How I’d Start Print on Demand on Etsy in 2027 (My 5-Step Plan)

 

If I were starting print on demand on Etsy in 2027, I’d keep it simple. I’d choose one specific buyer, start with a handful of products, and get my first listing live before I worried about building a big shop. And I’d start with a product I’ve already had real sales with: a personalised journal, which is my best-selling print-on-demand product.

When I started POD, it took me about four months to get my head around it: picking a print partner and a product, print specs and all the new lingo, personalisation, pricing so I actually made a profit, and shipping, which I’d never had to think about selling digital products. So this is everything I wish I’d had in one place, built around one example: a personalised kids’ ballerina journal.

I build everything in Printify. It’s free to sign up, you never hold stock, and you choose who prints each product, which matters for me because I’m in Australia and most of my buyers are in the US.

Step 1: Choose one niche buyer

This is the step I’d spend the most time on. Print on demand on Etsy is crowded, but it’s crowded at the top: thousands of shops selling “a mug” to everyone, all competing on price. The more specific you get about who it’s for, the fewer shops you’re up against, and the clearer your design and listing become.

Here’s how niching down works, using nurses:

• Everyone: a “best coffee ever” mug. Thousands of competitors.
• Nurses: better, but still huge.
• NICU nurses: a much smaller group.
• NICU nurses on night shift: now you know their world.
• A moment: the day a baby goes home from the NICU.

At the bottom, the buyer changes. The nurse uses the gift, but the baby’s parents buy it to say thank you. The person using your product isn’t always the person buying it, and you need to know who you’re actually selling to.

For the journal: a journal → a kids’ journal → a ballet journal → a first recital or birthday → bought by a parent or grandparent with the little dancer’s name on it.

My biggest tip: pick a customer you understand. Someone you are, someone you’ve been, or someone you buy for all the time. Then check there’s demand: are people already buying something like it on Etsy, what are they paying, and what do reviews say buyers loved or wished was different?

If you’re stuck, ask ChatGPT or Claude: “I’m a [your life]. I want to sell personalised on Etsy to US buyers. Take one group of people I understand and niche it down five levels: group → type → situation → moment → who buys the gift. Give me 10 of these funnels and tell me which are most likely to be bought as a gift.”

Step 2: Start with a few personalised, gift-ready products

Printify has over 1,300 products, which is exciting and exactly where beginners get stuck. Start with a shortlist:

• Journals. You mostly design the cover, and a name on the front makes it a gift. They also sell for more than a lot of beginner products.
• Ornaments. A small, simple print area and a natural fit for Christmas gifting. Check how crowded your angle is first.
• Candles. The design is mostly the label, and a simple product like this can carry a whole niche shop.
• Mugs, but not the cheapest one. If it’s a gift, it has to feel like one. Pick a mug you’d happily give yourself and price it to match.
• Apparel, if you’re in the US. Look for DTG (direct-to-garment), and plan for sizes and exchanges.

Start with a few, not fifty, and master one before adding the next.

Choosing your printer

Printify has printers across the US and Europe, and you can compare them on price, location, production time and rating. My buyers are in the US and a recital has a date, so I pick a well-rated US printer with a quick production time. The cheapest isn’t always right, because a late gift is a refund.

How big do I make my design?

Click the info icon on the product in Printify. It shows the full print area size. Make your canvas exactly that size, and follow that product’s template. On the hardcover journal, the cover is one wraparound design, so the template shows where the spine folds, which side is the front, and the safe area to keep text inside.

Setting up personalisation

Personalisation is built into Printify for Etsy, and it’s free. Mark the name as the part the buyer can change, then:

• Label the field properly: “Dancer’s first name”, not just “Name”.
• Set a character limit so a long name doesn’t run off the cover.
• Approve every order before it prints and check the spelling. A typo on a printed journal is a reprint, not a quick fix.

Step 3: Order samples to check quality

Before you push anything, order a sample. Check the print, colours, binding and size. Mockups can make a product look bigger or smaller than it is, so make sure your photos show the real size, ideally in someone’s hands. Printify’s free mockups are enough to start, as long as they match what actually arrives.

Step 4: Know your margins

Price to the market, not under it. In Printify, the profit shown when you set your retail price is before Etsy’s fees, so do the full sum for each product:

• Price the buyer pays (item + shipping)
• − Printify product cost
• − Printify shipping to the buyer
• − Etsy fees (listing, transaction, payment processing)
• = what you keep (before tax, ads and your time)

Even when the buyer pays shipping, you still pay Printify to ship it, and Etsy charges its fee on shipping too. If what’s left doesn’t feel worth it, change the price, printer or product before you publish. Once you’re doing more orders, Printify Premium takes up to 20% off the catalogue, which goes straight into what you keep.

Step 5: Get it live, then build out

Connect your Etsy shop in Printify (a couple of minutes, once), then hit publish and the listing goes straight to Etsy. When someone orders, Printify prints and ships it, and tracking goes back to Etsy. In Etsy, add Printify as your production partner. Printify also connects to Shopify, TikTok Shop and more if you want to branch out later.

Then build out slowly. Once your first product is selling, add another moment for the same buyer (a birthday version of the recital journal) or the same buyer on a new product (a matching ballerina ornament). Chase moments that come round every year rather than whatever’s trending this week.

My 5-step plan, in short

1. Choose one niche buyer.
2. Start with a few personalised, gift-ready products.
3. Order samples.
4. Know your margins.
5. Get it live, then build out.

Ready to start? Sign up to Printify for free. New to the lingo? Grab my free POD glossary on my free resources page. And if you want to know whether POD is right for you first, read is print on demand still worth it on Etsy in 2027.

FAQs

What’s the best print-on-demand product for beginners on Etsy?

Products where the design is simple and personalisation turns it into a gift: journals, ornaments, candles and good-quality mugs. Start with a few and master one first.

How do I know what size to make my print-on-demand design?

In Printify, click the info icon on the product to see the full print area size, make your canvas that size, and follow the product’s template for safe areas.

Do I need a separate app for personalisation?

No. Personalisation for Etsy is built into Printify for free. Label the field clearly, set a character limit and approve each order before it prints.

Should I order a sample?

Yes. Check the print, colours, binding and real size before you start selling, and make sure your mockups match what arrives.

How much do you make per print-on-demand sale?

It depends on your price, product cost, shipping and Etsy fees. Work out the full sum for each product before you publish, and remember Printify’s displayed profit is before Etsy’s fees.