Start your online business: Convert designs to print-on-demand (POD) products

As a designer, nothing is better than receiving recognition for your designs from people, either within the circle or from the general public. Expressing your own ideas is such a cool feeling, and even better, if they are loved by others.

Thanks to the internet and technology, we can now find or share all kinds of designs online on websites, social media, or shopping platforms. How about building an online shop, and selling print-on-demand products with your artworks?

It is great to have your designs popular… Let’s have a bigger dream: Do you want it to become a business? Or, make your designs into some jigsaw puzzles, playing cards, or tote bags? QPMN can help designers sell their work online, with ease and flexibility, on their own website!

It is not as complicated as you may think, with the QPMN plugin taking care of most of the hard work.

Check out all Designer Partners here: Designers SnapShops @QPMN

What is SnapShop

What is QPMN offering as a print-on-demand business?

QP has been in the printing business for years. They specialize in paper and print-on-demand items like playing cards, jigsaw puzzles, etc. Customers can tailor-make playing cards, calendars, and jigsaw puzzles with their own photographs or designs. They are perfect gift ideas for anniversaries or memory. This is so much different from the boring photo frames on top of the shelves in every living room.

Now, everyone has a chance to enjoy the above features at their own websites/online shops via the QPMN plugin/app. It works like a gateway to connect a website/online shop. Your products are selling on your WordPress website/Shopify store, while QPMN will handle the rest at the backend. (You can also enjoy the same without having a website: Register an account at QPMN and start your shop.)

QPMN Plugin: Convert a design website into an online print-on-demand shop

Should you already have your own site, there you may have generated some traffic and viewers. Converting your designs into some physical products may cheer them up. Of course, the ability to sell them online to admirers is going to help make revenue and fund your creations.

Even if it sounds too commercial, seeing somebody carrying a tote bag with your designs on would no doubt delight any designers. We are not talking about streets in your neighborhood but worldwide…

You may have heard of print-on-demand services that can do the job above, like Printful or Printify. But, QPMN provides you a platform for designers and e-shops to collaborate. Welcome to the next generation of POD!

From Designers to Entrepreneurs

QPMN plugin/app supports two of the most popular website/e-Commerce platforms at the moment: WooCommerce (as in WordPress) and Shopify. Owners can install the plugin/app and take advantage of the functionalities of QPMN.

Next is simply the business model of dropshipping. No problem if you have not yet heard of it, we are going to explain it in more detail in other posts. The idea is that the order handling, production, packaging, and shipping are being taken care of on the QPMN side. So, you have less to do, but potentially more to get.

Once you have set up everything, for example, choosing the products you like for sale. QPMN has only made playing cards, jigsaw puzzles, and tote bags available now, more to come in the future.

There are still a variety of print-on-demand products to offer, for example, puzzles of different dimensions and numbers of pieces. A 500-piece square puzzle may be a good fit for most children, while the bigger 1,000-piece should present quite a challenge even for adults.

Create a unique gift from your favorite characters/artworks

When your customers pick an item, there is an opportunity to customize it further. This is an option to make the item unique, the same as autographed by the designers.

The ability to make it a tailor-made gift would be tempting to both designers/shop owners and fans. No better birthday present idea for your children than items of their favorite characters and artworks.

The steps are simple as in any online shopping:

1. Pick a design you like
2. Upload images (e.g. photographs of your kids)
3. Insert stickers to make some fun
4. Add text (ideal for greetings)/Draw anything
5. Change its font, color, and transparency
6. Resize or position the object

This works in a similar way as some graphic editor services.

So, here you do not just sell items with your ideas or artworks on them. They are also templates and offer freedom for individual fans to customize. According to some surveys, many people prefer customized products, feeling more involved in the sale process. Of course, this also makes it such a good gift idea for any occasion.

Orders received from customers, what’s next?

Once the orders are received in your shop, you may choose to bundle them together to receive a bulk discount. Then, simply send them to QP for process via the QPMN plugin/app.

After the payment goes through, QP will start the production (print-on-demand), then have them packaged and shipped directly to your customers. We are going to cover more about dropshipping in later posts.

Bulk Discount
Bulk discount is the one feature that separates QPMN from others in the business model. This is how things work: Orders could be bundled into a Master Order before passing to QP. This way, you can receive a certain discount, which means a lower cost and more profit for you.

Please note that bulk discount applies to orders from different customers (regardless of where they are from), provided that the items are of the same specs. For instance, orders of 19.25″x28″ (1,000-piece) jigsaw puzzles can be grouped together to warrant the discount. So, you can enjoy the flexibility and control to gather orders and then make the best out of bulk discounts.

Summary

Sharing your designs online is nice while making them popular is even more delightful. Converting into physical products is probably the next dream or goal of every designer. It is not as hard as you may think, thanks to technology.

Now, QPMN gives you further assistance to turn your supporters into customers. Even if you may not necessarily want it commercial, the fans would love to have your designs at home or as a gift.

This is such a minimal effort for designers to become entrepreneurs with the QPMN plugin. Ideal for anyone who is not familiar with IT and eCommerce… if you have not yet owned a website, then you may try SnapShop where you can start an online store by registering an account. We are going to cover this topic soon.