What's the best print on demand service for artists?
Six services compared for selling reproductions of your work, from paper to package.
You paint, draw or shoot photos, and people keep asking for prints. A print on demand service prints each reproduction only when someone orders it, then ships it for you. No inventory, no paper stock, no trips to the post office.
The short answer: Printful if you want your own store and consistent quality, Prodigi if the art print itself matters most, Gelato if your buyers live in several countries. If you just want to be discovered without running a store, Redbubble brings traffic, but it keeps a real share of your earnings.
Our ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The best service for how you sell
In-house production, giclée from $6.52
Art print quality firstIn-house labs in the UK, US and EU
Best margin at volume70+ print providers competing on price
Buyers in several countriesPosters in 30+ sizes, printed near the buyer
Your designs on apparel, freeFree hosted store, no subscription
Get discovered without a storeA marketplace with its own shoppers
The 6 services compared
The full ranking. The "Where you sell" column tells you whether you sell on your own store or on the service's marketplace. Prices are the ones each provider lists on its official pages.
| Best for | Where you sell | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Printful | Best for an artist's own store | Your Shopify, Etsy or Wix store | 4.1/5 | Free, Growth at $24.99/mo | ✓ | Artists selling online every month | Visit → |
| 2 | Prodigi | Best art print quality | Your Shopify, Etsy or Wix store | 4.0/5 | Free, Pro at £40/mo | ✓ | Painters and photographers who are picky | Visit → |
| 3 | Printify | Best for margin | Your store, 70+ print providers | 3.9/5 | Free, Premium at $39/mo | ✓ | Artists selling at volume | Visit → |
| 4 | Gelato | Best for international buyers | Your store, local production | 3.7/5 | Free, Gelato+ at $19.99/mo billed annually | ✓ | Buyers spread across countries | Visit → |
| 5 | Spreadshop | Best free starting point | Its free hosted store | 3.3/5 | Free, you set your margin | ✓ | Illustrators testing designs | Visit → |
| 6 | Redbubble | Best for discovery without a store | Its marketplace | 3.2/5 | Free, fees taken from earnings | ✓ | Beginners with no audience yet | Visit → |
Scores across five criteria. Printify and Gelato scores come from their Labs review pages; Printful and Spreadshop scores match our other print on demand rankings. Starting prices checked in 2026 on official provider pages, shipping not included.
How we compared and scored
An artist doesn't shop for a print service the way a t-shirt brand does. What you sell is faithfulness to the original: paper texture, the exact blue, a smooth gradient. So we read each service's technical docs (papers, inks, printers, file advice), its pricing, and recent reviews from artists and merchants on public platforms.
Each service gets a score on five equally weighted criteria. When a tool already has a Labs review page, we reuse its scores as is, so a tool has the same score everywhere on the site. We compared the services from public information and user feedback, without opening accounts with them.
- Ease of useHow long it takes to connect your store, upload a piece and list it.20%
- Value for moneyPrint cost, subscription, discounts, and the cut the service takes from your sale.20%
- Features and depthPaper, canvas and frame options, print quality, color settings.20%
- Customer supportWho answers when a print arrives damaged or with off colors.20%
- IntegrationsShopify, Etsy, Wix, Squarespace and other stores.20%
No affiliate link changes a score or a rank.
Printful
Printful prints in its own facilities, with no network of subcontractors. For an artist, that's the main selling point: the sample you get looks like the print your customer will get. Its giclée prints come off Epson printers with pigment inks, on two acid-free papers: a 189 g/m² enhanced matte paper and a premium luster photo paper. Canvas, framed posters and metal prints are on the menu too.
Wall art starts at $6.52 before shipping. The Growth plan, at $24.99 a month, unlocks up to 33% off products, and it becomes free once you pass $12,000 in yearly sales. A tip most guides skip: Printful gives up to 20% off bulk orders of 25 items or more. That's the moment to stock up for an art fair without paying full price.
The catch for artists: paper choice is short. Two giclée papers is thin next to a fine art lab. Recent negative reviews also mention support that sometimes blames the merchant and size sync errors. Order a sample of every size before you list it.
- In-house production: consistent results order after order
- Epson giclée with pigment inks on acid-free paper
- Canvas, frames, metal and merch in one catalog
- ✓Up to 20% off from 25 items
- ✓Connects to Shopify, Etsy and Wix
- ✓Start at $0, no subscription
- ✗Only two giclée papers
- ✗Higher base prices than a provider network
- ✗Support can get defensive, per recent reviews
The safest pick if you want your own store and predictable results. If your work needs a richer art paper, look at Prodigi.
Prodigi
Prodigi is a UK printer built around images and wall art. It runs its own production in the UK, the US and the EU, and works with 70+ partners in more than ten countries for everywhere else. The catalog is narrow, mostly paper, canvas and frames, but that's exactly what an artist sells.
Buyer feedback points the same way. Public reviews mostly praise the color accuracy of its giclée prints. One merchant says they spent a year comparing print apps before settling on Prodigi for fine art posters. Its public rating is middling, around 3.5 out of 5: complaints are about order and billing mistakes, usually sorted out by email.
The platform is free: you pay for each print when it goes into production. Pro costs £40 a month, or £35 billed annually, and brings 15% off most products (10% on apparel), 75% off packaging inserts and an account manager. It only pays off at steady volume, so run the numbers on your last three months first. The limit: wholesale prices only show once you've signed up.
- Specialist in art prints, canvas and frames
- In-house production in the UK, US and EU
- Connects to Shopify, Etsy, Wix and via API
- ✓Giclée color accuracy praised by buyers
- ✓No required subscription
- ✓Custom inserts at 75% off with Pro
- ✗Wall-focused catalog, few other products
- ✗Prices visible only after signup
- ✗Pro has no trial and no refunds
The best pick if you mostly sell prints and canvas and color is everything. To mix prints and merch, Printful is broader.
Printify
Printify doesn't print anything itself. It connects you with 70+ independent print providers and 2,000+ products, posters and canvas included. You pick the provider, which sets the price, the turnaround, the country of production and, for an artist, how the paper looks.
That's where your margin comes from. Two providers can offer the same poster at different prices, and Premium adds up to 20% off every product. The flip side: two providers won't give you the same colors. Recent negative reviews mention off-center prints and reprints refused after 30 days.
For artists the rule is simple: order your print from two or three providers, keep the one whose colors look like your work, and stick with it.
- 70+ print providers competing
- Up to 20% off with Premium
- 2,000+ products, from wall art to mugs
- ✓Lowest base price if you compare
- ✓You choose where it's made
- ✓Up to 5 stores on the free plan
- ✗Colors vary from one provider to the next
- ✗Reprints refused after 30 days
- ✗Quality depends on the provider you pick
Worth it once your volume justifies time spent comparing providers. For your first prints, Printful or Prodigi spares you surprises.
Gelato
Gelato routes every order to the partner closest to the buyer, across 140+ production sites in 32 countries. For an art print, that means shorter transit, less handling and lower odds of import fees. Its wall art range is wide: posters in 30+ sizes, five papers, canvas and frames.
Its help docs are the most precise in this comparison for artists. They recommend at least 150 dpi at final size, 300 dpi ideally, and files tagged sRGB. They also explain that posters smaller than A3 go through digital printing, while anything above B2 goes to wide-format inkjet, which handles gradients better. For very vivid colors, Gelato points you to its giclée paper.
The catch: a network of sites also means results can vary between countries, and recent reviews call support slow (chatbot, stuck parcels). The same reviews often praise its art print quality.
- 140+ production sites in 32 countries
- Posters in 30+ sizes and five papers
- Clear file and color guidance
- ✓Prints made close to your buyer
- ✓Lower odds of import fees
- ✓Free to start
- ✗Results can vary between sites
- ✗Slow support, per recent reviews
- ✗Neons and out-of-gamut colors get converted
The logical pick if your audience is spread across countries. For a mostly US audience, Printful or Prodigi gives more predictable results.
Spreadshop
Spreadshop gives you a free store where you put your designs on 250+ products. It handles the rest: printing, shipping, returns and customer service. You set your margin on top of the base price.
It's the easiest way to see if your style sells on merch before investing. But it isn't an art print service: it's built for apparel and accessories, and its wall range doesn't compete with Prodigi or Gelato.
- Free hosted store
- Printing, shipping, returns and support handled
- You set your own margin
- ✓No subscription, no setup fee
- ✓Nothing to install or connect
- ✓Good testing ground for a design
- ✗Built for apparel, not art prints
- ✗Less customizable than Shopify
- ✗Production location not listed
A solid first step for an illustrator. Once prints become your main product, move to Printful, Prodigi or Gelato.
Redbubble
Redbubble is a marketplace: you upload your art, it puts it on posters, stickers and apparel, and shows it to its own visitors. No store to build, no traffic to find. You set your margin on top of the base price.
That comfort has a price. Redbubble takes account fees from your earnings based on your tier: 50% of your monthly earnings on Standard, 20% on Premium, nothing on Pro, capped at $150 a month. On Standard and Premium it also keeps half of what you earn from markup above 20%. Artists pushed back hard when those tiers arrived. You also never own the customer: no email, no follow-up, no repeat buyers.
Our take: use Redbubble as a shop window to test your work, and keep your best pieces for your own store.
- Marketplace traffic with no ad spend
- No store to build
- Wide range of products
- ✓Free to join
- ✓Visible from your first upload
- ✓Printing and shipping handled
- ✗Fees taken from earnings by tier
- ✗No contact with your buyers
- ✗Heavy competition between artists
Useful for getting found when nobody knows you yet. Once you have an audience, your own store with Printful or Prodigi keeps far more per sale.
Marketplace or your own store: what you really earn
Before you pick a paper, pick how you sell. It decides your margin, your customers and your freedom.
The marketplace (Redbubble)
Your store connected to a printer (Printful, Prodigi, Printify, Gelato)
The free hosted store (Spreadshop)
The Etsy case
- Decide whether you want discovery (marketplace) or loyal buyers (own store).
- Order a print on every paper before you list it.
- Check where prints are made if your buyers are abroad.
- List your printer as a production partner on Etsy.
- Work out your margin after fees, shipping and discounts.
Six settings so the print looks like your work
Most artist disappointments come from the file, not the printer. Here's what actually changes the result.
Export at 300 dpi at final size
FileA file that looks sharp on screen can turn soft at 18 x 24 inches. Work out resolution at the real print size: 300 dpi ideally, 150 dpi at the very least. An 8 x 10 inch print at 300 dpi needs 2,400 x 3,000 pixels.
- Ideal
- 300 dpi
Save in sRGB, not your monitor profile
ColorPrinters expect files tagged sRGB, or a print-ready PDF. A file with no profile, or in a wide profile left unconverted, often prints dull. Convert it yourself and check the result before you upload.
- Recommended
- sRGB
Prepare a version for very bright colors
ColorNeons and some saturated blues or greens fall outside the printable range: the printer converts them, and they lose their punch. If your work relies on them, prepare an adjusted version or choose a giclée paper, which covers a wider range of colors.
- Fix
- Giclée paper
Pick the size with the machine in mind
PaperAt Gelato, posters smaller than A3 go through digital printing, crisp for flat color. Above B2, they go to wide-format inkjet, better for gradients. A delicate gradient is worth selling large.
- Thresholds
- A3 and B2
Order every paper before you sell it
QualityArchival paper runs warm, coated paper shines, matte softens. Only a print in your hands tells you which one suits your work. Order the same image on two or three papers, and keep a photo of the sample for the day a customer disputes a color.
- To order
- 2 to 3 papers
Set your price after every fee
MarginYour price has to cover the print, shipping, platform fees and a launch discount. On a marketplace, subtract account fees too. An artist print rarely sells at the price of a decor poster: present it as artwork, with your name and the paper used.
- Include
- Print, shipping, fees, discount
You've picked a service, now what
These pages go further, depending on what you need.
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Print on demand for artists · FAQ
What's the best print on demand site for artists?
Printful for most artists with their own store: consistent quality, giclée on acid-free paper, merch in the same catalog. Prodigi if you mostly sell prints and canvas and color comes first. Gelato if your buyers live in several countries.What is a giclée print?
It's a high-resolution inkjet reproduction made with pigment inks on acid-free paper. It holds up over time better than a regular poster. At Printful, giclée prints come off Epson printers on enhanced matte or premium luster photo paper.How much does a print on demand art print cost?
At Printful, wall art starts at $6.52 before shipping, and the price climbs with size, paper and framing. Add shipping and your store fees before you set a price. Prodigi shows wholesale prices only once you've signed up.Do I keep the copyright to my art?
Yes. Uploading to a printer or a marketplace doesn't transfer your copyright: you grant a license to print and sell it. Still, read each service's license terms, and keep your high-resolution source files on your own drive.Can I sell limited editions with print on demand?
Yes, but you manage them. None of the services compared numbers or caps a run for you. Set the edition size in your listing, pull the product once it sells out, and sign or number a certificate you send separately.Do I need to disclose my printer on Etsy?
Yes. Etsy asks you to list every production partner, print on demand providers included, in your shop settings. Your art still counts as handmade if you created it.Redbubble or my own store: which is better to start?
Redbubble if nobody knows you yet: its shoppers can find your work. Your own store as soon as you have an audience, even a small one: you set prices and keep in touch with buyers, which Redbubble doesn't allow.Why do my prints look duller than on screen?
Your screen emits light, paper reflects it, and some bright colors fall outside the printable range. Export in sRGB at 300 dpi, turn your screen brightness down a bit to judge, and order a sample before you sell.