Top 30+ Print-on-Demand Product Ideas [Update 2024]

Anna Navolokova, Marketing Manager in Multi-Programming Solutions  •  11 min read

Table of Contents

Best Print-on-Demand Surface Ideas

Top-Selling Print-on-Demand Products

Starting a Print-on-Demand Business: Useful Tips

Where do people get their best ideas from?

How printing businesses will use AI in 2024

Conclusion

It can be a moot point but customization and outsourcing seem to be among the leading trends in modern business. People like unique personalized products not found anywhere else in the marketplace. However, to make the most of the idea, a team of trained professionals would be indispensable. After all, no matter how creative a person may be, it is very possible that they have a very limited knack for business. For such types of people, a dropshipping model may work the best and bring success by relieving them of many problems and challenges they would otherwise face by handling all aspects of the business personally.

In this respect, manufacturing the custom print on demand products is a smart business idea in which both customization and outsourcing are adjoined to let the founder’s imagination run wild while also gaining profit.

Print on Demand: the Best Way to Carve a Niche in the Online Retail Market

Best Print-on-Demand Surface Ideas

POD items top the list of trending products entrepreneurs can sell online via e-commerce platforms and marketplaces, be it Shopify, Etsy, Amazon, or any other resource. The secret of their popularity is quite simple. People like to buy customized goods that make them stand out, emphasize their personalities, show belonging to a specific subculture, etc. 

According to ComCap research, a unique investment bank focused on digital commerce, 48% of users are willing to wait longer if they receive a one-of-a-kind product or service. Around 55% of the Gen Z audience wants to design stuff that no one else owns.  

We offer you a number of print on demand product ideas that are sure to bring profit. You can put print-on-demand images virtually on anything – from pet accessories to shower curtains and clothing buttons. Yet the most popular categories for such products are:

Garments & apparel print-on-demand products

Numerous articles of clothing can be selected to place print-on-demand designs.

• T-shirts. These are by far the biggest sale item in print-on-demand business Worn by people of both sexes and all ages, these are wardrobe basics for every person.

• Dresses. Women’s apparel with modern eye-striking designs is a common favorite of the female audience of various ages.

• Skirts. Same goes for skirts, which look truly extraordinary when added up with original prints.

• Leggings. Prints with cosmic and abstract patterns have been a long-running trend for quite some time now.

• Jackets. When it comes to male clothes, going bold and making regular clothing articles principally more vivid with original prints is certainly a way to go.

• Hoodies. These can be unisex and they are always in demand, especially among the teenage audience of shoppers.

• Shorts. Also can go both for men and women, shorts are the Summer choice that is made brighter and more matching to the season with vivid prints.

• There are more print on demand ideas of clothing products, such as: tank tops, raglan t-shirts, sweaters, swimwear, like bathing suits, activewear & workout clothes, coats.

Accessories print-on-demand products

Miscellaneous accessories are focused by numerous entrepreneurs nowadays, who make a living by selling uniquely designed phone cases and such.

• Hats. Being somewhat narrower niche hats never lose their appeal. Coming in a variety of types and styles (from baseball caps to toques with bucket hats and visors in-between), hats offer a perfect item for placing creative designs on.

• Phone cases. With the advent of portable electronic devices customizing the protective cases is also becoming a trend. So exclusive decoration of a phone wallet or a laptop sleeve will show how unique their owner is.

• There are more print on demand ideas of accessories, such as: socks, scarves, bandanas, baseball caps, visors, bags (handbags, tote bags, makeup bags, grocery bags), backpacks, neckties, luggage accessories, yoga mats, pinback buttons.

Homewares print-on-demand products

Things you use at home stay noticeable provoking warm feelings to their owners. What are the most favored accessories for prints?

• Mugs. They are as popular among accessories as T-shirts among apparel are. Many people would like having “world’s greatest mom” or some fancy design on their coffee cup.

• Pillows. Not as obvious, but also an extremely popular item that people want to be originally designed. A regular pillow with a cool custom print certainly adds a level of variety to domestic routine.

• There are more print on demand ideas of homewares, such as: towels, cushion covers, blankets, aprons, cups, placemats, cutting boards, bottle opener, serving trays, shower curtains.

Stationery & office print-on-demand supplies

The objects of this class are mainly used in offices have an unlimited potential for displaying the company’s logo or manifesting the character of their user.

• Journals & notebooks. These are always in demand, being among the most heavily and regularly consumed supplies in the world.

• Greeting cards. Everyone always strives for something truly outstanding and original to design their business or greeting card. It is most unlikely that items such as these are to go out of the demand at any point in the future.

• There are more print on demand ideas of office supplies, such as: stickers, calendars, envelops, magnets, wall art, canvas print, posters.

• Pet products. Most owners love for their beloved pets to have personal items such as bowls, beds, toys, toilets, and even clothes to be originally designed. That’s where you certainly may hit the spot with your print-on-demand services.

Top-Selling Print-on-Demand Products

Having highlighted the most common and demanded items for print-on-demand designs above, we can safely say that the following few items will certainly keep the lead in being sought after for prints in 2024:

• Phone cases are definite leaders, with various designs being sold in huge numbers by the minute. The market is dense yet welcoming to truly fresh and original print on demand product ideas.
• As we mentioned previously, T-shirts are unlikely to go out of demand anytime soon and will stay trendy throughout 2024.
• We wrote about hoodies as well, and you should put a good focus on this particular clothing item if you want to conquer the hearts of teenagers and casual wear fans with your print-on-demand solutions.
• Fine arts prints are rapidly gaining popularity, with IKEA, among others, setting off a global trend for affordable yet vivid and eye-pleasing art.

Starting a Print-on-Demand Business: Useful Tips

Getting into popular print on demand niches offers numerous benefits, including zero inventory costs, business scalability, and a diverse range of customized stuff. You’ll only need to order stock from your supplier when the client pays for the product at your digital store. From yoga pants to evergreen house decor, you can diversify listings and brand almost any item with your own logos and unique designs. When your customer base extends, your POD business can also grow by concluding contracts with new partners. You don’t even need to invest in extra stuff and equipment.

Ready to step into the POD industry? Learn some tips to make your journey effortless and productive:

• Identify your audience. It is crucial to know who you will target. If you aren’t sure about print on demand niches 2024, the following list of ideas may come in handy: fashion, traveling, parenthood, pets, virtual reality, civil rights, vegan cuisine, recycling, meditation, jobs, internet memes, southpaws.
• Research the niche. Find out whether someone has already come up with a similar print on demand idea and try to locate unexplored areas.
• Create mockups. It is mockups that will be crucial in your customers making their ultimate choice in your favor, so it is worthwhile to employ services of a team that can do it or use templates available on the internet.
• Choose your supplier. The success of your enterprise depends on many factors. Finding a reliable partner who will print and ship items for you is a key one. Pay attention to the best quality, delivery costs, and time, as well as customer testimonials, to make the right decision.
• Decide where to sell. You can start by creating your own digital shop at such directories as Shopify or Wix or opt for tested marketplaces like eBay. They are all easy to set up, and some are available for free, providing access to a multimillion customer base.
• Set a price for POD products. First of all, you should cover your costs. Not making a loss should be the very least of your first attempts. Research your competitors to define how much to charge to keep a competitive advantage and generate profit.
• Order samples. By doing this you can make sure no element of your design was lost on the way to printing upon a product. Moreover, it will let you see the product looks and feels the way you expected it to.
• Get digital. Leverage apps integrated with e-commerce platforms to be able to upload the design of your dream and see it appear on the item you like.
• Market your store. With everything set up, it’s time to promote your brand. Think of creating an engaging email campaign, discovering the power of social media ads, and writing hot blog articles to shout about your business opening. Advertise your shop outdoors, and if possible, attend trade shows and festivals.

How to Start a Print-on-Demand Business

Where do people get their best ideas from?

For all the entrepreneurs wondering how to find a good niche for print on demand, we recommend starting with reviewing their own passions and interests. Although business is business, it will be easier to create cool stuff if you pick the area you love. You may be already involved in some niche and understand this community's pain points and expectations. 

Still, don’t get upset if you have no profitable ideas. Many online platforms and tools exist to inspire you to create unique designs that will sell a lot. You can start by researching Merch on Amazon. The website itself contains millions of templates from artists and merchants all over the world. That doesn’t mean you should plagiarize their unique print on demand products. Instead, you may learn innovative techniques and apply the most trendy visual effects, producing your own assortment.

Since you can’t determine which design will contribute to successful sales from first sight, you may also check Best Sellers Ranks. Generally, top vendors here offer the most outstanding product solutions.

Another great platform to perform market and item research is Etsy. It has a massive range of printed stuff, not limited to apparel and clothing. Just look through the “popular now” category, use some filtering, and you’ll receive thousands of fresh ideas on your store customization. Once you discover top print on demand products for Etsy, you can bring them out to own mockups and sell through a personal POD store.

Try SEO tools like Google Trends to identify related niches you may not have conceded yet. It will help you search for queries most used by your potential customers. A good product may be the one with a reasonable number of demands and low (or poor quality) competition.

How printing businesses will use AI in 2024

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a concept of the future but a rapidly developing present. Companies across a diverse range of industries, including the POD sector, are adopting AI technologies, and there are several beneficial reasons for this. AI-powered tools support business growth in different ways. First and foremost, they help companies to automate and streamline routine processes, reducing operational costs and boosting overall efficiency. AI is often used to analyze vast amounts of business data, extract valuable insights, and apply them in critical decision-making.

Intelligent apps can assist brands in adapting to rapidly changing market demands by analyzing current trends and customer behavior. And one more (but not the last) thing, AI improves users' experience by ensuring high-quality customer support.
As you can see, by leveraging AI technologies, businesses of any size and qualification can empower their performance, gain competitive advantages, and drive growth.

Now, let’s learn how POD entrepreneurs can use AI-based tools to build and improve their online stores in 2024:

• Apps like ChatGPT may become reliable assistants in exploring low-competition niches for print on demand. Just type your query correctly, and you’ll get dozens of insights to adopt.
• Enhancing customer support is not a problem anymore. Now, business owners don’t have to hire additional staff to process buyers’ queries. You may program an AI tool to comprehensively respond to the most frequently asked questions concerning your products, shipping terms, or other issues. Thus, you’ll ensure 24/7 service and build trust with potential clients.
• Based on the users’ browsing history, AI can offer personalized recommendations suitable to the client’s interests and preferences. By suggesting precisely the same sustainable products (and relative ones) your buyers currently need, your brand improves customer experience and increases retention.
• Best-selling print on demand products don’t necessarily require artists’ work in 2024. AI can generate high-quality ideas relying on your detailed description and target audience preferences. You’ll spend time only on writing detailed prompts, while the language model will show the final illustration in a few seconds.
• AI-powered systems stand at the front lines when it comes to cybersecurity. They detect and respond to hackers’ attacks, evaluate suspicious behavior, and act as a reliable shield against possible internet fraud.
• Creating a marketing campaign is another area where leveraging AI tools will benefit POD sellers. Suppose you aim to implement a successful marketing campaign. In that case, a conversation-based algorithm will play a vital role in creating eye-catching content and product visualizing the best print on demand products to sell.

The potential of AI technologies in revolutionizing business processes is vast, from streamlining routine workflows to improving customer engagement. However, to successfully integrate innovative AI, you should clearly understand the tasks you’ll delegate to the language model and partner with the right software companies. Although leveraging AI dramatically reduces operational costs and boosts corporate efficiency, it requires human control. Technology is far from perfect as, to date, it can still generate mistakes.

Conclusion

By starting a print on demand business, you will be able to cull a nice income and display your creative spirit at the same time choosing almost any object as your canvas. Being low-risk, this business suits both artists and entrepreneurs who choose the shortest way to reach their customers.

Our top 30+ POD ideas can provide valuable insights into the most desired products in 2024. From pet accessories to sustainable home decor, your possibilities are almost limitless when it comes to stocking and scaling. Still, when choosing a lucrative niche to operate in, try to rely not only on customer demands but also on your own interests.

The current year is perfect for trying something new, like integrating AI into your selling chain. Businesses that discover the power of a language-based model and utilize it for their own needs will be better equipped to overcome all the possible challenges and succeed in a highly crowded market.