Printful Review and User Ratings
1.0
User Reviews:
Josh Maxey
Horrible. Avoid.
I thought I was signing up for a company like Redbubble that takes payment, prints and ships. Instead, I was suprised to see I was charged the full retail price by printiful from my paypal for 3 shirt orders. So I have to pay out of pocket in the meantime while some other, third site does or doesn't pay me? Horrible. Avoid.
Written By
Updated
November 7th, 2024
Are you thinking about starting a clothing line? What about your own brand of home goods and accessories? With a print-on-demand company like Printful, it’s easy. There are no monthly fees (unless you upgrade to a paid plan) and no order minimums.
In this Printful review, we examine all the features and services so that you can decide whether to use it as your primary dropship supplier.
What Is Printful?
Printful is a company that offers print-on-demand services, like Printify. With it, you can dropship a variety of products to customers. You only pay a fee to Printful for the product itself. You set the price, so you control your profit margin.
Printful Pros
- Customizable branding options.
- Seamless integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Etsy store.
- High-quality products from Anvil, Gildan, and Bella + Canvas.
- Fast delivery times.
- Free Plan starts to print-on-demand business with no upfront costs or monthly fees.
- 24/7 customer support.
Printful Cons
- Higher pricing could affect profit margins.
- Limited branding options may only suit some businesses.
- Not all products ship globally, restricting reach depending on product choice.
- Lower profit margins due to higher costs.
- Fewer specialty items like toys, accessories, or home decor.
Printful has an extensive product catalog but needs more choices than other POD services. Products you can sell:
- Men’s Clothing: T-shirts, embroidered shirts, polos, tanks, long sleeves, jackets, hoodies, sweaters, sweatshirts, sweatpants, leggings, underwear, shorts
- Women’s Clothing: As above, plus crop tops, dresses, skirts, swimwear, sports bras
- Kid’s Clothing: Shirts, jackets, hoodies, hats, leggings, baby bibs, bodysuits, swimwear
- Hats: Baseball caps, snapbacks, trucker hats, 5-panel hats, mesh hats, beanies, bucket hats, visors
- Bags: Tote bags, laptop cases, duffle bags, fanny packs, drawstring bags, bean bag covers, backpacks
- Phone Cases: iPhone and Samsung
- Jewelry: Bracelets, necklaces, earrings
- Drinkware: Water bottles, coffee mugs
- Blankets & Pillows: Throw blankets, pillows, pillowcases,
- Wall Art: Posters, framed posters, canvas prints, flags
- Stationery: Postcards, notebooks, stickers
- Towels and aprons, Socks, Face masks, Key chains, Engraved pet ID tags, flip-flops, etc.
Printful’s Pricing
Printful is offering flexible pricing models. Basic accounts are free, with orders priced per item. Alternatively, the Growth Plan costs $24.99 per month after a 14-day free trial. Achieving $12k in sales grants a free year of the Growth Plan.
Registered customers get one sample order per month, with up to three items. A 30% discount applies if ordered within 24 hours. When monthly sales exceed $300, the sample limit is increased to five items the next month.
10-48% discount on bulk orders ranging from 25 to 500 items. Orders of 25+ embroidery items include free file digitization.
Growth membership offers up to 20% off DTG products, up to 30% off other categories, an additional 7% off product branding, free sample order digitization, and personalized product transfer assistance.
T-shirt prices range from $6.95 to $55, hoodies from $19.55 to $58, and tote bags from $13.95 to $26.25. These prices exclude shipping, which varies by product.
For example, shipping within the USA costs $4.69 for a t-shirt or tank top and starts at $8.49 for hoodies or sweatpants. Check the website for detailed product and shipping prices to set up your store’s strategy.
Since you don’t choose the carrier unless you pay for the Growth plan, you have little control over the shipping speed you offer customers.
Refund Policy
Printful does not offer refunds for buyer’s remorse. However, they provide replacements for misprinted, damaged, or defective items if reported within 30 days of product receipt.
Printful Features & Services
Printful offers a wide variety of advanced features to all customers. The Growth plan comes with additional features, but the base plan has everything you need to own and operate a product-based business.
Printful caters to diverse needs, providing flexibility whether you have an online store or not. You can use design tools and printing services independently, making it versatile for various business models.
The Design Tool and Mockup Generator help create and visualize products before production, ensuring they meet expectations.
Printful excels in product personalization, allowing customization of items like t-shirts, hoodies, leggings, and hats, adding significant value to businesses.
It offers custom order import and product migration for those switching platforms, streamlining integration with existing systems.
Additionally, It provides branding services like custom labels, packaging, and branding inserts, along with professional design creative services. Their warehouse & fulfillment manage storage and logistics, and store setup services ensure a smooth start for ecommerce businesses.
Printing Technologies
Printful employs various printing methods based on the product. The most common is direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, which sprays high-quality ink directly onto the fabric, akin to an inkjet printer. This method is cost-effective without needing extensive setup.
Sublimation printing transfers images from paper to fabric using heat, resulting in long-lasting prints resistant to cracking and peeling. However, it cannot produce the color white.
Printful also offers embroidery and engraving for specific products.
An all-over print (AOP) spans the entire item. It is achieved by printing the design onto fabric before sewing it into the final product.
Direct-to-film (DTF) printing is ideal for sportswear, outerwear, and apparel incompatible with DTG printers.
Unlike other POD companies, Printful does all its printing in-house and works with partners worldwide for fulfillment. Printify, on the other hand, uses independent providers, offering you the choice of the company.
Print quality can be subjective; Printful strives for consistency with in-house printing.
Several factors influence print quality control:
- The printing technology used
- The type of product being printed
- The quality of the source image
Customer Support
Printful offers a robust customer support system to cater to your needs. You can access their comprehensive Help Center for detailed guides and resources. They provide 24/7 support through live chat and email, ensuring you always have someone to assist you.
They also offer phone support, adding another layer of accessibility. One downside is the lack of a dedicated account manager, which might be a drawback for businesses looking for personalized support. Nonetheless, Printful’s support team remains effective and responsive, promptly resolving your queries.
Scalability
Printful’s scalability allows businesses to expand effortlessly into new markets, managing inventory management-free operations with flexible plans. This makes it an attractive solution for both small startups and growing enterprises.
Products
It’s worth mentioning that Printful doesn’t determine product quality. That’s all in the quality of the brand you use for your designs. For instance, if you’re looking for a quality t-shirt, we recommend going with the Bella plus Canvas 3001. It’s a bit more expensive than the Gildan shirts but will hold its shape after multiple washes.
Locations
Shipping time varies depending on where the products are coming from and where they are shipping to. Generally, fulfillment times run between two and seven business days.
Typically, your order will be sent from the fulfillment center closest to your customer’s shipping address. Printful has providers in:
- Toronto, Canada
- Los Angeles, California
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Tijuana, Mexico
- Dallas, Texas
- Other locations worldwide
Ecommerce Platform Integrations
Printful makes it easy to integrate stores on most ecommerce platforms. Printful seamlessly integrates with multiple ecommerce platforms, including Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Wix. You can automate your fulfillment process if you integrate your store with Printful.
To connect Printful to platforms like Walmart, use ShipStation (starting at $25/month). Get an API key to link accounts, assign Printful products to your store, and upload print files.
Marketplace Integrations
Printful seamlessly collaborates with top ecommerce platforms like eBay, Etsy, and Amazon. This integration enhances customer trust and engagement through product reviews and recommendations, simplifying market expansion and store management. Printful API offers flexible integration for custom fulfillment services.
Printful Alternatives
Are you not convinced that Printful is the right solution for your business? Look at these other options.
Printify
Printify is a POD platform that offers varrries products. The main difference between these two services is the features they include. You won’t have branding and warehousing options with Printify. You also won’t have custom design services or other store setup services. The good news is that you’ll have higher profit margins for many of the same products. That makes it a great option for small businesses running on a limited budget.
Gelato
Gelato is a similar platform to Printful. It offers the main product categories (apparel, wall art, drinkware, phone cases, etc.). If you can’t find the products you want to include in your store, you must choose another provider. Gelato’s main differentiation is its focus on local production, which allows it to lower costs, shipping times, and carbon emissions.
CustomCat
CustomCat is a print-on-demand service, much like Printful. It’s free to use, and you only pay for the items you start selling. You set your pricing, and there are high-profit margins here. It integrates with many ecommerce platforms. It may not be the best solution if you’re outside the U.S. Wait times are longer than others in the industry.
Is Printful Right for Your POD Business?
Have you used Printful before? Would you share your experience with us? We can only continue to provide impartial reviews with input from readers like you.
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