Print on demand (POD) is quickly becoming a popular choice in the world of eCommerce. It allows businesses to create custom products in small batches, with minimal upfront cost and risk. POD is also a great way to test out new products, designs, and colors before making a larger investment in inventory.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of print on demand, the differences between direct to garment and screen printing, and how to choose the right printing method for your business. We’ll also look at how you can integrate print on demand into your business, and how fulfillment services work with print on demand orders.
What is Print on Demand?
Print on demand is a type of printing process that allows you to create custom products in small batches. The process starts with the customer ordering a product from an online store, or one of our custom iFrame solutions that can be integrated into almost any website. The order is then sent to a print on demand company, in this case, Mountainy would receive the order and print the design onto the product and ship it directly to the customer for you. The best part of this process is that you are never charged for the product until it is already sold! Quite different than spending thousands on inventory right?
POD is also a fantastic way to test out new products, designs, and colors without investing in piles of inventory that are unproven, or will sit in a box collecting dust at your business until you take them to Goodwill. Eliminating the need for warehousing and storage is also a major benefit of POD, as all products are printed and shipped after they have already been sold or allotted for.
Direct to Garment vs. Screen Printing
When it comes to print on demand, there are two main methods right now for printing your design onto a product: direct to garment (DTG) and screen printing. Each method has its own unique advantages and disadvantages.
Direct to garment printing is a digital printing process that uses a specialized inkjet printer to print your design directly onto the garment. This method makes the process fast and allows you to test, and sell a plethora of designs. The major benefit is that one-off designs and styles are not an issue as DTG is meant to load the image for each print.
Screen printing, on the other hand, uses a mesh screen to transfer ink onto the garment by spreading ink through the mesh screen. It’s a more labor-intensive process, and not necessarily good for print on demand as you are forced to batch your prints into large batches and create the necessary screens for each design. Screen printing is also limiting in the sense that your designs depending on your print partner can not exceed a certain color count, whereas with DTG that does not matter. The benefits however are its ability to economically print a design in bulk. Once the screens are set it is a very easy process to manage at scale.
The Pros and Cons of Direct to Garment and Screen Printing
Direct to garment printing has many advantages, including speed, a wide range of colors, and high-quality prints. It’s also a great option for printing complex designs or small batches of products. All of these points make it perfect for print on demand. However, DTG printing can be more expensive than screen printing, as it requires specialized ink.
Screen printing is a great option for printing large quantities of the same design.
However, screen printing is a more labor-intensive process, and it’s not suitable for complex designs or small batches of products. It also has a limited range of colors and can take longer to set up and print. Although there is a cost savings on the printing, using this method for print on demand will leave you with left over inventory, and initial investment into untested products. All of these will ultimately result in the prices meeting and being similar to DTG when taking these hidden costs into account.
How to Choose the Right Printing Method for Your Business
Choosing the right printing method for your business can be a difficult decision. The best way to decide is to consider your budget, the type of product you’re printing, and the quantity of products you’ll be printing.
For example, if you’re printing a small batch of custom t-shirts, direct to garment printing is a great option. It’s fast, produces high-quality prints, and can handle complex designs.
If you’re printing a large quantity of the same simple design, screen printing is a more cost-effective option. It’s perfect for printing large quantities of the same design and the cost per unit decreases with larger orders. Unless you are aiming to sell these products, in which case the storage fees could result in your costs being comparable to DTG and moving into an on demand model.
How to integrate Print on Demand into your Business
Integrating print on demand into your business is relatively easy. All you need to do is come talk to us here at Mountainy. We offer a massive catalog with our ability to seamlessly integrate with the big-name wholesale providers like S&S Activewear, Sanmar, AlphaBroader, etc.
Once you’ve gotten started with us here at Mountainy, you can start creating your designs. You’ll need to create a design file in a PNG format with a dots per inch (DPI) greater than 300. Which ultimately results in the pixels being greater than 1,000x1,000. Or, you can talk to us about the design bundles we offer to get your store off the ground. Our dedicated design team will take your inspiration and themes and provide you with a bundle of designs that are print ready!
Once you have your designs you are ready to upload. With our integrated software once you create your design and product we will automatically push it to your storefront for you. Where it will be ready to be made active to start collecting sales.
How Mountainy's Fulfillment Services work for Print on Demand Orders
Here at Mountainy our fulfillment services are seamlessly integrated into our Print on Demand system. We handle the entire process, from order processing to shipping, so that you can focus on other aspects of your business.
When a customer places an order, Mountainy will print and ship the order directly to the customer with your branding. This eliminates the need for you to handle any of the fulfillment processes.
Conclusion
Print on demand is a great way to test out new products, designs, and colors without investing in a large inventory. It’s also an environmentally friendly option, as it eliminates the need for excess packaging and shipping materials.
When it comes to print on demand, there are two main methods for printing your design onto a product: direct to garment and screen printing. Each method has its own unique advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to choose the right printing method for your business so you succeed in POD.
Integrating print on demand into your business is relatively easy, and Mountainy can help streamline the process of fulfilling orders.
So if you’re looking for a cost-effective and efficient way to create custom products, or just add them for auxillary revenue, print on demand is a great option. With the right printing method and a reliable partner, you can unlock the full potential of print on demand and take your business to the next level.
