How to Sell Your Art on Merchandise (Print-on-Demand Guide)
Overview: Turning your artwork into physical merchandise is a fantastic way to monetize your creativity and reach fans who love your designs. Print-on-Demand (POD) services allow artists to sell products like T-shirts, hoodies, posters, mugs, stickers, and more without ever worrying about upfront inventory or shipping
. In a POD model, an item is printed and fulfilled only when someone orders it. This means no costly bulk printing runs and no boxes of unsold T-shirts cluttering your home. You can upload your designs to POD platforms, set your prices (in many cases), and when a customer buys, the platform prints your art on the product and ships it to them – you get paid a commission or profit margin on each sale.
Why Print-on-Demand? For independent artists, POD offers several key advantages:
No Upfront Costs or Risk: You don’t pay for manufacturing a product until it actually sells. This eliminates the financial risk of guessing which designs or how many units will sell
.
Global Reach: Most POD platforms handle international shipping, meaning your art can reach fans around the world without you handling complicated logistics
.
Hands-Off Fulfillment: The printing, packaging, and shipping are handled by the service. This frees you to focus on creating art while the platform deals with production and delivery
.
Scalability: Whether you sell 1 item or 1000 items, you won’t be overwhelmed fulfilling orders yourself. POD services scale with demand seamlessly.
Product Variety: You can see your art on all kinds of products. Many platforms offer apparel, phone cases, tote bags, art prints, home decor, and more – allowing you to experiment with what best suits your art and audience.
Popular Print-on-Demand Platforms: There are two main routes you can take – selling on marketplace POD sites or integrating POD services with your own online store:
Marketplace POD Sites: These include platforms like Redbubble, Society6, TeePublic, DesignByHumans, and Zazzle, among others. They operate like online marketplaces specifically for artist-designed products. You create an account and upload your artwork to various product types. The big advantage is they have an existing large customer base; for example, Redbubble is one of the largest POD marketplaces with hundreds of thousands of artists and millions of shoppers each month
. They handle production, shipping, and even some marketing (customers browse the site for art). Pros: Easy setup (often free), instant access to a large audience
. Cons: High competition (your designs sit alongside thousands of others), and you have limited branding control – your shop is a page on their site, not your own branded website
. Also, these platforms set base prices and take a cut; you typically get a royalty or markup on each sale. For instance, Society6 gives artists 10% of the sale price by default on most items (with some ability to set higher margins on art prints)
. These marketplaces are great for getting started and for passive discovery, but success often comes from promoting your page yourself as well, since the internal competition is stiff.
POD Integrations for Your Own Store: Services like Printful, Printify, Gooten, or Gelato allow you to connect a print-on-demand catalog to your own storefront (like a Shopify website, WooCommerce, Etsy store, etc.). In this model, you are in control of your brand and customer experience. You design products in the POD service, which then sync to your store. When someone orders from your site, the order is sent to the POD provider to print and ship. Pros: You have your own branded website, more control over the look/feel, and you can build a loyal customer base. You can also collect customer emails for marketing, etc. Cons: You have to drive your own traffic – unlike marketplaces, an independent shop means you need to invest in marketing or already have a following. There may be small monthly fees for some integrations or for maintaining an ecommerce site (Shopify, for example, has a subscription fee). This route is great if you want to build a lasting brand or already have an audience for your art.
Many artists actually do both: use marketplaces for extra passive income and discovery, while also maintaining a personal store for building their brand. Think about your goals and resources to decide which approach (or both) suits you
.
Key Steps to Succeed in POD:
Find Your Niche and Style: While it’s tempting to put every kind of design on every product, you’ll have more success if you identify a niche for your art. Ask yourself: What theme or aesthetic does my art fit into? Who is the ideal customer? Perhaps you do cute animal cartoons that would appeal to kids and parents, or edgy gothic illustrations that appeal to alt-fashion folks. Focusing on a style or theme helps your shop feel cohesive and helps the right audience find you
. It doesn’t mean you can’t experiment, but grouping your designs into a clear niche (and using appropriate keywords/tags) will make you more discoverable and memorable.
Create High-Quality Designs: Quality is paramount because a blurry or low-resolution print can lead to unhappy customers and returns. Ensure your artwork files are high-resolution – typically at least 150 DPI (dots per inch) at the print size, but 300 DPI is ideal for crisp results
. Most POD platforms will indicate the required pixel dimensions for each product. For example, a T-shirt print area might need a PNG that’s 4500 x 5400 pixels. If you’re creating digital art, work large. If you’re using traditional art (like a painting or drawing), use a high-quality scanner or a professional camera to create a large, clear digital file
. Also, clean up the background if needed (many platforms want a transparent PNG for shirts so that only your design prints, not a white square outline). Taking the time to polish your digital files will pay off with much better-looking products.
Choose the Right Products: Not every art piece fits every product. Some designs look amazing as wall art or stickers but might not work on a T-shirt due to sizing or aspect ratio. When you upload a design, POD services usually show mockups on each product – review them critically. For example, a very detailed piece might shine as a poster, but on a small phone case it could be too tiny to appreciate. Alternatively, a simple pattern or icon might not feel worth a wall art print, but could be perfect on a mug or hat. Select products that truly showcase each design. It’s better to offer a curated set of products that look great than overwhelm with 50 products where half don’t really suit the artwork. You can always disable certain product types for a given design if they don’t fit well.
Presentation – Mockups and Descriptions: On your shop or listings, presentation matters. Use the mockup generators to your advantage – choose the default mockup image that best displays your art (most platforms let you pick which product photo is the main image). Write a nice description for your design or product that might include a bit about the art’s story or any personal meaning. This helps customers feel a connection. For instance, instead of a bland title like “Cat T-Shirt”, you could title it “Sleepy Cat – Hand-drawn Cartoon Cat T-Shirt” and describe, “This cozy tee features my original cartoon of a sleepy cat curled up. Perfect for cat lovers who appreciate a bit of whimsy in their wardrobe.” Use relevant keywords too, as this can help in search both on the platform and in Google.
Set a Sensible Pricing Strategy: Pricing POD products can be tricky, because you need to account for the base cost (what the printer charges) and your profit margin. Research what similar artists are charging for comparable items. Most marketplace platforms have recommended prices; on your own store, you have more flexibility. Remember to factor in your profit but also stay competitive. If a T-shirt base cost is $15 and you price it at $40, that $25 profit might price you out of the market unless people see a lot of value in your brand. On the other hand, don’t undervalue your art – you deserve to earn something for your creativity and effort. A common approach is starting with a modest margin (like earn $3-$5 per shirt) and seeing how sales go; you can adjust over time. Also consider running occasional promotions – e.g., a discount code or a site-wide sale – to spur interest, especially around holidays. Many POD marketplaces do site-wide sales (often the artist’s margin is what gets reduced, unfortunately), but the increased volume can sometimes make up for smaller per-item earnings.
Promote Your Merchandise: “If you build it, they will come” does not always apply in the crowded world of online merch. To really get sales, you’ll need to promote your products. Tap into social media: Instagram is great for visual art – share photos of your products (most POD give you lifestyle mockups or you can order samples to photograph), or show behind-the-scenes of you creating the art. TikTok has a growing community of artists and small business owners – you could create short videos showcasing your design process or unboxing your own merch. Pinterest can work well for art prints and pattern-based designs, as it’s very visual and people go there to find aesthetic items. Engage with communities related to your niche too; for example, if you make gaming-themed art, be active in gaming forums or Discord groups (without spamming, of course – focus on genuine engagement and only share your shop when appropriate). Using relevant hashtags and engaging with followers (respond to comments, etc.) helps build a following
. If you have an email list (even a small one of friends and existing fans), send out a announcement when you launch new merch designs.
Build Your Brand: Even if you’re on a marketplace like Redbubble, treat your artist presence as a brand. Use the same artist name, logo, or avatar across platforms so people recognize you. Craft a simple logo or stylized signature you put on your shop banner. Consistency in style and presentation makes you look professional and memorable
. If you have a story or mission (e.g., “10% of proceeds go to wildlife conservation” or “inspired by my travels”), share that in your profile bio or the “About” page. People love to support real artists with a story, rather than a faceless seller.
Customer Engagement and Community: Encourage buyers to share photos of the products (“tag us on Instagram @YourName when you get your merch!”). This not only creates free word-of-mouth advertising but also builds a community around your art. When you get a sale, some platforms let you message the buyer – you can send a quick thank-you (on Etsy or your own site you could even include a small thank-you card in the package). Little touches like this can turn a one-time buyer into a loyal fan. Consider running contests or giveaways on social media (“share this post for a chance to win a free art print!”) to increase engagement
. The more you interact with your audience, the more invested they feel in your work.
Analyze and Adapt: After you’ve been selling for a while, take time to review what’s working. Most platforms have some analytics – which designs get the most views? Which sell the most? Perhaps your cat illustrations are flying off the shelves as stickers, but your abstract paintings on shirts aren’t getting traction. That insight can guide you to focus on what your market loves most (and you can still create other art for personal enjoyment or a different audience). Also note seasons: maybe around Halloween your spooky designs sell, but in summer your nature designs do better. Adapt to trends while staying true to your style. If something isn’t working at all (no views or buys), try to figure out why – is it the design? the mockup? or maybe it just needs more promotion.
Stay Informed on POD Opportunities: The POD and merchandise space is always evolving. Keep an eye out for new platforms or features. For example, Amazon has a program called Merch by Amazon (now just “Amazon Merch on Demand”) where you can upload T-shirt designs to be sold on Amazon – access is application-based but it’s a huge marketplace. New products also emerge – maybe you started when POD only offered shirts and prints, but now you can put your art on puzzles, enamel pins, or all-over print dresses. Expanding your product range (when it fits your art) can open new revenue. Also, keep up with any policy changes (like content guidelines on each site) to avoid any issues.
Resources to Explore: Many POD platforms have their own resource guides or forums (for example, Printful’s blog covers tips on design and marketing, and the seller forums on Redbubble can be insightful). There are also communities on Reddit (e.g., r/printondemand or r/redbubble) where sellers share experiences. Learning from others can save you a lot of trial and error. Additionally, consider checking out the free image libraries and font libraries online that are safe for commercial use if you need elements to complement your art (just make sure they are truly free or you have the rights).
In conclusion, selling your art on merchandise via print-on-demand is one of the most accessible ways to start an art business today. It’s low-risk, low-cost, and scalable, making it perfect for a side hustle or full-time venture. The key to success lies not just in your art (though that’s the core!) but also in how you present, promote, and connect with your audience. Treat it professionally – maintain quality and customer care – and over time, your catalogue of designs can become a significant source of income and pride. Happy printing!