The Best Print-On-Demand UK Companies (2024 Comparison)

The Best Print On Demand Companies UK

Looking for the best affordable print-on-demand UK companies? You’re in the right place!

If you plan on selling your artwork to customers primarily based in the UK, it’s important to choose a print-on-demand company with local printing facilities in the country. 

That way, you’ll get the best shipping rates and the fastest delivery times. And fast shipping means happy customers. 

In this post, we’re going to be looking at the best print-on-demand companies that have fulfillment centers in the UK. We’ll be reviewing each of them in-depth and exploring their pros and cons, pricing, and more.

The best print-on-demand UK companies – summary

TL;DR

  • Sellfy is the best print-on-demand business for sellers who don’t already have their own ecommerce store. Use it to build your entire online storefront, then sell print-on-demand products through it. Sellfy offers global fulfillment services with at least one partner facility based in the UK, and 2-day shipping times for domestic orders.
  • Gelato is a print-on-demand fulfillment service with fulfillment centers in the UK. It integrates with your existing ecommerce store and provides the most reliable printing quality & support.
  • Printful is another print-on-demand fulfillment provider with UK facilities that connects to your existing website. It’s the best choice if you want the largest product selection.

1. Sellfy

Sellfy is an all-in-one platform that gives you everything you need to run your online print-on-demand business. It’s a complete ecommerce platform with built-in print-on-demand fulfillment.

Sellfy Homepage

Sellfy is unique on this list. It’s the only company that doesn’t just give you the ability to design and sell custom merchandise, but also allows you to build your own online storefront from scratch.

Once you’ve built your online store, you can sell regular products, digital products, and print-on-demand products through it. Creating your print-on-demand products is easy: Just browse Selffy’s product catalog to choose what you want to sell, then customize it with your own designs and save it to your store.

Available products include phone cases, t-shirts, hoodies, bags, mugs, phone cases, posters, and much more.  You can customize products with your own text, graphics, and color choices. There are even custom embroidery options available.

When you make a sale, Sellfy will handle the fulfillment for you, including printing, shipping, and taxes.

Products are printed and packed in Sellfy’s printing partner facilities. One of these is based in Birmingham, UK, so you can sell products made in the UK to local shoppers, with lightning-fast delivery times (2-day shipping for domestic orders).

While browsing their product catalog, you can filter the results to show only those products that offer fast shipping to the UK.

To help you drive sales, Sellfy also comes with a bunch of built-in marketing features, including powerful upsells, discount codes, and email marketing tools.

Sellfy also enables you to generate product links so that you can sell on social media. You can also better monitor your Facebook and Twitter marketing efforts by adding the respective tracking pixels to your Sellfy account.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
Complete ownershipNo built-in customer base like marketplaces
Fast deliveriesItems cannot be returned by customers, however Sellfy can step in if there’s a serious issue
Built-in marketing
Large product catalog
Sell other products such as digital products and physical products (not just POD merch)

Pricing

Paid plans start at $19/month. 

A free 14-day trial is available.


2. Gelato

Gelato is a print-on-demand fulfillment provider that integrates with your existing store. They offer local fulfillment in over 32 countries, including over 15 in the UK.

gelato homepage

There are lots of reasons why we rate Gelato so highly, but one of the main ones is its lightning-fast shipping times.

Gelato uses an expansive network of 130 partner printing facilities spread all over the world. So when a customer places an order through your store, they’re able to route it to a production center in that customer’s country 90% of the time. 

As a result, orders are typically printed and shipped out locally rather than internationally, which leads to much faster deliveries and happier customers.

Another reason we like Gelato so much is the quality. I tried it out recently and found that the quality of both the product itself and the printing was superb. And other merchants seem to agree, given that Gelato is the highest-rating print-on-demand provider on Trustpilot.

There are also plenty of products to choose from. Gelato’s catalog includes 48 different categories including all the best-sellers like t-shirts, greetings cards, stationery, mobile phone cases, wall art, tote bags, etc. 

There are no minimum order requirements and no monthly subscription costs if you sign up for the free plan, so it’s easy to get started. That said, you also have the option of upgrading to a paid plan to unlock hefty shipping discounts (30% – 50%) and other benefits.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
Excellent product and printing qualityFree users don’t get shipping discounts 
Local fulfillmentStock images are only available with a paid subscription
Fast shipping times
Large product catalog
Great support

Pricing

Gelato offers a free plan. Paid plans start at $14.99/month and unlock additional discounts, features, and benefits.


3. Printful

Printful is a company that offers print-on-demand fulfillment services. It’s a great choice for businesses in the UK who already have their own ecommerce store.

Printful Homepage

Here’s how it works. First, you connect Printful up to your existing online store. It integrates with all the main platforms, including Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, BigCommerce, etc.

Next, you use the Design Maker to create product designs, or just upload your own designs to products in Printful’s extensive catalog, then add them to your store. As you make sales, Printify will handle the printing, shipping, and packaging for you on-demand. They’ll take their cut out of the sale price and you take the rest as profit.

Printful has dedicated fulfillment centers spread all over the world, including in the UK. And unlike other print-on-demand fulfillment companies, Printful has full control over all its fulfillment centers – they’re not managed by third-party companies. As such, all products are consistently high-quality, regardless of where they’re printed and manufactured.

Another cool thing about Printful is its white-label feature. You can add your own branding to your product packaging, including on the inside labels and pack-ins for an additional cost. Plus, you can even add a personalized gift message to be sent with the order.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
Reliable qualityPrices are a little higher than other providers
Sell through your own store
White-label features
Local UK fulfillment

Pricing

You can sign up for the free Printful plan to get started—there are no monthly fees but Printful will automatically take their cut out of each of your product sales. 

Free users have access to all the core features, but premium features like product mockups and image background removal are only available on paid plans.


4. Printify

Printify is another print-on-demand fulfillment company with facilities in the UK. It’s a lot like Printful, but with cheaper printing costs and print quality is dependent on the print provider.

Printify Homepage

Like Printful, Printify natively integrates with all the major ecommerce platforms, so you can sell POD products directly through your own website. You’re only charged for fulfillment when you make a sale.

They work with a network of globally-distributed print providers (with options in the UK). But unlike Printful, Printify doesn’t own these partner facilities – they’re managed by third-party companies. 

As such, each printing partner offers a range of different product options at different base prices, and the quality tends to vary depending on who you use.

The silver lining is that these printing partners all have to compete for your business, and this competitive landscape drives prices down. As such, Printify is able to offer some of the most affordable shipping rates, with comparatively low base costs compared to many other providers.

We also like Printify’s mockup generator, which makes it easy to preview how your designs will look on any product in their catalog.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
Huge product catalogPrinting quality varies from print providers
Competitive shipping rates
Sell through your own online store
Mockup generator

Pricing

You can sign up for Printify for free to get started. Printify will automatically charge you for fulfillment when you make a sale. Free users can open a maximum of 5 stores, but you can upgrade to paid plans with higher limits and product discounts from $24.99/month (billed annually). 


5. Redbubble

Redbubble is a marketplace where consumers go to buy products designed by independent artists. It’s a great place to sell your print-on-demand products to shoppers in the UK.

Redbubble Homepage

Unlike the other companies we’ve looked at so far, Redbubble doesn’t help you to sell POD merch from your own site. Rather, it’s an ecommerce site where you can list your own merch for sale.

There are a few advantages to this. 

First off, it’s much easier to get started with. You don’t have to build your own site from scratch: just sign up for a Redbubble shop, upload your designs to products in their catalog, and start selling.

Secondly, you don’t have to put as much effort into the marketing side of things. Redbubble has a huge existing customer base, with 34 million shoppers per month. So even if you don’t invest any time into driving sales, there’s a good chance that shoppers will stumble on your merch while they’re browsing the site and buy it.

The flip side of selling through Redbubble is that you don’t have as much control over your online store, and it’s harder to build your own brand if you’re selling through somebody else’s website.

There’s also a lot of competition on Redbubble. And there’s always the risk that other sellers on the platform will copy your designs and undercut you.

Every time you make a sale on Redbubble, they’ll print and ship the order from you via one of their third-party printing providers, which are based around the world (with locations in the UK, USA, and Australia). The print provider the order is routed to depends on the product type and delivery location, so if you’re selling to customers in the UK, the order will be fulfilled in the UK.

However, their approach to fees is less than ideal. While they’ll take a base fee from each of the products you sell, they’ll also take a cut of your profits on top (called account fees). You can avoid these account fees only by getting an invite to a higher account tier but Redubble don’t specify the requirements.

As such, the platform isn’t ideal to new sellers or low-volume sellers.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
Huge existing customer baseCompetitive
Super easy to get startedRisk of copycats recreating your designs
Easier to make salesExcessive fees for new users and small stores
Good product catalog

Pricing

It’s free to open up a shop on Redbubble and start selling. They charge you the base cost of each product you sell after you make a sale. And they’ll take a cut of your profits, providing you’re on the standard plan.


6. Fine Art America

Fine Art America is another print-on-demand marketplace that focuses mostly on wall art, prints, posters, and similar products. It’s a great place to sell types of POD products to a UK market.

Fine Art America Homepage

Fine Art America has the largest print-on-demand fulfillment network in the world and works with over 16 third-party manufacturing centers, spread over 5 countries. That includes two in the UK: one in London and one in Glasgow. 

Orders are routed to the nearest manufacturing center to the delivery destination, so you get the lowest shipping costs and fastest delivery times.

Different fulfillment centers also offer different products. The UK manufacturing centers offer canvas prints, metal prints, wood prints, posters, iPhone cases, Galaxy cases, and Greetings cards – so there’s plenty to choose from.

The design upload process is really straightforward, and there are plenty of customization options. You can choose between different materials, colors, and frames to create the perfect product.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
Perfect for selling wall artLimited product catalog
Lots of customization options
Straightforward design process

Pricing

You can sign up for Fine Art America for free. Again, they take their cut out of your sales as part of the base product cost. If you want to unlock premium features, you can upgrade to a paid plan from as little as $30/year.


7. The Print Space

The Print Space is another company that offers print-on-demand fulfillment services in the UK, and the best choice if you want to sell gallery-quality art prints and frames. It integrates easily with ecommerce platforms like Shopify and Etsy.

The Print Space Homepage

The Print Space doesn’t offer as wide a variety of products as other options on this list. If you want to print your designs on apparel or drinkware, you’re best off looking elsewhere. However, when it comes to fine art prints and frames, there’s no better option.

They offer a fantastic selection of art prints, including professional C-type photographic prints with a deep rich tonal range, and Giclée Fine Art Prints with a lovely handmade feel and a stunning range of textured papers.

Whatever kind of art prints you choose to sell, you can be sure they’ll be incredibly detailed, with superb color accuracy. You can even deliver your art prints to customers alongside certificates of authenticity and under your own branding.

Aside from their focus on quality, there are a few other things we really like about The Print Space. For example, they’re 100% carbon neutral, which is great if you’re hoping to run a green print-on-demand business.

They also offer lightning-fast shipping times, with same-day delivery services available. And they have a great refund policy. Aside from art printing, they also offer framing services and even 3D printing. 

Pros and cons

ProsCons
Gallery-quality printingLimited product catalog
100% carbon neutral
Rapid shipping
Excellent color accuracy

Pricing

You can sign up for a free account to get started. The Print Space charges £7 + VAT for shipping.


8. Spreadshirt

Spreadshirt is the best print-on-demand business for selling t-shirts, but it also offers a wide selection of other products, including face masks, accessories, sticks, homeware, etc.

Spreadshirt Homepage

There are two ways you can start selling POD merch with Spreadshirt: you can open your own Spreadshop or sell on the Spreadshirt marketplace.

Opening your own Spreadshop means you’ll have more control over the way your shop looks, your product line, and your prices. However, it can be tough to make sales if you don’t have an existing audience without investing in marketing. 

Selling on the Spreadshirt marketplace means you won’t have as much control, but your designs will instantly be visible to Spreadshirt’s daily traffic of over 80,000 visitors, which makes it easier to make sales. 

It’s also much easier to get started with: Just sign up for free, upload your designs, and collect your earnings. 

Pros and cons

ProsCons
Easy to get started withNot as much traffic as other POD marketplaces
Two ways to sell
Great for selling t-shirts
Set your own prices with Spreadshop

Pricing

It’s 100% free to sell on the Spreadshirt marketplace. They take their cut out of sales of your designs as well as shipping costs, and you collect the rest as earnings.


9. Inkthreadable

Inkthreadable is a fully UK-based print-on-demand fulfillment provider that stands out for its excellent selection of activewear.

Inkthreadable Homepage

There are over 250+ customizable products in the Inkthreadable catalog, including all the essentials: t-shirts, mugs, wall art, hoodies, etc.

In addition to those core products, Inkthreadable has one of the best selections of print-on-demand activewear we’ve seen, including recycled activewear t-shirts.

Inkthreadable is also heavily focused on sustainability. They offer several sustainable product lines, including eco-friendly, responsible-sourced Stanley/Seller clothing garments made from organic and recycled planets.

The built-in product designer tool is powerful but easy to use, and you can create product mockups in one click.

Once you’ve chosen your products and added your designs, you can import them to your store and let Inkthreadable take care of the rest. You only pay for items you’ve already sold.

While Inkthreadable is based in the UK, you can also sell products internationally thanks to fast and flexible global delivery options.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
UK-based companyInternational shipping is slower than other providers
Good product selection
Environmentally friendly
Easy to use

Pricing

It’s free to sign up for Inkthreadable. You’ll only need to pay for the fulfillment costs of your products. 


10. Two Fifteen

Last but not least, we have Two Fifteen, another UK-based company that offers print-on-demand fulfillment and dropshipping services.

Two Fifteen Homepage

All orders are manufactured in-house in Two Fifteen’s UK-based production center – they don’t outsource anything to third-party printing providers, so the quality is consistently excellent. Depending on the product, Two Fifteen uses either sublimation printing or DTG printing methods.

They use Royal Mail UK for fast shipping. Most orders are printed and shipped very quickly, with a 1-5 day turnaround time. They also offer international shipping in case you sell to overseas customers too.

Like most fulfillment providers, Two Fifteen easily integrates with all the most popular online marketplaces and ecommerce platforms. 

Another thing we like about Two Fifteen is that it’s a complete white label solution. You can upload your brand details and Two Fifteen will package and ship orders with branded packing slips or neck labels, with no mention of Two Fifteen.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
Consistent, reliable qualityPrices aren’t as low as some other providers
Good shipping times
Easy integration with existing store
White label features

Pricing

It’s free to sign up for Two Fifteen. You set your own profit margins and only pay for the base product and printing and shipping costs. 


Finding the best print-on-demand UK companies

That concludes our roundup of the best print-on-demand companies with fulfillment centers in the UK. 

All of the companies above are worth considering, but the best choice for your business will depend on whether or not you already have your own ecommerce store, how much you’re willing to invest in marketing, and the types of products you want to sell.

With that in mind, here’s what we’d suggest:

  1. Use Sellfy if you don’t already have an ecommerce store. You can use it to build your entire online storefront and sell print-on-demand products with local fulfillment in the UK.
  2. Check out Gelato if you already have an ecommerce store and you want the best possible printing quality and support. It integrates with all major ecommerce platforms to provide the backend fulfillment services for your POD business.
  3. Try Printful if you already have an ecommerce store and want the widest selection of products. It’s another print-on-demand fulfillment company with printing providers in the UK and offers very competitive prices.

Despite looking for POD companies with UK-based fulfillment, I’d always recommend using a company with fulfillment centers in other countries such as USA and Canada. This ensure you can easily cater for customers in other countries.

While you’re here, you might also want to check out our roundup of the best ecommerce platforms to sell digital products.


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