Apliiq Print on Demand Review – Features, Pros and Cons

In the fast-paced world of eCommerce, Print on Demand (POD) services have changed the game, making it easy for entrepreneurs to create apparel without keeping inventory. Apliiq Print on Demand stands out from the crowd with its unique take on custom clothing. This review dives into Apliiq's features, benefits, drawbacks, pricing, and how it compares to other POD options.

Whether you're a new fashion designer or an established brand, this guide will help you decide if Apliiq is the right choice for your business.

What is Apliiq Print on Demand?

Apliiq is a print-on-demand company that started in 2009, carving out a niche in the “streetwear” market. Unlike other platforms like Printify, Printful, and Gooten, Apliiq focuses on creating stylish streetwear products such as t-shirts, hoodies, joggers, and even stickers.

Creators on Apliiq can use its design tools to create unique products and choose from various printing methods, including embroidery, digital printing, and screen printing. Apliiq also stands out by offering woven labels, a feature not commonly found with other POD services.

Beyond standard print-on-demand services, Apliiq supports dropshipping, high-volume sales, and offers warehousing and fulfillment options. The platform provides discounts for bulk and sample orders, along with assistance for shipping and returns, making it easier to provide a great experience for your customers.

How Does Apliiq Print on Demand Work?

Apliiq makes selling custom streetwear simple with its print-on-demand approach. Here’s how the process works:

(Image Source: How Apliiq works)

• Step 1: Order Production on Demand: Products are only made after a customer places an order, helping you avoid overproduction and unsold inventory.
• Step 2: Customize Your Apparel: Upload your designs and choose from a variety of apparel options like t-shirts, hoodies, and hats. Apliiq offers extra branding options, such as embroidery and custom labels, to help your products stand out.
• Step 3: Integrate Seamlessly: Connect your Apliiq account with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce for smooth store management and automated order processing.
• Step 4: Fulfillment and Shipping: Apliiq handles the entire process, including printing, packing, and shipping orders directly to your customers within 2–3 business days.
• Step 5: Expand Globally: With worldwide shipping options, you can easily reach customers anywhere, without worrying about logistics.

Apliiq’s services let you focus on designing and promoting your brand while they handle the production and fulfillment, offering a cost-effective way to scale your business without upfront risks.

Key Features of Apliiq Print on Demand

The Services Offered by Apliiq

Over the years, Apliiq has improved its services to give businesses more options for selling online. As an “apparel partner,” Apliiq helps you create private label products, manage dropshipping, and more.

Here are the main services Apliiq provides:

1. Print on Demand Selling

Apliiq makes it simple to create and sell custom streetwear, badges, and more online. They handle all the logistics and fulfillment, so you can focus on building your brand.

Getting started is easy. Just create an account and explore their product catalog, which includes hoodies, hats, stickers, and accessories. After choosing a product, use Apliiq’s design tools to upload your artwork, add text, and customize the item.

Once your design is finalized, Apliiq’s team uses advanced technology to produce it. They carefully package and ship the product directly to your customer, often within 2-3 business days.

With Apliiq, you can access features like on-demand clothing labeling, embroidery, digital printing, and branded packaging with custom shipping labels and slips. You can even add discounts or extras to enhance your packages, making it a versatile and reliable choice for print-on-demand selling.

2. Cut n Sew

Apliiq’s cut-and-sew service lets entrepreneurs create completely custom clothing based on their unique designs. This service stands out because it allows you to customize not only the fabric patterns but also the entire shape and style of the garment, resulting in truly unique apparel that reflects your vision.

With Apliiq, you can choose from a variety of high-quality fabrics and styles, ensuring your products are both distinctive and comfortable. The cut-and-sew process pays close attention to detail, offering personal touches like custom stitching and unique design elements that improve the overall quality of the product.

Using Apliiq's cut-and-sew service helps brands stand out in a competitive market. It’s especially useful for those wanting to build a strong brand identity, as it allows for exclusive collections that appeal to their target audience. 

3. Warehousing and Bulk Selling

While many sellers love the print-on-demand model because it skips the need for upfront inventory, you might want to stock up on your best-sellers in bulk.

With Apliiq, this is easy and cost-effective. You can save up to 50% on your customized products by ordering in bulk. Apliiq also takes care of inventory management and warehousing for you, ensuring your products are stored safely and shipped quickly to customers worldwide.

Even with bulk orders, you still get the same customization perks as with their print-on-demand services. You can personalize your items with unique designs, branded packaging, and shipping labels.

Apliiq also offers “apparel finishing” services, like embroidered patches and custom labels, to give your products a professional and unique touch. This makes it a flexible option for scaling your business with pre-made inventory.

4. Labeling and Branding

Apliiq stands out in the Print on Demand world with its exceptional labeling and branding options. While many services let you customize packaging, Apliiq takes it further.

You can design custom woven labels for your private label products with help from Apliiq’s design team. They also offer private label tags, neck prints for t-shirts and hoodies, and embroidered patches to enhance your clothing’s unique appeal.

For those looking to create exclusive collections, Apliiq provides a limited-edition label service. This allows you to produce unique designs for small batches of 50 to 100 items, perfect for offering something special to your top customers.

Apliiq Product Range 

Like most providers, Apliiq makes it easy to find the right print-on-demand products for your business by organizing everything into helpful categories. If you're not sure what to sell, you can check the "hot new" tab to see the latest products added to the marketplace.

Here are the main product categories Apliiq offers:

• Brands: High-quality, customizable branded products for fashion dropshipping, like Bella & Canvas, Jerzees, and Gildan, with eco-friendly options.
• Men’s Clothing: T-shirts, long sleeves, tank tops, polos, tie-dye, and flannel shirts, with various colors and eco-friendly choices.
• Women’s Clothing & Unisex: Similar to men's, plus jackets, crop tops, leggings, and customizable bottoms.
• Kids and Youth: Organic t-shirts, hoodies, baby clothes, sweatpants, jackets, and tie-dye options for kids.
• Accessories: Hats, beanies, snapbacks, trucker caps, bucket hats, and eco-friendly bags.
• Supplies: Custom neck prints, woven or private labels, and embroidered patches to enhance your products.

Apliiq’s products are known for their high quality, with many eco-friendly and sustainable options.

While product quality can vary with different print-on-demand providers, Apliiq has positive reviews for most of its items. There are also graphic design tools and templates available to help you make the most of your products.

Additionally, ordering samples is simple, and you can get discounts to test the quality of your merchandise before adding it to your online store.

Apliiq Printing Options & Packaging

Apliiq not only offers a wide variety of products for ecommerce store owners, but it also provides multiple ways to personalize your apparel. Here are some options available to customize your clothing line:

• DTG Digital Printing: This method lets you add vibrant, high-quality images and photos to your products with lots of colors and fine details.
• Screen Printing: Ideal for hoodies and sweaters, screen printing offers great durability, long-lasting quality, and vibrant colors.
• Applique: With applique, you can add custom labels, patches, and other details by stitching them onto your garments.
• Embroidery: If you prefer a more luxurious feel, Apliiq offers an embroidery service for a premium touch, rather than relying on prints.

All of Apliiq’s printing and customization methods are eco-friendly. They use organic and vegan materials, biodegradable packaging, and non-toxic inks. Additionally, Apliiq gives you the opportunity to enhance your branding and packaging. 

Apliiq’s Ease of Use and Design Capabilities

Apliiq is a user-friendly platform for print-on-demand sellers, offering easy-to-use design tools and helpful resources to get you started.

The website’s help center walks you through everything, from selecting the right print sizes for different products to preparing your artwork.

The Apliiq interface is simple and easy to navigate. Products are organized into categories, and the website provides step-by-step instructions to help you upload and customize your designs.

Customization Options

With Apliiq, you can customize your branding in the following ways:

• Custom clothing tags: Create your own branded tags for your clothing, such as flat beanie labels, neck tags, and folded clothing tags.
• Custom packaging: If you have your own packaging, you can send it to Apliiq, and they will use it to ship your orders.
• Packaging slips: You can include custom packaging slips with each order. These can have things like your social media handles, a thank-you message, stickers, and more.

Note: Custom options are only available if you send out more than 250 orders per month.

Design Features

After choosing your product, you can select the type of printing you want: transfer, digital print, screen print, or embroidery. If you're planning to order in bulk, you can also take advantage of bulk pricing to save money. Once you've picked your options, you're ready to start customizing.

Once you've uploaded your artwork, you can choose the type of printing you prefer and adjust the size of the design on your product by dragging it to the desired position. After that, you can further customize the following:

Here's how you can personalize your products:

• Color Options: Apliiq offers a wide variety of colors for both fabrics and prints, so you can match your designs with your brand's look. This allows you to create vibrant, attention-grabbing products.
• Size Variety: Apliiq provides many different sizes for their products, so you can cater to a wide range of body types and preferences. This helps you reach more customers and satisfy their needs.
• Customizable Print Placements: You can choose where to place your designs on the product. Options include the front, back, sleeves, or even all-over prints. This flexibility allows you to create unique, one-of-a-kind pieces.
• Product Descriptions: You can choose to write your own product descriptions or let Apliiq create one for you. You can edit these descriptions anytime to match your style. You also have the option to mix auto-generated descriptions with your own, and change your settings whenever you want.

However, these features are fairly basic compared to other platforms. There are no mockup generators with real people and pictures or artwork provided by Apliiq, you need to prepare your own one.

💡 Pro tip: Use EComposer to design a gorgeous store for your POD products. Share your business story, cute photos, and behind-the-scenes moments to engage and connect with your audience.

Shipping Options and Fulfillment 

Apliiq offers several shipping options for its products. For print-on-demand and dropshipping orders, only "standard shipping" is available.

If you're placing sample or bulk orders, you have two additional options:

• Upgraded shipping: This option ensures products are shipped to customers within 2-7 days and is available for items weighing 16oz or more.
• Rush shipping: Although shipping times aren't listed, Apliiq describes this option as a very fast delivery service.

Apliiq also offers international shipping through a partnership with USPS, allowing delivery to over 150 countries. If your bill is over $500, free shipping will be available for sample & bulk orders in the US.

Here are some of the factors for you to consider:

• Duration: 1-5 days for US orders; 3-21 days for worldwide orders
• Shipping rate calculation: Flat rate for US orders and live shipping rate for others
• No shipping company for selection

When Apliiq ships your order, its app will create a tracking code and send it to your store as a record for the order. If set up correctly, your store will automatically email the customer their tracking information. This process runs automatically, so you don’t have to handle it manually. You can also easily check in your store to see which orders have been shipped and which haven't.

Apliiq Collaborations and Integrations

Since Apliiq is not a print-on-demand marketplace like Redbubble, you’ll need to connect it with an existing eCommerce platform to sell your customized products. Currently, there are three options for doing this.

• You can install the Apliiq app for Shopify, which allows you to automatically send orders from Shopify to Apliiq and list all of your products on your store.
• Apliiq also offers an app for WooCommerce (for WordPress users), and there will soon be an app for Etsy sellers as well.

Additionally, Apliiq provides some unique “collaboration” services that most other print-on-demand vendors don’t. These services let you work with Apliiq’s team to promote your brand, create paid ads, and get help with graphic design.

Apliiq Customer Support

(Image Source: Apliiq Help Center)

Apliiq is dedicated to providing great customer support to make the experience easy for users of their print-on-demand platform. Here are some key features of their customer service:

• Expert Help: Apliiq offers helpful, personalized support to answer any questions.
• Multiple Ways to Contact: You can reach them through live chat, phone or by email, but in English only.
• Support Availability: Apliiq’s customer support is available most days from 8:00 - 17.00, Monday - Friday, so you can get help during business hours.
• Helpful Resources: Apliiq also offers a lot of helpful information on their website, including FAQs and articles. 
• Responsive Service: Many customers have praised Apliiq for their responsive service within 24 hours, often highlighting their willingness to assist personally, through calls or even video chats. 

*Note: Apliiq also has clear policies when it comes to product issues. If there is an error with an item, they offer free replacements within 30 days. However, it’s important to know that Apliiq does not accept returns or exchanges for any reason.

Apliiq Pricing

Like many print-on-demand services, Apliiq doesn’t charge any fees to get started. You can create an account for free, and you only pay for products after they’ve been sold.

However, there are some additional costs to keep in mind:

• Base cost of items: You’ll need to pay for the base price of the products you want to sell. For example, a basic men’s t-shirt starts around $3.85, but prices can go up depending on the materials and designs you choose.
• Buy in bulk and save: Get great discounts off already low wholesale prices when you purchase in bulk. You can mix and match sizes, colors, and designs. Your discount is automatically applied at checkout, ranging from 3% to 18%, depending on the quantity (starting at 10 items).
• Customization costs: If you want to customize your products, you’ll pay extra. The price can vary depending on the customization method. For example, embroidery tends to be more expensive than screen printing.

(Image Source: Apliiq Pricing comparison for T-shirt printing methods) 

• Shipping fees: Shipping starts at $5.49 for US orders and $7.95 for international orders. However, you can get free shipping on bulk orders over $100.
• Extra services: If you need additional services, like custom packaging, labels, graphic design, or warehousing, there will be extra charges. These are typically quoted individually based on your needs.
• Integration cost: Shopify’s basic plan starts at $5/month, Etsy has no monthly fee but charges $0.20 per listing, 5% transaction fees, 3% + $0.25 payment processing fees, and 15% for offsite ads. WooCommerce is free, but requires web hosting starting at around $3.95/month.

Apliiq Pros and Cons

Others also read

16 Best Print-On-Demand Sites For Artists 

How to Start a Print-On-Demand Canvas Business

12 Best Shopify Themes for Print on Demand (POD) Stores

Real Reviews from Customers

Apliiq has an overall rating of 4.8/5.0 on Shopify, which is higher than many other POD platforms. Here's a simple summary of the feedback:

Positive Feedback:

• Excellent Customer Service: The majority of users highlight Apliiq's responsive and helpful customer support, with specific mentions of representatives like Kim and David, who go above and beyond to resolve issues. Customers appreciate having real people, not bots, to assist them.
• High-Quality Products: The quality of Apliiq’s apparel and printing services is often praised, with users mentioning how detailed and high-quality their designs come out. Some also appreciated extra efforts like video calls with artists to ensure designs would turn out well.
• Great Integrations & User Experience: Apliiq integrates seamlessly with Shopify and offers flexibility in setting up shipping costs. Many users find it easy to add to their stores and love the simple setup process.
• Attention to Detail: Users appreciate Apliiq’s focus on design specifications and quality control, particularly for custom labels and artwork placement.

Negative Feedback:

• Slow Shipping & Lack of Communication: Some users have experienced significant delays, with orders taking over a month to ship and little to no communication about when to expect updates. 
• Customer Support Issues: A few users reported unsupportive interactions with staff and felt that their concerns were not addressed in a professional manner. 
• Inconsistent Service: A few users had serious issues with their orders not being fulfilled, leading to canceled orders and bad effect on reputations. There was a lack of accountability and follow-up from Apliiq's team.

Overall Impression: Apliiq is praised for its high-quality products, great customer service, and easy-to-use integrations, but there are significant concerns about slow shipping, poor communication, and unfulfilled orders. While most users have had positive experiences, others have faced serious frustrations with delays and lack of support.

Alternatives to Apliiq Print on Demand

1. Gelato

Gelato is a strong competitor to Printful and works similarly to Apliiq.

It operates with a print-on-demand network spread across 33 countries, offering a promise of 72-hour order fulfillment. Their product catalog includes key print-on-demand items like clothing, mugs, bags, wall art, cards, photo books, and brochures.

The platform is easy to use, and even with the free plan, merchants can access features like basic analytics. The free plan also provides a mockup generator which Apliiq doesn’t have.

Gelato POD integrates with platforms like Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, BigCommerce, eBay, Amazon, and more via API.

Pros:

• Good product quality overall
• Best known for photo-related products

Cons:

• Mockups are limited in the free plan, with premium ones requiring a subscription
• Products may be replaced without warning if out of stock
• Doesn’t disclose the number of products available

Pricing:

• Free: Up to two online stores
• Gelato+: $14.99/month or $139/year. Up to 10 stores, 30% off standard shipping, premium mockups, and graphic assets
• Gelato+ Gold: $299/month or $1499/year. Up to 25 stores, 30% off shipping for the first 49 orders, 50% off for over 50 orders per month

Gelato is ideal for merchants looking for an easy-to-use, automated alternative to Printful, with an advantage in posters and canvas products, a solid catalog, and simple integrations.

2. CustomCat

CustomCat has been around for over 20 years and is a popular print-on-demand choice for Shopify store owners in the US. The company has its own printing facilities, handling both production and shipping, which allows for fast delivery, usually within 2-3 days in the US.

CustomCat offers a catalog of more than 375 products, focusing mainly on T-shirts and athletic wear, as well as some unique items like pack coolers that aren’t found with other services. 

CustomCat is free to use, and it integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, BigCommerce, and offers API integration. 

Pros:

• Competitive pricing
• Strong selection of athletic apparel and T-shirts

Cons:

• Limited integrations
• Only US-based fulfillment centers with longer international shipping times
• No branding options

Pricing:

• Free
• CustomCat Lite (via Shopify): Free
• CustomCat Plan (via Shopify): $30/month for discounted prices

CustomCat is ideal for Shopify merchants targeting the US market who want an in-house solution with fast shipping and a good selection of athletic merchandise.

3. Teemill

Teemill is a sustainable apparel manufacturer. The company focuses heavily on eco-friendliness and sustainability, offering only products designed to be returned and remade.

To sell on Teemill, you must fully use their system. They provide a Teemill subdomain to set up your store, and the catalog only includes their own products. To get a custom URL, you’ll need to upgrade.

Teemill integrates easily with social networks, Google Analytics, and ads. Teemill’s product range includes men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel, such as T-shirts, shorts, and joggers, along with tote bags, jigsaw puzzles, and art prints. 

Pros:

• Strong focus on sustainability with a clear unique selling point (USP)
• Integrated online store setup

Cons:

• Only available in the UK unless you upgrade
• Limited product selection and a hard-to-find catalog

Pricing:

• Free plan
• Teemill Pro: £10/month, offers additional graphic assets, localization, a custom URL, and SEO tools.

Teemill is best suited for businesses committed to sustainable, circular products, particularly those targeting the UK market.

4. Teelaunch

Teelaunch is a print-on-demand provider and app designed for Shopify. It also integrates with Etsy and offers apps for WooCommerce and BigCommerce.

Teelaunch offers more than 120 products, including unique items like power banks, cork coasters, dog bandanas, and jewelry.

The platform is simple to use and it handles everything from inventory and orders to printing and both local and international shipping. Their facilities are in the US, UK, and Australia.

For branding, Teelaunch print on demand allows for shipping labels and brand logos. You can adjust the size and position of images but can’t freely resize or move them.

Pros:

• Unique product offerings
• Easy for Shopify users

Cons:

• Limited integrations; requires a Shopify store
• Few options for product customization

Pricing: Free, but requires an active Shopify store.

Teelaunch is ideal for established Shopify users who want to quickly add unique print-on-demand products at a lower cost than Printful.

5. AOP+

AOP+ is a great alternative to Printful, especially for merchants looking to expand into the UK.

As one of the newer print-on-demand companies, AOP+ operates its own production in London and focuses on sustainable fulfillment.

The company is known for its high-quality AOP (All Over Print) designs. AOP+ also integrates with Shopify, BigCommerce, and Etsy, and plans to expand to other major platforms like Wix, Amazon, Squarespace, and Magento.

Pros:

• Excellent AOP print quality
• Branding options available

Cons:

• Slow customer support
• Inconsistent or incomplete product details

Pricing:

• Start-up member: Free, unlimited products, basic branding
• Super member: $11.99/month, 5% discount, more branding options, priority support
• Hero member: $19.99/month, dedicated support with a response time under 24 hours

AOP+ is ideal for merchants based in the UK or targeting UK customers, especially those focused on AOP products and eco-friendly merchandise.

Final Words – Is Apliiq Worth It?

All in all, if you’re looking for a simple and trustworthy print-on-demand company to launch your streetwear brand, Apliiq Print on demand could be a great choice.

It provides a wide range of high-quality products, many design options, and useful features for sellers. Additionally, Apliiq can help you brand your business and promote your products, increasing your chances of making sales. 

Furthermore, it’s free to use and you can order a sample to see whether it meets your demand, let’s try.

FAQs

1. Does Apliiq work with Shopify?

Yes, Apliiq works seamlessly with Shopify. You can easily add the Apliiq dropshipping app to your Shopify store, which lets you quickly and efficiently fulfill orders on demand.

2. Is Apliiq free to use?

Yes, Apliiq is free to use. There are no setup or monthly fees. You only pay when you make a sale, as they charge for fulfilling the orders placed through your store.

3. Where is Apliiq from?

Apliiq is based in Los Angeles, California, which helps them offer fast and efficient fulfillment and shipping services.

4. Does Apliiq have an app?

Yes, Apliiq has a dropshipping app available on the Shopify App Store. It automates many tasks like product creation, ordering, and fulfillment, making it easier for users to run their custom apparel business.

5. Is There a Minimum Order for Apliiq?

No, Apliiq has no minimum order requirement. You can create and sell products without needing to meet a minimum quantity, giving you more flexibility in managing your inventory and sales.