20 Print On Demand Business Ideas You Can Start Today [2023]

20 Print On Demand Business Ideas You Can Start Today [2023]

Interested in starting a print on demand business in 2023?

We put together 20 of the best print on demand businesses you can start in today.

For each business idea, we’ll show you real-world examples of other print on demand businesses to help you see what it really takes.

Here's the full list:

1. Start a screen printing business ($960K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$8,000 — $80,000/month
Skills
Business model

Adam Tanaka from Nashville, Tennessee, USA started Life and Limb Printing almost 13 years ago, a screen printing business.

  • Revenue: $80,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 3
  • Location: Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Case Study

I was all over the place with what I wanted to do with my life - anywhere from a radio DJ, to creating zines, then going to college for biology, dropping out, all the while playing music and touring in bands since I was 14.

From scrubbing those floors to working in their eCommerce department, I learned the inner workings of the production side of the business and knew I was ready to figure out how to launch my own company in merch.

The music I listened to in the 90’s played a major role in what I ended up doing as my career. I remember stuffing cash into an envelope and sending it to some of my favorite bands' addresses and within 2 to 4 weeks, I'd get a shirt in the mail. After opening the package, I would immediately feel the print and it was a mystery to me of how that print got on a shirt.

from-scrubbing-floors-to-running-a-1m-screen-printing-business

2. Start a 3d printing business ($3.96M/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$42,000 — $330,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$407,500
Time To Revenue
240 days
Skills

Roy Kirchner from Odesa, Odesa Oblast, Ukraine started Ultimate 3D Printing Store over 7 years ago, a 3D Printing Business.

  • Revenue: $330,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 4
  • Location: Odesa, Odesa Oblast, Ukraine

Case Study

In 2014, I was one-half of a partnership working primarily in advertising and marketing. At that time, my partner and I were successful and wanted to explore other verticals. We began working with a client who had a product that we believed was singular and unique throughout the world, and we put forward a significant amount of capital out of our own pockets to try and develop that product, only to reach a point where the deal went south and litigation ensued.

Make plans to do things as a family, and do your best not to let work interfere with those moments, but know that there are going to be times when you will have to sacrifice an outing, a dinner date, a holiday weekend.

In trying to think outside the box and figure out a way to create a similar product, I found myself for the first time in an innovation lab in Tampa, Florida, where I saw a 3D printer in operation for the first time. I couldn’t look away. I realized immediately that 3D printing had the potential to change the world as it became more integrated into daily business activities such as manufacturing. That’s when I decided to leap of faith.

how-i-started-a-330k-month-ecommerce-specialized-in-3d-printing

3. Start a framed prints ecommerce ($4.8K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$200 — $500,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$525
Skills
Business model

Bawuah Boakye from Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana started Revved Interior Co about 4 years ago, a framed prints ecommerce.

  • Revenue: $400/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 1
  • Location: Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana

Case Study

From my childhood, I’ve always had a strong artistic side to my personality, sketching portraits of family and friends were very natural skills for me. Growing up and engulfing myself in design and graphics, I learned a couple of tricks that I used to earn income while in senior high school and college. I then thought I couldn’t possibly do this for my whole life and sought more out of my talents.

It is easy for entrepreneurs and people to start new businesses with new ideas to feel overwhelmed with a lot of responsibility, trials, and difficulties. Not every day is a good day, but being disciplined always helps me move forward.

Every product starts with an idea, depending on what I want to portray. It may be a new artistic technique or a picture I’ve taken from a different perspective. Every artist takes time on their craft, trying to reach perfection, but I have found that most times you will never attain perfection and in that space, you decide to put out the idea. That makes the beauty in art. After designs are ready, our manufacturers receive high-quality resolution image files which they print out and frame with the best materials for the budget. Revved Interior seeks to help anyone begin their journey in the art and interior design world, our products try to undercut market prices to allow everyone to find and purchase what they want.

on-starting-a-framed-prints-ecommerce-during-a-worldwide-pandemic

4. Start a custom prints business ($300K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$3,700 — $3,000,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$135,000
Skills

Zach Katz from Amsterdam, Netherlands started Framed Tweets almost 6 years ago, a custom prints business.

  • Revenue: $25,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 0
  • Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Case Study

I dreamed up the idea for Framed Tweets a year prior to starting it.

It was December 2015, and I was holed up in my room, avoiding the New Year’s party my parents were hosting downstairs. I was scrolling through Twitter, when suddenly, I thought, “what if you could frame a tweet?” (Honestly, that’s how most ideas come about, at least for me. They just randomly happen.)

That night, I tweeted the link to some random people who I found by searching Twitter. The next morning, I woke up to find Framed Tweets featured on Product Hunt, Mashable, Uncrate, and a few other websites.

how-i-stumbled-into-a-300k-business-framing-tweets

5. Start a photo printing business ($18M/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$27,400 — $1,500,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$5,075
Time To Revenue
180 days
Skills
Business model

Jainam Shah from Georgia started CanvasChamp about 11 years ago, a photo printing business.

  • Revenue: $1,500,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 180
  • Location: Georgia

Case Study

It’s so happened that one beautiful day, I was just hanging out with my father an evening while we were discussing our family photos. My father suddenly picked up one photo from the album and said, “This is one of the best photos of us. How amazing would it had been that we could find a way to frame our favorite photos artistically.”

I had zero experience, but I did know from my previous job in college that I was good at learning and collecting from data, setting up and building experiments over and over again, and making business decisions with the information provided to me. I believe that this is one of the most important qualities you can have to be a successful entrepreneur.

Suddenly it dawned on me that I should get the photo that my father likes so much, framed. But I checked out the market and saw that the market had split between low-cost providers that would personalize your products very cheaply (of questionable quality) and designers who would personalize your products very expensively (and still of dubious quality). And I only found an opportunity for business in personalized products that way. So I thought to focus on filling a gap which delivered more premium products but well below the designer prices.

how-we-started-a-1-5m-month-custom-canvas-prints-business-online

6. Start an online art prints business

How Much Can You Make?
$6,600 — $110,000/month
Skills

Examples of a successful online art prints business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a online art prints business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an online art prints business ➜

Case Study

Troy Parker is the founder of an Etsy shop selling customizable garments for both humans and pets. He specializes in fun & weird customized garment & accessory printing.

Goober Prints had a breakthrough year in 2020, increasing total sales to $80,000 from just under $10,000 in 2019. In 2020 he sold around 4000 items in total and this gave him a boost to turn his side hustle into a full-time business.

article

Read the full article on sidehustlenation.com ➜

7. Start a Digital Printing Business ($12M/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$15,000 — $6,250,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$525,537
Skills
Business model

Examples of a successful Digital Printing Business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a Digital Printing Business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a Digital Printing Business ➜

Case Study

Hello. I am Abhishek Agarwal the CMO of two successful IT business ventures - Design’N’Buy & DesignRiver.co.

Our hard work and struggle helped us earn a turnover of 1.5 million dollars and 1000+ clients across 60+ countries currently and now we are expecting a growth of 50% in 2021-22 financial year.

on-starting-a-pioneer-web-to-print-software-solution

8. Start a large prints design business

Examples of a successful large prints design business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a large prints design business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a large prints design business ➜

article

9. Start an art prints business

How Much Can You Make?
$6,600 — $350,000/month
Skills
Business model

Examples of a successful art prints business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a art prints business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an art prints business ➜

Case Study

Hi, my name is Adam Vieira, and I’m the creative director for Station 16 Gallery, a contemporary art gallery in Montreal heavily influenced by graffiti and street art.

We showcase original art, sculptures, and works on paper, which changes every month, sometimes every week. We also launch a new limited edition silkscreen print every month with international artists.

growing-an-art-gallery-to-150-000-month

10. Start a security printing business

Examples of a successful security printing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a security printing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a security printing business ➜

article

11. Start a print communication business

Examples of a successful print communication business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a print communication business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a print communication business ➜

article

12. Start a printable sales business

Examples of a successful printable sales business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a printable sales business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a printable sales business ➜

article

13. Start a postcard printing business

How Much Can You Make?
$15,000/month
Skills

Examples of a successful postcard printing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a postcard printing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a postcard printing business ➜

Case Study

My name is Michael Nova and I am the Director and Founder of Nova Custom Label Printing. We offer branding and marketing solutions to businesses nationwide. We print anything a small or large business might need…

We went from being a mom-and-pop small business starting in 1995 to now serving major corporations. Along the way, I learned powerful lessons of how to overcome adversity, both in business and in life.

how-i-turned-my-career-as-a-musician-into-a-180k-year-custom-printing-business

14. Start a removable wallpaper and prints

Examples of a successful removable wallpaper and prints:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a removable wallpaper and prints:

Learn more about starting a removable wallpaper and prints ➜

article

15. Start a Business/Visiting Cards Printing Business

Examples of a successful Business/Visiting Cards Printing Business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a Business/Visiting Cards Printing Business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a Business/Visiting Cards Printing Business ➜

article

16. Start a self-publisher business

How Much Can You Make?
$2,000 — $3,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$100
Skills

Examples of a successful self-publisher business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a self-publisher business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a self-publisher business ➜

Case Study

Hello, my name is Opossum and I’m the founder of BowTiedOpossum. Did that first sentence confuse you? Well, you’re not alone. We’ll get to that later though.

After 9 months, I’ve managed to grow the newsletter to $3k a month in between my career, outside consulting, personal projects, and family/kids. I’ve done this completely anonymously with 0 ad dollars, by myself, and no prior social media presence to give it a boost.

how-i-anonymously-launched-a-newsletter-while-keeping-my-day-job-3k-month

17. Become a newspaper publisher

Examples of a successful newspaper publisher:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a newspaper publisher:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a newspaper publisher ➜

18. Start a sports magazine publishing business

Average Initial Investment
$1,000
Skills

Examples of a successful sports magazine publishing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a sports magazine publishing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a sports magazine publishing business ➜

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19. Start a training manuals printing business

Examples of a successful training manuals printing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a training manuals printing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a training manuals printing business ➜

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20. Start a brochures printing business

Examples of a successful brochures printing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a brochures printing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a brochures printing business ➜

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Pat Walls,  Founder of Starter Story
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I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.

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