Full Disclosure – the information contained within this page is from personal experience over fifteen years of using merch and print-on-demand services under my art and illustration hat Asplenia Studios. Affiliate/referral links are provided when available, from which Asplenia Studios might receive additional compensation.
Merch… amiright?!?
With the advent of low-paying streaming services, the importance of merch and touring has become more prevalent in providing financial support to hard-working musicians like yourselves. However, merch costs money, right? Well, not always. The growth of Print-On-Demand (POD) services and Direct-To-Garment (DTG) printing has made it easier for artists to offer an almost perpetual stock of merch at zero, or very little, out-of-pocket costs to themselves. First let’s discuss the two terms above:
Print-On-Demand: Just like it sounds. Customer visits a shop, buys something, and the supplier prints it up and sends it off. Think of sites like CafePress, Redbubble, and the like. POD sites usually take a larger cut per unit fulfilled, meaning lower per-item income for you. But, on the flip side, it negates the need for storing stock on-hand, and reduces waste as items are only printed and shipped when they are wanted.
Direct-To-Garment: This is a printing technique which, at its most basic description, is an inkjet printer for clothes. DTG printing uses special fabric-friendly inks, and allows for virtually full color printing directly on shirts, hoodies, tote bags and more. The full-color component is probably the wildest difference between DTG and traditional screen-printing, which gets more expensive the more screens you use to create the illusion of full color… not that there aren’t some excellent stylistic features of screen-printing, and there is definitely a place for that in your merch arsenal.
There are some potential downsides to DTG printing, and these mostly stem from the fact that many POD companies will contract printers from around the world, so QUALITY CONTROL may vary. I have DTG shirts that are over a decade old and the print is still great, and DTG shirts that arrived and the print was blurry or with other problems. Thankfully the former is more the common experience and, at least with the services I’ll talk about below, the few times there has been a problem their customer service was great in getting it fixed.
So why POD and DTG services?
As mentioned above, they allow you to maintain a shop with dozens of merch options, with little-to-no expense. In some ways, after set-up most if not all of them are essentially passive income. They’ll do the work for you, and you just need to sit back and rake in the dough.
The one downside to this is that, in some of these instances, the website maintaining your shop also takes a cut first, so your profit may not be as high as if you had X amount shirts printed and then sold them yourself. The upside? Sometimes that cut is worth it when they’ve done almost all of the work, and you don’t need to drop hundreds on shirts that you’re not sure you’ll actually sell.
The most attractive part of many of these services is that you NEVER have to have stock on-hand, clogging up your closet, bedroom, living room, etc. They manage all of that for you.
That’s great! So where do I set this up?
While there are a lot of options online, I am going to provide info on the three(ish) that I personally use for Asplenia Studios, as well as TGEFM merch.
The first two are full-service POD providers. You don’t pay a dime to these companies and, in turn, they provide a nearly full-service experience: manage your storefront, print, ship (worldwide), process payments, etc. Your only requirements are to upload your images, set the products up, and advertise the store.
TeePublic (referral link)
TeePublic is, hands down, one of the easiest services I’ve used for uploading art, managing layout on the products, and letting the store do its thing. TeePublic intentionally has limited merch options: clothing, buttons, stickers, phone cases, and few others. Their offerings may not be as robust as others but, in some ways, that can be a good thing. Sample link of the Asplenia Studios TeePublic shop.
TeePublic pros:
- No out-of-pocket expenses- you never pay anything, and only profit when someone buys something.
- Full-service storefront and check-out process. You don’t deal with this at all.
- Excellent customer service (this is from personal experience).
- Easy and intuitive upload and merch set-up process.
- Limited merch options streamline the offerings.
- No hassle pricing: TeePublic sets the price, and your payout, for all merch options. Everyone on TP plays on a level field, and you don’t ever have to worry about adjusting prices or competing with another seller whose prices are lower.
- All newly-uploaded designs start with a 72-hour sale, along regular sales on just about everything at least twice per month.
- Global fulfillment (though not the best for som countries)
- Payouts via PayPal.
TeePublic cons:
- No hassle pricing: At an average of around $4 paid to YOU per regular t-shirt, may not be the highest revenue amongst all of the options.
- During sales, payout for each item sold is typically halved. If an item nets you $4 during regular times, you’ll only get $2 for each of that item sold during a sale.
- You have no control over sales or coupons. These are dictated by TeePublic.
- Limited merch options may not be enough for what you are looking for.
- Shipping prices, especially for single items, seems a bit high (this can be negated by 2+ purchases, etc.)
- Payouts via PayPal. If you want your money another way, you’re SOL.
Redbubble (direct link, no referral program)
Redbubble technically owns TeePublic now, but do things differently in a few important respects. The two main differences are that there are A LOT more options for merch than TeePublic. Along with the usual clothing and coffee mug options, there are socks, clocks, artboards, pet mats… the works. Sometimes a bit overwhelming. Also, you have the ability to set the payout for your products. Now, to be fair, the default price for items at Redbubble is typically a bit less than TeePublic, but that means the default payout is also considerably less. So if you increase your payout, the price of the items themselves can start getting pretty high. Sample link of the Asplenia Studios Redbubble shop.
Redbubble pros:
- No out-of-pocket expenses- you never pay anything, and only profit when someone buys something.
- Full-service store front and check-out process.
- Semi-regular sales.
- Ability to individually set your payout for each item type (eg- 20% payout for shirts, 15% payout for stickers, etc.)
- An amazingly wide-range of potential merch options.
- Redbubble is HUGE. They have huge customer base worldwide and are considered a trustworthy and quality company.
- Global fulfillment (One of the best in keeping shipping prices low by fulfilling at or near the destination).
- Payouts via PayPal or ACH Bank Deposit.
Redbubble cons:
- The upload and design process (placing and sizing the graphic on the merch) is a lot clunkier. Even though you do it on the same page, different products will pull up different design settings, which can be confusing.
- Prices can get high if you adjust for a higher payout.
- You have no control over sales or coupons. These are dictated by Redbubble.
- Too many merch options can be overwhelming. Sometimes Redbubble really tries to push some weird merch options.
Printful plus integration (referral link)
Printful is similar to Redbubble in that they have an amazingly large amount of merchandise that they can print on. The major different between Printful and TeePublic or Redbubble is that they do not run a storefront for you. Because of this, their merch costs are a lot lower because they are only taking a profit on the item + print, and aren’t also trying to defray the costs of running a bespoke webstore for you. Otherwise, fulfillment is similar. You can use Printful for yourself, printing out an order as small as a single t-shirt (basic tees + printing are less than $10 each), with bulk discounts automatically applying at certain thresholds (if you want some stock on-hand for tours, gigs, etc.). But…
Where Printful shines, though, is their direct integration with many storefronts including, but not limited to, Big Cartel, Etsy, TikTok, Storenvy, WooCommerce and more. With a small amount of set up time, you can begin creating products in Printful, and then pushing them to a storefront. When someone purchases any of these item(s), that Printful fulfills the order. (You can either choose to manually release each order for fulfillment or, better yet, in your settings select the option that allows Printful to immediately begin fulfilling orders as soon as they are placed without any action from you)
For storefronts that Printful currently doesn’t integrate with (Bandcamp, for example) you can still create merch listings and then take the extra steps to manually fulfill item orders from Printful as needed.
Printful pros:
- No upfront costs (see cons below)
- Better per item prices mean you can set a higher profit margin and still charge the same as TeePublic or Redbubble does. A single basic shirt on TeePublic or Redbubble can cost between $20-22, plus shipping, and you’ll get between $2-4 in profit. A basic shirt through Printful costs as little as under $10, meaning you can set the price for $20 plus shipping, and make $6-8 in profit.
- The ability to design a single item template, and then push it to multiple shops (for example I have shops at both Etsy and Big Cartel).
- Free plan is all you need. For big sellers there is a premium plan which gets you advanced options, lower per-unit prices, and more, but those premium plans only work when you are selling in the thousands per month.
- An amazingly wide-range of potential merch options.
- Global fulfillment (typically fulfilled in or near the customer’s country, keeping shipping costs down).
- Not a direct pro, but many shops that Printful integrates with will give you the option to control your own sales or coupons.
Printful cons:
- While you can set up product templates, pushing them to the storefronts does also rely on any given storefront’s individual processes (for example, any items pushed to Etsy still require you go to Etsy and finalize the listing, including any per-listing charges. Meanwhile Big Cartel just accepts the listing without any further work).
- Pushing products to certain storefronts, such as Etsy, also require extra legwork, typically one-time at the start, to set up shipping profiles, etc. (Printful does provide guides on this for any instances which it does not automatically set up for you).
- While there are no up-front costs for Printful, this doesn’t preclude any fees that the storefronts you integrate Printful with may charge.
- While there are no up-front costs for Printful, they DO NOT directly coordinate with the payment system of any given shops you use. Eg.- If I sell an item with shipping and handling for $25 on Big Cartel, Big Cartel will transmit that $25 to my bank account. Then, when Printful fulfills the item, they will charge me their production and shipping rates. This process is automatic after establishing billing methods on Printful, but it does mean you will still see these extra steps on your credit card or PayPal account, even though you didn’t have to take action on them.
Some may wonder why I listed Prinftul and not similar service Printify. The reason for this is that, in my experience, Printify does not provide any services that are more robust than Printful, but DOES require out-of-pocket subscription costs even at their basic tier. Printify may be useful at higher sales levels, but I’m not there just yet. Your mileage may vary.
Other trusted merch providers
While these may not be full-service POD providers, they can often be cheaper options, especially in bulk. Note that some links may be referral links, through which Asplenia Studios may receive a referral bonus.
Sticker Mule
Note: After the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, it has come to our attention that at least one of the Sticker Mule co-founders uses the official Sticker Mule communications to support and advocate for Donald Trump (and previously used their platform to spread anti-vaccine dis/misinformation).
While everyone is allowed their political affiliations, we are also allowed to choose our association with them and their companies, especially when said companies use their mailing list and social platform as a political tool. TGEFM (and Asplenia Studios) will no longer be using Sticker Mule as a sticker provider. Despite the quality of their products, we cannot support a business that attempts to mislead or distort Trump’s hateful rhetoric, and attempts to play a “victim” game.
In the interim I will be exploring similar sticker options, and will share my findings once I have tested the waters. In the meantime, here are some alternative sticker producers, all of which have been mentioned as replacements via discussions on several social media platforms. None of these are officially endorsed by TGEFM/Asplenia Studios (yet), but will hopefully provide alternatives for you to take advantage of (and let US know if you do try and like them!)
Ante Up Graphic Supply
Brick City Printing (female-owned, outspoken left-leaning)
(note- Info below is from the Brick City website. I have not used their services yet)
Pros:
– Aside from other merch, the offer a range of sticker sizes, types of sticker (white, hologram, clear), multiple coatings, and the option for slit back.
Cons:
– Minimum quantity of 50 stickers.
– Like discount airlines, extras like matte coating or slit-back cost more per unit.
– No readily available site-wide deals.
CommonWealth Press
Death by Stickers
I have fulfilled several orders through DbS. The quality of the stickers was acceptable, and delivery was quick. Note that Death By Stickers and Hub City Slaps appear to use the same uploader system, albeit with slightly different features. See the Pros/Cons below for more info on that.
Pros:
– VERY LOW minimum quantity (10 units).
– Low per unit pricing, even at a single item quantity.
– Uploader system’s options for cut line placement seem more refined than Hub City Slaps’ (see below).
– FREE S&H on orders over $100
Cons:
– Uploader system is automated and doesn’t appear to allow for a lot of fine-tuning.
– Must accept immediate “digital proof” before ordering. So if you have special instructions, you probably need to reach out direct first.
– Not a major negative, but don’t seem to provide a clear sticker option
Hub City Slaps
I have fulfilled two orders through Hub City. The quality of the stickers was acceptable, and delivery was quick. Note that Hub City and Death By Stickers appear to use the same uploader system, albeit with slightly different features. See the Pros/Cons below for more info on that.
Pros:
– NO minimum quantity
– Low per unit pricing, even at a single item quantity
– FREE S&H on orders over $20
Cons:
– Uploader system is automated and doesn’t appear to allow for a lot of fine-tuning.
– Must accept immediate “digital proof” before ordering. So if you have special instructions, you probably need to reach out direct first.
– Uploader system’s options for cut line placement seem looser than Death By Sticker’s (see above).
– Not a major negative, but don’t seem to provide a clear sticker option
Jakprints
MakeStickers
Rockin Monkey
Rockin Stickers
Standout Stickers
Stickerguy (apparently by a punk, for the punks?)
StickerJunkie
StickerPrintGo
StickerWolf
Sticker App (Swiss company, but free shipping to USA)
The Sticky Brand
Pros:
– Regularly run great deals
– Wide selection of sticker types and options
– Quality print
Cons:
– From experience, needs A LOT of lead time. Shipment emails will be sent to the customer, but it is really only when the shipping label was created. Across three separate orders, the package was not picked up from The Sticky Brand until 4-5 days later. ORDER WELL IN ADVANCE!
– Advertise that they offer small quantity batches, but I’ve only ever experienced a minimum of 100 to start an order.
Personal experience (negative):
(This pertains to stickers with cut lines) Either automated system is too basic, or a sticker “professional” couldn’t follow instructions. I provided clear instructions on cutlines* but, after a single attempt at a proof, Sticky Brand came back with “We are unable to fulfill your request due to our pre production and production requirements to ensure quality cutlines. Apologies for any inconvenience. Please send along your final approval or let us know how you’d like to proceed. Thank you!” Sticky Brand made no effort to understand my request, and was all too quick to cancel the order and process a refund instead of keeping my business.
* A simple request: instead of the cutline following the contour of the bottom of the sticker, I wanted it to extend straight across. Sticky Brand’s uploader tool does not easily allow the uploader to define this themselves.
Sticker Giant
Sticker Invasion
Sticker Ninja
Sticker Robot
Sticker You
Vinyl Disorder
Stupid Rad Merch Co.
By a punk, for the punks. This is a 100% small business creating stickers, screen-printed shirts, and more. They do quality work, and have great customer service.
Stupid Rad pros:
- Supporting small businesses.
- Usually best prices on bulk orders.
Stupid Rad cons:
- Up-front costs, stock on-hand.
- Bulk orders.
