Best Print on Demand for Shopify: 10 Suppliers Compared

The best print on demand for Shopify depends on what you sell and where your buyers live. Printful suits brands that want consistent quality and branding, Printify suits sellers chasing lower base prices, and Gelato suits global shipping. Below are 10 suppliers that connect to Shopify, compared on range, pricing, quality, regions and how they handle customer-uploaded designs.

How we compared these suppliers

Every print on demand (POD) supplier here has a Shopify app or integration that syncs products and sends orders for fulfillment. We looked at five things:

• Product range: how many product types, and whether they cover your niche (apparel, wall art, drinkware, books).
• Base prices: the cost you pay per item before your margin. We describe these as relative (lower, mid, higher) because suppliers change prices often and they vary by product and region.
• Print quality: how consistent the output tends to be, and whether it's controlled in-house or depends on a partner.
• Shipping regions: where products are made, which affects delivery time and shipping cost.
• Custom-upload support: whether the supplier helps when your customer supplies the design, not just you.

That last point matters more than most comparisons admit. POD apps are built around designs you upload once and sell many times. If buyers send their own photos or logos, you'll need a way to collect those files and get them to the supplier for each order.

Always check current prices, catalogs and shipping options on each supplier's site before you commit. Details change.

Quick comparison table

The 10 best print on demand suppliers for Shopify

1. Printful

Printful runs much of its own production, which tends to make quality and turnaround more consistent than network-based suppliers. The catalog covers apparel, embroidery, wall art, drinkware, bags and more, plus branding extras like custom packaging inserts and labels.

• Pick it if: you're building a brand and want predictable quality across orders.
• Trade-off: base prices usually run higher, so margins are thinner on low-priced items.

2. Printify

Printify is a marketplace: you choose a product, then pick a print provider from its network to make it. That lets you compare price and location for the same blank. An optional paid subscription lowers base prices further.

• Pick it if: you want the lowest costs or want to test lots of designs cheaply.
• Trade-off: quality and speed depend on the provider you choose, so order samples from each one you use.

3. Gelato

Gelato routes orders to production partners in many countries, aiming to print close to the customer. It's strong on wall art, cards, calendars and photo products as well as apparel and mugs.

• Pick it if: you sell internationally and want shorter shipping distances.
• Trade-off: the apparel range is narrower than the biggest catalogs, and some features sit behind a paid plan.

4. Gooten

Gooten uses a vetted partner network and has a deep range of home and lifestyle items: blankets, pillows, towels, pet products and wall decor.

• Pick it if: home goods are the core of your store.
• Trade-off: the app experience and mockup tools feel more basic than the market leaders.

5. CustomCat

CustomCat is US-based with a large catalog and competitive pricing, especially on apparel. It's popular with sellers running high volume to US buyers.

• Pick it if: most of your customers are in the US and price matters.
• Trade-off: international shipping is less of a focus, and the interface is more functional than polished.

6. SPOD

SPOD is the POD arm of Spreadshirt, with production in the US and Europe. It's known for quick production on its core apparel and accessories.

• Pick it if: speed on t-shirts and hoodies is your top priority.
• Trade-off: a smaller catalog than the largest suppliers.

7. Prodigi

Prodigi focuses on art and photo products: fine art prints, canvas, framed prints, photo books and stationery, made through a global network.

• Pick it if: you sell art, photography or premium wall decor.
• Trade-off: little apparel, and premium materials cost more.

8. Apliiq

Apliiq is aimed at streetwear and fashion labels, with cut-and-sew style options, custom labels and details like embroidery patches.

• Pick it if: you want clothing that feels like a private-label brand rather than a printed blank.
• Trade-off: a narrow apparel-only range and higher costs.

9. T-Pop

T-Pop is a France-based supplier with an eco-friendly focus, including organic garments and reduced packaging.

• Pick it if: you sell mainly in Europe and sustainability is part of your brand.
• Trade-off: a smaller catalog and less reach outside Europe.

10. Lulu Direct

Lulu Direct prints books on demand: paperbacks, hardcovers, notebooks and workbooks, and ships them to your Shopify customers.

• Pick it if: you sell books, journals or planners.
• Trade-off: books only, and each title needs properly prepared interior and cover files.

If you're still deciding what to sell, our list of print on demand ideas pairs well with this comparison.

Which POD supplier handles customer uploads best?

Most POD integrations sync a fixed design to a Shopify product. When a customer orders, the supplier prints that design automatically. That's great for your own artwork, but it doesn't cover a buyer who wants their own photo on a mug or their company logo on a polo.

Here's how stores usually handle it:

1. Supplier personalization tools. Some suppliers offer built-in personalization, such as adding a name or text. These are often limited to text or simple images and to certain products, so check what's supported today.
2. Collect the file, then place the order manually. The customer uploads their file on your store, you check it, and you create the order in the supplier's dashboard with that file. Simple, and you get a quality check before printing.
3. API automation. Larger stores connect their own system to the supplier's API to send customer files with orders. Powerful, but it takes development work.

For most small stores, option 2 is the practical starting point. The key is making sure every file arrives clearly tied to the right order so nothing gets mixed up. Our guide on artwork upload for Shopify print on demand walks through that workflow in detail.

Customer files also need to be printable. Low-resolution phone screenshots and tiny logos are the usual problems, so set clear file requirements up front. See what print-ready artwork is for the specs to share with buyers.

How to choose: a quick checklist

Run through these before you pick a supplier:

• [ ] Does the catalog cover your core products? Don't pick a supplier for one product and stitch three others together unless you have to.
• [ ] What's your margin at your target retail price? Add base price, shipping and Shopify fees, then check what's left.
• [ ] Where are your customers? Choose production close to them for faster, cheaper delivery.
• [ ] Have you ordered samples? Check print sharpness, colour accuracy, fabric feel and packaging yourself.
• [ ] How long is production plus shipping? Put realistic times on your product pages.
• [ ] Do you need branding? Labels, inserts and packaging vary a lot by supplier.
• [ ] Will customers supply their own designs? If so, plan how you'll collect, check and forward their files.
• [ ] How are reprints and defects handled? Read the supplier's policy for misprints and damaged items.
• [ ] Can you use more than one supplier? Many stores do, for example one for apparel and another for wall art.

Mistakes to avoid when picking a POD supplier

Choosing on price alone. The cheapest base price can cost you more in refunds and reviews if quality is inconsistent.

Skipping samples. Mockups look perfect. Real prints show you what customers will actually get.

Ignoring shipping to your main market. A low base price with long international shipping can still lose you sales.

Treating custom orders like standard ones. If buyers upload their own designs, the automatic sync won't do the job. Plan the manual or API step from day one.

Forgetting file specs. Tell customers what resolution and format you need before they upload, not after they've paid.

How File to Inbox helps

If your POD products use customer artwork, File to Inbox collects the files on your Shopify product pages. The upload is attached to the cart line item, so each file arrives tied to its order. Files up to 5 GB, any type, go to built-in storage or your own Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box or SFTP, with an optional folder per order number for easy handoff to your supplier. Buyers can also add or replace files after checkout until fulfillment starts. It doesn't send files to POD suppliers or proof artwork; it collects and delivers. See adding an upload field to product pages.