Inkthreadable Review: Don’t pay More For UK POD.
Inkthreadable is a UK print-on-demand company with 250+ products you can customize.
Their prints look crisp and stay bright after washing.
They cost a little more than some, but deliver better quality.
Their customer support team answers fast, earning 4.6 out of 5 stars. The service works with Shopify and Etsy to handle orders.
They care about the planet by using vegan inks and cutting down on plastic. The service fits well if you want to start selling custom products online.
NOTICE: If you are US-based or predominantly sell to the US market, Inkthreadable is not for you as other companies that serve the global market better. Read best print on demand companies for alternative international options.
Key Points
Inkthreadable makes 250+ products you can customize. Their direct-to-garment prints stay bright after washing.
Support staff respond within 24 hours by email, chat, or phone. Customers rate them 4.6 out of 5.
T-shirts cost £6-8 plus printing – more than rivals. You pay more for better prints and support.
Since 2016, they’ve used vegan inks and avoided plastic. This helps protect nature.
The service works with Shopify and Etsy. It tracks stock on its own and tells you exactly how to submit your artwork.
Inkthreadable Pros
Inkthreadable Con’s
Who Are Inkthreadable?
Inkthreadable is a print on demand company founded and run by twins Alex and Amy Cunliffe in 2013 and based in Darwin, Blackburn in the northwest of the United Kingdom.
They have had their ups and downs and havefulfilled over 1.5 million orders.
What Services Does Inkthreadable Provide?
Inkthreadable offers several printing methods across a good range of products which include Direct to Garment (DTG) Printing, embroidery and Dye Sublimation Printing.
Embroidery is very popular on marketplaces like Etsy and could help a small business stand out in a competitive marketplace or on your own online store.
The image shows a sample shirt I ordered. The quality of the embroidery shows that you could easily charge a premium for embroidered products.
Inkthreables embroidery offering just got a serious boost. Check out their unlimited color embroidery.
What Branding Options Does Inkthreadable Offer?
Inkthreadable offers the following branding options:
- A packing slip – Create custom packing slips
- Printed neck labels – premium branding option, print your own neck label on apparel.
Catalog / Product Range
The Inkthreadable a catalogue of over 250 products you can customize.
The Inkthreadable product catalog includes the staple brands of t shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies etc.
Inkthreadable offers a larger than usual range of organic / sustainable products. These can be used to bring a premium eco conscious feel to your own print on demand business.
Inkthreadable Software
Inkthreadable’s software platform is simple and effective. The software isn’t as easy to use as Gelato’s or Printful’s as it is a little more involved.
With Printful and Gelato, you can resize and move your designs after they are uploaded.
With Inkthreadable, you must ensure your design file is the right size and shape beforehand.
This approach does have its benefits as the Inkthreadable template design files provide guides as to where to place your design.
The example shown is the t-shirt template. It has:
- a large print area
- a darker area showing where to place your design
- a very helpful guide to show where to place the single chest print for a logo.
The individual product page enables you to upload your design and view it on a flat lay or human mockup.
The platform and printing process used allows for a larger print area than many POD providers which is a bit of a bonus and can help you create designs that differentiate you from the crowd.
Once you’ve created the product you can either add it to your basket and purchase if it was for a manual or sample order, or you click to create a product and you’re taken through to the page shown below that allows you to select your colors and sizes and publish your item to any of your stores.
Manual Orders and Product Imports
The Inkthreadable platform provides two extra features manual orders and product imports:
Manual Orders
The ability to go to the Inkthreadable site and place an order that has not come via an integration can be a lifesaver if using another supplier and they are out of stock of an item or if you want to order samples.
This is possible without the need for an eCommerce platform. Many competitors require you to create a manual order through Shopify and push the order through to your print on demand supplier, but this is not the case with Inkthreadable.
Product Imports
Over the years I have changed print on demand supplier for certain products due to repeated issues, price increases, and or poor service. This can be a very painful experience.
If you’re selling on a platform like Etsy, the one thing you don’t want to do is to touch a listing if it is selling as it could impact it’s momentum. That becomes problematic if you want to change the print on demand supplier for that product.
However, with Inkthreadable you can import the product into their platform meaning that you can swap suppliers, have the product automatically fulfilled by Inkthreadable, and not have to touch the listing.
Integrations
Inkthreadable integrates with the following eCommerce platforms and online marketplaces:
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- Etsy
- TikTok
- Wix
- Squarespace
- BigCartel
I’ve used both the Shopify and Etsy shop integrations in my online business and found that both work well enough.
Production Times & Print Quality
Production Times
Inkthreadable states their standard production time for an item is 3 to 5 business days. which is fairly standard for UK print on demand companies and always stated as just estimates.
Inkthreadable introduced a concept of Core Products, which are products that are high selling e.g. a Black t-shirt, sweatshirts etc that they keep in stock to ensure that there isnt a delay of getting the items in from their suppliers.
Whilst this approach doesn’t necessarily reduce order fulfillment times, it does prevent delays due to out of stock t shirts for example.
Print Quality
Having placed a good number of orders with Inkthreadable I’ve been impressed with the print quality of the t shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies I’ve ordered as samples as well as the products I’ve sold to customers.
I did have one order with print issues, but Inkthreadable were quick to get a replacement issued as quickly as possible, reinforcing my view that they are a very good company.
Feedback from my customers has always been positive and I’ve not received any negative reviews about Inkthreadable print quality.
Inkthreadable Prices
Product Costs
Product costs are really competitive and cheaper than most UK print-on-demand providers.
A medium black Gildan 64000 Softstyle t-shirt is £11.19 delivered to the UK at the time I am writing this post which by way of comparison is cheaper than Printful which charges £12.41 delivered for the same t-shirt.
Inkthreadable Reward Pricing provides free discounts based on your monthly spend.
Shipping Costs
For domestic shipping, Inkthreadable is competitive as they use Royal Mail and Evri for the bulk of their fulfillment with delivery time scales estimated at 2 to 5 days depending on which option you choose.
A standard t-shirt costs just £2.87 to deliver to a UK address using Evri 48hr.
Shipping to the US or Europe can be very expensive £7.08 for a t-shirt and £16.14 for a hoodie.
I would recommend having alternative suppliers lined up if you get foreign orders. This is what I do for my own businesses.
Inkthreadable Support
Inthreadable provides support via:
- Email – They aim to answer within 1 hour during office hours
- Live chat on their website
- Phone (yes you can even call them)
- Snail mail (why would you??)
On the Inkthreadable site, there is a knowledgebase / support how with nearly a hundred articles on how to use the platform, create print files correctly and manage integrations amongst many other topics. I’ve found this really helpful when first getting used to the platform.
They have a fairly active Facebook group run by the Inkthreadable team. The group has over 2400 members who also help answer questions. If you’re going to start using Inkthreadable I strongly recommend joining the group.
Sustainable Printing
The founders of Inkthreadable are passionate about sustainability and have added an extensive collection of Stanley/Stella organic clothing, which when partnered with their vegan-friendly printing provides a great option and USP for your print on demand business.
For those that don’t know, Stanley/Stella clothing is produced using organic or recycled fabrics using environmentally friendly manufacturing practices.
Inkthreadable use vegan inks ensuring that the actual print on the t shirt is as eco friendly as the product itself.
Also of note is Inkthreadable’s use of plastic-free packaging. Since April 2019 every apparel order has been shipped in 100% paper (plastic-free) sustainable packaging.
Here is the environmental promise they made on their site:
Pro’s and Con’s of Inkthreadable
Inkthreadable Pros
Inkthreadable Con’s
Is Inkthreadable Right For You?
Inkthreadable is a good choice for your print on demand business if you are looking for a UK based print on demand supplier.
If the following describes you and your business then I believe Inkthreadable are a great choice:
- Sell predominantly in the UK
- Sell using an ecommerce platform or marketplace that Inkthreadable integrate with
- Want to offer embroidered items
If you value sustainability Inkthreadable’s offering is hard to beat could really help you stand out in a crowded and saturated market.
Alternatives
If you are looking for an alternative United Kingdom based print on demand company I would recommend Gelato print on demand.
Check out our article on the Best Print On Demand Companies in the UK for more information.
Inkthreadable Vs Printful
Inkthreadable and Printful are both well established print on demand companies that both have fulfilment centers in the UK.
Which is right for you depends on several considerations. What you want to sell, the platform you are using to sell on, and where your target market is.
Inkthreadable is cheaper than Printful across the board if you are selling to a UK audience. If you are targeting the US or other parts of Europe then Printful could be cheaper due to lower shipping costs and local fulfillment.
If you are selling on Etsy or Shopify, targeting UK customers, and Inkthreadable stocks the products you want to sell, then Inkthreadable is the better choice.
If you are selling on a platform Inkthreadable does not integrate with, like Launch Cart and you’re targeting the US or mainland Europe, then Printful would be the better option.
Conclusion
The UK print on demand market is very different to the US. There are far fewer POD suppliers and many faced difficulties during and after covid.
The pandemic brought a rise in POD sellers which has since dropped of leaving some companies, over committed and unable to pay their bills.
Its great to see Inkthreadable have come through their troubles and are looking stronger than ever.
One of the best UK based POD Suppliers ideeal for those focussing on the UK market.
Looses a star due to high international shipping costs.
Cons:
FAQ
Is Inkthreadable Good Value?
Inkthreadable is free to use and their product range is competitively priced and is cheaper on a lot of products than their main competitors.
If you get to the point where you are selling more than £500 a month then the extra 5% off product prices makes them really hard to beat.
Is Inkthreadable a good Print On Demand Company?
Yes. They are a well-established business with 9 years of experience in the POD industry with a good business reputation as a print on demand UK based supplier.
Does Inkthreadable Integrate With eBay?
No, they do not. However, you could list products manually on eBay and place orders manually through Inkthreadable’s site.
Alternatively, you could set up a Shopify store and download an app that integrates Shopify with eBay, which whilst complicated would give an eBay to Inkthreadable integration, albeit via Shopify.
Does Inkthreadable Integrate with Shopify?
Yes, Inkthreadable has a Shopify app that enables products to be easily listed on your site and automates the receiving and syncing of orders.
Can You Use Inkthreadable and Etsy?
Yes, Inkthreadable integrates with Etsy so orders flow automatically from Etsy to Inkthreadable who print and ship your items.
