Are you making these print on demand design
mistakes? Watch this video and don't lose time and money
on designs that will fail–sometimes even before you start selling them. TOP 7 PRINT ON DEMAND DESIGN MISTAKES BEGINNERS MAKE Hey, its Wes from Printful! Creating the perfect print on demand design
isn't easy. In this video, we'll go over the top things
you should avoid from the get-go. Before we begin, make sure you subscribe to
our channel and tap on the little bell icon to get notified about our latest videos and
never miss out on new ways to make your store more successful. COPYRIGHTED AND TRADEMARKED CONTENT The number one mistake most beginners make
is not paying attention to copyrights and trademarks. Not only will it violate content policies
of most of the services you use, it will also get you in trouble with the law. That means you can't print shirts with designs
you found on Google without checking who it belongs to, create designs with your favorite
brand slogans or even sell fanart-based designs. Sooner or later, your content will be taken
down and you may even end up with a lawsuit against you. Keep in mind that Printful doesn’t assume
liability for copyright infringements and this video should not serve as concrete legal
advice – consulting a copyright attorney is always the best route if you have specific
questions about your products. That said, a sure way to avoid trouble is
to be the owner of the copyright, purchase the rights to use, display and resell it or
use content that's under public domain. All content must comply with right of publicity,
trademark, and copyright laws. While copyrighted material can be used under
fair circumstances in the interest of free speech and cultural advancements, more often
than not though, transforming or using someone else’s work for profit just doesn’t constitute
fair use. It’s all determined on a case-by-case basis. I'd recommend to always play it safe and either
use work that’s under public domain or create original designs. If you’re not sure if your idea complies
with copyright law, it might be best to leave it, or speak to an attorney. You can read more about copyright and fair
use in our blog, there’s a link in the description below. BORING OR UNORIGINAL CONTENT The second most common problem with print on demand designs is boring and unoriginal
content. Print on demand products, in contrast to dropshipping,
have a higher cost per product because they are printed on demand. If you're trying to compete with products
that are not unique and are printed in bulk, you just can't keep up with the prices elsewhere. In addition to that, generic products just
don't create any urgency and excitement that drives sells. People want to buy something unique–scarcity
is a dealmaker in ecommerce. If they can buy this design at any other store
at any other time, why would they rush to buy it on yours? To ensure your success, find a specific niche
and focus your efforts there. Put some thought into your designs and make
them stand out. CHEAPING OUT ON DESIGNS While we encourage people to be creative and
use Printful's mockup generator and other free design apps to create their own designs,
if you're not familiar with print design and don't spend a lot of time working on your
products, it's gonna show. If you buy your designs online and only go
for the cheapest ones you can find, they might lack either quality or originality. Using these will again lead to boring or unoriginal
content that won't drive any sales. In addition to that, print on demand print
files require a lot more extra work than a regular design. Keep in mind that you need to color correct
for printing, use transparency wisely, check the image resolutions and tons of other stuff. Investing time or money in making sure that
your print files are gonna look good when printed, is going to save you a lot of heartache–spoiled
samples, unsatisfied customers and orders put on hold. For more information on the technical side
of designing, check out the resources in the description down below. You can also use Printful's Design services
for both creating your designs from scratch and adjusting them for printing. BAD GRAMMAR This one is a no-brainer. Bad grammar on your text designs is going
to show that you haven't spent a lot of time on your designs–certainly not enough to
notice the mistakes. The only exception might be an intentionally
misspelled word–like a pun or a niche-specific inside joke. For example, a cat design with the word “purrfect”,
or a dog design with “puppuccino” might work just fine with the right visuals. The key is to be creative and make it obvious
that the misspelling was intentional. VIOLENCE AND GRAPHIC CONTENT Another thing that will get you in trouble is creating designs with violent or graphic
content. Printful requires submitted content to be
respectful of others and of the law–obscene content, or content that depicts or promotes
illegal activity may be removed, which means you'll have to start your design again from
scratch. We also don't tolerate content that expresses
hatred towards any person or group–it's against Printful's values. You also have to follow your local laws and
those of the regions you're shipping orders to. It's your responsibility to understand what
you legally can and can't create for your store. MISSING INSIDE LABEL INFO Creating a custom label for your products is certainly a good way to promote your brand,
however, there are a few things you have to include in the inside label by law, like the
size of the garment, where it was made and information about its material. Without the necessary information, your order
could be put on hold. You can find an inside label guide in the
file guidelines under each product’s page or use our automatic template with all the
necessary information included. AWESOME DESIGN, WRONG PRODUCT Choosing the cheapest or most popular product
for your designs might not always be the best decision. Every product has a different texture and
feel when printed–your designs will look slightly different depending on the fabrics
and fabric blends you print on. That's why choosing the right material for
the right design is crucial. For example, as a rule of thumb, ink is more
spread out and looks more faded on sweatshirts than t-shirts since sweatshirts are made with
polyester that absorbs the ink more than other fabrics. You must also keep in mind that some designs
just work better on specific products–for example, patterns look good as all-over prints,
photographs work well as posters, and typography designs are perfect for DTG products. To be on the safe side about the quality of
your prints, order a sample before introducing them to your store. And that's it! What else do you want to know about creating
print on demand designs? Let me know in the comments below!
