What is Printify and How Does It Work in A Nutshell

Many new sellers hear about Printify and picture a single printing factory. Have you ever wondered at Printify, who actually prints the products, how orders get fulfilled, or how it differs from Shopify and Printful? In this blog, you'll walk through "what is Printify and how does it work?". And more, why it can become a comforting, reliable partner as you bring your custom creations to life. Keep reading to get the full scoop on this company with Teeinblue!

What is Printify?

Printify Meaning

Printify (Printify, Inc.) is a company in the print-on-demand (POD) industry that helps merchants produce and ship custom products without holding inventory. Instead of printing items itself, Printify acts as a print-on-demand fulfillment platform, connecting sellers with a large network of third-party printing partners who handle production and delivery.

Over the years, it grew into one of the world's leading print-on-demand platforms, offering merchants a simple way to turn designs into physical products. Its vast network of 140+ printing partners has completed about 60 million orders delivered to 209 countries and territories.

Printify was founded in 2015 in Riga, Latvia, by James Berdigans, who now serves as the Founder and Executive Chairman. The current address is 108 West 13th Street, Wilmington, Delaware, US.

News: In November 2024, Printify merged with Printful, marking a major milestone for the print-on-demand industry. This merger allows Printify's fulfillment network to reach even more regions by adding Printful's facilities. It also expands Printify's catalog with more high-quality products.

Printify is a POD company that connects merchants with local fulfillment facilities

What Does Printify Do?

Printify connects eCommerce and print-on-demand store owners with a global network of print providers to automatically handle order fulfillment, printing, and delivery. It allows entrepreneurs to design and sell custom products with zero upfront investment or inventory risk.

As of November 2025, here is what Printify does:

• Largest product catalog: Over 1300 customizable products across categories like clothing, accessories, homeware, and more.
• Global delivery: International shipping to most countries, with average delivery times as fast as 3-5 days in the US.
• Brand customization: Ability to add logos, brand colors, and personalized packaging inserts to orders.
• Printify dashboard: A centralized platform for managing stores, orders, payments, and more.
• Product Creator: Design tools with thousands of free design templates and 300 million Shutterstock images for creating custom designs.
• Free Mockup Generator: High-quality product visualizations with customizable backgrounds.
• AI Image Creator: Smart features to turn text prompts into unique stunning designs.
• E-commerce integrations: Quick connection to 10 popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Etsy.

Printify also offers a Pop-Up store to sell directly on its platform. The store name is in [store-name].printify.me format.

Printify provides print-on-demand services

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How Does Printify Work?

Printify works as a connector between merchants, print providers, and customers, making the entire POD process run smoothly. When an order comes in, Printify automatically forwards it to a selected printing partner, who then prints the design on a white-label product, packages it, and ships it directly to the buyer. This streamlined workflow lets you focus on creating and selling while Printify manages the production and delivery behind the scenes.

1. Receive Orders From POD Merchants

Print-on-demand merchants can create a pop-up store on their website or connect their existing e-commerce store to their Printify account. They then add custom designs to Printify's products and publish them to their store for customers to purchase.

When an order comes, merchants will send it to Printify for fulfillment (production and shipping). This company enables them to have orders sent to Printify manually or automatically after a set time. It charges sellers for the product cost and shipping immediately after receiving an order.

The process of selling Printify's products

2. Print Custom Designs on White-label Products

Once a merchant sends an order for fulfillment, the selected print partner will print the custom design on the corresponding product. The average production time is 2-5 days in the US and Canada and 3-8 days in Europe and other regions.

Printify has a network of over 140 print partners across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, and European countries. These partners use various printing methods such as all-over-print (AOP), direct-to-garment (DTG), direct-to-film (DTF), and more.

Notes: When merchants add a Printify product, they can select a print provider, which will process orders from that product.

Printify works with a lot of local print locations

3. Package Orders

After printing, Printify's partners package orders securely. Merchants can opt for custom-branded packaging by taking advantage of Printify's branding services:

• Packaging inserts: Add branded cards, flyers, or vouchers from $0.15.
• Gift messages: Include a personalized gift message from $0.15.

4. Ship Orders to End Buyers

Printify partners with major carriers like USPS, UPS, DHL, and regional providers to ship orders globally and fast. It offers several shipping options:

• Economy (from $3.99): The most affordable option with 4-8 days (*) in the US.
• Standard (from $4.75): A balanced option, 2-5 days shipping in the US and 10-30 days internationally.
• Express ($7.99): Faster shipping within 2-3 days in the US.
• Priority (custom price): The quickest option with 2-3 days in the US and 3-5 days internationally.

The company's Order Routing system automatically reroutes orders to available partners during production delays, ensuring faster fulfillment.

(*): Duration is business day

Printify's delivery partners

Differences Between Printify, Shopify, and Printful

Printify often gets compared to platforms like Shopify, but the two serve completely different roles in your business. Shopify gives you the storefront and tools to sell print-on-demand products, while the Printify app provides a solution to handle the production and fulfillment behind the scenes. Together, they form a complete selling system, not competing services. The same idea applies when comparing Printify with Etsy, Amazon, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, etc.

When merchants compare Printify with Printful, the difference comes down to how fulfillment is handled. Printful prints everything in its own facilities for consistent quality control, whereas Printify connects sellers to a broad network of third-party print providers.

Finally, some print-on-demand services operate similarly to Printify by using a partner network. Platforms like Gooten or Gelato also rely on multiple global suppliers rather than owning factories, offering diverse catalogs. These shared models give merchants more freedom to choose fulfillment partners based on quality, cost, or shipping times.

A Shopify store sells a personalized Printify ornament

FAQs: Printify What It Is

1-What is Printify Used for?

Printify is primarily used by online merchants to sell customized print-on-demand products. With Printify, merchants can easily add a wide range of customizable products to their e-commerce stores and have Printify print, package, and ship orders.

2-How Much Does It Cost to Use Printify in 2025?

Printify is free to use. You can create an account, design products, connect your store, and start selling without any upfront cost. You only pay when a customer places an order, covering the product's base price and shipping. Printify also offers an optional paid plan, Printify Premium, which gives you discounts on product costs for higher profit margins.

Printify is free to start with a Free subscription

3-Is Printify Good?

Yes, Printify is a good option for many POD sellers because it offers flexible pricing, a wide product catalog, and multiple print providers to choose from. Its supplier network gives you more control over profit margins and production locations compared to platforms with in-house printing. The trade-off is that quality and delivery times can vary between partners, so testing suppliers is essential. Overall, Printify works well for merchants who want variety, affordability, and room to scale.

In conclusion, what is Printify? It's a global print-on-demand solution that empowers merchants to easily sell customized products without handling production or fulfillment. With a vast product range, seamless e-commerce integrations, and reliable international shipping, Printify simplifies the POD process from start to finish.

More About Printify

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