💡 How to Start a Print-on-Demand Business in 2025
Everything you need to know about niches, designing products, sales channels, and more.
👋 Hey, I’m Casandra. I share research-backed business ideas to help you start and grow a business. This is a 🔒 Premium Edition 🔒 of Really Good Business Ideas.
Did you know that a lack of funding is the top reason why people don’t start a business? 63% of aspiring entrepreneurs say funding is their largest barrier to getting started.1
There’s a misconception that starting a business requires a big financial investment. While that may be true of some businesses (imagine starting a new car manufacturer), many don’t. In fact, new tools and business models that reduce startup costs for new ventures are being developed every day.
Introducing Print-on-Demand
It used to be that if you wanted to sell a physical product, like a t-shirt, phone case, or notebook, you had to spend a lot of money ordering inventory before you could start selling.
Most product manufacturers had minimum orders, so you’d have to guess which sizes and designs would be most popular, place a big order, and then wait for your products to be manufactured and delivered to you. Then you’d have to try and sell them, packing and shipping your orders each time they come in. If someone ordered the wrong size or changed their mind, you would have to arrange for them to ship it back to you so you could process a refund.
This old model works for some people, but many get stuck with products they can’t sell, and many more never start at all!
With print on demand, not only can you get started free, there’s no risk to testing new ideas. If people don’t buy one of your products, you can move on to the next idea without losing much money. And when you do land on a great product that people love, you profit.
Even better, starting a print-on-demand product line is fast and easy, so you can launch a new business with days and start earning this week.
What Is Print-On-Demand?
Print-on-demand (POD) is a business model where products like t-shirts, phone cases, mugs, and more are produced only when an order is placed. This eliminates the need for upfront inventory, making it a low-risk and flexible way to start an online business.
Rather than manufacturing brand-new products from scratch, blank versions of products can be customized with unique designs. Each time a customer orders a customized product, the print-on-demand service prints it and mails it out.
Business owners (like you!) don't have to worry about handling inventory, shipping, or customer service. The print-on-demand service takes care of all that (including returns!), making it a great option for entrepreneurs who want to start their own business with minimal upfront investment.
Business owners only pay for products when they’re printed. And since products are only printed after a sale is made, you can collect your revenue first before paying for the wholesale product.
Print-On-Demand Has Completely Changed The Game
Old Way: Creating product designs required specialized design skills and access to expensive software like Adobe Illustrator.
New Way: You can create product designs for free with a tool like Canva, even if you don’t have any specialized design skills.
Old Way: You had to send your designs to a manufacturer and wait for them to send you samples.
New Way: You upload your designs to a print-on-demand service like Printful and immediately ship yourself samples, if needed.
Old Way: You had to spend a lot of money buying enough inventory to meet the wholesale order minimum before you could start selling.
New Way: No need to buy any inventory upfront.
Old Way: You had to take photos of your products and manually add them to your online store, ensuring accurate inventory counts for each variant.
New Way: Connect your print-on-demand service to your online store, and product pages with mockups and accurate inventory are created automatically.
Old Way: You had to package and ship all your own orders and manage returns manually.
New Way: Your print-on-demand service automates everything. All you have to do is build your brand.
How to Start a Print-on-Demand Business, Step-by-Step
In order to show you how to start a print-on-demand business, I’m actually going to launch a product for Really Good Business Ideas so you can see how easy it is. I’ll cover everything step-by-step, including:
My favorite print-on-demand service
How I design products (with no design skills)
How to get free mockups for your product pages
Common mistakes to avoid
Where to sell your products
How to get started marketing your products