Create and sell custom products without holding inventory. With Printful, you can design products, publish them to your Big Cartel shop, and have orders automatically fulfilled and shipped directly to your customers.
Premium Feature | Available on Platinum & Diamond plans
What is Printful?
Printful is a print-on-demand and dropshipping platform that lets you create custom products like apparel, accessories, posters, mugs, and home goods without handling inventory yourself.
When a customer places an order in your Big Cartel shop, Printful automatically receives the order, prints the product, packages it, and ships it directly to your customer.
This makes it easy to launch a merch brand, clothing line, or custom product shop without upfront inventory costs.
What Printful can help you do
Printful helps you:
- Create custom apparel and merchandise
- Sell products without holding inventory
- Automatically fulfill customer orders
- Expand your product catalog quickly
- Test new product ideas with lower risk
- Add branded packaging and inserts
- Sell globally using Printful’s fulfillment network
Printful pricing
Printful is free to connect and use.
You only pay when an order is placed. Printful charges you for:
- Product manufacturing
- Printing or embroidery
- Shipping and fulfillment
You control your own retail pricing and profit margins inside Printful.
Big Cartel plan requirements
The Printful integration is available on:
- Platinum plans
- Diamond plans
Gold/free plans do not support app integrations.
What syncs between Big Cartel and Printful
After connecting your shop, the following information syncs between Big Cartel and Printful:
- Products published from Printful to Big Cartel
- Orders placed for synced Printful products
- Fulfillment and shipping status updates after Printful ships the order
What doesn’t sync
Some settings still need to be managed manually.
The following do not sync automatically:
- Shipping rates
- Existing Big Cartel products
- Manual product edits made outside of Printful
Shipping rates must be set manually in your Big Cartel shipping settings to match Printful’s rates.
Key features
- Free sign-up and quick set-up. Connect to Printful and start selling fast
- No upfront or hidden costs. Pay only when an order comes in
- Custom branding with packaging, pack-ins, packing slips, and more
- High-quality products that will keep customers coming back for more
Product catalog access
Printful includes a large catalog of customizable products including:
- T-shirts
- Hoodies
- Hats
- Tote bags
- Posters
- Phone cases
- Blankets
- Home goods
- Accessories
You can browse products directly inside Printful while creating your catalog.
Product customization
Printful includes built-in design tools that let you:
- Upload artwork
- Position designs
- Customize colors
- Preview products
- Create embroidered products
- Add branding elements
You can also create multiple product variants and sizes.
Global print provider network
Printful operates fulfillment centers around the world to help reduce shipping times and support international customers.
Orders are automatically routed through their network for fulfillment.
Branding tools
Printful offers several branding options to create a more professional customer experience including:
- Custom packing slips
- Branded inserts
- Packaging options
- Branded labels for select products
Common use cases
Start a clothing brand without inventory
Create and sell apparel without purchasing products upfront.
Sell merch for creators or communities
Offer branded products for YouTube channels, podcasts, artists, or online communities.
Test new product ideas
Launch products quickly and validate demand before investing heavily in inventory.
Expand your existing shop
Add print-on-demand products alongside handmade or physical inventory products.
FAQs
Do I need inventory to use Printful?
No. Printful prints and fulfills products only after a customer places an order.
Does Printful automatically ship orders?
Yes. Once an order is submitted to Printful, they handle printing, packaging, and shipping.
Can I use my own designs?
Yes. You can upload your own artwork and customize products using Printful’s design tools.
Do shipping rates sync automatically?
No. Shipping rates must be configured manually in Big Cartel to match Printful’s published shipping rates.
Can I sell internationally?
Yes. Printful supports international fulfillment and shipping.
Need help?
- Visit Printful Support
- View Printful Shipping Rates
- Open the Big Cartel App Center to connect Printful