How to Start a Print-on-Demand (POD) Business in India in 2024? Investment, Profit & Beginners Guide

By Startup Authority March 14

Not many of you have heard of this unique business model which is Print-on-Demand, popularly known as POD. If you are into the creative field or is willing to do something very creative with a physical product then using this business model can help you get good earnings.

What is Print on Demand Business (POD)?

Print-on-demand also known as POD is a business model where products such as clothing apparel, accessories, coffee mugs, phone covers, and other such things are produced when you get an order. This type of business model in today’s generation eliminates all the middlemen.

In this type of business model, you do not need inventory management and upfront costs. Print-on-demand business models help you to conduct business digitally which allows high customization and of course flexibility.

The only thing that you need to have in this type of business is creativity. In this type of business, you will not be dealing with customers and your products practically.

So, you need to attract customers by creating attractive designs for your products. Once you get everything right on this business then there is no one stopping you from earning heavy profits at the end of the month.

Yes, it surely is an amazing business model for people who are willing to do something from their homes or any place they are comfortable. Further in this article, we will talk about how POD works, the best platforms to use POD, how one can design various merchandise, create a logo and business name, build a store, and of course earn through FaceBook advertisements.

POD Workflow: How Print on Demand Businesses (POD) Works?

Willing to get down in Print on Demand business model, then you must know how this business model works. One must be very clear with the working process of this business model or else, even before starting your business, it will go down.

Now, the workflow of POD is quite the same as drop shipping. You need to market your website, social media platform, or app from where you can gather customers. This is the first and the most basic step that you must know to get customers to your business.

Now, when customers know and are attracted to your business they will definitely place an order through your website or application.

After a customer places an order using your website, all the details of it directly go to the printing supplier. In simple, the order and the full details of it go to the Print-on-demand supplier.

When there is an order, the supplier knows that they need to make an order for a customer for a certain design. So, the next step is the supplier designs and manufactures the product which customers have demanded for.

As soon as the printing is completed, it is the supplier who takes care of the packaging part. Suppliers will ensure that the final product is packaged properly so that no damage comes to it. Other than that, the supplier handles the shipping and logistics department as well.

So, after the product is ready and packed then they are shipped or delivered to customers. Yes, this is how Print-on-demand business models work and it is as simple as it sounds.

Now, the only question that arises here is how you are going to earn money from this type of business model. In this business model, the cash-on-delivery model is used. From the very first step, customers will need to place an order as COD and all the details of it will be carried forward to the supplier.

When a customer receives their product, the cash received will be given to the shipping company. Now, the same cash from the shipping company will go to the supplier in the form of digital transport. After the supplier receives the money after 10-14 days, so on the 15th day you can expect your money.

Platforms We Can Use for Print on Demand Business?

You need to select the best or the most suitable platform from which you can conduct business in India. Choosing the best, reliable, and platform which will give you a good profit margin is very important.

Interestingly, in India, there are so many suppliers which are available and offer amazing services to customers. But, two of the most amazing and best suppliers in India are Qikink and Printrove.

Among these two platforms, we will make a detailed comparison and tell you which one could be feasible according to your taste and preferences. We will simply take an example of a t-shirt in the comparison we make for you.

These two platforms are one of the greatest competitors to each other. This is because the t-shirt samples of both platforms are exactly the same. On the other hand, both companies have not compromised on any parameters for their products.

Now, the sample shipping cost for Qikink for an S-XL-sized t-shirt would be Rs 240. On this, Rs 100 is the average printing cost plus Rs 50 is the shipping cost along with Rs 17 GST. So, the average t-shirt cost from Qikink would be approximately Rs 407.

This price could differ according to the font size, print size, colour, print type, and many more on the product you are willing to make.

Here are some of the benefits that you will get from the Qikink platform:-

- Very quick dispatch process : This platform normally dispatches products within 2-3 working days, they have a very efficient processing system.

- Lowest and competitive pricing: This platform offers the lowest price possible as compared to its competitors in the market.

- There is no minimum order value limit on this platform.

On the other hand, if you go with Printrove, they charge as per the fabric you choose. If you happen to choose a fabric other than white then that will charge you extra in this platform.

Here are some of the benefits that you will get from Printrove:-

- Printrove is one of those rare platforms to take good care of fulfilment

- The packaging system is just brilliant from this platform

- On-time delivery is guaranteed from this platform

Designing Merch opportunities for Print on Demand Business

Prior to designing your merchandise, make sure to target the best and demanding market in India. This will not only help you earn a good profit margin but, it will secure a safe place in the Indian market. When you have found out the best niche, and chosen your supplier now is the time for you to design your merchandise.

To design your merch there are two great options available out there. The first option is to hire a designer and make him/her understand your needs, wants, and the type of design you are looking for in a product.

The second option that is available to you is to visit free stock websites and use free illustrations from those websites. Freepik is one of those websites where one can use free designs.

You just need to visit the website and search for the type of design you are looking for on the search bar. In the second step, on the left-hand side of your screen select ‘vectors’ and then under that you need to select the ‘license-free’ option. You will get lots of options design options available to you which are license-free and can be used for designing.

If you have loved some designs from this website then you can easily copy them and paste them on any photo editing platform for more details. You can make more advanced changes to the photo and can make it look much better and unique so more customers are attracted to your product.

Designing Logo & Business Name For POD Business

Having a unique and attractive logo and business name is very important. When you are already doing something different than any of your competitors then, you need to give your business a unique logo and a business name.

It is because the logo and business name are what customers will remember and will use them to search for your products and recommend them to others if they have loved your products.

The first step for your business recognition is to get a name for it. So, you can easily visit Namelix and search for the business keyword you are willing to keep. After you put in all the keywords regarding your business, this website will give you a range of business names along with logos for some. You can easily choose a business name from those sample ideas given by the website.

Now, after you have chosen the website name you need to buy a domain of it. This will help you and your website to reach your potential clients.

To create your logo for your business name, you can easily create one from picture editing applications, search on Canva, or search on Freepix. Searching on Canva and Freepix will give you an idea of how you can create a logo for the business name you have chosen.

Building a Print on Demand Store

After completing your website, buying a domain for it, and designing your logo, now you have a build a store. To build a store you can use Shopify, it gives you a trial period of 30 days for three months. Choosing Shopify makes it easier for users to build their e-commerce websites.

The steps for e-commerce website building through Shopify are very simple and easy.

There are absolutely no problems in hosting when you choose to build an e-commerce website through Shopify. Additionally, for the first three days, Shopify does not charge a single penny to its users. On the other hand, after the three-month trial is over you will be required to pay between Rs 1900-2500 per month for using Shopify.

The first step to building your e-commerce store in Shopify is to register yourself and your business on the platform. On the search bar, you need to search for the supplier you have chosen and install their app.

You are required to sign up on the supplier website on Shopify. Next time when you open your supplier’s website, you can easily open it using the Shopify integrated version.

Now, you should not forget to add all the required pages for an e-commerce website. Shopify helps you set these required pages very easily through their interface. Other than that, you must also select a good theme according to your product and target market.

Running FaceBook Ads for Print on Demand Business

Along with your business or e-commerce website setting up an Instagram page and FaceBook page is very important. Without these pages, your business will simply have no value.

Now, here are some of the things that you should not do when you have opened a FaceBook ad:-

- The day you have opened a FaceBook ad page, make sure to put photo and cover photo only. You need to have other activities on your FaceBook ad page.

- For 1-2 days you need to put content continuously to warm up your page

- Run your advertisements from the fifth day so that it does not look suspicious for FaceBook.

To run a FaceBook ad you need to create these things:-

- FaceBook Business Manager

- FaceBook Ads Manager

- Campaign

Now, the day you have created a FaceBook Business Manager account, make sure to leave it alone for two days. Do not conduct any type of activity after opening the FaceBook Business Manager. After creating an ads manager, do the same procedure as well.

One must also know that, to run these kinds of activities your FaceBook account must be 2-3 years old. On the third day, you need to create pixels and then assign them. When you do this, after three days it is then the pixels will show on the ads manager.

Now, when you run your campaign it is then you will see all your pixels on your FaceBook ad page.