This post contains sponsored content in partnership with Gelato. All opinions are 100% my own.
As an introverted artist, selling my work has never been my favorite thing. I don’t like being a salesperson. I would rather spend my time creating art and writing about it.
That said, I’ve also found the fun in print on demand. When I was running my Etsy stores, it was really cool to have people buy and enjoy my work. Making money to sustain my art supply obsession isn’t all that bad either!
So, in this post, I’m going to tell you some of my favorite print on demand platforms that I’ve used over the years and why they’ve worked for me as an artist. We’ll get into the products, print quality, whether they’re a hassle to manage – all of that good stuff.
Keep in mind that this is based on my own experiences and preferences from running Etsy stores and ordering products now. Everyone is different, so keep your own needs and workflow in mind as you’re reading this list.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you decide to purchase through my links.
1. Gelato
I discovered Gelato later in my PoD journey, and I’m bummed I missed out on their products and platform for so long.
Gelato’s selection of product categories and options only continues to grow. They have apparel, mugs, bags, photobooks, and calendars.
Calendars! Right? When I found Gelato, I started thinking about how cool it would be to use them for calendars with a different work of art on each month. You can even create custom events in your calendars.
All of Gelato’s wonderful products aside, I personally love Gelato for their wall art! I love their canvases and basic prints because they’re inexpensive, yet high quality.
The example below is their poster with a frame I personally had. They do have framed options as well.
But, if you want to get fancier with your prints, Gelato has SO many unique and beautiful options to choose from. It’s hard not to order all of them just to marvel at them.
One of the unique options I was blown away by was the acrylic print. It’s beautiful! I especially love how light shines through it to make the art pop! This would be a stunning choice for photography or colorful art.
Ok, but let’s not stop at the acrylic prints. Gelato also has aluminum prints, wood prints, foam prints, and fine art Giclée prints. What the heck is Giclée? I’m glad you asked, because it’s beyond awesome.
Standard printing uses 4 colors. Gelato’s Giclée printers use 12, which makes the colors pop more than typical digital prints.
In addition to the color quality, Gelato’s Giclée prints are serious business when it comes to resolution. Using microscopic nozzles, the Giclée printers can reach a DPI of 1200+, which is absolutely wild!
If you’re looking for a print option that will show every detail of your art in a precise and vibrant way, I definitely suggest checking out the Giclée prints. Throw in an acrylic print while you’re at it.
I have been pleased with Gelato’s print quality which, as an artist, is super important to me! Throughout my time using Gelato, their unique product offerings and quality production values have only increased. If you’re looking for a wonderful PoD partner, especially for wall art, Gelato is definitely worth checking out.
As a new customer, you’ll get 50% off your first order within the first two days of signing up!
2. Printify
If you want to put your art on a hockey puck, a shirt, shoes, swimwear, and SO much more, check out Printify.
I first fell in love with Printify when I looked at their catalog and got lost down a rabbit hole of all of their awesome products. They have a LARGE catalog with a lot of options to choose from.
If you want to see it for yourself, sign up for a free Printify account and you can experiment with putting your art on various things from dog bowls to blankets. Even when I don’t order anything, I always get a little gleeful seeing my art on unique products.
Not to mention that my pup would feel like the spoiled prince that he is if I ever got a custom dog bowl with my drawing of his face on it.
As an artist, I have so much fun with Printify. I feel like a little kid when I put my art on any number of unique products just to see what they look like and enjoy my art.
They also have a lot of options for wall art which, as an artist, is often really important to me. Canvases, wood prints, posters, and so much more.
Alright, putting the fun aside, Printify has a lot of great integrations, including Etsy, that make it work nicely with ecommerce platforms. For my Etsy store, Printify was one of my go-to platforms in large part due to the nice integration. If an order is received, it gets automatically sent to Printify for processing.
I always want to spend less time on admin and more time on art, so a good integration between a PoD provider and an ecommerce store is SO important.
Another thing about Printify that makes them unique is that they work with a number of print providers. Printify is kind of like a middleman. As an artist and seller, all of your direct work is with Printify, but Printify works with a number of providers.
When you choose a Printify product, you’ll see a list of print providers. Depending on the product, there may be a lot of providers to choose from, or just one. Scroll through the options and compare the price, ratings, production speed, shipping options, and location of each provider.
Then, choose the one that makes the most sense for you!
This is a really neat feature of Printify because many PoD providers only give you one print option per product. To be able to choose a print provider based on a number of different factors is really cool.
In my time creating products from my art, I’ve always found Printify to be fun and convenient. They have a large selection of products at competitive prices. Given their unique products and unique printing structure, I’ve found it to be a great PoD platform for my needs.
If you’re a beginner in the print on demand space, Printify has an Etsy bootcamp that can be really helpful as you’re getting started! Use my coupon ADVENTURES70 for a 70% discount on the course!
3. Printful
Printful has been another one of my go-to print on demand companies.
They have a great selection of products and an Etsy integration that I’ve always found seamless and easy to use.
While their products are on the pricier side, I’ve always valued their quality and ease of use in exchange for the price.
Like a broken record, I will say again that I understand how many artists want to spend more time creating art instead of managing orders and manually inputting addresses, names, and all of that fun info.
Well, that’s a big reason why I’ve loved Printful and their Etsy integration. They have integrations with other ecommerce platforms as well!
When the integration is set up correctly, an order comes in and is automatically swept up by Printful for processing.
Ahh, more time for art.
Those are three of my favorite print on demand platforms that I’ve used as an artist myself. They’ve been great for me and my own process!
Which brings up an important point.
Keep your own process and needs in mind.
Whichever print on demand platform you choose, make sure it’s a good fit. Order samples, get a feel for the functionalities, and make sure you’re happy with it.
Have fun and keep creating the art you love.
Diana has been an artist for over 27 years and has training in drawing, painting, digital drawing and graphic design. Diana’s latest obsession is digitally drawing with Procreate and Procreate Dreams. Diana has experience selling her art across a number of platforms and loves helping other artists learn how to make money from their art as well.