Guide
Print on demand: how it works, what it costs and how to start
Print on demand (POD) means selling custom products without holding stock. Each piece is printed only after a customer orders it, then shipped straight to them. With 3DMockups you design with AI or in a 3D editor, see the result on a real 3D garment and sell it in your own store or on Shopify. We print and ship every order. You keep the difference between your price and the production cost.
Free to start · No inventory · We print and ship
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Minimum order
- 1 piece
- US delivery after dispatch
- 7 to 14 days
- Commission, on your margin only
- 5%
What is print on demand?
Print on demand is a production model, not a product. Nothing is made in advance. When someone buys, the order goes to production, the piece is printed and finished, and it ships to the buyer with tracking.
Read more
For a seller, that changes the math. You pay for a product only after a customer has paid you. There are no minimum orders, no boxes of unsold sizes and no money tied up in stock. The trade-off is a higher cost per piece than ordering hundreds at once.
- No inventory and no upfront production cost
- Every piece made to order, one at a time
- Shipped straight to your customer, with tracking by email
- You set the selling price and keep the margin
How print on demand works with 3DMockups
Three steps that take minutes. After that, every order is on us.
- Step 1
Design it
Generate artwork with AI from a short description, or upload your own. You can also ask ChatGPT or Claude to do it for you.
- Step 2
See it in real 3D
Your design goes on the actual garment we print, with product photos from every angle. No flat templates.
- Step 3
Put it on sale
Publish to your 3DMockups store, or to Shopify or WooCommerce on a paid plan. You choose the price.
Then we print it and ship it.
Every order is made on demand in our own production and shipped to your customer. You never touch a box.
- Worldwide shipping
- Standard delivery takes 7 to 14 business days from dispatch in the US and Canada, and 10 to 21 elsewhere.
- Mistakes are on us
- Misprints, damaged items and lost parcels are reprinted, replaced or refunded at no cost to you.
- Shopify orders arrive on their own
- We charge the production cost and shipping to your card, make it, ship it and send tracking back to Shopify.
Print on demand costs and margins
Real numbers, pulled live from the same costs we charge. No setup fees per product.
| Product | Production cost | With Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Essential Unisex Tee | From $14.79 | From $12.49 |
| Oversized Tee | From $29.01 | From $25.27 |
| Hoodie | From $64.12 | From $55.70 |
| Cotton Sweatshirt | From $45.75 | From $39.78 |
| Football Jersey | From $43.46 | From $37.80 |
| Custom Socks | From $9.04 | From $7.12 |
Profit calculator
- Price your buyer pays
- $25.00
- Production cost
- −$14.79
- Platform commission (5% of margin)
- −$0.51
- You keep per sale
- $9.70
- You keep with Premium pricing
- $11.88
Smallest size, before coupons. Shipping is quoted for each address and paid at checkout. Bigger sizes add their own production surcharge to the price, so your earnings stay the same.
- What you pay: the production cost for the size ordered, plus shipping, only when something sells. Sales in your 3DMockups store carry a 5% commission on your margin, never on the full price.
- 3DMockups Premium cuts the production cost by up to 27% on every sale and unlocks every garment, exports and the Shopify connection. Plans start at $19.99 a month. See pricing, the full cost table per size on the seller FAQ, or run your own numbers in the profit calculator.
How to start a print on demand business in 5 steps
You can do all five this week. None of them needs money up front.
Pick one audience
Choose a group you understand and can reach: a hobby, a city, a job, an inside joke. "Night shift nurses" beats "people who like shirts".
Make three to five designs
Describe them to the AI t-shirt design generator or bring your own art. Keep one idea per design and test which one people react to.
Choose the products
Start with one or two garments from the catalog. Tees and oversized tees are the easiest first sale; hoodies carry a higher price.
Price for profit
Look up the production cost, add the margin you want and check the result against similar products. Try your own price in the profit calculator above.
Open your store and share it
Publish to your free 3DMockups store and post the 3D product photos where your audience already is. Connect Shopify later if you run a store there.
Print on demand vs dropshipping vs holding inventory
Three ways to sell physical products online, side by side.
Print on demand
- Upfront cost
- None. You pay per order
- Your own designs
- Yes, every product
- Minimum order
- One piece
- Unsold stock risk
- None
- Cost per piece
- Higher than bulk
- Who packs and ships
- The POD platform
- Best for
- Brands, creators, testing ideas
Dropshipping
- Upfront cost
- None. You pay per order
- Your own designs
- Rarely. Mostly generic goods
- Minimum order
- One piece
- Unsold stock risk
- None
- Cost per piece
- Varies by supplier
- Who packs and ships
- The supplier
- Best for
- Reselling existing products
Your own inventory
- Upfront cost
- High. You buy stock first
- Your own designs
- Yes, at volume
- Minimum order
- Usually dozens or hundreds per design
- Unsold stock risk
- All on you
- Cost per piece
- Lowest at volume
- Who packs and ships
- You, or a warehouse you pay
- Best for
- Proven designs that already sell
Many brands use both: print on demand to test, then bulk orders for the designs that win.
Where to sell print on demand products
One design, several places to sell it. Orders from each one are printed and shipped the same way.
- Free
Your 3DMockups store
Every account gets a store page and a place on the marketplace. Free to start, payouts through Stripe. - Paid plans
Shopify
Install the 3DMockups app, publish products to your Shopify store and keep your own checkout and customers. - Paid plans
WooCommerce
Connect your WooCommerce store and publish your products to it. Orders are printed and shipped the same way. - Agentic
From your AI assistant
Run the whole thing from ChatGPT, Claude and other assistants. It asks before anything goes public.
Popular print on demand products
Every garment is rendered in 3D, so your product photos match what we print.
Questions, answered.
Something else? support@3dmockups.app
Is print on demand still profitable in 2026?
It can be, if you price for it. Your profit per sale is your price minus the production cost and fees, so it depends on the product, the price and how you find buyers. Brands that pick a clear audience and use strong product photos do best. The costs section above shows a real example.
How much does it cost to start print on demand?
With 3DMockups you can start for $0: design on the Oversized Tee and sell it in your own store, paying production only when an order comes in. Paid plans start at $19.99 a month and add every garment, AI credits, exports, lower production costs and Shopify.
Who handles shipping and returns?
We print and ship every order with tracking. If an item arrives misprinted or damaged, or a parcel is lost, we reprint, replace or refund it at no cost to you. Details are in our refund policy.
How long does print on demand shipping take?
Production time plus delivery. Standard delivery is 7 to 14 business days from dispatch in the US and Canada and 10 to 21 elsewhere. Our seller FAQ shows production and delivery times measured from real orders.
Can I use print on demand with Shopify?
Yes. Install the 3DMockups app for Shopify on a paid plan and publish products to your store. Orders reach us automatically and tracking goes back to Shopify.
Can I order a sample before I sell?
Yes. When you buy your own design from your store, it is charged as a sample at your production cost plus shipping, with no commission.
What makes 3DMockups different from other print on demand sites?
Three things: your products are shown on real 3D garments instead of flat photo templates, you can run everything from an AI assistant like ChatGPT or Claude, and our all-over print garments are printed before they are sewn, so designs can run edge to edge.
Start your print on demand store today.
Free to start. No inventory, no minimums. We print and ship every order.