accessories typically have better margins than apparel.
No. Canva's free tools are enough to create bestselling POD designs. Text-based designs — quotes, slogans, location names — are among the consistent top sellers.
Most new POD shops see their first sale within 2–4 weeks with regular listing and small Etsy ads. Building to consistent income takes 3–6 months of steady work.