Best Print On Demand Items This Is The Ultimate Guide

I am sure by now you must have heard of print on demand (POD) especially if you are in the t-shirt printing business. You know how it works and you know what it can do for you as a seller and a customer. I want to discuss with you now as to what items you should consider selling from these POD providers or consider having as an item in your online store product catalog.

What are the best POD items? The following items can be considered as among the best POD items available.

Sublimation t-shirts

Tank tops

Baseball t-shirts

Hoodies and sweatshirts

Dresses and skirts

Activewear

Children’s clothing

Hats and caps

Scarves, bandanas, and neckties

Socks

Mugs

Stickers and wall decals

Journals and notebooks

Phone cases

Posters and wall arts

Pillows and pillowcases

Prints

Towels

Bags

Tote and drawstring bags

There are plenty more other products that can be purchased outright through online stores using these POD providers. However, I believe that the items listed above are cut above the rest and should be considered first. And I intend to discuss them individually here in this article.

Almost all of the POD providers can fulfill the orders for these products coming from your online stores. You can check these providers sites for actual details.

There are certain POD providers who specialize in a particular POD product so you may also consider this.

The key differentiating factors will be how fast will they be able to fulfill the order it and how much will be your share of the sale. I suggest that you read closely and understand the terms and agreements of each one before you sign on with them.

POD items serve to add spice and variety to normal everyday items used and worn. Consumers are not forced to buy whatever they just see in the store. The market has gone stale with these limited choices.

With POD products, they now have options.

This is where you as a designer with an online store can enter. It is your job to craft appealing designs that will enable these people to have more colors and life in things that they wear or use every day. You will profit from this engagement, no doubt if your designs are a hit among the consumers.

The good thing with these POD providers is that they can take care of the order fulfillment for you. You don’t have to sweat these details anymore. Your job is to create exciting and beautiful designs and market them, as well.

One last thing before you venture here, always remember that your designs should be free from any patent or trademark infringement issues. You simply don’t need to fool around with this matter since it can be disastrous for you.

Sublimation T-Shirts

T-shirts belong to the apparel market which is the most popular and well-known category in the POD marketplace.

One of the earliest products that have been used with the POD platform is a good, plain t-shirt. Make no mistake about it, but this is still a very popular item in the POD world. We are just seeing the ascent of the same product printed using the sublimation printing method.

This is all the rage right now. A lot of POD providers are starting to offer this product whereas before they will just go with screen printing.

POD providers have invested in these massive and expensive sublimation printers. They need your designs to put these machines into use. And there is a headlong rush which results in a multitude of sublimation t-shirts available in the market.

There is simply something magical about this printing process wherein the design gets printed into the fabric itself and not merely onto it.

The final product looks trendy. The prints are all over the product itself and you are not simply limited to a logo or to a certain section.

Before you start jumping on the sublimation printing bandwagon, consider the following things about this particular printing method:

POD providers can’t guarantee the accurate placement of designs that are directly underneath the collar, sleeves, or anywhere else outside the t-shirt mockups.
There is no wraparound guarantee for the images that are placed on the front, back, and sleeves will be perfectly aligned with each other.
There will be a presence of white streaks in the t-shirt armpit area. This is unavoidable but you can rectify this by using a lighter color shade in your designs especially around these parts.

Now that you have an idea of the limitations of POD printing for sublimation, let me suggest the following designs that can be used with this printing style:

Patterns – This is easy to make since it is repetitive. It does produce a great impression on the viewers.
Light colors – As mentioned earlier, try to have more of this color type. You don’t want your designs to be affected by these same streaks.
Background images – This will make your main image pop out and be more prominent in the display.
Landscapes – Use nature, celestial, and terrestrial images. They are more breathtaking because of their wide panoramic view.
Wow Factor – I call these designs by this name because that’s what you will hear from your friends and family once they see these t-shirts. Surprise them with your imagination here.

Another product that goes along the same line here is the long-sleeved t-shirt.

It is a staple in the closet. This item can easily be spruced up or improved with a smart and clever design to make it more exciting to wear.

Finally, if you believe that selling t-shirts is a very competitive field, consider polo shirts.

You will have a different niche here for the people who wear this tend to belong to the more upscale, professional type. They are also more successful generally. It is important that you have custom designs that will distinguish you from what is being sold from traditional stores.

Tank Tops

This is, of course, a product that is very identical to t-shirts.

Always consider seasonality when working with this type of products.

I suggest that you start printing this before the summer season starts. It would be a very popular product to wear during those hot summer days.

The designs that you are using for your t-shirts can be applied here except for the ones in the sleeves area.

I would just go ahead and print the same designs for both t-shirts and the tank tops so that I can minimize a variety of designs. I also get to offer my clients more product variety with the same design.

Women are wearing tank tops more these days. Don’t forget this fact when you are coming out with your designs.

There are different types of tank tops in the market. For ladies, there are the racerbacks, flowy and jersey tank tops. For guys, there is always the ever-present muscle tank tops.

Try to look closely at the type of fabric used for this. It needs to be very good at absorbing sweat for this is the purpose of this type of t-shirt. People want to protect their more expensive outer clothing from this same sweat.

Also, consider if it can help the people wearing this look slimmer since it is also one of the purposes of wearing tank tops. This makes sense why this is very popular to wear during summer.

Baseball T-Shirts

This is also referred to as raglan tees.

It is another popular variant of the t-shirt family. They have a distinctive sleeve design which is about three-quarters long and has a contrasting color to the main body of the t-shirt.

This item is a staple in almost everybody’s closet. The people especially like the color contrast inherent here. Baseball players wear this as an undershirt with their uniforms.

You can easily add your design to make it an original.

This product projects a casual and quite sporty image to the fabric. It is a great wear for outdoor activities. It would be wise to start printing this product before the baseball season starts which is about early spring.

I also suggest that you consider marketing this item to baseball and softball teams. Try to have designs that will reflect athletic teams type logos. You may gain clients looking for outfits for their teams especially with major league baseball season close to opening.

Hoodies and Sweatshirts

As with the tank tops discussed earlier, these items are also a logical extension of where your designs can be printed.

You will get more items on your store using the same design and offer the customer more interesting variety to select from.

These are both warm, comfortable and project a laid back attitude. Hoodies are basically sweatshirts with a “hood”. Combined with a great design, people will wear these clothing regularly.

Hoodies are the ultimate casual comfort wear and since a lot of professional NBA players wear it quite often, you will realize a proportionally high demand from your POD stores. Just add great designs and creative prints on it and you will have a hit.

Dresses and Skirts

Dresses are a very versatile product that should be a part of your product offering in your online store. It is not difficult to make them unique by having interesting designs on it.

There are many options for dresses that are available in the POD platform. They are skater’s dress, long-sleeved dress, dress with no sleeves, bell sleeve dress, halter off the shoulder dress, long sleeve nightdress, and others.

You need to combine dresses with skirts to round out the same product offering as they are very much related.

Skirts belong to the category of items that are not saturated in the POD market. Just like with dresses, there are a variety of skirts such as skater skirt, pencil skirt, mini skirt, midi skirt, crepe skirts, and others.

Activewear

You can basically have a brand just for activewear.

There are many types of clothing that fall under this category. To name a few, there are leggings, workout tops, shorts, headwear, and more. You might as well carry them all to give your customer options.

Try to focus on the material used for these pieces of clothing.

They will be put to a test when they are worn. You don’t want feedback from your clients that these garments get torn when used, because it will be embarrassing when it does happen.

The primary characteristics of these items should be quality and durability. People wouldn’t mind paying a premium for this.

I would also classify swimwear within this category. It is also a product that tough and sturdy when worn for obvious reasons. The centerpiece here is the bikini which is always present during summertime.

For swimwear, check that your fabrics will not fade once worn in water.

You can add beach towels and hats to complete this product offering.

Lastly, I am adding bodysuits to this category. This item can be used for both casual, active, and even formal wear.

Children’s Clothing

Your designs here should be loud, bright, colorful, and bold to attract attention.

Or you may, to simplify things, downsize the designs you have previously created for adults and print them on kid’s sizes. Just don’t include adult-themed designs in this mix. You have a new product line altogether.

Another idea here is to have an entire family apparel line using the same design. It is a package for everybody – dad, mom, and kids.

I am including baby’s clothing in this same group. You might as well include everything that is a part of a baby’s accessories such as bibs, beanies, onesies, tops, blankets, and others.

Children and baby’s clothing can be an entire brand by itself.

Hats And Caps

Hats will never go out of style.

It has a lot of variety in it – baseball hats, bucket hats, trucker hats, dad hats, or anything in between. Hats can easily be improved with a great design.

It is worn year-round since it protects the wearer from the weather whether it be raining or sunny outside. It can also finish the look the person is going for.

Hats differ from caps in the sense that they are grander than a cap. Caps don’t have a brim and they fit closely to the head.

Embroidered caps since to be in fashion nowadays. You need to research on how to create embroidery files to take advantage of this feature. Not all images work well embroidery prints so you have your work cut out for this if you still want to use it.

You can also group toques and beanies here which are especially popular during winter time because they can give you additional protection from the cold weather.

Bucket hats have their own niche here since it quite famously worn during hip hop festivals.

Lastly, visors are worn by the more mature crowd of which college football coaches, golf players, and even tennis coaches belong to.

Scarves, Bandanas, and Neckties

People like to accessorize their clothing.

These items will put the finishing touches to the outfits worn by men and women. There will always be a market for the same products.

For scarves, consider the seasonal swing of the demand for it is obviously used prominently during the cold months.

For neckties and bandanas, have loud and creative designs for them. These types seem to be on the rise now.

Socks

You have a selection to offer, here you can offer men’s, women’s, unisex, children’s, and baby’s socks.

You can then have a variety of ankle socks and tube socks for each classification.

The majority of the time sublimation is used. The new thing here is that some POD providers can have socks be printed using the Direct To Garment or (DTG) printing method. You will realize full-color variety with this printing style even if the socks are stretched. There will be no overlap lines appearing down on the side.

Mugs

You start your day with this in hand most likely.

Every household has mugs, especially coffee mugs.

It is an essential household item that never falls out of usage.

This is also a great gift item all year long. It can also be used a pencil stand or just plain decoration. There are numerous people out there who collect mugs.

Redo the style often because it does get old and stale if left unchanged. Freshen your inventory designs to accommodate the season at hand.

There is a steady demand for this product so it is your job to create refreshing designs for it. Quotes can be a good source for designs. Consider anything humorous that can be used with the words coffee and tea and you will have a runaway hit.

Try to be unique in your designs to differentiate with the multitude of online stores who are out there chasing the same market.

Consider also the sizes of the available mugs that you will be using since it will have an obvious effect on your design. I recommend that you check your POD provider as to what they have in stock

Stickers and Wall Decals

You have plenty of flexibility here in terms of product utilization and application.

Stickers are printed on removable, high-quality white vinyl paper. It is produced with a kiss-cut or contour cut finish that allows it to follow the edge of the image regardless of its shape.

Most of them can be removed and transferred to another medium. They are also waterproof and can last more than a year outdoors.

Children will obviously have a close affinity to this especially since they always like stickers. They paste it on everything like lunch boxes, notebooks, and others. Use cute characters and animated images for these designs.

You can extend this to teachers and academics who use them in their respective work. Reminder stickers are also good products to sell.

Another utilitarian purpose of this product is being handled in the shipping boxes industry. This is part of their packaging requirements.

These stickers can be part of the overall package being shipped such as a pack-in. This is added in the box containing the order itself. It can be a message, joke, or anything that lends a special touch to the delivery.

You can even include samples of your stickers and wall decals that you have designed so that you can promote it as well. You earn brownie points with your customers for this.

Just remember these are added costs to whatever your final product is. It will be your decision whether you prefer to absorb this as included in your overhead or pass it to your clients as an added cost.

There are also stickers printed that have political messages, especially during election years. Strategically take advantage of these events by being familiar with current events so you can design appropriate stickers to support a candidate, a party, movements, or causes.

Just like with mugs, you have to consider the sizes of the stickers available with your POD providers.

There is a subset of stickers used for car bumpers alone. This will affect your designs for it has to be eye-catching, no doubt.

When designing for these products, your artwork must be in solid color.

The unnecessary part of the design that can be cut must be fully transparent. There will be a space set between stickers usually around a quarter inch in size.

Journals And Notebooks

If you want a product that is trending upwards, then journals and notebooks are for you.

Just make sure to ask yourself as to how your designs will be different from what is out there. You have plenty of competition here with other online stores. Consider using slogans, favorite cartoon characters of your target market, or art in your designs as primary differentiators.

Themed notebooks can be also added to your collection of products for sale. Also, you can consider diaries and planners as part of this catalog.

Phone Cases

Let’s face it, there is barely a wow factor that we see with a standard phone case.

It needs to be enhanced and this is where you come in. Your designs can differentiate these phones from ordinary ones.

People have a tendency of wanting to stand out. If they have a beautiful design on their phone cases, they will obviously shine. They also wouldn’t mind having multiple phone cases with great designs that show off their niche interests.

Also, remember that people change their phones every two years generally. Some people keep more than one phone always. You will always have a market in this product as long as you have great designs.

Try to work with an e-commerce shop who carry in its inventory a wide selection of phone cases. The should have cases for all phone models carried by the leading phone manufacturers such as Samsung and Apple.

Your POD provider should provide sublimation printing since this is the ultimate way to have the designs be printed on the phone cases.

I recommend that you check online as to what material the phone cases you are selling are made of. It could be rubber or it could be plastic or it could be both. Each has its own pros and respective cons.

There are also different kinds of cases that are available. They are the flexi cases, snap cases, clear cases, and tough cases. Check this with your POD provider.

By extension, you can lump in tablet cases, phone wallets, and laptop sleeves also in this product grouping.

Posters And Wall Arts

If your own target audience doesn’t have a lot of discretionary income, then posters are the right product to sell. The poster paper is cheaper to obtain than those of wall arts.

Wall arts are the perfect medium for you to share your designs as it will be displayed in your customer’s homes, workplaces, and other venues. You need to use good paper with these designs since it is almost a replica of a real painting.

Regardless of what medium you use, you need to have these products in your catalog if you want to promote your designs as fine art by itself.

As with the other products described above, coordinate the sizes of the available items with your POD provider.

Poster prints usually have more durability when compared to fine prints.

Prints

I am both referring to the canvas and fine art prints in this category.

Canvas prints are an inexpensive way to decorate a room for it is a replica of expensive oil paintings and other original art. They look almost the same.

They can also be of your own artwork or designs.

Canvas prints tend to be more realistic and vivid when compared to posters and walls arts. This is because of its close resemblances to the original works.

Fine arts prints capture the work of an artist in a piece of interior decor.

You are doing homeowners a favor here for you are presenting them with options in decorating their houses. The same prints being sold at home improvement stores tend to be generic and lack imagination.

A good design will add sophistication and class on any fine arts prints and will no doubt, improve the aesthetics of any house that it is placed on.

Please note that most of the POD providers offering these prints as a service option are just using the same printing and order fulfillment centers. You will not get a lot of differentiation with the quality of work.

You may instead look for the best deal you can get for yourself in terms of the share of the profit. As an artist and a designer, consider POD providers that will allow you to name your own price.

If you have original designs used, consider POD providers that can attract qualified buyers to their sites so that your product exposure can be maximized. Check as to how they can promote your own designs.

Also, if these POD providers have set up security controls to protect your image from being copied without permission.

Pillows And Pillow Cases

You can simply create an entirely new brand just based on pillows and pillowcases. These products are interchanged and updated consistently throughout the year. They will give your own bedroom a fresh and invigorating look.

You can consider the following options for a pillow: cover only, with a removable insert, or basic one with no zippers included.

A variety of your own designs, patterns, and slogans can be printed onto these items. Try to have comforting quotes and art on these products for a soothing effect. You can even duly consider recycling some of your designs for this purpose.

Try having the same design that will be good for both pillows and pillowcases packaged together for an added sales opportunity.

Throw pillows are also part of this product line and can utilize the same designs created earlier.

Towels

This product is popular for health enthusiasts since this is a key necessity when going to a gym or fitness clubs. Add fitness related quotes and designs and you will have demand for these products.

Obviously, there are other niches you can use this product with such as in your respective homes. There are the bath towels for your bathrooms and the quintessential beach towels for that excursion to seaside resorts.

An item that is part of this product category that is gaining popularity is the tea towels. Every kitchen has this towel present and there is space available in it where you print your designs.

Bags

I am lumping together weekend, travel, and cosmetic bags in this group.

These products can get you started in the niche travel market as part of your online store catalog. Travel is a big part of people’s lives and it is just going to get bigger.

Your designs need to stand out here because it will serve as an advert for you. Custom-made patterns and slogans can be considered as a starting point in your designs.

The good thing here is that these same bags serve as a promotion for your items as well as your store.

People will appreciate a great design when they see one and there will be a multitude of people who will be seeing your product here. They are bound to find out where did these bags come from and the road will lead to you.

Tote and Drawstring Bags

You are riding the trend towards environmentally-friendly products with tote bags. It has a fraction of the environmental impact of its more famous kin, the plastic bag.

Consumers are opting to use recyclable bags and this is an opportunity to enter this market.

Aside from bringing these bags to supermarkets and groceries, people use this when doing laundry, going to the beach and picnics, and other everyday tasks. It can even double as a laptop bag or just plain, fashion accessory.

Tote bags have a blank space ready for your designs.

You have numerous and thoughtful options as to how to fill up this empty space with your designs. Appeal to the tastes and interests of your target audience and you will be successful here. People have a distinct need for self-expression and personalization.

Tote bags have dual straps so that it can be carried either with the shoulder or the hand. Inside of it, there is a lining and plenty of space to accommodate your customer’s stuff.

Its durability and practicality of use make this product a best seller all the time. With a great design on it, it is bound to sell more.

Drawstring bags are very versatile and appeal to the youth.

Teens use them for school and going to gyms. Also, millennials who are always searching for themed merchandise and who can afford these bags just the same.

The young generation simply likes putting it on since it has the feel of a backpack with a drawstring closure at the top and narrow shoulder straps.

Consider this demographic in your designs such as fandom-oriented art, snazzy designs, and even memes.

These bags are made mostly of synthetic materials.

It is quite easy for it to be printed on. I recommend you wisely use patterns and fully bled images for your designs.

Backpacks are also included in this grouping. It is a very stable market. You can put this as part of your online store catalog and you wouldn’t go wrong.

You just need to put the right design on these backpacks to enable your item to stand out when compared to the competition.