This article will show you how to start a print on demand business for free. You'll learn what print on demand involves and how it can help you build a thriving business working from home.

What is Print on Demand?

The short answer is that Print-on-Demand (or POD) is a business model that makes it possible for entrepreneurs to create products that they sell online to earn passive income.

These business owners partner (for free) with a printing company that provides production services. And there are roles that each entity plays in creating products and delivering them to customers worldwide. 

As a business owner, you would need the following: 

• Niche specific graphic images
• A product creation workflow
• A shop/checkout platform
• A marketing plan
• An audience
  

The printing company (print partner) like Printful or Printify will provide the following services: 

• A free account
• An inventory of blank products
• Printing equipment and packaging supplies
• Drop shipping expertise that delivers products worldwide to the entrepreneur's customers.

These companies provide a range of products from apparel, home decor, notebooks, calendars and hard copy books with no order minimums. You'll have a whole range of items you can use to create products.  

These print on demand companies have an order fulfillment method where items are printed as soon as an order is made without order minimums. Read on to get the details on how it works. 

Disclaimer: This page may contain affiliate links. If you use these links, I will receive a small commission. However using these links will have no affect on you or your purchase in any way.

Things You Provide as the Business Owner

With print on demand (POD), you (the business owner) can create customized designs for a variety of physical products like apparel, home decor (like the tote bag shown in the featured image) and textiles and sell them under your brand.

POD allows you to create your own custom printed products without maintaining inventory or having to invest thousands of dollars into equipment. This method has been used by companies like Amazon and Etsy since the early 2000s, but it's still relatively new in terms of small businesses.

Niche Specific Graphic Images

As an entrepreneur, you can use your creative skills and  tools like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Canva, Kittl and more to create niche specific images that are placed on the products provided by print partner companies. 

This requires the ability to perform research to see what people in your niche, (their ideal customers) are looking for, analyzing trends and data to understand which images are the best ones to create. 

If you're not a graphic designer and you're not interested in having to come up with your own designs, no worries. You can purchase images from companies like Creative Fabrica and Creative Market that you can buy for commercial use and print on demand.

There are lots of images available, all it takes is a quick Google search to find the right images for your audience. Many image suppliers provide graphic designs in a number of different formats like EPS, SVG and PNG. 

Purchasing images is a good way to get your shop up and running, enabling you to start earning money as soon as possible. 

A Product Creation Workflow

POD allows you to create your own custom printed products without maintaining inventory or having to invest thousands of dollars into equipment.

This method has been used by companies like Amazon and Etsy since the early 2000s, but it's still relatively new in terms of small businesses.

To be successful you'll also need a routine that allows you to be productive in creating and promoting your products.  That means creating images, and mock ups that you can place in your shop. You'll also need to determine which images you'll place the images on. It will be a good idea to create a written product workflow that includes all the steps needed to get your products from idea to out the door. . 

A Shop/Checkout Platform

In order to sell your products you'll need a platform that will make it easy for customers to buy from you. 

Here's How to Get Started with Print on Demand

POD is a great option for anyone who wants to make money selling their own products without maintaining inventory, expensive equipment or processing shipping.

If you're interested in selling apparel, you can do so without having to purchase expensive equipment to get started.

It's a great choice if you're a graphic designer who is already creating logos, designs and other graphics for yourself or other clients. And even if you're brand new to designing, if you're willing to learn design, print on demand can be a great way to earn while you're learning. 

Print on demand is also a great choice for those who want to work at home. If you're interested in starting an online business, consider exploring POD as an option.

There are many benefits to this business model, and it's becoming a popular way for people from all backgrounds to build full or part time income.

Here are the steps you should take to start an online business using print on demand:

Find A Niche That Has High Growth Potential

There are many different niches out there that offer high growth potential. However, some niches are more profitable than others. 

• Health and Wellness: This niche allows you to create products that help those with an interest in this topic to find products that will help them on their journey. Customers can personalize items with their names, initials, or special dates.
• Technology: Create custom designs or technology themed merchandise like t-shirts, mugs, or tote bags.
  
• Graphic Design and Illustration: If you love design, leverage your graphic design skills to offer custom prints, posters, or digital artwork that customers can order with their preferred designs or messages.
• Web Design and Development: This niche caters to entrepreneurs and businesses looking for website-related merchandise such as branded t-shirts, mouse pads, or stickers with web-related graphics.
• Small Business and Entrepreneurship: Start creating merchandise that empowers and inspires entrepreneurs. This might include motivational quotes, office supplies like cards, notebooks and journals, business-related tools, and merchandise that celebrates entrepreneurship.
  
• Authors and Writers. If you write books, you can design products centered around writing, short stories and poetry. These items can celebrate popular culture, specific book characters, specific genres, and carry humorous, sarcastic, or serious theme. You can give your products personality traits and mood you want to give them. 

Print on Demand for Books

Another idea for authors includes print on demand for books. If you're an author or an aspiring one, you can create eBooks and publish them in your store for sale.

With the explosion of Kindle books on Amazon, it's clear that there is a niche market who enjoys reading books on a device, versus flipping through the pages of a hard cover or paperback book. 

This means that you'll likely earn more per book sold when you sell ebooks. Kindle Direct Publishing is a great print on demand option if you're creating books for sale on your platform. Lulu and Barnes and Noble have eBook publishing as well. 

It's important to start a business in a niche that you enjoy so that you'll love working your business and creating products.

Building a Platform That You Own and Control

Video Training on Print on Demand

Many of the platforms you might use to sell your product like Etsy, Facebook, eCwid, etc., don't make it easy to build relationships with your customers.

As a matter of fact, communicating with customers some platforms is pretty limited. And the customers you obtain on those platforms are not your customers, unless you can get them off the platform to your list.

With Etsy, you're really limited on the extra conversations that can happen other than those that strictly related to the order. They have now integrated with aWeber and other email marketing providers to allow you to build a list. 

Once you build a list, you can promote to customers off the platform and build your own relationships.

Video: Using Print on Demand for Your Creative Business

If you're looking to start a thriving online business of your own that you control, one of the easiest ways to do so is by creating your own website. Websites allow you to build a brand and distinguish your business from the other businesses that might be selling the same items you're selling. They also allow you to promote products and services directly to customers. 

Websites provide a place to send potential customers to learn more about your business. Having a site that you own and control is an excellent way to collect leads and build relationships with prospective clients that can turn into partnerships, repeat business, referrals and more. 

We recommend building a self hosted WordPress site for your business, even if you are on platforms like Etsy, eCwid, Facebook or eBay or any of the other sites and marketplaces where you sell your products.

There are many different types of websites, such as blogs, eCommerce sites, and informational sites. Each type has its own set of tools and features. WordPress is a free open source platform that powers 43.2% of all websites on the Internet.

Here are Some Print on Demand Shirts for Sale in Our Shop

Selling items like t-shirts and coffee mugs is very profitable, because everyone uses these items. It's a matter of finding your niche and being consistent in adding new products and keeping up with trends. 

Build an Email List and Start Promoting Your Products

Once you've got a store up and running, you'll need to promote it. This means getting people to visit your site and learn more about what you offer.

One of the best ways to do this is through a combination of email marketing and social media. By attracting people to your business using social media and inviting them to sign up, you can engage with your audience by sending out emails to your list, keeping them updated on new products and promotions.

If you're looking to build an email list, there's one thing you should know before you get started: You can't just send out any old email blast and expect people to sign up. Learn more about how to get started with email marketing.

The first step in creating an email list is to create a landing page where visitors can enter their contact information. After they fill out the form, you'll be able to follow up with valuable content.

Once you've built your email list, you can promote your store through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and YouTube. These sites allow you to share content for free, which helps drive traffic back to your website.

These are the steps you should take to start a print on demand business for free. For more business building tips and resources follow us on social media using the buttons below.