How to create a print-on-demand passive income business

How would you like to earn some passive income while doing something creative? Print-on-demand (POD) is the perfect opportunity for creatives looking for smart passive income ideas or a creative side hustle, but it does have downsides. So we’ve got you covered with a complete guide to getting started with print-on-demand passive income, from where to sell to how to tailor your work to optimize sales. 

Artists will be familiar with selling limited prints of their work. Still, print-on-demand platforms take this idea much further, allowing creatives to apply their original artwork to a wide range of products, from posters to greetings cards, print-on-demand journals to… shower curtains (yes, really!).

If you do it right, print-on-demand is one of the best ways to get passive income, requiring no stock or initial investment and letting you start generating passive income almost immediately. Low risk, high creativity, and some passive income too? Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Let’s see what it’s all about.

Since the invention of digital printing in the 1980s, print-on-demand (POD) has revolutionized the printing and manufacturing of artwork and products. 

Print-on-demand allows businesses to act responsively to customer demand, only printing items as and when requested rather than committing to the much larger batch print runs that traditional printing methods require. 

You can print almost anything using POD. The best print-on-demand sites offer a huge range of printable products, from mugs to candles. The only limit, usually, is your imagination!

Here’s how the process works for a creative business owner: 

Anyone who creates original artwork, such as illustrators, photographers, artists, and designers, can translate their creations into print-on-demand products. 

Offering a low-risk entry into e-commerce, print-on-demand passive income businesses require no upfront investment, no need to purchase stock or equipment, and they allow you to sell your products to a worldwide audience.

Even better if you have an eye-catching, distinctive, or trend-conscious style! The only downside of print-on-demand is your competition with other creators, so it pays to have a USP that sends your products to the top of the search rankings.

You’ll come across stories here and there of creatives who have earned a considerable amount through a print-on-demand passive income business, but this is the exception rather than the norm. While building a highly profitable print-on-demand business is possible, it requires a large amount of artwork and a savvy eye for adapting to consumer trends. When starting out, a print-on-demand venture is a great way to supplement other income or as a side hustle business. 

You can sell your artwork on several print-on-demand platforms, with some of the most popular marketplace sites, including Redbubble, Gelato, and Society6. You can sell directly through these sites, while other POD suppliers offer the option of creating a custom e-commerce site featuring your own branding, such as the Shopify-integrated platforms below: 

The cheapest print-on-demand site in terms of low commission and high margins might be Printify, but you can also find excellent pricing on CustomCat and Awkward Styles. Most platforms allow you to ship locally and internationally—just check the terms when you sign up.

Setting up a print-on-demand business is relatively simple—all you need is a body of artwork you’re happy to use and sell on printed products. Then, you prepare them in a high-resolution digital format, such as JPEG or PDF, and set up an account with one or several print-on-demand sites. 

Of course, there’s a little more to it than that, so let’s walk through the steps of starting your passive income business.

The first step in earning passive income selling prints and products is choosing the right supplier. It is essential to select a supplier that will offer a generous profit margin, produce quality products, and print and ship products quickly. 

Don’t be enticed by low commission alone: many of the best print-on-demand sites offer superior service in terms of print quality, range of products, and customer service, so it’s worth reading reviews and signing up for trial periods before you decide where you’re going to invest your time and energy.

There’s a difference between print-on-demand suppliers, like Printful, which print and ship products that you market yourself through a website or Instagram shop, and marketplace sites like Society6, which allow you to start selling products very quickly through their own sites.    

Both have advantages and disadvantages. Suppliers act like fulfilment partners while you market the products yourself, whereas marketplace sites host and promote your products but usually charge a higher fee for the service.

Another thing to be aware of is that some marketplace sites restrict you from selling elsewhere, so check your contract terms when you sign up.

Many creatives simply put their existing work up on print-on-demand sites without considering adapting it to customer trends and preferences. While it may be the lucky case that customers immediately fall in love with your designs and purchase on this basis, it’s wise to consider adapting your creative offerings to improve your chances of ranking highly in searches. 

Look into trending content on some print-on-demand sites—what’s selling well right now, and what has generated a large volume of sales over the long term? Doing your competitor research can give you some ideas on how you might be able to tailor your designs to cater to trending tastes. 

Many print-on-demand marketplaces also act as a vast library of designs, with the most popular and best-rated designs dominating the top of the search. With that in mind, it’s important to title your products effectively, using commonly searched keywords that touch on trends, colors, styles, or other features customers will likely search for. Having color variations for your designs will also prevent customers from not buying a design because the color doesn’t go with their interior scheme. 

How do you know what your target customers are browsing and buying now and what they’re likely to purchase in the future? Monitoring your business analytics will help you assess whether certain designs are performing better than others and give you a sense of how to evolve and tailor your print-on-demand style as your shop grows. 

For your website, you can plug in a tool like Google Analytics to show you helpful information like where your customers are based, what demographic they fall under, and how visitors find and engage with your website. Some print-on-demand sites provide analytics resources, with Gelato providing a smart analytics dashboard and Society6 allowing users access to trend reports and sales analytics with a Pro plan.

Analytics can be intimidating if you’re new to digital marketing, but once you know the basics, they can transform your marketing strategy and make you feel less like you’re shooting in the dark. 

While many print-on-demand businesses are set up to be completely passive income, this is rarely true. Most print-on-demand businesses will require ongoing maintenance, especially when keeping your audience engaged and happy. 

Encourage repeat customers by providing quick and helpful customer service if orders go wrong (think misprints and sidetracked deliveries). Adding live chat to your website can help address customer issues in real time, which offers a faster and more personal support experience. Also, always respond speedily and professionally to reviews, both good and bad. Potential buyers will skip straight to the reviews section before they commit to purchase, so don’t let a persistent and lonely one-star review hold you back.

You can also boost the engagement of your existing customer base by keeping your audience in the loop with marketing newsletters and frequently updated social media channels. Sales, offers, discount codes, and tell-a-friend deals are great ways of convincing customers to repurchase and bring new buyers on board. 

Don’t let your print-on-demand shop stagnate! Take advantage of holidays and gifting periods with seasonal-themed designs, or why not create collections aimed at particular events or holidays? And when you discover your high-profit times of year, do your best to lean into that season. Animal-themed designs that do super well in springtime? Cute floral prints that are perfect for birthdays? Learn to analyze the times of year and sectors where you do particularly well, and invest the time into creating more content to take advantage of your strengths.  

The best print-on-demand sites are always thinking of creative ways to boost their own commercial offerings, so consider if you can diversify the range of products you offer to your customers. From print-on-demand stickers to print-on-demand jewelry, you can create a huge range of products with POD. So whether it’s duvet covers, candles, tarot cards, or hats, building a complete library of products around your style and brand is possible. 

This is also a great way of making the most of already popular designs. If one of your print-on-demand art prints is selling strongly, apply it to other products to widen your reach. 

When entering the print-on-demand world, product mockups are your secret weapon. First, they’re a great way of displaying your designs to customers and showing how they’ll look in real-world scenarios without the expense of a photo shoot.

Second, you can use mockups to experiment with designs quickly and see what works and what doesn’t. Want to see whether your design would look good on a baseball cap? You can upload it to a baseball cap mockup and tinker with the design to make it look just right.

Envato offers thousands of product mockups covering any scenario you can think of. So, whatever you have in mind, just search for it, and you’ll find it. Or, who knows, maybe you’ll find new product ideas you’d never even thought of!

If you want to save more time, use ready-made print-on-demand templates from a site like Placeit. You can create and customize your designs right in the browser, letting you get a POD business off the ground quickly and easily.

Or check out Envato’s AI features, which let you generate and edit images with the power of AI. Visit AI Labs to get started.

While print-on-demand is no get-rich-quick scheme, it’s a great route into e-commerce business for any creative looking to generate some income on the side.  

A strong marketing strategy can make all the difference to the success of your print-on-demand passive income business, so it’s worth brushing up on your digital marketing skills. 

Looking for trending illustration and graphic design inspiration to fuel your print-on-demand ideas? Don’t miss our 2025 graphic design trend report. Or why not channel a key design trend for the year ahead with Pantone’s Color of the Year?