Print on Demand vs Made In-House: Which Is Best for Your Craft Business?

Print on demand or made in-house? Let’s compare both.

If you’re trying to decide whether to make products yourself using a cutting machine or printer, or to use a print on demand service like Printify, this post will walk you through both options step by step so you can decide what works best for your business.

I’m going to compare:

• The design process

• Ordering and production

• Quality, side by side

• Costs

• The pros and cons of each option

I’ll be making one product using a Cricut, one using my DTF printer, and comparing both to Print on Demand. I’ll also include sublimation in the pros and cons section so all bases are covered.

Keep in mind: results will vary depending on the machines you own, your budget, your storage space, and how much time you want to spend making products yourself. But this should give you a solid framework to decide.

So, let’s dive in.

Continue reading below, or take a look at my video comparison:

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Designing Your Products

Designing with Print on Demand

I started by browsing the Printify catalogue and selecting a print provider based in the UK so I could order samples quickly. There are plenty of suppliers to choose from, each offering different products and pricing. You don’t have to choose a supplier in your home country if you plan to sell internationally, but shipping times and costs are worth considering.

Tote Bag

The first product I designed was a tote bag.

I used a

design from Creative Fabrica that

works well for:

• Print on demand

• Iron-on vinyl

• DTF printing

If you’re selling via POD, you’re far less restricted in design detail — just make sure your design includes a POD usage license.

Once uploaded to Printify, the design automatically fits within the allowable print area. You can:

• Create designs from scratch inside Printify

• Add designs to both sides of a product

• Enable personalisation

• Preview mockups in different colours

Water Bottle

Next, I created a water bottle using a different design that would also work with adhesive vinyl and sublimation. This one didn’t have a POD license, which is fine for testing but wouldn’t be suitable for selling via print on demand. Remember to always double-check licenses before listing products.

Designing with a Cricut

For the Cricut version, I uploaded the bottle design into Design Space and resized it based on the physical bottle measurements.

Because this was layered vinyl:

• I united sections that needed to be cut together

• Each colour had to be cut separately

Some details were too thin to cut reliably, so I added a 0.01 offset to thicken small elements like numbers and stars. This is the kind of adjustment you have to think about when designing for vinyl.

Designing for DTF Printing

DTF is the simplest design-wise:

• Upload the file

• Set the correct size

• Hit print

There’s no design creation inside the software — everything must be ready beforehand.

Ordering & Production

Ordering from Printify

To order samples, I simply placed an order through Printify as if I were a customer.

One thing to note: shipping discounts only apply to certain products. Bulkier items like bottles may still ship separately, which can affect costs if customers order multiple items.

From order to delivery took three days, although this depends on supplier and destination.

Product quality:

• Tote bag: vibrant print, decent quality fabric (reflective of a budget tote)

• Bottle: excellent print quality, very well adhered, professionally packaged, and included multilingual care instructions

Making the Products In-House

Cricut Bottle

To recreate the bottle:

• I used three rolls of adhesive vinyl

• Cut each layer individually

• Weeded everything (including tiny details)

• Cleaned the bottle

• Applied each layer with transfer tape

This process takes time, creates offcuts (wasted material), and mistakes do happen. All of that must be factored into pricing.

That said - if you love crafting, this is often the most enjoyable part of running a handmade business.

With proper curing and hand-washing, vinyl bottles can last a long time, though heavy use may eventually cause peeling.

DTF Tote Bag

For the DTF bag:

• Printed the design

• Applied DTF powder

• Cured it in a DTF oven

• Pressed it onto the tote

The result is durable and vibrant, though slightly shinier than the POD version.

One important note: DTF printers require regular use and maintenance. I hadn’t used mine for a week and ended up with ink everywhere due to trapped air in the cartridges. This isn’t beginner-friendly equipment unless you’re printing consistently.

Quality Comparison

Side by side:

• All versions look great

• Printify’s tote pops slightly more due to a whiter base fabric

• Overall quality is very similar

Comparison of finished tote bags

Cost Comparison

Print on Demand (via Printify)

Bottle

• Product: £8.05

• Shipping: £3.35

• VAT: £2.28
  Total: £13.68

Tote Bag

• Product: £8.69

• Shipping: £2.60

• VAT: £2.25
  Total: £13.54

Total for both: £27.22

With Printify Premium, product costs drop significantly, improving profit margins. Shipping is usually passed to the customer.

Making In-House

Cricut Bottle

• Bottle blank: ~£3.50

• Vinyl: ~£0.51

• Transfer tape: ~£0.25

• Packaging: ~£1.36

Approx total: £5.62

Very similar to POD if bottles aren’t purchased cheaply in bulk.

DTF Tote Bag

• Tote blank: ~£1

• Print + maintenance: ~£0.98

Approx total: £1.98

Extremely cheap per unit — but requires significant upfront investment.

Don’t Forget Labour & Overheads

No matter which method you choose, you must factor in:

• Design time

• Customer communication

• Packaging & shipping

• Website or Etsy fees

• Subscriptions

• Insurance

• Accounting

• Profit margin

Cheapest materials ≠ best business model.

Pros & Cons Summary

Print on Demand (Printify)

Pros

• No upfront costs

• No stock or storage

• Automatic order fulfilment

• Easy to scale

• Great for large or bulky products

Cons

• Less control over quality

• Lower margins on some products

• Personalisation requires manual input

• Reliant on third-party suppliers

Cricut / Cutting Machines

Pros

• Full creative control

• Unlimited personalisation

• Ideal if you enjoy crafting

Cons

• High labour time

• Storage required

• Slower fulfilment

• Upfront costs for equipment and materials

DTF Printing

Pros

• Full-colour prints in house

• Very low per-unit cost

• Excellent profit margins

Cons

• High upfront investment

• Requires regular maintenance

• More steps in production

Sublimation

Pros

• Full-colour printing

• Cheaper equipment than DTF

• Great for specific products

Cons

• Limited to certain materials

• Requires sublimation blanks

• Not suitable for cotton

So… Which Is Best?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

For many businesses, the best solution is a hybrid approach:

• Print on demand for scalability and low risk

• In-house production for high-margin or personalised items

The right choice depends on your goals, lifestyle, budget, and how hands-on you want your business to be.

If you have questions or want help choosing the best setup for your business, leave a comment - and happy crafting ✨