Top 5 Pros and Cons of Print on Demand

What is Print on Demand?

Print on demand is a service that allows you to customize white-label products, with your own designs, to sell them on a per-order basis.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website.

It is an alternative way to save time and investment as well as avoid the tedious process of inventory management. So you can channel your creativity and simply sell your custom products at a fraction of the cost.

If you want to know about how print on demand works, how to set it up, etc click here.

There are essential pointers that one needs to evaluate before signing up for a print on demand service. In this article, we are going to talk about the pros and cons of Print on demand, for designers looking to set up their own store on POD services.

Pros of POD:

1. It&#;s easy to set up

The majority of POD platforms are incredibly easy to use. It is mostly a simple process of signing up, creating a profile, and uploading your designs or products. This can be done in minutes. 

While some of the sites offer a free setup, some charge a registration fee. On the other hand, sites like Merch by Amazon need you to get accepted into the POD program to begin selling your products. 

2. Minimal inventory, no packaging or shipping trouble

One of the biggest pros of print on demand service is that the model gets rid of the biggest downside of inventory-based troubles such as stock costs, expenses, etc. It also eliminates the possibility of getting stuck with extra merchandise that you&#;re unable to sell or stock-outs because the merchandise goes into production after an order is placed.

3. Allows you to focus on what you&#;re good at 

Since most of the technical, logistics and production bits are handled for you by the print-on-demand service, you can have the freedom to focus on what you&#;re good at and spend your time producing more designs, and products that you want to sell. 

4. It&#;s easy to establish your brand

Print-on-demand services are white-labeled, which means you can customize your products and packaging with your branding so that when your customers receive their orders, there&#;s no sign of the third party service. 

5. No machinery needed. No excess or less stock

The fact that a third party handles the production for your designs, eliminates the need to have your own machinery needed to print your own stock. The technical part of the printing process is handled directly by your POD partner.

Cons of POD

1. Lower profit margins. 

The cost of goods for an on-demand printing service will be higher as compared to buying wholesale. This means that your profit margins will be lower.

Because the print on demand companies handle the whole of the shipping, packaging, and selling, they are going to take a larger percentage of the profit, and pay you a commission for the product being sold. 

Artists can either be paid through a percentage on each sale, that is through royalties, or markup from the bottom line cost of the product, where the artist can choose to finalize the retail price. Hence, depending on the product, the profit margin can be quite low. 

2. Limited Data

While these print on demand companies handle the selling for you, they are following the market carefully and capturing buyer information, so they can market to them again and hopefully make more sales.

Because you&#;re selling on their site, you won&#;t ever get to know who loved your work and bought it. You won&#;t get their information so you can make more sales unless they somehow reach out to you.

You might also miss the chance to stage your brand. Odds are, big POD companies package and ship products with their logo attached to them, not yours. 

So while it may be helpful to you that they are facilitating the sale and delivery of the products, it is important to know the limitations of the service as well.

3. Quality and product types

While you create your art, your designs, and your products, make sure the print on demand service you are investing in holds quality as a priority. Some print on demand companies care about the bottom line and in the process, the quality is lost. This can reflect badly on your art business and affect your sales.

Do your research to see which companies have the highest quality printing. Check into the quality of their website and customer service department, too. 

On the other hand, if you&#;re a seller looking for extremely customized and specific products to sell, some print on demand companies might not have the option for you. Mainstream apparel or merchandise like T-shirts etc won&#;t be an issue since they are common products. 

However, if you wish to sell, for example, products only of a specific fabric, then you might find it difficult to sell through a print on demand service.

4. You depend on your printing partner for products and their availability.

POD companies work with different suppliers to source products or product materials, for example, fabric. This means there are a lot of moving parts, and sometimes products may go out of stock or become unavailable. 

5. Order fulfillment takes longer.

Since every product is printed on-demand, it takes longer to fulfill orders than it would if you already had your products available in stock. While this may not be a con for the designer, it may be a con for the customer ordering your product. 

Having said this&#;

&#; it is important to understand that there are challenges with the convenience that print on demand services offer. However, a deeper understanding and evaluation of the crucial elements of the POD company such as the quality of the product, the delivery time, your profit percentage of the sale, etc, can help you make the right decision for your artwork business. 

So whether you decide to go ahead with a Print on Demand service or just sell your custom designed merchandise on your own e-commerce website or store, Design Shifu can create your designs for you. Design Shifu is an on-demand graphic design agency that designs merchandise and much more with a 24 to 48 hour turnaround time, for a flat monthly fee! Check out our portfolio and our pricing page. 

With competitive price and timely delivery, XRPINK sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.

OnlineLabels is proud to offer a variety of label materials suited for a wide range of applications. When determining which one is right for you, it can be helpful to understand the label manufacturing process. It begins with rolls of raw facestock (the top layer of your labels) called substrates.

We generally use two types of substrates: paper or film. Below, we break down the differences between them and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Paper Labels

Paper labels are made of, you guessed it, paper! The color, thicknesses, and coatings of paper substrates can vary, but the base layer is still composed of the same raw material.

Advantages of Paper Labels

Good ink adhesion

Paper has great "printability." This means that it can withstand high-heat printing and hold ink extremely well for sharp prints.

Array of colors

While the most common paper color is white, you can find paper labels available in a wide range of colors. Almost all of our color labels are paper-based, from fluorescent to pastels. We can even create custom color labels for those with specific colors in mind.

Handcrafted look

Paper can help produce the handmade, weathered, or vintage look that's in style today. It's for this reason that paper has lent itself especially well to craft beverage, wine, and spirits applications.

When Guinness released their Dublin and West Indies porters as a tribute, they chose a paper substrate as their label in order to "retain authenticity" and "combine a vintage feel on a modern coated paper substrate."

Paper materials like our brown kraft and recycled white matte are also popular with eco-conscious labelers.

Disadvantage of Paper Labels

Low resistance to environmental conditions

The major downfall of paper is its lack of resistance to conditions such as water, light, time, or tearing. It's more likely than film to yellow and fade when exposed to sunlight and has a shorter lifespan.

Using lamination or varnishes can help improve paper's durability, but will not make paper as durable as film.

When To Use Paper Labels

Based on paper's strengths and weaknesses, we recommend using paper-based labels for indoor, short-term use. Common paper label uses include:

Shipping & packaging

Non-perishable goods

Household & beauty products

Marketing collateral

Warning signs

Home/office organization

Crafts

Paper-Based Label Options

Use any of the following paper-based materials to deliver powerful results with your colorful designs, handmade goods, and more.

Film Labels

Film labels are made from films (like plastic), making them a more durable and flexible material than paper. While paper has been around for thousands of years, the advent of film substrates is fairly new &#; they were invented around 60 years ago. Films are a remarkably innovative product and they offer unique labeling benefits that may work to your advantage.

Advantages of Film Labels

Better resistance to environmental conditions

Some film materials feature "weatherproof" qualities and can stand up to various conditions such as water, heat/cold, fading, and tearing. Because of this, they're a wonderful choice for heavier duty uses.

Keep in mind that not all film materials are weatherproof, however. Our film-based clear inkjet materials do not offer water-resistant properties.

Flexibility

Films are substantially more flexible than their paper counterparts. Since they can conform to their surroundings, they're great for oddly shaped surfaces or containers subject to squeezing (shampoo bottles, lotion tubes, etc).

"No label look"

Film labels are available in clear, which is ideal for creating the modern "no label look" for product packaging. Clear gloss or "crystal clear" materials are popular additions to see-through and tin containers and show off what's behind the label. Clear matte labels have a frosted finish to slightly obscure the surface for an elegant look.

Disadvantages of Film Labels

Cost

Film substrates are costlier to produce than its paper counterpart, however, if that added durability is crucial for your application, it can save you time, money, and headache in the long run.

When To Use Film Labels

Given the strength and modernity of film labels, they're best for outdoor or moisture-rich environments, long-term applications, or products subject to frequent use. Common film label uses include:

Warehousing & equipment

Refrigerated food & beverage products

Bath & body products

NOTE: Our custom white weatherproof labels on rolls are more durable than our sheeted and unprinted options, as they come with an additional finish that is oil-proof. If your product contains oils, we strongly encourage this route.

Cleaning products

Film-Based Label Options

Use any of the following film-based materials to create durable, long-lasting, and vibrant prints:

In short, there's a material for every project. Consider the pros and cons of paper and film labels to choose the right option for your specific application. View all of our available labels by material or contact our customer service team at 1-888-575- for assistance.

Need film labels for a large quantity order? Shop our premium custom film/bopp labels today.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Custom printed creativity labels. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.