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How Gelato works

Learn how print on demand drop shipping works with Gelato

Try print on demand drop shipping with the world's largest POD network. Create and sell custom products online with production in 32 countries and 24/7 support.

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Expanding your ecommerce potential

No inventory required

By opting for print on demand drop shipping, you can experience a hassle-free process without the need for an upfront investment in inventory.

Seamless integration and automated order fulfillment

Integrate with your preferred ecommerce platforms, allowing for easy management of orders, automated fulfillment, and shipping processes.

Access to a wide range of customizable products

Take advantage of a vast selection of customizable products, offering endless possibilities to sell to your customers.

Scalability and flexibility

Embrace the scalability and flexibility that print drop shipping provides, empowering your business to thrive in the dynamic landscape of online commerce.

How dropshipping works with Gelato

Connect to Gelato

Connect your ecommerce business to link your existing products or create new products.

Start selling

Your customer browses your ecommerce store and places an order.

Take it easy

We take care of the entire fulfilment process and produce your product closer to your customer.

The order is shipped

We deliver your products directly to your customer via our fast and reliable global logistics network.

Personalized products and custom dropshipping

Custom dropshipping

Streamline your business by dropshipping custom products without the need for inventory.

Empower customers to personalize their purchases, delivering unique experiences.

Product personalization options and design tools

Discover a wide variety of personalized items, including clothing and accessories, with Gelato. Our platform offers easy-to-use customization features, allowing your end customer to personalize their desired products.

Niche targeting and market research

Identify profitable niches where demand for customized products is high. Conduct thorough market research to align offerings with customer preferences.

Using Gelato for print on demand and dropshipping

If you're looking for a reliable print on demand drop shipping company, Gelato is the perfect partner for your business. We're proud to be the world's largest POD network, with 130+ production facilities in 32 countries.

Our team is dedicated to providing expert support and user-friendly resources, so you can focus on growing your brand while we handle production, fulfillment, and delivery.

Custom clothing with Gelato

Personalized clothing

Discover the growing worldwide trend of customers seeking personalized and distinctive clothing options.

Pinpoint lucrative market niches that have a strong demand for diverse customization choices in apparel.

Creating unique designs

Forge partnerships with talented designers to craft captivating and exclusive designs using Gelato.

Leverage their expertise to develop one-of-a-kind custom clothing collections quickly and without upfront inventory costs.

High-quality printing techniques

Discover advanced printing techniques, such as direct-to-garment (DTG) and sublimation printing.

Ensure the use of premium materials that guarantee vivid colors and long-lasting durability.

Building a brand identity

Develop a unique brand story and aesthetic that resonates with your target audience.

Create a cohesive brand identity through custom clothing designs that reflect your brand values.

Hear from one of our customers:

"Gelato helps lighten the workload by taking care of all the production and logistics"

" Moreover it's a great place to start due to the low barriers it creates to enter the market. Their stellar service is always there to help and rare problems that do occur are solved quickly and effectively "

Stijn Willemse, Founder of DIS-ORDER

The Gelato Network

140+ production partners in 32 countries

Gelato makes the production and delivery of custom products simple, borderless, and programmable. Our teams are based in offices around the world and we process millions of print jobs each year for creators, startups, and large enterprises.

For information about which products are produced locally in which countries, please consult our product catalog.

Tips for effective marketing and promotions

Grow your business through social media

Are you looking to grow your business through social media advertising? Gain tips from our experts to promote your business like a pro.

Develop a marketing strategy
Collaborate with influencers and brand partnerships
Content marketing is your friend

Easy store connection

Designed for creators and entrepreneurs, scaled for enterprises. Thousands of businesses use Gelato’s software and APIs to produce and deliver custom printed products anywhere in the world.

Connect your store to Gelato’s API directly or via our easy-to-use integrations with the leading ecommerce platforms.

Print on demand drop shipping FAQs

How to start a print on demand business?

To start a print on demand site or business, follow these 6 steps: Research and select a niche market. Choose a reliable print on demand platform, such as Gelato. Create high-quality designs for your products in Gelato’s design editor. Set up your online store and integrate it with Gelato's platform easily. Market your products and drive traffic to your store. As orders come in, let the Gelato handle fulfillment, production and shipping. It’s that easy to start offering print on demand services with Gelato!

How much money can you make with print on demand?

The potential earnings with print on demand vary based on factors such as product selection, marketing efforts, target audience, and overall business strategy. While it's possible to generate substantial income, success is not guaranteed, and individual results will vary. The key lies in offering unique products, effective marketing, and building a loyal customer base. Gelato is the world’s largest print on demand network, so you know you can trust the service you will get, and that you’ll be able to cast the widest network possible to your customers. Try direct to garment printing, POD digital printing, and selling products in your own online store with the largest print on demand service in the world.

What are the best custom products to sell?

The best customizable print on demand products to sell depends on factors such as target audience, market trends, and personal preferences. However, at Gelato, our most popular options include t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, phone cases, wall art, and accessories like tote bags. It's important to research your specific target market to identify products that resonate with them, shop our full catalog here and start designing.

Which platform is best for print on demand?

Gelato is the best print on demand platform, as we produce your products on demand and in 100+ locations worldwide — reaching your customers faster while reducing waste, costs, and carbon emissions. We’re easy to use and work relentlessly to help you scale your business and get the most out of the platform. You can reach our customer success team anywhere, anytime.

Is Gelato print on demand free?

Yes! Gelato is free to use, with no minimum orders or leftover stock. Because the products are made on demand, you only pay for what you sell. Thousands of online stores connect to Gelato for customized print on demand products. With Gelato, your business is faster, smarter, and greener.

How does Gelato print on demand work?

To start selling print on demand with Gelato, first, you can easily connect your ecommerce store to Gelato. Next, connect your existing products or create new custom products. From this point, your customer will browse your eCommerce store as usual and place an order. We take care of the entire fulfillment process and produce your product close to where your customer is located. Once the order is shipped to the customer, we’ll deliver your products fast and reliably, with reduced carbon emissions. It’s a win-win for everyone!

How do you start dropshipping with no money?

What attracts most entrepreneurs to the dropshipping business model, is the low barrier to entry. Where traditional ecommerce business models required an upfront investment for products and materials, dropshipping removes this process from the equation completely. Realistically, you could start dropshipping with little to no money down once you have an ecommerce storefront setup and have generated

Is dropshipping profitable?

Dropshipping can be very profitable if you set up the business properly. Your aim should be to build a quality brand and not just plan on selling one-off products. By niching down and growing a solid following for your brand, drop shippers can often expect to make between 20% - 30% per sale. With Gelato, there are hundreds of customization options, cost effective shipping options, easy international shipping, and online businesses make ideal profit margins.

Is print on demand more profitable than dropshipping?

Both print on demand and dropshipping are profitable business models, and there's no one set rule that one is more profitable than the other. However, dropshipping tends to be more profitable in the short-term, because the shipping costs are lower, letting you offer customers free shipping or low-cost shipping without eating up your profit margin. Print on demand tends to be easier to sustain and profitable in the long-term, if you can establish a solid customer base and brand awareness, your online business can thrive with POD. Dropshipping is usually more difficult to establish a brand and grow with the brand overtime.

Is Shopify a print on demand platform?

Shopify is not a print on demand platform, but paired with Gelato, it is. You use both Shopify and Gelato together! Shopify is where you build your own custom store and collect payments, and Gelato is what you use to design your products, and we handle the fulfillment and shipping of the products to your customers.

Is Shopify print on demand profitable?

We know that print on demand is profitable and not going anywhere besides up. Since print on demand products are made to order, this model satisfies a demand for custom products while still remaining profitable.