How to Start a Print-on-Demand Store with Printful
Starting a print-on-demand (POD) store is an exciting way to enter the world of e-commerce. With Printful, you can design and sell custom products like T-shirts, hoodies and hats without worrying about inventory or shipping. But how do you get started? In this beginner’s guide, we’ll walk you through the steps of setting up your own POD store using Printful and Shopify.
Create your free Printful account here: Printful.com
Set Up Your Shopify Store
Create a Shopify Account
Go to Shopify’s website and sign up for an account.
Choose Your Plan
Shopify offers a free trial, but you’ll need to select a paid plan once the trial ends.
Pick a Domain
Choose a custom domain name that fits your brand and is easy for customers to remember.
Integrate Printful with Shopify
Sign Up for Printful
Create your free account to get started.
Install the Printful App
From your Shopify dashboard, go to the Shopify App Store and search for “Printful.”
Link Your Accounts
Follow the prompts to connect your Shopify store to your Printful account.
Design Your Products
Choose Your Product
Browse through Printful’s product catalog and choose what you’d like to sell.
Upload Your Design
Use Printful’s Design Maker to upload your artwork or create something from scratch using their built-in tools.
Generate Mockups
Once your design is ready, Printful automatically creates a high-quality mockup to showcase your product in your store.
Set Your Prices
Consider Your Costs
Make sure to factor in Printful’s base price, shipping costs and your desired profit margin when setting your prices.
Research Competitors
Look at similar products in other POD stores to make sure your pricing is competitive without undercutting yourself.
Set Your Markup
Printful will calculate your profit based on the markup you choose for each product.
Launch Your Store
Set Up Payment Methods
Ensure your store can accept payments like credit cards, PayPal or Shopify Payments.
Test Your Checkout
Place a test order to make sure your checkout process is working smoothly.
Promote Your Store
Use social media, email marketing and other strategies to drive traffic to your new store.
Manage Your Orders and Customer Service
Order Fulfillment
Once your store is live, Printful automatically handles the fulfillment and shipping of each order.
Customer Support
While Printful handles logistics, you’ll still need to provide support, answer inquiries and manage returns to ensure a smooth customer experience.
Ready to get started with print-on-demand? Sign up for Printful and take the first step!
Next: Connect Printful to Shopify: A Step-by-Step Setup Guide