@moneywithmak

STARTER GUIDE

print on
demand
for beginners
 INTRO
DUCTION
WHAT IS PRINT ON DEMAND?
Print on Demand is a business model that you can start from anywhere
in the world selling products online without physically creating them
yourself, holding inventory, or even shipping them out!
This process is low risk and has little to no start-up costs making it
PERFECT for beginners!

How does this work? You will be partnering up with a supplier of

white-label products (like T-shirts, mugs, baseball hats, tote bags, etc.)
to customize those products and sell them on a per-order basis under
your own brand and with your own designs.

You don’t pay for the cost of the product until after you’ve actually sold
it, so there’s no need to buy in bulk or hold any inventory yourself.
This is an automated process once your store is synced with your print
provider! Means you sit back and watch the profits come in

Here is a chart to better help you understand if you're more of a visual

learner like me!

1.) Customer 2.) Order goes

places order to the POD
from your store supplier

3.) Supplier
5.) Items get 4.) Supplier packages creates your
your
:)

shipped directly to the item(s) design items by placing

the customer here your artwork
your
design onto them
here

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 SO WHAT DO I
HAVE TO DO?

understanding your role as a POD seller

as a Print on demand seller, you will be responsible for a

few things in your store! Basically, what you need to do is
make a design, put it onto a product, and then start selling
it. I don't want to paint the picture that this is "easy"
however, once your products are listed and your store is
set up, this will require very minimal effort on your end.
Here is a list of things you will be required to do as a seller.
You can always outsource these things later on when your
shop is making consistent sales! :)

Create winning designs

Uploading your designs on products digitally
Creating your brand/Ecom store
Upkeeping your store
Overseeing your store and print provider be aware of price
changes, shipping delays, order cancellations, etc
Taking care of customer service in your shop
The promotion of your product via ads or social media marketing

1
 PRINT PROVIDERS
HOW TO CHOSE THE RIGHT ONE?

Choosing a print provider can feel a bit overwhelming because

it is an important step in the process! They will be doing a big
chunk of your business for you! My best advice for this is to do
your research! Look over the key factors I have listed below on
each provider's website that you're interested in! Ordering a
sample can also be a good idea to ensure you're happy with
the quality of the products/printing!

PRODUCTS AVAILABLE CUSTOMER SERVICE

You want to choose a provider with If something goes wrong with an order you
many product variants and options want to make sure the provider Is there for
you anytime to assist with a problem

QUALITY PRODUCTS PRODUCT/ SHIPPING COSTS

The provider must have quality The products need to be affordable so
machinery and clean warehousing to you are able to sell them with markup
create your products and still make a consistent profit

UNIQUE FEATURES INTEGRATION OPTIONS

Meaning marketing help, designing Which E-commerce platforms can
within the platform, and mockups you connect your store to? most
available for you to use. common are Etsy & Shopify
 Here are some common print providers
that I have personally used!
There are many options out there but I only
want to share ones I have had experiences
with myself to better help you decide!

Fast production time & shipping

Multiple sourced print shop locations
(great for international sellers)
Pricing is cheaper compared to other providers
Integrates with multiple Ecom platforms
Free to use !
Tons of product options ranging from shirts,
no order minimums
candles, baby items, puzzles, etc
Premium subscription available for
Many product variants are available (sizes &
product discounts at $29 a mo
colors)
sign up for Printify
Customer service available via chat & email

Very consistent with product print quality

Multiple warehouse locations
(all of which are owned & operated by Printful)
Many product options are available such as
clothing, mugs & tumblers, hats, swimsuits, etc.
AOP ( all over print) and embroidery are available
Pricing is fair (some items are priced higher than
other providers) Free to use!
Will hold returned items for you in the warehouse no order minimums
Integrates with MANY ecom platforms like Etsy, Printful Pro subscription
Shopify, Wix & more available for $49 a mo
Customer service is fast and available by chat sign up for Printful

Multiple sourced print shop locations around

the world (33 countries!)
Unique products such as wallpaper, photo
books & calendars
Great options for Art prints (perfect if you're
Free to use! an artist looking to sell your work!)
no order minimums Fast shipping internationally
Gelato plus subscription Good print quality
available for $15 a mo Designing available within the platform(with
plus subscription)
sign up for gelato
Customer service available
 STEP 2:

CREATING
YOUR STORE
SO IF YOU WANT TO SELL POD PRODUCTS,
YOU'RE GOING TO NEED A STORE!

This store is what will be integrated with your print provider so that orders
will automatically be transferred over and be fulfilled to your customer
Two options for your store:

One option is to sell on an E-commerce platform! This will be beneficial to

beginners as these platforms have millions of customers coming to them
daily looking for items and have the intent to make purchases which can
mean less marketing for you!
That being said, selling on a platform like so will require you to pay monthly
or per-order fees as part of selling on their site.
examples of E-commerce sites:
Etsy, Redbubble, Amazon, Society 6

Another option is to sell on your very own website!

This is going to be better for your business long term as you will not be
paying as many fees and you will have more creative freedom towards
branding and marketing your store.
The downside, however, you have to drive all of the eyes and traffic to your
store on your own! This is still completely possible but it may be better
down the line when you have a bit more experience.
Examples of Website hosts:
Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce

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 MY TWO CHOICES
IF CREATING
YOUR OWN
WEBSITE:
I recommend Shopify
Easy & fast setup for beginners
(many helpful videos and tutorials
are available on the site)
Professional-looking stores with so
many theme options. You basically
fill in your website's info into
templates and boom- store!
So many apps available to help
you optimize your store
apps for marketing, reviews,
email lists, customer service &
so much more.
Great for long term as the
monthly cost is low for
everything you're getting using
Shopify
Shopify free trial
IF SELLING
ON AN ECOM
PLATFORM
I recommend Etsy
Get eyes on your products
with less marketing
Etsy has more than 81.9
million active buyers!
Fast & Easy to setup and
maintain your store.
You can do it in a day!
Will push your listings in
search results organically
without paying for ads
Its only .20 a listing to list a
product on Etsy
Purchase Protection
Program for Sellers
which can help protect you
from chargebacks, refunds
& more ( see policies on
Etsy seller handbook)
Etsy signup (free listings)
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STEP 3:

PICKING
A NICHE
Do you need a niche for your store?
In my experience, yes!

Having a solid niche is the KEY to seeing

success with print on demand. It is going to
help you establish a loyal customer base,
and stand out against the competition in a
potentially saturated market.

Targeting a specific niche can also result in

an increase in sales because people
searching for products you sell have
narrowed down their interest to a specific
item and have an intent to buy. Niche Think of a niche as a focused area of products-
marketing will help you attract the right
people easier making your marketing and It is a specialized market that attracts a specific
engagement much more effective.
Having a niche-specific store is so much
more beneficial for long-term branding
as well. If someone likes an item they see
of yours and click on your store to
purchase or browse more, they will be
excited to see all the products you have
to offer in a niche they're interested in!
Now if your store is loaded with a bunch
of random products, this is confusing to
the buyer and can come off looking
unprofessional.
So what exactly is a niche?
like your store's theme!
audience by interest
In print on demand, your niche is a select
range of products you will offer that appeal to a
focused customer base. So instead of having a
bunch of random designs offered on products
in your store, you're sticking to a specific
interest/idea.
For example, your niche could be Veganism. So
products being offered in your store would be
appealing to those who want to purchase items
aimed toward vegan and plant-based diets.
HOW DO I PICK A NICHE?
Step 1: BRAINSTORM IDEAS
Think of 5 things that interest you and write them
down. These can be hobbies, passions, topics, etc.
you should have some knowledge of the topics so you
can better optimize your art & store!

STEP 2: RESEARCH THE MARKET

Now take the topics you have written down and begin
researching them online. I recommend the following websites
googletrends.com- shows google search vol
googleadwords.com- google search tool
erank.com- Etsy competition/trend tool
salesamurai.io- Etsy competition/ trend tool
On these websites, you will be able to see the current and past
trends when you type in your niche ideas

Step 3: DECIDE YOUR NICHE

After looking into your niche ideas, ask yourself this
Is there enough demand for this topic?
Is there a clear market for this?
Do I feel I can create a store around this?
Is this niche specific enough? can I get even more
specific? ex. Topic-Dog
Niche it down to Dalmatian's
 HOW DO I
MAKE
DESIGNS?
There are a bunch of different ways you can go about creating
designs for print on demand! Even if you don't consider yourself to
be a designer at all! I'm going to give you options to consider!

BEST APPS & TOOLS TO CREATE DESIGNS:

Canva Placeit
free or paid version great for beginners
easy for beginners pre-made templates
user friendly user friendly
elements available lots of graphics & fonts
Canva Free Trial Placeit Free Trial

Adobe Illustrator Procreate

best for those with more
best for those with more
design experience
design experience
great for creating your
great for creating your
own illustrations
own graphics & icons
requires an iPad
$20.99 a month $9.99

other software & tools:

PicMonkey Creative Fabrica
Gimp(free) GoDaddy Studio app
Inkscape(free) WordSwag App
CHAPTER NAME
KNOWING WHAT TO DESIGN
RESEARCH
Researching what kind of designs in your niche are

DESIGN INSPO
already selling is a great way to understand your target
market better!
Pay attention to colors, themes, quotes, etc!
You can do this by looking up your niche on Etsy,
Pinterest, google, ect,

TAKE INSPIRATION
it's awesome to use other artists' and sellers' work as
inspiration! but the keyword is getting inspired!
NOT COPYING!
Etsy sellers take time In creating, designing, posting, and
making their products so copying them Is unethical and can be
very Illegal! Take this seriously and do not just copy and paste
someone's design. This can result In a lawsuit, a shop shut
down, or a forever Etsy ban.

see here:
same idea but a
different concept

1
 What if I don't
want to make my
own designs?
Can you still do POD without making your own designs?...
YES! YOU CAN
Not everyone wants to be a designer and that's totally okay! here are
some options if you are looking to purchase designs for your products

01 03
HIRE AN ARTIST TEMPLATES ON PLACEIT
you can use websites like
Previously mentioned above, Placeit is a
Upwork or Fiverr to hire a graphic
great tool to use for pre-made design
designer!
templates that you can literally make in 2
You would let them know your vision for
seconds, download, and use for your
the design & they will bring it to life! both
products!
websites are free to browse on and have
Commercial license included!
many price options for designers
My youtube tutorial for how to do this

02 04
BUY DESIGNS ON ETSY
There are many designs you can USE CREATIVE MARKET
purchase already made by artists on
Similar to option 2, you can purchase
Etsy! Simply search on Etsy for your
art & designs from Creative Market to
niche + png or jpeg file. ex search: "dog
sell on your POD products.
mom png" so many options come up! Creative
Here is a link to their website:
Some Etsy shop owners will have an Market
option for custom stuff too!

Important things to note about designing & purchasing designs:

you need to be sure you have the proper licensing to any graphics, fonts, images, etc.
you want to use to sell on products.
This also means you need to be aware of using any trademarked photos or phrases. The best
way to be sure you're doing this legally is by checking with whichever website you're designing
or purchasing from- licensing page. If you purchase from an independent artist, be sure you
have established the terms of use for the graphics before you make the purchase!

for trademarks : you can use this website to look up phrases or designs: trademark lookup
 PAYMENT
INFO
How do POD
payments work?
With POD you will only be paying for an you charge your production
item as it sells! This means that no money cusutomer $20 product cost $5
is coming out of your pocket to purchase a you keep the $15 in between
product unless you sell one first!

You will need to use a credit card or similar form of payment to store with your
print provider! This way when you receive an order, the card you have on file will
be charged the production price immediately and automatically fulfill the
customers order quickly
This is the best way to have a passive print on demand store!

If you do not have a credit card or do not want to have payments taken out this
way, On most POD print provider's websites such as Printify & Printful you have
the option to load money into a wallet and obtain a balance instead of having
your card charged every time
Alternatively, you could wait until you receive funds from Etsy or your website
into your bank account to then pay for the orders individually but please note
this will take more time & effort on your part

I recommend having a separate bank account or credit card if possible for this
process to help keep your finances on track!

Gelato Payment info Printify Payment info Printful Payment info

 MARKETING
STRATEGY
FOR POD HOW DO I MARKET MY
PRODUCTS AND STORE?
The most important part about selling products is making sure they
are seen by a potential customer!
If nobody knows your products exist... you won't make a sale.

Marketing is often one of the things that newer sellers get the most
caught up on and often set aside because it seems like a lot of work.
The biggest thing you can do to help yourself with this is come up with
a realistic marketing strategy & plan that you will be able to be
consistent with. I'm going to share some of my best marketing tips
with you so you can come up with a strategy that works for you!

SEO
with POD in general, you’re competing against a
lot of other sellers. It’s important to make sure
your listings are done right, and equally important
to use tools that can help you with this process
and find the items that people are looking for so
search engine optimization that you can be targeting the correct buyers.
SEO IS CRUCIAL IF YOU WANT
TO BUILD A SUCCESSFUL Websites I recommend for keywords:
PRINT-ON-DEMAND BUSINESS
Sale Samurai eRank.com google keywords
code: Mak20 for 20% off)

1
social media marketing
don't let it intimidate you! its not as difficult as you think

I recommend choosing one of the following platforms to focus

on mainly when you're first starting out! Give your full attention
to one account and then once you begin getting traffic to that
account try out another platform!

INSTAGRAM TIKTOK
Create a business IG account with your logo Create a separate Tiktok
as the profile photo
account
Make sure your business is linked in the bio
Post short-form video content
Post at least 1 story & 1 post a day that is
relatable to your niche of your products (you can do
Use #'s in your posts that are relevant to this by ordering samples and
your niche taking videos or working with
Follow accounts that are interested in your
UGC creators
niche
Utilize IG reels!! -they work
Post a video daily
Link in bio to your website

Pinterest
Create a business account
Link your website in bio
Use SEO keywords in your
bio & title
Post pins & tag your website
on them (1-2 a day!)
Repost Tiktok's to Pinterest
as idea pins
Pinterest marketing
tutorial
 HOW DO I GET
CONTENT FOR
MARKETING ?
This is one of my most asked
questions! let's break it down
because you have options!

CREATE YOUR OWN HIRE SOMEONE

Feeling creative? order sample
products from your print
supplier & take your own
pictures & video content!
Pros: creative freedom, hop on
trends quickly, low cost
Cons: time-consuming, may
require equipment, editing
If creating content isn't your thing, you
can hire someone to create it for you!
This is typically called UGC and you can
find content creators on websites like
Fiverr or Upwork to do it for you!
Pros: fast & easy, less work for you
Cons: costs $, can take time to receive the
content, will need to provide the product

WORK WITH USE WEBSITES

INFLUENCERS
Influencer marketing is a great way to get
your products on the eyes of your exact
target audience. You can find influencers
that are willing to create and post
content on their platforms showcasing
your products.
Pros: great marketing, high ROIs,
targeted audience reached
Cons: costly, time-consuming to find the
right influencer, negotiating
You can find videos that are pre-
made mockups on websites!
I like to use Placeit.net as they have a
few POD mockup videos. Best for
mugs & accessories. There are also
options like Minta.com, & inVideo
Pros: you don't need to order the
products or take content
Cons: small selection, not as creative
Placeit Free Trial

CHAPTER NAME
 HOW TO PRICE
MY PRODUCTS
The entire point of doing POD is to make a profit right? So how you price your
items is very important! Deciding on a product price also will affect how well your
online store performs among competitors.
It is important to consider a few factors when coming up with the perfect price!
Those include...
Design Costs
Production Cost
Shipping Cost
Platform Cost

DESIGN COSTYOUR HOURLY RATE x HOURS SPENT ON THE DESIGN = DESIGN PRICE
Take into consideration how much it costs to create designs. are
you paying a subscription monthly to design? Are you hiring a
designer? What is the cost when it comes to how many designs you
will be making/buying

PRODUCTION COST
This is the cost of the products you're purchasing from the print
provider. How much does it cost for the product you want to sell?
Can you still price it fairly while making a profit?
You can see product costs on your print provider's website

SHIPPING COST PRODUCT COST + SHIPPING RATE = RETAIL PRICE W/FREE SHIPPING
The shipping price will vary based on your product, fulfillment location, and
end destination. It's important to consider offering free shipping to your
customers as this will make them much more likely to purchase from you!
You can raise your product's price by hiding your shipping cost while offering the
customer free shipping. Be sure you're calculating correctly to avoid losing out on
profits

PLATFORM COSTS
Don't forget about platform costs! This would be listing fees, monthly
subscriptions, or transaction fees! Check whichever website or platform you're
using to make sure you factor this into your profit margins.
 LEGAL INFO

Understanding the legal side of an online business can be tricky!

Especially because it can apply differently to everyone depending
on your location, time of establishment, and so much more! I
always recommend you get professional help to better assist you
in this but I will share some information regarding this topic
based on my own personal experience and knowledge!

if you're located in the USA like me, I recommend

considering the idea of an LLC.
An LLC is a Limited Liability Company.
This will help to protect your business assets from your
personal, allow you to open a business bank account, save
money on taxes, and much more!

WHEN SHOULD I
REGISTER FOR AN LLC?
If your store is brand new and you haven't made a single sale yet, you
may not need to register your business yet!
Keep track of the progress in your business and see if your business
continues to grow or at least continues at the same rate before getting an
LLC. It is important to have it once you're receiving consistent sales!
However, the decision is yours when it comes to timing!

Disclaimer:
Just as a reminder, I am not formally licensed to give tax or legal information. All info here is based on my
personal experiences and you should always contact a professional when handling any legal information 1
 STORE SETUP
Checklist
important things to remember when setting up your store!
This applies to both Etsy shops & websites (Shopify,wix)
Shop Necessities
About section (shop info, location, etc.)
Shop policies ( return & exchanges)
Updated production times
Listed shipping times
Featured items on the home page
(Top 4 featured for Etsy listings)
FAQ section
Shop Reviews ( if using Shopify I
recommend the app Loox)
if you're an Etsy seller you will need to
make sales to curate reviews. I
recommend asking a friend or family
member to purchase from your to get
your first review!
Link your bank account info to be paid
Listings/ Products
Consistent product photos ( good quality,
mockups are consistent, have at least
5 photos per product)
Specific niche products - should look neat
and have a clear picture of what you're
selling. Not recommended to have
different niches in your store
Informative but short & to the point
descriptions
Branding
Logo (create it free on Canva)
Shop Name & Domain
Shop Banner ( if using Etsy)
About me section including a photo
of you or something that represents
your store
Overall Aesthetic & themed color
scheme ( I recommend muted but
trendy colors that are relevant to
your niche)
other notes:
Shopify has many themes to choose
from on their platform that you can
easily customize & brand to your liking
Etsy banner templates can be purchased
on Etsy & edited easily in Canva
Don't get overwhelmed- there are so
many resources available!
It doesn't need to be perfect in the
beginning you can always go back & edit!
 BONUS
TIPS & TRICKS
Don't run ads on your store right away! Paid ads can be a great
investment if you have the capital but it's best to be sure the items you're
selling have a demand before putting any money into them.
For example, if you're selling on Etsy and your listing has a few sales and
gets a bunch of favorites, this could be an item you would want to run an
ad on!

Use creative mock-up photos! People are more likely to make a purchase
when they can picture themselves with an item. Use mockup photos that
showcase the product you are selling from multiple angles and scenarios.
If you're selling a mug, show a person using the mug in your listing photos
I get my mock-ups from Placeit & Etsy!

Use your designs on multiple products! You can take a design you made
and place it on multiple different POD products to sell. Don't think just
because you're selling a design on a mug that you can't sell it on a
notebook... you totally can! heres my mockup tutorial video

Branding is EVERYTHING! You can buy premade branding logos and

templates on Etsy or Creative Market to help you keep your stores looking
sleek and professional! The smallest things can make the biggest
difference! Trust me :)

Don't overstimulate the customer! This is something I wish I had known

before starting POD. Don't have too many variants or options on a listing.
For example, if you're selling a hoodie and want to offer multiple colors,
don't have the option for 10 colors its just way too many. This causes
doubt/decisions and can make it so the customer has too much time to
think about the purchase and then they don't end up buying. Create a
duplicate listing with the other color options instead

Check your spelling! now, this may seem silly to say but double-check your
spelling on any designs you plan to sell! (I once was selling a sweatshirt on
'Etsy with a typo for months before I realized.) When a customer informed
me I was so embarrassed! Double check everything, every time!!

BE PATIENT! Don't give up if things don't take off right away. This has
potential and is a learning curve! Start off with an open mind and keep
optimizing and making your products and store better. Instant success
doesn't exist! Plant the seeds to then watch them grow :)
 I HOPE THIS
HELPED!
THANKS SO MUCH FOR CHECKING OUT THIS
GUIDE! I REALLY HOPE IT WAS HELPFUL TO YOU :)

Mak
If you're new here, I'm Mak! (the one who wrote this guide!)
I am a self-taught e-commerce seller & entrepreneur. I love being
able to share my knowledge and skills with other like-minded people!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this guide. I hope you are
feeling more confident about POD and have a better understanding
on how to get started!
03
don't forget!
I have a Youtube Channel with step
by step video tutorials! Let's connect!
click the icons
MY YOUTUBE @moneywithmak
 POD Starter Guide for Beginners
The most important things to know about having and operating a print-on-demand business
Copyright © 2022 Makayla Piluso
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