# Is there a fulfillment service better than Printful?



## Adltal

I want to go DTG fulfillment and Printful keeps popping up. They seem reasonable, but is there a cheaper company out there that I can still get good quality and a lot of options?


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## marzatplay

I just did a test run with the same image using Printful and Print Aura. We'll see how they turn out but from what I've read on these forums, these two are the top dogs.


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## Adltal

marzatplay said:


> I just did a test run with the same image using Printful and Print Aura. We'll see how they turn out but from what I've read on these forums, these two are the top dogs.


I have heard the same thing. The problem is my profit margin is so much lower than some other companies like scalable press or tee launch. I am sure they are cheaper because they don't have as many bells and whistles. I just don't want to be printing low quality.


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## Itsallaboutp

I will have samples from Printful by tomorrow i will let you know how they look. The only thing with Printful is you can never get to their customer service. I called and no one ever picks up. I email and they only answer one email a day.


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## Adltal

Itsallaboutp said:


> I will have samples from Printful by tomorrow i will let you know how they look. The only thing with Printful is you can never get to their customer service. I called and no one ever picks up. I email and they only answer one email a day.


Thanks, let me know what you think.

That seems to be a common thread with all the DTG fulfillment companies. They have no customer service at all.


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## Itsallaboutp

Adltal said:


> Thanks, let me know what you think.
> 
> That seems to be a common thread with all the DTG fulfillment companies. They have no customer service at all.


I actually got through but using the chat option on their site. And they were helpful with all of my questions.


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## Itsallaboutp

Just got my sample the shirt is soft. I used alternative. But the artwork isn't as good as my printing with a heat transfer. Its not bad but it looks like it can wash off. It is one color and its white on black shirt. So maybe its the white not being dark enough for the shirt. I will was it and get back to you guys.


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## Adltal

Itsallaboutp said:


> Just got my sample the shirt is soft. I used alternative. But the artwork isn't as good as my printing with a heat transfer. Its not bad but it looks like it can wash off. It is one color and its white on black shirt. So maybe its the white not being dark enough for the shirt. I will was it and get back to you guys.


Thanks for the info


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## goodhairtees

I did a test run with the Printful, and I received a shirt with retail quality printing. Printaura's first print was terrible, but the owner reprinted the job at no extra cost and the printout was good. But the Printful has gotten mixed reviews from others lately. All the best in finding a solution.


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## BandPrints

Please remember when DTG printing you need to make sure the shirt type you use is made to give the best print quality possible for your artwork. This usually revolves around 100% cotton and ringspun fabric. Many times if using blends it can lead to "dull" prints depending on the machine/ink being used.


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## Itsallaboutp

BandPrints said:


> Please remember when DTG printing you need to make sure the shirt type you use is made to give the best print quality possible for your artwork. This usually revolves around 100% cotton and ringspun fabric. Many times if using blends it can lead to "dull" prints depending on the machine/ink being used.


The shirt I picked was Alternative 1070 which is 100% cotton and ringspun, It does not look bad but to me the white is not solid enough for me. But I do see an option on printful to add underbase so I asked for that in my next sample. Remember my artwork is one color (white)


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## BandPrints

Itsallaboutp said:


> The shirt I picked was Alternative 1070 which is 100% cotton and ringspun, It does not look bad but to me the white is not solid enough for me. But I do see an option on printful to add underbase so I asked for that in my next sample. Remember my artwork is one color (white)



If your artwork is "white" then the underboss is actually already there since you are running white. What it is meant by running an underboss is if your printing a designer on a mid/light colored garment and you want it to pop. If not the print can look a little dull and vintage since CMYK inks are transparent. 

The 1701 is a fine style, wanted to make sure you are using 100% cotton since we always hear of people using blends and that can lead to great issues.


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## blankcheck120

I agree with you 100% that the white is just not white enough. It's unacceptable if you want to have a legitimate clothing line. Customer service is a hit and miss. They seem to overlook all of the hard questions.

I just received my shirt and they could have placed more white on it. This is my second shirt from them and after changing from gildan 2000 to a much softer shirt anvil 980, which is what their customer service said was the reason for the shirt not receiving enough white. It still looks bad.

Is there another company out there better than printful? I'm testing out shirtbot.co which does screen printing on demand but they're expensive.


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## BandPrints

Asking if one fulfillment company is better than another is a loaded question. By knowing the machines that each fulfillment company uses you will be able to find a dtg fulfillment company that fits your needs. Some people think that Brother and Kornit quality works for them while others feel it isn't bright or detailed enough. At the same time others feel that certain machines are way too high of quality and don't want to pay for that quality since certain machines print much slower to achieve that quality.

I suggest you start with finding the blank that works best for you and then the machine. Never ever use a standard Gildan shirt, you are only asking for lower quality prints. Anvil 980 is fine, along with most other ringspun shirts.


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## blankcheck120

BandPrints said:


> Asking if one fulfillment company is better than another is a loaded question. By knowing the machines that each fulfillment company uses you will be able to find a dtg fulfillment company that fits your needs. Some people think that Brother and Kornit quality works for them while others feel it isn't bright or detailed enough. At the same time others feel that certain machines are way too high of quality and don't want to pay for that quality since certain machines print much slower to achieve that quality.
> 
> I suggest you start with finding the blank that works best for you and then the machine. Never ever use a standard Gildan shirt, you are only asking for lower quality prints. Anvil 980 is fine, along with most other ringspun shirts.


You seem to know what you're talking about. What shirt do you think prints the best white print on black tees. Or what company. If printful can fix this problem they would be excellent.


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## tchandler52

Itsallaboutp said:


> The shirt I picked was Alternative 1070 which is 100% cotton and ringspun, It does not look bad but to me the white is not solid enough for me. But I do see an option on printful to add underbase so I asked for that in my next sample. Remember my artwork is one color (white)


For white ink only, you might want to ask your printer if they can do a double pass. 

They could easily turn up their settings also, but a double pass would definitely give you the results you would like.

If it were two colors white and black a double pass would not be the way to go because it might be too much underbase behind the other color depending on their settings.


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## BandPrints

My two favorite tees would be the 3930 from Fruit of the Loom (made for high quality printing) and Next Level 3600 for a fashion fit tee. As for company I can't answer that since there are too many variables.


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## raunchyart

good info tha'ts important to know


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## aleshiababbe

I like Printful, you could go for a cheaper product but I prefer not to sell cheap filmsy t-shirts.


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## AnACustomPrints

Shirt quality cam effect print quality. The sharpness and /or brightness has a lot to do with curing method. Great prints can be done on 50/50 and 100% polyester using a DTG. Wash-ability is fine and colors can be bright and sharp. Advancements seem to being made daily by independent printers who have the time to experiment.
Just read some of the posts by people printing on other than 100% cotton.


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## rklovestruck

My opinion is the white is never going to look at THICK and solid as a white screen printed ink. DTG is a water based process so you will see fibers of the garment through the ink. Truthfully, you have to decide if the price for 1 offs and the quality is worth it versus the price for a minimum of 12-24 and setup for screen printing to obtain the thicker more opaque print.

We have the best luck with ringspuns as mentioned above: Anvil 980, American Apparel 2001, Lat 6901 etc.


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## fatmankhujo

AirWaves OnDemand. Its a free app in Shopify that acts as a DTG fulfilment center. They charge you until you make a salewhich is great for Business owners with low budgets. Check em out. They're actually pretty legit.


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## thislittlepiggie

rklovestruck said:


> My opinion is the white is never going to look at THICK and solid as a white screen printed ink. DTG is a water based process so you will see fibers of the garment through the ink. Truthfully, you have to decide if the price for 1 offs and the quality is worth it versus the price for a minimum of 12-24 and setup for screen printing to obtain the thicker more opaque print.
> 
> We have the best luck with ringspuns as mentioned above: Anvil 980, American Apparel 2001, Lat 6901 etc.


Thank you for this. I had the same experience with the poor quality and it's def because it's a one coat, water based. I just got my sample in today, and I'm not thrilled at all with the quality for the reason of the fibers sticking out. I tested the inside printed tag on this shirt for $2.50, and it was not even up to amateur level. My logo was completely fuzzy and you couldn't even read the wash instructions and I used their template as a guide. It was folded nice and compact. Packaged well for shipping, but the quality was a miss for me.


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## 4C Print Shop

We have done our fair share of care tag/print tag and it is tough to get the desired result with one pass white however the fulfillment space has enough companies to choose from.


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## martin43

thislittlepiggie said:


> Thank you for this. I had the same experience with the poor quality and it's def because it's a one coat, water based. I just got my sample in today, and I'm not thrilled at all with the quality for the reason of the fibers sticking out. I tested the inside printed tag on this shirt for $2.50, and it was not even up to amateur level. My logo was completely fuzzy and you couldn't even read the wash instructions and I used their template as a guide. It was folded nice and compact. Packaged well for shipping, but the quality was a miss for me.


What of these shirts would you use for a unisex shirt. I plan on using LAT's women and mens but may need a go to for a unisex shirt for events. The LATs men's are actually identified as Adults and not men's. So would the LAT 6901 be a good unisex shirt?


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## Carefree2

4C Print Shop said:


> We have done our fair share of care tag/print tag and it is tough to get the desired result with one pass white however the fulfillment space has enough companies to choose from.


I find this response interesting. 4C produced a sample shirt for me which printed partially bright white and partially grey. 4C tried to convince me that grey portion was due to the fact that the white in my artwork was not bright enough and I should lighten it although it was the same shade as the other white portion of the artwork. It would have been a much better experience if 4C had taken ownership of the discoloration. Even if they used the above reason, I would have accepted it. Instead, they chose to blame me for not making white, whiter.


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## into the T

i hope 4C comes back and offers his side of the story

because, if after a almost a year and a half you have not found a printer,
then my guess is your expectations are in lala land

you want all the work done for you on their expensive equipment, re-labeled, packaged and blind-shipped for you,
while you still pull in the larger profit

for what? because your a 'DESIGNER', and they are merely 'printers'

the world is waiting with bated breath for you to find the right printer who will acquiesce to your enslavement,
while you phone in orders from your private yacht, moored off your private caribbean island


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## Carefree2

into the T said:


> i hope 4C comes back and offers his side of the story
> 
> because, if after a almost a year and a half you have not found a printer,
> then my guess is your expectations are in lala land
> 
> you want all the work done for you on their expensive equipment, re-labeled, packaged and blind-shipped for you,
> while you still pull in the larger profit
> 
> for what? because your a 'DESIGNER', and they are merely 'printers'
> 
> the world is waiting with bated breath for you to find the right printer who will acquiesce to your enslavement,
> while you phone in orders from your private yacht, moored off your private caribbean island


I hope that they do as well. The truth is the is the truth. 

As for the rest of what you've said, you have a lot of nerve addressing my post in a such a viciously, negative manner given the fact that you have nothing to do with this issue. The flaming is totally unnecessary! If anyone is arrogant, ignorant, and feels privileged, it's the person pointing the finger, you. It's obvious that you have tracked down every post that I have made on this forum and twisted the language and intent of those posts. You don't know me, what I've done, do, or think. For you to think that it's appropriate for you to attack me without warrant is asinine at a minimum.


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## splathead

into the T said:


> because, if after a almost a year and a half you have not found a printer,
> then my guess is your expectations are in lala land
> 
> you want all the work done for you on their expensive equipment, re-labeled, packaged and blind-shipped for you,
> while you still pull in the larger profit
> 
> for what? because your a 'DESIGNER', and they are merely 'printers'
> 
> the world is waiting with bated breath for you to find the right printer who will acquiesce to your enslavement,
> while you phone in orders from your private yacht, moored off your private caribbean island


Why such a condescending and venomous post? Aren't we all looking for the best product for a cost that maximizes our profits? I know I am. And I've been looking for 10 years. 

Carefree2, to answer your post civilly, you can upload pictures of your artwork and finished garment and we can try to determine what might have gone wrong with your print.


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## into the T

you just right-click on the username and it brings up many options, including 'find more posts by...'
it really helps in making a proper assessment, which is only re-enforced by your next post

hardly a herculean effort, no need to spend months in my server room tracking down and interpreting data 
you only had 3 other posts 

you will find there is no name calling in my post,
merely the direction exposed in your posting history

what if someone wanted to give 4C a try, but was unduly influenced by your post
the playing field needs to be leveled for others
if 4C does indeed come back and give his side i will amend the above

your 'how dare you sir' routine is ok


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## Carefree2

splathead said:


> Why such a condescending and venomous post? Aren't we all looking for the best product for a cost that maximizes our profits? I know I am. And I've been looking for 10 years.
> 
> Carefree2, to answer your post civilly, you can upload pictures of your artwork and finished garment and we can try to determine what might have gone wrong with your print.


Splathead, my post was merely a statement of fact. One that I felt anyone looking for fulfillment services might want to consider when making a decision. It's information that I want to have before choosing a fulfillment company to do business with. That's what the topic of this thread is targeting. I assume anyone reading it is looking for a good company as I am.

I have already told the management of 4C what I thought about the product and their response. So the post was no attempt to slander or blindside their company. I would only be willing to post the pics as proof if 4C denies the accuracy of my statement. I don't think that would be fair to them. I'm not trying to start a fight here, but I have a right to report my experience without being harassed by an unknown, uninvolved individual.


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## 4C Print Shop

Carefree2 said:


> I find this response interesting. 4C produced a sample shirt for me which printed partially bright white and partially grey. 4C tried to convince me that grey portion was due to the fact that the white in my artwork was not bright enough and I should lighten it although it was the same shade as the other white portion of the artwork. It would have been a much better experience if 4C had taken ownership of the discoloration. Even if they used the above reason, I would have accepted it. Instead, they chose to blame me for not making white, whiter.



Carefree,

Can you PM me your details for me to check into this? I have no idea what your are talking about. If something is our fault then it is not one of our characteristics not to fix the issue or to take the blame. We have a good portion of our customer base here and you can not find any complaints.


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## baron94

Adltal, I was curious to hear how things have progressed. I have been using Printful since 2015. I compared them with Printaura, Spreadshirt, and Scalable Press (don't recommend).

I like the print quality of my designs with Printful. They appear crisp even though they are DTG. I had to switch from American Apparel 2001 to Bella + Canvas 3001 due to availability issues in Spring 2017.

The drape of the BC 3001 is great, and the print quality has exceeded my expectations. I am hoping good production has come your way.


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## Carefree2

4C Print Shop said:


> Carefree,
> 
> Can you PM me your details for me to check into this? I have no idea what your are talking about. If something is our fault then it is not one of our characteristics not to fix the issue or to take the blame. We have a good portion of our customer base here and you can not find any complaints.


Hello, 
After a pleasant conversation with Dean, we agreed that he would try to make the printing reflect the artwork more closely. I'm very pleased with his success as with another design that I sent. I'm also happy to say that I found an error on each of the shirts that were mine. Great job and kudos to the 4C Team! I will definitely be doing business with you guys again!


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