Key takeaways
- Printful, Printify and Gelato connect to a store you run, so the buyer orders from your shop and pays your price, not the partner's.
- The partner sets the base cost; your margin is the retail price minus its product and shipping cost, and paid plans lower the base cost.
- All three ship under your brand: Gelato says your customers do not know it produces your orders.
- An own web-to-print store needs your own production, but you set every price and receive a print-ready file with each order.
- The two models combine: own production for core products, and a print-on-demand partner connected to the same store for the rest.
On this page
Printcart wrote this comparison and is one of the products compared. Every statement about another company was checked on that company's own pages or its marketplace listings; anything we could not check there is left out.
How do they compare side by side?
Each statement about another product links to the public page it comes from (numbers refer to the sources list).
| Criterion | Printful | Printify | Gelato | Own web-to-print store (Printcart) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where the buyer orders | Your store, on 20+ ecommerce platforms and marketplaces, from the Free plan.[1] | Your store on Shopify, Etsy, eBay, Amazon, TikTok Shop, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, BigCommerce or PrestaShop, or through its API.[7] | Your store on Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, TikTok Shop, Amazon, Wix, Squarespace or BigCommerce, or a custom store through its API.[14] | Your WooCommerce store on your own WordPress host; Printcart installs it there, and hosting is not part of the package.[17] |
| Whose brand the parcel carries | Yours: white-label fulfillment with no Printful branding; labels, packaging, inserts and tracking pages can carry your brand.[3] | Yours: fulfillment directly to your customers with your branding; custom neck labels from $0.55 and inserts from $0.15.[10] | Yours: Gelato's help centre says your customers do not know that Gelato produces your orders.[16] | Yours: you produce, pack and ship the order yourself.[17] |
| How the margin is formed | Your profit = retail price minus Printful cost; Growth plan $24.99/month (free from $12K a year in sales) gives up to 33% off product pricing, as of 20 October 2026.[1] | You keep the difference between your retail price and the fulfillment price; Premium from $39/month, or $24.99/month billed yearly, with product discounts, as of 20 October 2026.[6] | You pay product and shipping cost per order; no upfront costs and no commission; subscriptions unlock product discounts.[13] | You set a price for every size, paper and quantity combination; your margin is that price minus your own production cost.[17] |
| Who produces | Printful's in-house team, across 12 global facilities.[2] | Its pricing page lists 70+ print providers and 140+ print facilities; you pick a provider per product.[6] | Gelato's production partners: each order goes to the partner nearest your customer.[13] | You, on your own equipment or with a print partner you choose.[19] |
| The print file | You build the design in Printful's free Design Maker, on 584 products, and Printful prints from it.[5] | You upload JPEG, PNG or SVG artwork, including high-resolution images, and Printify prints from it.[8] | You customise white label products with Gelato's design tools.[15] | Customers design online or upload artwork; you download the order files from your dashboard and keep ownership of your artwork and templates.[19] |
| Production errors and returns | Returns go to the closest Printful fulfillment center; if unclaimed after 30 days, they are donated to charity.[3] | Merchant Protection: a replacement for products printed incorrectly, damaged or of bad quality.[11] | Covers a new order for defective or damaged items not caused by your content; no return address, you set your own return policy.[16] | No partner policy: production errors and customer returns are handled under your own terms.[17] |
What is the difference between a print-on-demand partner and your own web-to-print store?
A print-on-demand partner such as Printful, Printify or Gelato produces and ships each order for you, while an own web-to-print store sells products you produce yourself. In both models the buyer orders from your store at your price. The difference is who runs production, who sets the base cost, and where the print file goes after the order.
Printful says you only pay when a customer places an order in your store: once the customer pays your retail price, Printful charges you for fulfillment and shipping and handles the rest. Gelato's pricing page describes the same flow and adds that it charges no commission, and Printify says it earns a margin on the fulfillment price you pay, with no platform or listing fees.
An own web-to-print store reverses the roles. A Printcart WordPress print shop store runs on your own WordPress host; customers design online or upload artwork, and you receive the order with its print file. If you are new to the model, print on demand explained covers the basics.
Who owns the customer, the margin and the file?
The customer relationship stays with your store in both models, because Printful, Printify and Gelato all connect to a shop you run and ship under your brand. The margin and the file are where the models split: the partner sets your base cost and produces from the artwork you gave it, while an own store lets you set every price and receive the print file with each order.
The customer. Printful, Printify and Gelato all list WooCommerce, Shopify and Etsy among their integrations, and all three ship under your brand. Gelato's help centre says your customers do not know that Gelato produces your orders. The partner still receives each order with the delivery address, because it ships the parcel.
The margin. On a partner, your margin is your retail price minus the partner's product and shipping cost. Printify gives the example of a tee with an $8.77 fulfillment cost sold at $19.99, which earns over $11 per sale. Paid plans lower the base cost: Printful Growth lists up to 33% off product pricing, and Printify Premium up to 20% off all products.
The file. You give the partner your artwork, in Printful's Design Maker or as JPEG, PNG or SVG files on Printify, and the partner prints from it. In an own store, the print-ready file arrives with every order for your own production.
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<a href="https://solution.printcart.com/insight/printful-printify-gelato-or-own-web-to-print-store"><img src="https://solution.printcart.com/insight/printful-printify-gelato-or-own-web-to-print-store/ownership-matrix.webp" alt="Matrix of Printful, Printify, Gelato and an own store: customer, margin, print file and production" width="1440" height="1080"></a><br>Source: <a href="https://solution.printcart.com/insight/printful-printify-gelato-or-own-web-to-print-store">Printcart</a>What does each print-on-demand partner charge?
Printful, Printify and Gelato all start free and charge per order for product and shipping; their paid plans lower the product cost. As of 20 October 2026, Printful Growth costs $24.99 a month and Printify Premium $39 a month, or $24.99 a month billed yearly, according to the Printful and Printify pricing pages; Gelato's pricing page describes subscriptions that unlock product discounts without listing a price.
| Partner | Free plan | Paid plan | What the paid plan adds | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Printful | Free, unlimited stores | Growth, $24.99 a month, free from $12K a year in sales | Up to 33% off product pricing, 9% off branding, 25% off samples | Printful pricing |
| Printify | Free, 5 stores per account | Premium, from $39 a month or $24.99 a month billed yearly | Up to 33% off new products, up to 20% off all products, 10 stores | Printify pricing |
| Gelato | Sign up free, pay for what you sell | Subscriptions with product discounts; no price on the pricing page | Product discounts; a seasonal Gelato+ offer of up to 33% off products | Gelato pricing |
The plan fee is the small part of the cost. The base cost per item, shipping and the share of orders that need a reprint decide the margin, so compare the landed cost of your three best-selling products with each partner. Printful's how it works page states a reshipment rate of 0.24%.
When does your own web-to-print store make more sense?
An own web-to-print store makes more sense when you already have production, or sell products that print-on-demand catalogues do not cover well, such as business cards and flyers priced by paper and quantity, large format, or B2B orders. You then set every price yourself and receive the print file with each order, but you also carry the cost of production and its errors.
A Printcart WordPress print shop store is one way to start: the sample catalogue has 27 print products, and every size, paper and quantity combination has its own price. Customers start a design or upload artwork from a "Start design" button, which is Printcart's online product designer. The store runs on your own WordPress host; the full-store packages start at USD 799 a year with the Printcart Premium licence and 10 of your products set up, and if the licence is not renewed the store falls back to the Free plan and keeps running.
The two models can share one store. Products you print yourself sit next to products a partner produces, and Printcart's POD provider and fulfillment connector moves orders, print files and tracking between the store and a partner whose interface is not covered by an off-the-shelf connection.
What should you check before you choose a model?
Before you choose between a print-on-demand partner and your own store, check three numbers and one file. Work out the landed cost of your best-selling products with each partner, the share of your orders that need personalisation or options a partner cannot print, and the production capacity you already have. Then place a test order and open the file that reaches production.
Landed cost. Add the partner's base cost, shipping to your main market and any branding extras, such as Printify's custom neck labels from $0.55 and inserts from $0.15 on its custom branding page, and compare it with the retail price your market accepts.
Product fit. Print-on-demand catalogues are built around apparel, wall art, mugs and other ready products. Products priced by paper, finish and quantity need a store that prices every option, as described in instant price, price matrix or quote.
The test order. Order a sample from the partner, and run a test order through your own store, so you see the parcel your customer receives and the file your production gets.
Which model fits which business?
The right model depends on whether you have production and on what you sell. A creator without a press is usually better served by a print-on-demand partner; a print shop with spare capacity gains most from its own store; a growing brand often combines both. The table maps common situations to the model whose own pages describe that case.
| Your situation | Model to look at first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Creator or brand with designs but no press | A print-on-demand partner | Printful, Printify and Gelato produce and ship each order under your brand (Printful, Printify, Gelato) |
| Customers in many countries | Gelato, Printful | Gelato's home page lists 250+ print partners and its pricing page says each order goes to the partner nearest the customer; Printful produces in 12 global facilities (Gelato, Gelato pricing, Printful) |
| Seller comparing base costs per product | Printify | Its pricing page says you pick from 70+ print providers per product (Printify) |
| Print shop with its own equipment | Own web-to-print store | You price every option and receive the print file (Printcart store) |
| Print shop that also sells merch it cannot print | Own store plus a partner | Both sell from one store; a connector moves orders and files (Printcart connector) |
For the software side of an own store, compare the WooCommerce product designer plugins or, if you are leaving one, the Fancy Product Designer and Lumise alternatives. Businesses selling multi-page products should read Printess alternatives for print product editors, and the Teespring business model shows how a creator platform handles the same questions.
Which one fits which business?
Printful
Printful fits brands and creators who want one company to produce in-house and ship under their brand, with a paid plan that lowers product prices as sales grow.[2][1]
Printify
Printify fits sellers who want to choose a print provider per product by base cost, sell on many channels from one account and offer buyer personalisation on listings.[6][7][9]
Gelato
Gelato fits sellers with customers in many countries who want orders produced near the customer, with no commission and branded packaging.[13][15]
Own web-to-print store (Printcart)
An own Printcart store fits print shops and businesses with their own production that sell products priced by size, paper and quantity and want the order files themselves.[17][18]
Frequently asked questions
Who owns the customer when I sell with Printful, Printify or Gelato?
The customer orders from your own store: Printful, Printify and Gelato connect to platforms such as Shopify, Etsy and WooCommerce and ship under your brand. The partner receives each order with the delivery address so it can produce and ship it, and Gelato says your customers do not know it produces your orders.[3][7][14][16]
How is my margin calculated on Printful, Printify and Gelato?
On all three, you set the retail price and pay the partner for the product and shipping when an order comes in. Printful writes it as retail price minus Printful cost; Printify gives the example of a tee with an $8.77 fulfillment cost sold at $19.99; Gelato says it charges no commission, as of 20 October 2026.[1][6][13]
What happens if a print-on-demand order is misprinted?
Each partner covers its own production errors under its own policy: Printful's pricing page says it covers manufacturing errors with a free reprint, Printify's Merchant Protection sends a replacement for incorrectly printed or damaged products, and Gelato covers the cost of a new order for defective or damaged items not caused by your content.[1][11][16]
What does an own web-to-print store need that a print-on-demand partner does not?
Your own production: a press or a print partner you manage, staff to produce and ship, and a store that prices every option and passes print-ready files to production. A Printcart full store runs on your own WordPress host, and its packages start at USD 799 a year with the Printcart Premium licence.[17][18]
Can I run my own store and still use a print-on-demand partner?
Yes. The partners connect to WooCommerce, Shopify and other platforms, so the same store can sell products you print yourself next to products a partner produces. Printcart also builds a connector when a partner's interface is not covered by an off-the-shelf connection, so orders, print files and tracking move automatically.[4][19]
Sources
- Printful Pricing, checked
- How Printful Works, checked
- Print on Demand | Printful, checked
- WooCommerce Print on Demand | Printful, checked
- Design Maker | Printful, checked
- Printify Pricing, checked
- Integrations | Printify, checked
- Product Creator | Printify, checked
- Product Personalization | Printify, checked
- Custom Branding | Printify, checked
- Merchant Protection | Printify, checked
- Gelato | Print on Demand, checked
- Pricing | Gelato, checked
- Integrations | Gelato, checked
- White Label Products | Gelato, checked
- What is your return policy and quality guarantee? | Gelato Help Center, checked
- WordPress print shop store | Printcart, checked
- Full-store packages | Printcart, checked
- POD Provider and Fulfillment Connector | Printcart, checked
About the author
Huy Nguyen (David)
Founder & CEO, Printcart
Huy Nguyen (David) is the Founder and CEO of Printcart. Questions about this article go straight to him and the Printcart team.
LinkedInBuild it with the Printcart team
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Tell us what you want to sell. Huy Nguyen (David), our CEO, and the sales team reply with a written scope and quote.
