Are you looking for a guide to launch a print-on-demand UK business? Then you are on the right page.
It is a well-known fact to dropshippers that the United Kingdom and the United States are two of the best countries for selling products because they have a higher online shopping rate than other countries.
But before you start setting up your print on demand business, it is essential to find domestic, reliable suppliers with high-quality products. That will allow you to put all your efforts into the marketing part.
To help you with that, I have created a complete guide featuring everything you want to know about print-on-demand in the UK.
Let’s begin!
Why is it important to choose domestic suppliers?
The print-on-demand dropshipping suppliers selling in the United Kingdom need to consider a few things before launching their businesses.
Longer shipment time
Though this may seem to be an obvious reason, many dropshipping businesses fail due to delayed shipments. Selecting a UK-based print-on-demand supplier not only allows you to fulfill orders quickly but also improves your brand value.
VAT collection with BREXIT
With new Brexit updates, the VAT for overseas shipping is collected from store owners instead of suppliers. That means you will have to pay extra for products with manufacturers or suppliers outside the United Kingdom. Further, adding VAT charges to your customer’s bill will affect your product price and thus your profit margin and conversion rate.
Also, products under £15 weren’t previously taxed. However, that is no longer the case. You can learn more about BREXIT via its official website.
Reduced delivery price
Another main advantage of domestic suppliers is the reduced delivery cost, translating to a higher profit margin for the same product.
16 Best Print-on-Demand Suppliers in the United Kingdom
1. Printful
Printful is one of the best print-on-demand companies on the planet. They’ve recently launched a UK warehouse (Birmingham) for print-on-demand items and branding. This POD service integrates with 17+ eCommerce platforms and online marketplaces (Amazon, Etsy, Storenvy, eBay, and Wish), which means all of you can set up an automated POD business and import + list products in a few clicks.
Printful offers a wide range of POD items and ships most of them in a few days. If you are looking for even faster shipment, you can either select custom products in a UK warehouse or store your items at the domestic center (thanks to their warehousing and fulfillment service). You can get fast shipping for T-shirts, caps, beanies, posters, mugs, bags, and more.
That said, Printful overall offers 316+ products, including print-on-demand jewelry, phone cases, footwear, pillows, pet products, and so much more. However, they are in different warehouses, so the shipping time could vary unless you use a domestic fulfillment center.
Quality-wise, the print quality is highly reliable, and so are the blanks for printing. The only downside is the profit margin; Printful leaves slightly less profit margin than other print providers. But with a sample discount of 20%, you can test the product yourself. They also offer a 30% bulk discount for MOQ of items.
Finally, shipping is transparent, along with built-in tracking for store owners. You can drop-ship anywhere in the UK within 48 hours. If the product is Direct to Garment (DTG) or non-apparel, it will take 2-7 business days. Additionally, the mockup generator is beginner-friendly, and you can get further assistance from their graphic design staff (paid) to get your products designed.
| Printing methods – DTG, embroidery, cut and sew, white label, sublimation, and custom Top integrations – Direct order, Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, and Etsy Top features – Automated order import, paid product designing team, and branding options Price – Free |
2. Spocket
Spocket is an online platform for discovering dropshipping suppliers from the UK, USA, EU, and many other countries. All Spocket suppliers are pre-verified and offer awesome product quality. You can easily find tons of unique, UK-based suppliers on Spocket.
To start, you just have to select the United Kingdom in the filters under “ships from.” enter custom printing on the search bar, and hit the search button. You can find white-labeled alloy wheels, acrylic panels, posters, and more.
This platform also features listed and retail prices, so you can analyze your profit margin. For most products, this window is 30%.
Shipping time is usually 1 to 3 business days for the UK but could vary slightly depending upon the supplier you choose. Some products even offer free shipping for domestic orders.
| Printing methods – Depends on the supplier Top integrations – Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and AliExpress Top features – Automated dropshipping, fast worldwide shipping, and branded invoicing Price – $24.99 per month (up to 25 products) |
3. Sellfy
Sellfy is our recent addition to the print on demand UK list. It is an eCommerce platform geared towards creative entrepreneurs. You can sell both the physical as well as digital products.
Their built-in print-on-demand merchandise is available on their Free plan. With Sellfy, you’ll be able to sell high-quality clothing, hats, bags, home decor, and phone cases.
In addition to high-quality print-on-demand items, they also offer sustainable and eco-friendly options. Plus, all of their print-on-demand is CPSIA compliant. Moreover, they ship worldwide, including to the UK within 48 hours.
And the best part? Sellfy comes with advanced VAT and tax settings, excellent customer support, pre-made store themes, built-in marketing features, and instant payouts. Needless to say, Sellfy is quickly on its way to becoming one of the top print-on-demand providers in the world.
| Printing methods – DTG, embroidery, sublimation, white-label Top integrations – Zapier, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Twitter Ads, Patreon, Facebook Chat Top features – Organic, eco-friendly, and CPSIA compliant products Price – Free |
4. Printify
The next option on my “Print on Demand UK” list is a pod company with multiple printing options. Unlike most companies with their own print facilities, Printify links up with numerous local print providers from around the world.
Currently, they have three print providers in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
- T-shirts and Sons – T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, tote bags, bottles, aprons, bodysuits, and more
- Prodigi – Posters and canvases
- WPaPS – phone cases and mugs
What makes Printify popular is the higher profit margin because its products are priced reasonably. Since there are multiple suppliers for many similar product options, you can compare and select the most profitable UK dropshipper. On top of that, if you start getting orders, you can go with their subscription plan for $29 per month to get an exclusive 20% discount on all products.
On the downside, print quality can vary depending on the supplier you choose, so it would be better to place a test order first. Also, the product suppliers – and so the quantity – are limited for UK dropshipping.
The shipment takes 3-5 business days and costs between $3 to $6 for the first item and then a minimal price for additional items.
| Printing methods – Direct to Garment, sublimation, and embroidery Top integrations – Shopify, Etsy, eBay, and Prestashop Top features – High profit margin and quick shipment with local print providers Price – Free |
5. Prodigi
Prodigi is a print-on-demand platform with its own facilities in the UK and mainland Europe for eCommerce. It also partners with Printful as one of the print suppliers that offer two products (for a lower price on their own site).
Prodigi has 200+ products that you can customize with easy-to-use mockup generators and ship anywhere in the world. Also, Prodigi has 10+ print partners around the world. So you can ship products ( from domestic centers) with overnight shipping in the UK.
Here’s what its official site says about shipping – “Most print on demand products tend to be 1-4 days SLA (service level agreements) with our fast-moving global products – prints and posters, framed prints, canvas, phone cases, apparel – typically shipping within 24-48 hours.”
That said, unlike Printful or Printify, Prodigi doesn’t offer print transparency. It has a wide range of products, but it also has a network of print providers both in and outside of the United Kingdom. Currently, it has four manufacturing locations, including two in the UK, one in the USA (for US Dropshipping) , and one in the Netherlands. So most of its products are shipped domestically, but you will need to confirm the shipping time for some pod items. You can either contact support or place a test order.
Overall, it’s an excellent print-on-demand supplier with fantastic print quality, great user ratings and reviews, a wide range of products, and a dedicated support team.
Note – Prodigi Group bought two companies – Kite and Pwinty – to enhance its product range and increase its global print network. Pwinty Ltd. is one of the finest companies with UK-based print facilities (more details below).
| Printing methods – Direct to Garment and sublimation Top integrations – Shopify, Etsy, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce Top features – Bulk importer (for high volume CSV), manual orders, and high-quality print Price – Free |
6. Pwinty (Part of Prodigi Group)
Pwinty is a UK-based on-demand solution that primarily focuses on image printing. Interestingly, Prodigi Group bought out Pwinty Ltd., but it still has its own print facilities and global dropshipping network.
This UK print-on-demand supplier features personalized products developed in world-class labs. The good thing is they have in-house manufacturing facilities in the UK and mainland Europe and 30+ worldwide print partners for other locations.
Their products are primarily divided into four categories:
- Wall art – photographic art prints, framed prints, canvas, gatorboard, Foamex, acrylic panels, and so on.
- Technology – phone/iPad cases
- Small format – postcards, stickers, magnets, etc.
- Homewares – mugs, cushions, and towels
- Apparel – T-shirts and hoodies
Shipping takes around 2 to 3 days for the United Kingdom if you choose the budget shipping option ($5.95) and one day for standard or express shipping. Other countries take 7 to 14 days, depending upon the shipping option and location.
Their Shopify app integration is under development, so you would have to sign up on their official site. Currently, Pwinty sign-up redirects you to the Prodigi dashboard, and you can place your orders from there.
With excellent print quality, Pwinty is a superb option for print on demand business.
| Printing methods – Not disclosed Top integrations – Shopify (coming soon) Top features – Clean print quality and global network (with UK facilities) Price – Free |
7. Two Fifteen
With a positive rating of 4/5 on review platforms like Trustpilot, Two Fifteen is an amazing print-on-demand option in the UK with tons of unique products in multiple categories, including clothing, children’s clothing, drinkware, homeware, accessories, giftware, and art prints.
Some of the clothing is geared towards ethical policies – organic and vegan lines. And all of its 200+ products are delivered without any mention of Two Fifteen. You also get branding and white labeling options for the neck labels and packing slips.
On top of that, they offer in-house manufacturing at their own warehouses in the United Kingdom. That enables them to provide better print quality, faster shipping, and lower fulfillment costs. They use Royal Mail Standard shipping costing £2.95 + VAT for the first item and £0.70 + VAT per additional item. (Up to a maximum of £8 + VAT).
Their manufacturing time may vary based on the product (maximum* production time is 7 days), but delivery takes 2 to 3 days. For other locations, shipping time is between 5 to 14 days.
| Printing methods – Direct to Garment, Sublimation, and Custom (for Canvas) Top integrations – Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, EKM, Etsy, and custom API Top features – Affordable shipping, awesome customer support, and organic clothing items Price – Free |
8. Etsy
Etsy is a global online marketplace for selling handmade or vintage items and craft supplies. It features high-quality products from suppliers across the world.
You can easily find UK-based independent suppliers with tons of exceptional handcrafted items. Simply select the United Kingdom in the filters section and search for terms like – custom, print on demand, etc.
Some of the top products I found on Etsy are – custom star map print, personalized board games, custom neon lights, button badges, and so much more.
You won’t have a mockup generator like other print on demand companies. Still, you can send pictures or designs to the supplier to take care of the design, creation, and delivery (with specifications mentioned by Etsy seller).
On the flip side, this won’t be an automated process. You can use a Shopify import app for importing product data, but everything from connecting with suppliers to placing orders needs to be done manually. Also, shipment time varies depending on suppliers – 5 to 14 days.
Overall, it’s a good place for finding unique handmade on-demand printing products.
| Printing methods – Depends on supplier Top integrations – Shopify (using Shopify apps) Top features – Awesome product quality and custom handcrafted items Price – Free |
9. Inkthreadable
Inkthreadable is one of the oldest print-on-demand and dropshipping suppliers in the United Kingdom. You can find a lot of clothing, hats and caps, phone cases, wall art, accessories, homeware, and vegan collections.
Inkthreadable offers fantastic print quality and has UK-based warehouses. Featurewise, you can get plastic-free packaging, vegan-friendly inks, white labeling, customized packing slips and labels, garment relabelling, and a beginner-oriented mockup generator. All this makes it easy for new pod stores to launch a branded shop and scale up quickly.
On the downside, online ratings for Inkthreadable vary, and one of the top issues sellers mentioned was slow shipping on high order volume or festive times. That said, UK orders are less likely to be affected.
Shipping takes between 3 to 5 days turnaround time, and the cost varies based on the shipping service you use and the item’s weight.
You will have to create an account or use an eCommerce integration to set up automated dropshipping.
Overall, it is an outstanding dropshipping service for UK sellers, but if you are scaling globally and have a suitable volume, you might want to check out other options.
| Printing methods – Direct to Garment and dye sublimation Top integrations – Etsy, Shopify, and WooCommerce Top features – Incredible product quality and custom handcrafted items Price – Free |
10. Contrado UK
Contrado is another outstanding option for print on demand dropshipping in the UK. Unlike most companies, Contrado is both a B2C and B2B supplier. You can create print-on-demand products as an artist and sell them for a small commission on their site. Additionally, they offer pod dropshipping and wholesale reselling.
They have London-based print facilities for fast delivery and offer the most comprehensive product range among all of the other print-on-demand suppliers on the list. Rating-wise, platforms like Trustpilot have positive customer reviews (b2b) for Contrado.
Quality-wise, the two-decades-old company uses high-quality materials, has a low carbon footprint, is eco-friendly technology, and maintains complete production control.
| Printing methods – Dye sublimation (mostly) Top integrations – Shopify Top features – 470+ products, 20% sample discount, and profit calculator Price – Free |
11. YourDesign
YourDesign is a 100% sustainable and toxin-free print on demand website with UK-based in-house printing.
The company, founded in 2004, offers accurate printing and a sophisticated mockup generator. Backed by Kornit digital printers and turbo mug machines, they can manufacture and fulfill products without any delays. They use non-toxic and vegan inks and plastic-free packaging for eco-friendly fulfillment.
This company offers limited products – clothing, mugs, home accessories, and personalized tattoos – but they focus extensively on quality. Plus, you can discuss custom garment printing with a minimum order of 50 units. The average shipping time for print on demand dropshipping is 2 to 5 days, depending upon the order size.
| Printing methods – DTG and sublimation Top integrations – Shopify and Etsy Top features – Highly positive online ratings and 48-hour dispatch Price – Free |
12. Fiverr UK – Many individuals on Fiverr offer custom printing gigs for as low as one item. And you can find really unique products (3-D lamps, for instance). Just make sure to set the United Kingdom as a filter.
13. Zazzle – Zazzle is originally a website for designers to design and sell products on their website for a small commission. But you can also dropship their products on your own site. Some of their items provide a good profit margin, but you need to manually place orders.
14. Limini Coffee – Should you want to create a print-on-demand coffee dropshipping business, this is an excellent option for you. They will put your branding tag on coffee bags, roast selected styles, and fulfill it under your brand.
15. 3D print on demand – You can also go with a 3D printing service, like 3D People, and discuss terms for dropshipping products without any labels.
16, Snuggle UK – Though there aren’t many praises about this POD supplier, they do offer fine print quality. And you can work with this supplier after a test order.
Other ways for selling custom print on demand products in UK
In case you still haven’t found the UK print on demand supplier for the products you want, here are some additional ways to help you with that.
Online directories or marketplaces
Online directories like SaleHoo verify and list niche suppliers from around the world. You can explore such directories to find unique suppliers. Additionally, online marketplaces like AliExpress are also perfect for searching for suppliers, but you need to look for ones with UK warehousing. Also, make sure to discuss BREXIT terms.
Warehousing and fulfillment service
Warehousing and fulfillment services basically let you store your products at locations near your target region. Once the order arrives, domestically located warehouses will fulfill them for you. This reduces both the shipping costs and fulfillment time. The storage fee depends on item dimensions and storage time, but you can check out Printful fulfillment services for their pricing.
This option is suitable for those who have an okayish budget for launching the print-on-demand business and have found a supplier with a minimum order quantity of multiple units for clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, and other items.
Direct manufacturers
If you are selling high-ticket products, you can contact branded manufacturers for your products.
Over to you
So that was our take on print on demand business. Once you have launched your dropshipping business, you can start marketing your eCommerce business. Ads are one of the main pillars of print-on-demand dropshipping, so create custom Google and Facebook ads with copywriting and graphics that connect with your brand aesthetics.
