Although CustomCat and Printful are both print-on-demand fulfillment services that allow you to create and sell custom-designed products without holding inventory, they are not exactly the same.
When choosing between print-on-demand services, the decision should be based on finding a balance among price, quality, shipping, and integration options. But in the battle between CustomCat and Printful, who wins? 🤔
Let’s analyze each provider's advantages, disadvantages, and specific characteristics to decide which is the most suitable for your business!
CustomCat vs Printful: The Benefits and The Drawbacks
CustomCat and Printful share several benefits and drawbacks, making them both strong contenders for print-on-demand services:
CustomCat | Printful | |
Wide product selection. The platform offers a broad range of products, including apparel, home decor, and accessories, allowing businesses to cater to various customer preferences. | ✅ | ✅ |
Seamless integrations. It easily integrates with popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Etsy, simplifying the setup process for sellers. | ✅ | ✅ |
On-demand fulfillment. These services operate on a POD model, meaning products are only printed when ordered, reducing inventory risks for sellers. | ✅ | ✅ |
Lower production costs. The provider offers more affordable base prices, which are ideal for businesses prioritizing profit margins. | ✅ | |
Faster USA fulfillment. It delivers in between two or three days domestically, making it a great option for US-based sellers who need quick shipping. | ✅ | |
Premium product quality. The service has high-quality products, offering superior materials and print standards. | ✅ | |
Global fulfillment. As it has fulfillment centers worldwide, the service caters to an international audience more effectively. | ✅ | |
Advanced branding options. It provides custom labels, packaging, and branding, creating a premium unboxing experience. | ✅ | |
Higher shipping costs for international orders. The platform may charge higher shipping fees for international deliveries, especially when compared to providers with more local fulfillment options worldwide. | ✅ | ✅ |
Potential for delayed shipping during peak seasons. Like most POD providers, it can experience slower fulfillment times during busy periods, such as holidays, leading to potential delays in shipping. | ✅ | ✅ |
Complex pricing structures. The platform has tiered pricing, which can be difficult to navigate for beginners when estimating overall costs and profit margins. | ✅ | ✅ |
Limited global reach. It excels in USA shipping but has slower, more expensive international shipping, making it less ideal for global businesses. | ✅ |
Other criteria to make the right choice
Printing
Both CustomCat and Printful offer advanced printing methods. CustomCat uses Digisoft, a technique similar to Direct-to-Garment (DTG), along with embroidery and dye sublimation. Printful, on the other hand, offers DTG, embroidery, sublimation, all-over printing, and Direct-to-Film (DTF).
While both companies provide high-quality results, Printful’s DTG stands out for its vibrant colors and cost efficiency, while DTF offers flexibility across materials. CustomCat’s Digisoft combines the strengths of DTG and DTF, offering a more innovative approach without the typical limitations of either method.
Integration
While both platforms offer smooth integrations with various eCommerce platforms, Printful supports over 20 platforms, including Shopify, Etsy, Wix, Walmart, and Amazon, offering more flexibility. CustomCat, on the other hand, integrates with four key platforms: Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce.
Integration with personalization tools
Both Printful and CustomCat integrate with personalization tools like Customily, which allow customers to create their own custom designs directly on the eCommerce site.
This tool is crucial for print-on-demand businesses looking to offer personalized products, such as custom t-shirts, mugs, or home décor items. Customily’s intuitive design features, including live previews and easy-to-use templates, can significantly enhance customer engagement and increase conversion rates.
Once you install Customily to your e-commerce store, you can create your customized designs, add them to your products, and finally publish them. After you have your selection of personalized products live in your store, your customers can customize their own products while they see a live preview of what they are buying! 💫
But that's not all, when they finalize their design and make a purchase, your favorite print-on-demand supplier receives a ready-to-print file for fulfillment. With some print-on-demand providers - like CustomCat or Printful - this process can be automated, so you will not need to worry about fulfillment and delivery, only creating unique and amazing personalized designs with Customily!
Customer Support
Both CustomCat and Printful offer valuable resources for merchants, including blogs, FAQs, and clear policies to help users run their print-on-demand businesses effectively.
CustomCat excels in support with phone availability from Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6:30 pm EST, alongside email and contact forms. Printful, however, provides 24/7 customer support via email and live chat in six languages, with a typical response time of two hours.
While CustomCat offers direct phone assistance, Printful’s around-the-clock support makes it more accessible globally.
Conclusion
When comparing CustomCat and Printful, it's essential to weigh their respective advantages and disadvantages based on your business needs.
The key to making the right choice is evaluating which provider aligns better with your goals and offers the most value to maximize your profit margins and meet customer expectations effectively. Choosing between CustomCat and Printful depends on your business needs.
CustomCat is ideal for new sellers targeting the U.S. market. Its fast shipping, low base costs, and higher profit margins make it a great choice for beginners focused on domestic sales.
Printful, with its global fulfillment network, extensive product catalog, and multiple integrations, is better suited for sellers—both new and experienced—looking to reach a worldwide audience and prioritize quality and branding.
Which is the perfect one for you? 😉
Happy selling! 💜
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Customily Product Personalizer is the best solution to sell personalized products, both in the e-commerce and the print-on-demand market. With the widest range of personalization tools, free clipart designs, realistic live previews that increase conversions, and printing files that help you automate your printing business; Customily is the ally you need to boost your profit margins in a high-competitive market.
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