Print-on-demand statistics 2026
What print on demand costs, measured from the suppliers' own prices every hour: the cheapest and priciest supplier for each product, US shipping, who is cheapest most often, price changes and what a sale keeps. The market-size estimates research firms publish follow, with their sources.
Printed and delivered to a US customer, the same Bella+Canvas 3001 T-shirt costs $15.68 at Gelato and $23.99 at Inkthreadable, 53% more, across the 6 suppliers that list it with sourced shipping. Across 104 like-for-like comparisons, Printful has the lowest total in 49 of the 103 it is in, Printify has the lowest total in 41 of the 103 it is in and Gelato has the lowest total in 11 of the 30 it is in.
Print-on-demand statistics at a glance
Measured from live supplier prices, last checked Oct 27, 2026; each links to the page that shows it product by product.
- Printed and delivered to a US customer, the same Bella+Canvas 3001 T-shirt costs $15.68 at Gelato and $23.99 at Inkthreadable, 53% more, across the 6 suppliers that list it with sourced shipping. See the T-shirt comparison.
- On the same product, print method and blank, the priciest supplier charges a median 10% more than the cheapest, across the 21 product types sellers search most that two or more suppliers price. See the costs by product type.
- No supplier is cheapest on everything. Across 104 like-for-like comparisons, Printful has the lowest total in 49 of the 103 it is in, Printify has the lowest total in 41 of the 103 it is in and Gelato has the lowest total in 11 of the 30 it is in. See the cheapest by product.
- Shipping one item to a US customer costs a median $5.65 for a T-shirt and $9.19 for a hoodie (first item, standard shipping, across the suppliers that publish a rate). See the shipping rates.
- A T-shirt sold on Etsy for $25.00, made by the cheapest supplier and shipped at the seller's cost, keeps $6.50 after Etsy's fees. See the profit calculator.
- Printify cut the US price of 16 products by 3¢, first read between Oct 2, 2026 and Oct 3, 2026. See the price changes.
- Printful raised the US price of 95 products by 2%, first read between Aug 28, 2026 and Sep 7, 2026. See the price changes.
- Printful and Printify add $0.40 to every US order from Oct 15, 2026 to Jan 17, 2027, their holiday shipping surcharge. See the holiday deadlines.
- Research firms put the global print-on-demand market at $13.1 billion to $14.6 billion in 2026, growing 20% to 25% a year (Grand View Research, IMARC Group and Straits Research). See the market estimates.
- This site compares 155 products across 13 suppliers with published prices (321 delivered totals), refreshed hourly from Printful's, Printify's, Gelato's and Tapstitch's own catalogs. See the methodology.
What print on demand costs, by product type
For each product type sellers search most: the cheapest and the priciest total among suppliers pricing the same product, print method and blank, delivered to the US (base price plus first-item shipping), and the median US shipping.
| Product type | Cheapest | Priciest | Gap | Median shipping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Shirts10 suppliers list it | $15.68Gelato | $23.99Inkthreadable | 53% | $5.65 |
| Stickers2 suppliers list it | $6.57Printify | $7.23Printful | 10% | $4.94 |
| Hats3 suppliers list it | $18.29Gelato | $26.46Printify | 45% | $5.09 |
| Phone Cases3 suppliers list it | $14.79Gelato | $19.82Printful | 34% | $5.39 |
| Posters3 suppliers list it | $11.35Gelato | $12.94Printify | 14% | $5.39 |
| Hoodies6 suppliers list it | $28.98Gelato | $35.79Apliiq | 23% | $9.19 |
| Mugs7 suppliers list it | $9.14Teelaunch | $13.16Printful | 44% | $6.49 |
| Socks2 suppliers list it | $12.23Printful | $12.78Printify | 4% | $5.24 |
| Tote Bags3 suppliers list it | $15.02Gelato | $15.02Printify | Tied | $5.09 |
| Canvas2 suppliers list it | $20.91Printful | $21.92Printify | 5% | $9.24 |
| Leggings2 suppliers list it | $28.97Printful | $43.23Printify | 49% | $5.79 |
| Ornaments2 suppliers list it | $12.04Printful | $12.60Printify | 5% | $6.09 |
| Wrapping Paper2 suppliers list it | $21.95Printify | $22.76Printful | 4% | $14.14 |
| Christmas Stockings2 suppliers list it | $25.36Printful | $26.32Printify | 4% | $8.69 |
| Christmas Tree Skirts2 suppliers list it | $51.60Printify | $52.14Printful | 1% | $7.94 |
| Gift Bags2 suppliers list it | $11.74Printify | $11.77Printful | Tied | $6.39 |
| Christmas Sweaters2 suppliers list it | $44.01Printful | $45.42Printify | 3% | $8.94 |
| Blankets2 suppliers list it | $25.61Printify | $38.05Printful | 49% | $11.24 |
| Sherpa Blankets2 suppliers list it | $39.48Printify | $50.15Printful | 27% | $11.49 |
| Fleece Blankets2 suppliers list it | $31.87Printify | $36.49Printful | 14% | $7.99 |
| Calendars2 suppliers list it | $19.39Printify | $20.86Printful | 8% | $8.34 |
One item, US delivery, before tax and plan fees, including the holiday shipping surcharge while it runs. The gap compares like with like only; a lower total on a different blank or with estimated shipping is shown on the product page but not counted here.
Who is cheapest most often
Every product two or more suppliers price like for like: how often each has the lowest total.
| Supplier | Cheapest in | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Printful | 49 of 103 | 48% |
| Printify | 41 of 103 | 40% |
| Gelato | 11 of 30 | 37% |
Suppliers in at least 10 comparisons. The cheapest print-on-demand page names the cheapest for each product type.
Supplier-wide price changes
Changes the hourly readings attribute to the supplier: many products moving by the same percentage or amount.
- Printify cut the US price of 16 products by 3¢, first read between Oct 2, 2026 and Oct 3, 2026.
- Printful raised the US price of 95 products by 2%, first read between Aug 28, 2026 and Sep 7, 2026.
How big the print-on-demand market is
Research firms' own estimates of the global market, as each states it. They count different products, platforms and regions, so they disagree; none is a measurement by this site.
| Research firm | 2025 | 2026 | Forecast | Growth a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand View Research | $10.8 billion | $13.1 billion | $58 billion by 2033 | 23.6% 2026-2033 |
| IMARC Group | $11.4 billion | $14.3 billion | $62 billion by 2034 | 20.1% 2026-2034 |
| Straits Research | $11.8 billion | $14.6 billion | $85 billion by 2034 | 24.5% 2026-2034 |
As stated on each firm's report page, read Oct 27, 2026. Grand View Research puts North America at 36% and Straits Research puts North America at 38.6% of the 2025 market.
How these figures are made, and how to cite them
Costs are each supplier's own price for one item with one print and its own first-item shipping to a US address. Printful's, Printify's, Gelato's and Tapstitch's prices are read from their catalogs every hour; the other suppliers' are dated, sourced references. Two prices are compared only when they are the same product, print method and blank. The full method is on the methodology page, and every price with its source is in the open dataset (CC BY 4.0).
To cite a figure: “BestPrintOnDemand, Print-on-demand statistics 2026, bestprintondemand.co/print-on-demand-statistics”, with the date you read it, since the figures follow the suppliers' prices.
Print-on-demand statistics, answered
- How big is the print-on-demand market?
- Research firms put the global print-on-demand market at $13.1 billion to $14.6 billion in 2026, growing 20% to 25% a year (Grand View Research, IMARC Group and Straits Research). Their estimates differ because each firm counts different products, platforms and regions.
- How much does it cost to print a T-shirt on demand?
- Printed and delivered to a US customer, the same Bella+Canvas 3001 T-shirt costs $15.68 at Gelato and $23.99 at Inkthreadable, 53% more, across the 6 suppliers that list it with sourced shipping. That is the base price with one front print plus first-item US shipping, before tax.
- How much is print-on-demand shipping in the US?
- A median $5.65 for one T-shirt and $9.19 for one hoodie, first item, standard shipping. Each additional item in the same order costs less.
- Which print-on-demand company is cheapest most often?
- None is cheapest on everything. Across 104 like-for-like comparisons, Printful has the lowest total in 49 of the 103 it is in, Printify has the lowest total in 41 of the 103 it is in and Gelato has the lowest total in 11 of the 30 it is in.
- How much does a print-on-demand seller make per sale?
- It depends on the price and the channel. A T-shirt sold on Etsy for $25.00, made by the cheapest supplier and shipped at the seller's cost, keeps $6.50 after Etsy's fees. Each product page works it out for any price and channel.
- Do print-on-demand prices go up?
- Sometimes, supplier-wide: Printify cut the US price of 16 products by 3¢, first read between Oct 2, 2026 and Oct 3, 2026. Every change the hourly readings attribute to a supplier is listed on the price changes page.