How Much Can You Make With Print on Demand? Realistic Numbers

How much you can make with print on demand depends on three numbers: how many orders you get each month, how much profit each order leaves after product cost and fees, and what you spend on fixed costs. For most beginners that works out to little or nothing in the first months; some shops grow into a steady side income, and a smaller number go further.

This page won't give you an income promise, because nobody honestly can. What it will give you is the formula, worked examples labeled as hypothetical, and the factors that move the result, so you can judge your own shop with real numbers.

How do you calculate print on demand earnings?

Monthly profit = (orders × profit per order) − fixed monthly costs. Everything else is detail inside those three terms.

• Profit per order = your price − provider cost (product, printing, shipping) − sales channel fees.
• Orders depend on traffic (how many people see your listings) and conversion (how many of them buy).
• Fixed costs include samples, design tools, fonts or graphics licenses, and any paid provider plan.

Printful's Growth plan, for example, costs $24.99 a month as of 2026, so it only helps when the product discount it gives you exceeds that fee. On a free plan, your fixed costs can stay very low.

How much profit does one print on demand sale make?

On your own Etsy shop, an apparel order can leave only a few dollars once costs and fees are paid; on marketplaces, usually less. The exact figure depends on your prices and your provider.

Example (hypothetical): Etsy shop, US seller

You sell a shirt for $28 with free shipping. Your provider charges $18 for the shirt, printing and shipping together (an illustrative figure).

• Etsy listing fee: $0.20
• Transaction fee (6.5%): $1.82
• Payment processing (3% + $0.25): $1.09
• Profit: $28 − $18 − $0.20 − $1.82 − $1.09 = $6.89

If the order came from an Etsy Offsite Ad at 15%, subtract $4.20 more, leaving $2.69. Full fee details are in our Etsy print on demand guide.

Example: Redbubble

Redbubble's help center gives this example: a $20 base price with a 20% markup earns a $4 artist margin, before account fees. Standard accounts pay a 50% platform fee on monthly earnings (Premium 20%, Pro none), capped at $150 per payment period.

• Standard account, one sale: $4 × (1 − 0.50) = $2
• Premium account, one sale: $4 × (1 − 0.20) = $3.20

You do no fulfillment or customer service, which is the trade-off for the smaller take.

Amazon Merch on Demand

Amazon describes your royalty as the product's price minus applicable tax and Amazon's costs. Royalty levels vary by product and price and are shown in your Merch account, so check them there before you set prices.

What could monthly income look like?

Here are three hypothetical scenarios using the Etsy example's $6.89 per order and $20 a month in fixed costs. They illustrate the math, not what you should expect.

How much traffic is behind those orders?

Orders come from visitors multiplied by a conversion rate. Example (hypothetical): if 2% of the people who view your listings buy, 30 orders a month needs about 1,500 listing visits (1,500 × 0.02 = 30). At a lower conversion rate, you'd need more. Your real rate shows up in your shop stats after a few weeks, and it's one of the most useful numbers you can track, because it tells you whether to work on traffic or on the listings themselves.

Two things the table hides. First, orders aren't steady: POD sales often spike around gift seasons and fall back afterward. Second, reaching the higher rows usually means dozens or hundreds of listings and months of work, not a single clever design.

Is there real data on what POD sellers earn?

Not that we could find in reliable form. Providers and course sellers share success stories, and social media is full of income screenshots, but there's no independent survey we can point to that shows what a typical seller makes.

That matters because stories and screenshots are selected: you hear from the shops that took off, not from the many that sold a few items and stopped. Treat any "average POD income" number with caution unless you can see how it was measured. Your own shop's data after a few months is the only figure that really counts.

What decides how much you make?

A handful of factors explain most of the difference between shops.

• Niche fit. Designs for a specific audience convert better than generic ones. See print on demand niches.
• A few winners. In many shops, a small share of designs brings most of the sales. The job is finding and multiplying them.
• Price. A few dollars more per item can double profit per order if buyers still see the value.
• Traffic source. Marketplace search brings buyers; your own store needs you to bring them.
• Fees and ads. Offsite Ads, paid ads and discounts can erase thin margins.
• Consistency. Shops that keep adding and improving listings for months give themselves more chances to find winners.

For the per-item side of the equation, read print on demand profit margins.

How long does it take to earn from print on demand?

Longer than most videos suggest. The ranges below are illustrative, based on how marketplaces and search work, not on measured results.

Do you pay tax on print on demand income?

Yes, profit from POD is generally taxable income. Keep records of every sale, fee and cost from day one.

• US: the IRS says you must pay self-employment tax if your net earnings from self-employment are $400 or more; the rate is 15.3%, on top of income tax.
• UK: the £1,000 trading allowance means trading income up to that amount may not need to be reported, if you're eligible.
• Canada and Australia: rules on business income and registration differ; check the CRA or ATO.

Set aside part of every payout for tax from the first sale, so a good month doesn't turn into a surprise bill later. Track costs too: samples, fees and tools generally reduce taxable profit when they're genuine business expenses.

This is general information, not tax advice; a local accountant can confirm what applies to you.

Next steps

Set a realistic goal for your first three months (for example, your first 10 sales rather than an income target), and track profit per order from the start.

• Follow a structured plan in our print on demand guide for beginners.
• Avoid the costly early errors in print on demand mistakes.
• See the complete path to make money with print on demand, with realistic expectations.

For other ways to earn, see our guide to making money online.