So, you’re thinking about jumping into the print-on-demand (POD) game in 2025?
Great choice—POD is booming, and there’s still plenty of money to be made when you build a shop on Etsy, Amazon, and/or Shopify.
When I first started, I definitely made a few whopper mistakes.
Lucky for you, I’m here to share what I’ve learned so you can skip the beginner headaches and jump straight to making sales. Let’s talk Printify and break down everything you should know before you start selling—including how much it really costs, the best print providers, the most profitable products, and a few insider tips to maximize your earnings.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
What is exactly is Printify and how does it work?
Printify is a print-on-demand (POD) platform that lets you create and sell custom products without handling inventory, production, or shipping. Here’s how it works:
- Choose a Product – Printify offers 1,000+ customizable products like t-shirts, mugs, and hoodies.
- Add Your Design – Use Printify’s Mockup Generator to upload and preview your design.
- Connect Printify to Your Online Store – Printify easily syncs up with Etsy, Shopify or other marketplaces to list your products.
- Sell & Printify Handles the Rest – When a customer places an order on Etsy, fo example, Printify’s partner print providers make and ship the product directly to them.
With no upfront costs and no inventory needed, Printify makes it easy to start and scale a print-on-demand business.
Your Designs + Printify + Etsy = Print on Demand Business
Printify vs. Printful: What’s the Story?
If you’ve done any research on print on demand, you’ve probably seen the Printify vs. Printful debate. There are two of the biggest product suppliers in the POD industry. Here’s what you need to know for 2025:
🔥 Big News: Printify and Printful are merging! That means sellers will soon get the best of both platforms—Printify’s affordable pricing and massive catalog combined with Printful’s premium-quality printing and fulfillment.
Right now, Printify is still the better option for Etsy sellers because of:
- Lower base costs (higher profit margins)
- More print providers = More options
- Faster shipping choices
If you’re new to POD, Printify mostly likely is the smarter pick for your business —but keep an eye out for updates as these two giants join forces.
How Much Does It Really Cost to Start Selling on Printify and Etsy?
Printify is free to use (unless you upgrade to premium), but there are some expenses you need to be be aware of…
Paying for Orders Upfront
Every time you make a sale on Etsy, Printify needs to charge you for the base cost of the item and shipping. Because Etsy doesn’t pay you right away for your sale, you need some cash on hand – or a credit card – to cover those print orders before your profits hit.
Pro Tip: Have at least $200-$500 set aside for those first few sales to avoid the dreaded “Oops, I can’t afford to fulfill my own orders” moment.
Etsy Fees
In addition to the cost of printing and shipping, Etsy has a few fees as well. Here’s what to expect:
- $0.20 per product listing
- 6.5% transaction fee
- 3-5% payment processing fee
Marketing, Research and Mockup Tools
There are some other optional expenses involved that you should highly consider:
- Design Tools – You need at least one tool to create your art design for your products. There are several free options out there, but if you want to scale your business, you’ll probably need to invest in a tool like Kittl, CanvaPro, Ideogram, Mystic, etc.
- Etsy Keyword Research Tools (SEO) – Like Sale Samurai or Everbee
- Running ads on Facebook or Pinterest to drive people to your Etsy store
- Mockup tools for your products so they really stand out on Etsy. (We’ll talk a bit more about this below.)
BOTTOM LINE: You don’t need thousands to start, but having a few hundred dollars on hand keeps things smooth and stress-free.
How to Price Your Products (So You Actually Make Money)
Printify has a nice profit calculator you can use to help you decide how to price each product you’re selling. Please remember that this profit calculator only inlucludes Printify costs and not any fees you’ll pay to your marketplace, like Etsy.
Quick Example:
- A sweatshirt costs $21 to print and $4 to ship (total $25). You sell it for $55 on Etsy.
- The Printify calculator will tell you that your profit is $30, but you need to do a bit more number crunching to add in the Etsy (or other marketplace) fees.
- After Etsy fees, you are usually going to keep about 50% to 65% of the profit listed on the Printify calculator. So in this example, you would keep about $15 to $20 for the sweatshirt sale.
The Best Manufacturers on Printify
Printify works with hundreds of product manufacturers, so newbies may find it a bit overwhelming when trying to choose the best one for their product. Here are a few that I really like for apparel:
- SwiftPod – Fast, reliable, solid print quality
- Monster Digital – Great for t-shirts and sweatshirts
- Awkward Styles – Good pricing and customer satisfaction reviews
New for 2025: Printify’s “Printify Choice” feature picks the best provider for you based on price, quality, and speed. If you’re a newbie and don’t want to overthink it, use Printify Choice and move on with your life.
What Are the Best-Selling Printify Products?
If you’re overwhelmed by Printify’s massive catalog, here’s a cheat sheet of what I’ve found sells well on Etsy and gets good feedback from the customers:
- Best T-Shirt: Bella + Canvas 3001 – Super soft, slightly pricier, but customers love it
- Best (more affordable t-shirt): Gildan 64000 – 100% ring-spun cotton fabric. It’s super soft and breathable.
- Best Sweatshirt: Gildan 18000 – Cozy, affordable, and a customer favorite
- Best Mug: Generic 11oz or 15oz white ceramic mug – Simple and profitable
- Candles – Basic Scented Soy Candle is great
Check Printify’s Bestseller List to see what’s trending and see what people are already buying.
The Colors That Sell the Best
Offering too many color choices can really impact your sales. I’m not sure if you’ve ever done this, but if you have too many choices available, you get overwhelmed and decide wait before buying something. We want to make things as easy as possible for the buyers, so only offering 1 to 4 colors for each sweatshirt, for example, is usually best.
Now your next questions probraby is which colors should I pick? The best-selling colors typically are:
- Black
- White
- Sand
- Navy
- Sport Gray
Depending on your designs, the red and pink may not look great, but blue and green are perfect. No matter what, limiting options to 1 to 4 colors for each of your listings will help your customers avoid decision fatigue and just order one (or two!).
INTERESTING NUGGET: Printify recently shared a surprise top trend for 2025:
“Single-color option reigns supreme among print-on-demand products. Items with just one color choice are the stars of the show in both apparel and non-apparel categories.”
Definitely a surprise to me, but I’m going to be putting this to the test this year.
Printify’s Default Mockups Are a Wee Bit Boring. Fix That.
Your first thumbnail image makes or breaks your sales on Etsy. While Printify offers some nice simple mockups of your product, you also need to create a few more If you’re using Printify’s generic mockups, you’re blending in with everyone else.
Better mockup options:
- Placeit – Huge library of professional mockups
- Playit – Affordable and easy to use
- Canva Pro – Create your own unique mockups
- Creative Market – High end mockups
Your first thumbnail is your ad. Make it stand out. Here’s an example:
Printify will give you a basic t-shirt mockup like the pink ones on the bottom. I still use these pictures in my Etsy store, but the main Esty picture for your listing needs to be one that’s going to “pop” a bit more when people are scrolling through hundreds of images.
Final Thoughts: Is Printify Worth It in 2025?
Yes, but only if you:
- Have at least $200-$500 ready for upfront costs
- Price your products high enough to actually make money
- Pick reliable print providers
- Offer a limited number of color options to avoid decision fatigue (1 to 4 colors)
- Invest in or create better mockups to increase clicks and sales
Printify is one of the best ways to start a profitable online business without dealing with inventory, shipping, or upfront costs. But the right strategy makes all the difference.
Other Articles You Might Like:
Print on Demand 101: How to Start Your Own POD Empire From Your Laptop
12 Passive Income Ideas to Earn at Least $1,000 Each Month
The 50 Best Digital Products to Sell Online – No Inventory, No Shipping
