The idea of starting a print-on-demand business sounds quite enticing.  The initial investment cost is low; you do not have to purchase a specified place to work in, no machinery is required and no headaches about buying inventories.

To start this on-demand printing business, all you need is a laptop and an incredibly-talented mind to create the best designs—the rest of the work can be outsourced. 

However, whilst the idea of starting this business is great, you will have to work seriously.  You should intend to start it only when you know that the people around you admire your designs, the designs are user-friendly and versatile enough to be used by all. 

If your design skills are confined or not taken seriously by you, the chances of the business becoming a great success will narrow down!  So, here are some things that you will need to take into consideration before you start a print-on-demand business.

1. Add Limited Colours For Every Product.  Do you think that adding more colours in one product will get you more business?  If you feel so, you believe a myth that might end up with customers feeling something called analysis paralysis.  We’ve all experienced analysis paralysis.  It is a situation where we all are confused by too many options and can’t figure out what to buy or choose.  From a restaurant’s menu to which shampoo to buy for healthy hair, we have faced the hassle.  So, please do not make your customer suffer this or there is the probability they might leave your site because of too many confusing options available. 

2. Add Scarcity to Some Bestselling Products.  When you see too many people waiting at a particular restaurant, you might think that the restaurant is great quality and has tasty food because of the queue to get the seat!  Whilst that might be realistic, when you add this bestselling option on some of your best products, it will set off a psychological trigger to your customers to buy in urgency.  As a sales trick, do not overuse it or customers nowadays are smart enough to detect something fishy in it. 

3. Make a Different Column for Bestselling Products.  On online platforms, customers need a form of approval from people who have used the products, such as reviews or comments.  So, adding a bestseller column fits with people's minds that these products are the right quality.  With a sense of trust, they tend to buy that product. 

4. Check the Print Service Provider’s Available Options.  The print-on-demand service is completed by a third party and they have a range of tools to manage and assign orders automatically to vendors.  Initially, check if the same vendor can manufacture that product or not.  Check the time it would take to reach the customer.  Doing this will improve your delivery process and ensure the right product goes to the right customers.

5. Make Sure to Set Aside Money.  As customers pay you for their orders, it might take some time, up to 21 days, to reach you through the gateway.  But as you have to process the order immediately, you will have to pay the vendors, too.  So, for that, have some money set aside, or a credit card, that can pay for the orders placed. 

6. Copyrighted Products Are No More a Problem.  As the design industry market is huge, you might like to get quotes on products that you would want to sell on your website.  However, you might find that the design is copyrighted.  Note that it’s not the the quote that is subject to copyright, but the design.  So, get the quote, change the design or reform it, and you can use the same.  So, copyright is no longer a problem.  

7. Make Creative Lifestyle-Related Products and Avoid General Mock-Ups.  People like to wear clothes related to their lives, not those general mocked up designed clothes that they often see.  Real life designs can related to dogs for dog lovers, flowers for the nature lover, or a TV series actor who has been famous lately and has a great fan following can be printed.  These designs attract more attention from people. 

8. Why Limit to Print-On-Demand T-shirts? Add More Products.   Now is not the time when only print-on-demand t-shirts are in trend.  There are many products, like tote bags, hats, caps, leggings, umbrellas, mugs, sheets, scarves and more that have artistic prints.  So, try adding the maximum number of products that are demanded by people.

9. One Design on Several Products Makes Sense.  I you have made a cartoon print for a t-shirt, using it only for the t-shirt does not make sense.  Use the same design on pants, yoga mats, kid’s clothes, sheets, umbrellas and other products.  All you have to be is artistic and creative.  So use your designs on several things, do not restrict them to one product!

10. Check What Types of Products are Banned on Facebook and Other Social Media Platforms.  When you are making your website or online print-on-demand store, you will have to promote it to get more visits and traffic on your site, and orders, too.  Do this advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Google, as well as other social media and digital platforms.  Make sure whatever niche and products you choose to add to your website; they are not restricted on these advertising platforms.  If they are, you will not be able to promote certain products on these platforms.  So, be wise and read all the advertising policies first to find out which products you can easily promote.