In a printing business, the printing process is fundamental—this is where your ideas take shape and become products for your audience. However, nobody wants to create something that won’t sell. Worse yet, investing all your effort into an idea you thought would succeed, only to see a less demanding one outperform it, can be disheartening—trust us, we’ve been there.
The printing market can be unpredictable and volatile, but don’t worry—it’s not all as daunting as it seems. Print-on-demand (POD) businesses have emerged to make this journey easier. With this business model, you don’t have to fear about wasting resources on unsold printed products.
As the name suggests, items are only printed when there’s demand for them, which in fact, benefits not only your wallet but also the environment—something that’s particularly important in the current global warming crisis. According to Fortune Business Insights, digital printing technology reduces energy consumption by nearly 30% and also decreases water usage by almost 90%.
By leveraging this model, you can also take the leap into owning your own printing business while ensuring that the impact of unsuccessful ideas is mitigated, as you won’t be stuck with large amounts of unsold inventory. Unlike traditional businesses that print in bulk and hope to sell everything, POD allows you to experiment quickly with different design options to find what your customers really want and are willing to pay for.
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The statistics also show that this is a good business. According to Grand View Research, the global scope of the print-on-demand (POD) business is projected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25% between 2023 and 2030. In 2022, this market was valued at $6.18 billion, and it is expected to reach $38.21 billion by 2030.
Something we’ve noticed in the years we’ve been in this industry is that this model is especially successful and profitable when your main product is t-shirts, as these comfortable and versatile garments are a favorite among various demographics. They also allow for an endless variety of attractive designs for all ages and tastes.
That’s why in this article, the team at Tshirt Designs and I want to walk you through the step-by-step process of running a POD business—from selecting a design category to technical specifications, choosing a printing company, and considering costs and shipping logistics.
1. Choosing a Style or Category
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The possibilities for design styles and categories are endless, and we say this both as designers and as buyers. From vintage aesthetics to contemporary ones, for kids or adults, featuring animals, cars, various typographic fonts, colorful compositions, or minimalistic layouts—here are a few ideas to consider:
Movies and Series
We all remember iconic characters we’ve seen on screen that have fascinated or impacted us. For example, the protagonists of the Harry Potter saga have become important to many people who identify with or admire the personalities of Ron, Hermione, or Harry himself. Characters from movies and series, as well as manga and anime, which are often our favorites, work well for t-shirt designs because they create an immediate emotional connection between the product and the audience.
However, remember to handle licensing carefully, as these characters are usually the intellectual property of their creators. You’ll need a license to use them in your designs or opt for public domain characters to avoid any legal issues. This matter is so significant that, according to Cadena SER, Spanish authorities confiscated over 3,600,000 products in 2023 for violating intellectual property laws.
A warrior throwing a powerful strike decorated with a related phrase in orange design
Girl with red cap on a green background with japanese letters design
Angry eyes of a manga character design
Behance – Late 2019 illustrations
These illustrations can be artistic and colorful or adopt more minimalist black-and-white styles. Some designs are aimed at children, featuring charming characteristics and pastel tones, while others cater to adults with bold aesthetics like weapons or ninja tools inspired by anime and manga—these tend to sell quite well due to their large and loyal fanbase.
Unicorn with hair and tail in the shape of rainbows and background trees design
Boy wearing a superhero costume with cape design
Group of Japanese wrestlers gathered with a paint explosion effect design
Behance – Naruto Gritty Fanart Series
Animals, Pets, and Sports
If licensing is not feasible, alternative concepts like animals or sports can be just as attractive. These designs connect with everyday life: people’s love for their pets, fascination with certain animals, or passion for sports.
A professional cyclist with a phrase on the back of the design
Tiger face inside a rectangle design
Striking features of animals are often highlighted, such as the fierce gaze of a tiger. Colors also play a crucial role, as the animal world is full of great variety and diversity. Many animals have characteristic colors that make them easily identifiable. Sans-serif fonts in bold or extra black, written in capital letters, work well in some of these designs, as they complement the fierce and energetic aesthetic of the composition.
An illustration of a surfer riding a wave in a design phrase design
Behance – MISCELLANEOUS ILLUSTRATIONS
Animal-themed t-shirts often feature illustrated or realistic styles, complemented by elements like their natural habitat or textures such as feathers, fur, or scales. Sports designs incorporate unique elements of each sport, such as specific types of balls, and often include motivational phrases with different typography styles.
A baseball player hitting a ball over a background with a related phrase design
Soccer player on a patterned background with abstract shapes design
In sport designs, combining 2D and 3D realism is a trending approach to create a striking contrast. For example, player silhouettes are often designed with a 3D realistic aesthetic, while the background features colorful geometric and abstract shapes, resulting in a unique composition. Athletes are typically depicted in dynamic poses that suggest movement, such as kicking a ball or performing an action.
Aggressive snake in orange tone overlayed on a text phrase design
Behance – Women & Sport
Muscle Cars, Motorcycles, and Engines
T-shirts featuring cars and motorcycles are popular among all age groups and make a strong visual impact, which is why they tend to sell like hotcakes. Vintage designs inspired by the 80s and 90s work well, as do contemporary styles showcasing futuristic models.
Race super sport bike with a rider and an intertwined phrase design
Sports motorcycle in green and magenta tones with a phrase design
It is very common to play with certain angles and perspectives of the vehicle to vary the way it is presented in each design. Sometimes it may be shown from the side, front, rear, or even diagonally. Also, in these designs, experimenting with various typefaces and effects within the same composition works very well. For example, combining sans-serif and script fonts or using outline and neon effects can enhance the visual impact.
Japanese car jdm style in pink and blue tones design
Dribbble – Vintage F1 Poster
The possibilities in this category are vast, from iconic cars like Mustangs, Ferraris, Porsches, or Lamborghinis, to legendary motorcycles like Harleys, Ducatis, or Kawasaki Ninjas. These designs often depict the entire vehicle in dynamic settings or highlight impressive parts with effects like speed, smoke, or mechanical elements.
Iconic pink car design
Classic cars racing on a desertic road design
Sometimes, using certain design styles with this category, such as artwork, works very well too, allowing for a more attractive composition by using techniques that simulate an oil painting, for example, with bold and saturated colors. Remember that the environment where the vehicle is placed can also be very appealing to people. A setting like a deserted road on a sunny day, for instance, complements this car and motorcycle aesthetic perfectly.
Behance – MOTO DESIGN LEGENDS ILLUSTRATION
Minimalist, Black-and-White, and Stencil Designs
If you’re not into colorful, elaborate designs, these simpler categories may suit your style. Minimalist, black-and-white, or stencil designs focus on clean, impactful visuals where white space serves a purpose.
Realistic illustration basketball player double exposure design
It’s not indecision; it’s quantum entanglement
It is frequently seen designs of this style with simple strokes or modern aesthetics, encompassing all types of themes—from phrase-based designs to sports, cars, music, and even floral motifs. All of them can be adapted to a minimalist approach. Additionally, the use of sans-serif fonts is very common, as the main goal is to ensure readability without excessive embellishments.
Illustration of a japanese sports car in gray and white tones design
Dribbble – Noodle
These designs are popular among young streetwear enthusiasts because they pair well with this fashion trend. Neutral colors like white, black, gray, beige, and brown are versatile and complement the aesthetic. Ultra-thin and modern fonts, are commonly used for their clarity and simplicity.
Skull surrounded by some spikes with horns design
Silhouette of lines in white on a black background with a related phrase design
The use of black and white colors is ideal for creating stencil designs, as it is very easy to play with these tones to recreate silhouettes of people, animals, or objects. Remember that having a design without an overload of elements does not mean having a boring design. It all depends on how you use what you have available, for example, creating a stronger visual impact with a vertically rotated phrase.
Behance – C H A M B E R S
Colorful, Floral, and Typographic Designs
In contrast, colorful, floral, or typographic styles embrace vibrant colors and intricate compositions. These designs often feature highly saturated or pastel palettes with strong contrasts.
A man with vr glasses with controllers in his hands decorated with a phrase design
Giant Japanese cherry tree design
Phrase girly decorated with attractive women lips design
Variable fonts are also commonly used, as they work exceptionally well in these types of designs. That is why they are sometimes used as the main element and are complemented by illustrations that also grab attention or align with the message. Usually, these types of designs, being so eye-catching, are perfect for a young audience.
The universe is a symphony of strings
Floral elements, whether abstract or realistic, are popular in these designs. For typography-focused t-shirts, various fonts (e.g., display, handwritten, serif) are combined with effects like distortion, neon glow, or pixelation to create eye-catching results.
Variable fonts are also commonly used in these types of designs, as they work exceptionally well.
Girl looking at the sky with a gradient effect design
3d flower intertwined with inspirational phrase design
Floral designs have endless resources that can be used to represent flowers. Just as they come in many varieties, their designs can incorporate a wide range of colors, sometimes with gradient effects. Additionally, a 3D design of the flower can make it stand out even more. Floral designs also often include meaningful phrases or messages.
The most important property of a program is whether it accomplishes the intention of its user
Behance – Resonance
Music and Streetwear
Music is a fundamental part of life for many people. It’s an art form that allows us to express our feelings or connect with others, even if we aren’t artists ourselves. This is why music-themed designs have a significant market in the printing industry, and they’re even a great source of inspiration for designers like us. It’s common to see illustrations referencing various genres, from energetic ones like rock to more soothing ones like classical music.
A girl calmly riding her skateboard interwoven with a phrase design
Girl singing at the microphone while closing her eyes design
It is very common in music-inspired designs to feature iconic elements like microphones or musical notes, as well as settings such as nightclubs or bars, with electric colors like purple and blue, typical of the lights in these places. The idea is to convey a strong musical feeling through all the objects used.
Jazz guitarist playing his guitar design
Dribbble The Sounds of Spring
One musical genre closely tied to a specific design style is hip-hop. This genre is deeply connected to streetwear culture, a style popular among young people who seek a rebellious aesthetic. These designs often feature graffiti-inspired typography, illustrations of skateboards, speakers, microphones, and distressed effects.
People at a music festival design
Japanese neon street lamp illuminating design
When it comes to urban designs, there is also great inspiration drawn from cities and their streets, representing everyday scenes such as rainy days, alleyways, iconic or characteristic buildings, people, and even the shop signs you can find that are very characteristic of urbanization.
Behance – Graphic Streetwear Design.
2. Technical Specifications for Designs
Now that we’ve shown you some design categories that work well and can serve as inspiration, it’s crucial to discuss the minimum technical specifications that each design should meet to ensure high-quality printing. After all, having excellent and attractive designs is pointless if their physical prints fall short compared to their digital counterparts—what’s more, as designers, we put a lot of effort into creating designs, and we don’t want the printed product to give a bad impression of our work.
- Vector Files: The first and most important step is to create illustrations using software that allows you to work with vectors. Unlike pixel-based files, vector files can be scaled to any size without compromising image quality.
Some of the best software for working with vectors include Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW, which are professional paid options. For a free alternative, Inkscape is an excellent choice.
- Print-Ready Files: It’s essential to meet the minimum technical requirements for printing and to ensure your files are in their final version, requiring no additional adjustments. To do this, use standard CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) print colors, and make sure the file has a minimum resolution of 150 dpi (dots per inch).
- Licenses: As previously mentioned, licensing is a critical factor when selling designs. You could face legal issues if you don’t have the necessary permissions. This includes not only licenses for characters but also for other elements you didn’t create yourself, such as fonts used in the designs.
It’s also worth noting that there are different types of licenses. You may have permission for educational or personal use of an element, but not for commercial purposes. The best approach is to avoid using well-known or recognizable characters from movies, series, manga, etc.; branded car models and logos; or images of public figures like football or basketball players—we know many people do it because it’s an easy way out, but there’s nothing like the peace of mind that comes from not using others’ ideas without permission.
If you don’t have the time or skills to create an extensive portfolio of attractive designs that meet these and other requirements, it’s highly recommended to invest in a good design package. These are often available on various websites and are specifically tailored for print-on-demand businesses. For instance, our package includes over 6,000 designs with weekly updates, accessible with a one-time lifetime payment.
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3. Final Considerations: Supplier, Costs, and Shipping
Once you’ve completed steps 1 and 2, the next recommendation is to find a supplier to help you with the printing phase. This stage requires professional machinery, which is often very expensive and takes up significant space, so outsourcing this logistics can save you considerable hassle. Additionally, suppliers often provide shipping options for customers, offering a complete service so you don’t need to worry about this part of the process.
The most well-known and recommended services are as follows:
- Printify: One of the most popular print-on-demand companies, Printify offers global shipping services and a wide variety of products to print your designs on (mugs, phone cases, tote bags, caps, etc.). It provides many supplier options so you can find one that best suits your needs, and its prices are very competitive.
- Printful: Printful stands out from Printify and similar services due to its superior print quality and excellent customer service. It also offers customization options for packaging and labels, allowing you to add your logo or other distinctive elements if you’re building your own brand.
- Gelato: If sustainability is important to you and you want your products to have the least environmental impact possible, Gelato is the right platform. They achieve this through local production, which also reduces delivery times as the transportation distances for products are shorter.
Using this platform can also be a good sales strategy, as according to Statista, a 2021 survey revealed that 27% of people who purchased a new product were motivated by sustainability, and 25% spent more on sustainable fashion.
There are many other options, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. It’s essential to carefully analyze them to choose the one that best fits your needs, aligns with your budget, and provides the required shipping service with adequate delivery times for your products. We recommend taking your time to consider all of this, as the planning phase is one of the most important steps when launching a new business.
Now that you have a better understanding of what you need to start your own POD business, you’re ready to make it happen. As statistics show, it’s a very profitable idea that you can pursue without much effort, resources, or even leaving your home. Remember, the key is to focus on creating impactful and high-quality designs—this will surely drive sales on its own. If you lack the skills, the good news is that there are online design markets like ours offering professionally made designs that you can use commercially. Best of luck starting your POD business!