How To Sell Print-On-Demand T-Shirts: 7-Step navigator

Every year, fashion brands generate billions of dollars from t-shirts. Their universal appeal and endless design options make tees a excellent selection for starting a business.

The best t-shirt businesses discover ways to stand out in a crowded economy. Whether through additional expense materials, original graphics, or an irresistible brand, you’ll require to differentiate your products from the rest.

An accessible way to enter this industry is by selling print-on-demand t-shirts. This way allows you to commence your business with minimal costs and period.

Here are seven steps to assist you make your shirts and launch your online store.

Ready to commence your business? make your website today or discover more about Shopify’s tools for selling online and in person.

How to sell print-on-demand t-shirts (7 steps)

1. discover your t-shirt niche
2. make your store
3. Pick a print-on-demand app and products
4. make t-shirt designs
5. Add products to your store
6. Add sales channels
7. schedule your marketing schedule

1. discover your t-shirt niche

To successfully sell online as a tiny business, you require a niche. A niche is a defined set of customers with specific interests and needs. For example, the athleisure niche targets consumers looking for workout clothing that also functions as everyday wear.

With so many t-shirt options available to consumers, distinctive t-shirts that resonate with a niche spectators can make all the difference. commence by researching existing businesses to identify economy gaps—this will assist you spot opportunities where your designs can stand out and serve an unmet customer require.

When you’ve pinpointed a niche, use your research into customer interests and behaviors to develop a buyer persona. Personas are fictional descriptions of your ideal customers, and they can navigator you as you make your store, hone your brand, and craft messages that connect with your spectators.

2. make your store

After you’ve found a niche, the next step is to make a place to sell your t-shirts. For most businesses, this means building an online store.

Shopify is a popular selection for entrepreneurs and clothing designers, because it allows you to easily construct a store and connect your favorite print-on-demand app. This makes it straightforward to list your products for sale and send orders to your print-on-demand associate for fulfillment.

To commence building your store, pursue this enterprise navigator.

You’ll commence by setting up basic elements of your store, including:

• Store name and domain address
• Store theme and appearance
• Homepage and menu navigation
• Checkout settings

Store name and domain

Choose a name for your store and register a domain. discover a relevant name with an available domain for your website using the free business name generator.

Store theme

The correct store theme can make your store visually appealing and user-amiable. Choose a theme that you can easily customize later as you construct a brand around your t-shirt designs.

Navigation and basic pages

Next, make your initial pages, such as a homepage and a page outlining your shipping policy.

Your shipping and returns policies will require to align with the terms provided by your print-on-demand supplier, so you may desire to wait until you’ve chosen a provider before finalizing this page.

Checkout

Configure your checkout so customers can pay for their tees. If you’re using Shopify, you can receive advantage of one-click checkout features to streamline the procedure and make it as straightforward as feasible for your customers.

Once you’ve established these basic elements of your store, you can shift on to finding a print-on-demand associate and creating your first products. When your shirts are ready, profit to your store to import them and add any final touches.

3. Pick a print-on-demand app and products

Every print-on-demand service offers a different range of products, design tools, and shipping options. You’ll desire to select a service that stocks the types of t-shirts your customers adore, provides customization options that align with your design imagination, and can produce and ship your shirts efficiently to satisfy your customers.

Most popular print-on-demand providers propose apps that integrate with Shopify. 

Consider experimenting with multiple providers to view which offers the best service for your business. Once you’ve chosen a print-on-demand service, pursue the app’s instructions to integrate it with your store.

Below are some of the most popular print-on-demand apps used by Shopify merchants. Check out the types of t-shirts each app offers, along with design options, and production times:

• Apliiq
• Teelaunch
• Printify
• Printful
• Teeinblue

Apliiq

Apliiq specializes in apparel, offering a wide selection of t-shirts, long sleeves, hoodies, and sweatshirts. Choose from a range of colors and materials to match your brand.

In addition to screen printing, Apliiq provides customization options including private labeling, woven tags, embroidery, and patches, allowing you to make a truly distinctive product. You can order samples without minimum requirements and access discounts by bulk ordering.

• Brands include: Comfort Colors, Hanes, recent Era, Nike.
• Fits include: Crew neck, cropped, lightweight, pocket tee.
• Materials include: Cotton, dryblend, heavy cotton, jersey, polyester.
• Customization options: Digital printing, embroidery, labeling, screen printing.
• Average fulfillment period: Two business days.
• Mockup generator: Yes.

Teelaunch

Teelaunch stocks men’s, women’s, and unisex t-shirts, tank tops, long-sleeve tees, and sweatshirts. Their collection features options for youth, toddlers, and babies, with a variety of colors and sizes available.

Teelaunch provides a user-amiable platform for creating distinctive designs. Although the app does not propose free samples, first-period users can advantage from a discount on their initial order.

• Brands include: Canvas, Champion, District, Gildan.
• Fits include: Cropped, long sleeve, tank, V-neck.
• Materials include: Cotton, polyester.
• Customization options: All-over printing, direct-to-garment printing.
• Average fulfillment period: Four to 12 business days.
• Mockup generator: Yes.

Printify

Printify offers an extensive catalog of print-on-demand products, including a wide selection of t-shirts, tank tops, and hoodies. With more than 850 products available, you can discover various styles and colors to suit your brand.

With a network of more than 90 printers worldwide, you can reach a global spectators while viewing average fulfillment times for each supplier. You can also order samples to ensure the standard of your products before listing them for sale. 

• Brands include: Adidas, American Apparel, Fruit of the Loom, Sport-Tek.
• Fits include: Crew neck, tall, unisex, V-neck.
• Materials include: Cotton, heavyweight, polyester, tri-blend.
• Customization options: All-over print, embroidery, gift messages, inserts, labeling, printing.
• Average fulfillment period: Two to seven business days.
• Mockup generator: Yes.

Printful

Printful is a popular selection for print-on-demand sellers, offering a variety of t-shirts, including options for men, women, and children. Its selection includes standard t-shirts, polo shirts, and tank tops, all available in multiple colors and styles.

With no order minimums or upfront fees, Printful is accessible to all sellers. The app offers custom packaging and handles all warehousing and fulfillment.

• Brands include: Champion, Columbia, Cotton Heritage, Gildan.
• Fits include: Athletic, curved hem, oversized, standard, slim, unisex.
• Materials include: Blend, cotton, organic cotton, polyester. 
• Customization options: Cut and sew, embroidery, labeling, printing.
• Average fulfillment period: Two to five business days.
• Mockup generator: Yes.

Teeinblue

Teeinblue is a product personalizer designed for print-on-demand businesses. It lets you propose customers the ability to personalize t-shirts and other items, then connects you with printing partners who can produce and ship orders.

With Teeinblue, you can propose real-period previews of personalized products, so customers can visualize customizations as they shop. The app supports a range of personalization options, including custom text, photos, maps, and clipart.

4. make t-shirt designs

You might already have designs for your t-shirts in mind, especially if you’re an artist or illustrator with an established spectators and a signature style.

Alternatively, you could be looking to sell shirts featuring a logo or an existing graphic you own, such as merchandise for a specific brand or occurrence.

Or, perhaps you have no design encounter and require to outsource your t-shirt designs.

Regardless of your starting point, it’s feasible to make print-on-demand shirt designs that compete with those from established brands. Your design procedure will likely fall into one of three categories:

• Handmade designs
• Pre-existing assets
• Outsourced design

Handmade designs

Use your visual design skills to make distinctive t-shirts that resonate with your target spectators.

Craft original illustrations that reference popular memes. make intricate fan art that’s irresistible to fans. Or, invent aesthetically appealing interpretations of your brand’s logo.

For those comfortable with self-design but who could use some guidance, there are plenty of t-shirt templates and mockups available online. These resources provide free templates to make the design procedure easier and less technical.

Pre-existing assets

If you already own a logo or graphics, you may choose to use them as the starting point for your t-shirt designs. Leveraging pre-existing assets saves period and costs, whether it’s a business logo, a memorable catchphrase, or a graphic created for an occurrence.

Outsourced design

Platforms like Shopify Partners connect you with designers who can bring your t-shirt concept to life.

Outsourcing product design can allow you to focus on other aspects of your business, such as marketing and customer back.

5. Add products to your store

Once your t-shirt designs are ready for sale, add them to your online store so customers can discover and browse your product line.

If you’re using a compatible print-on-demand app, this procedure should be straightforward and mostly automated. In some cases, you may require to pursue your print-on-demand associate’s instructions to connect your product listings or manually upload product information.

After importing your products, enhance your product pages with content that makes each item discoverable and gives customers the information they require to make a purchasing selection. The objective of your product pages is to promote your t-shirts, enhance their visibility in online searches and Google Shopping, and ultimately convince shoppers to buy.

When building product pages, be sure to include the following details:

• distinctive and descriptive product names
• Detailed product descriptions
• obvious pricing information
• Varied product photos

Descriptive product names

Crafting distinctive and descriptive title tags for your product pages is essential for helping shoppers discover your items in search engine results.

Incorporate essential product details into your page titles to enhance visibility. For instance, if you’re selling a slim-fit t-shirt featuring a car graphic, a descriptive title like “Men’s Retro Chevy T-Shirt – Ultimate Slim Fit” will likely perform better than a generic name like “Men’s Tee,” as it includes popular keywords and highlights customer benefits.

specific product descriptions

Similarly, product descriptions should provide all the details customers might desire to recognize. Cater to the interests of your niche and incorporate information in a Google-amiable format. A well-structured description might include information about a shirt’s material, fit, worry instructions, and any distinctive features.

Pricing information

obvious and straightforward pricing helps customers depend your brand and feel confident about their purchases.

Consider offering discounts or promotions to entice buyers. Implement cross-sells to inspire customers to buy complementary products.

Product photos

Investing in high-standard product photos to showcase your designs is key to attracting buyers. Include a variety of images showing your designs from different angles, including close-ups to highlight fabric standard and print details.

Lifestyle photos, which display your t-shirts being worn in real-life settings, can also assist customers visualize how a product fits into their lives. If you ordered samples of your shirts during the design phase, you can use those samples in lifestyle photos.

Additionally, consider creating product videos to provide a dynamic view of your t-shirts.

6. Add sales channels

Selling t-shirts through your online store is just the beginning. To reach more customers and boost the visibility of your products, connect your store to online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. Online marketplaces attract millions of shoppers.

With Shopify, you can also connect your store to social media storefronts on Instagram and Facebook, as well as TikTok and YouTube. Social storefronts allow users to browse and buy items without leaving the social platform.

Consider adding a wholesale sales channel to your t-shirt business, so you can sell your shirts to other retailers in your niche.

7. schedule your marketing schedule

Once your store is live, it’s period to attract customers. commence by identifying where your target spectators spends period online—whether that’s on social media, forums, or websites.

schedule a marketing schedule that allows you to reach your spectators on these platforms. This might involve:

• Social media advertising
• Content marketing
• Influencer partnerships

Be sure to make marketing content that expresses your brand’s personality and highlights what makes your t-shirts distinctive.

Even if you’re starting your business on a apportionment, there are plenty of ways to promote your brand for free. Consider:

• Sharing behind-the-scenes content and design stories with your spectators via social media posts
• Collaborating with other tiny businesses or creators to cross-promote products
• Sending personal emails to distribute your narrative with customers and keep them informed about recent designs and special offers

Also consider running a launch promotion, like offering a discount on first purchases or a two-for-one deal, to entice recent customers to check out your store.

Get started with print-on-demand

The great thing about print-on-demand is its flexibility. You can continually test designs, try out different niches, and adjust your products based on customer feedback. When you’re ready, it’s straightforward to expand your business using Shopify’s tools and features.