Printify vs Live Ink for Print On Demand UK
Printify vs Live Ink: UK print on demand compared
Both let you sell your designs on custom products with no stock and no minimum orders. The difference is who actually makes your orders: Printify passes them to one of more than 90 independent print providers, while Live Ink prints every order in its own UK factory.
Who prints your orders
Each dot is one print business.
With Printify, quality, materials and delivery times depend on the provider you choose for each product.
The short version
Printify is an open marketplace with one of the largest product catalogues in print on demand, made by a network of independent printers. Live Ink is a UK printer that makes every order in its own Bristol factory on organic and sustainable garments.
One factory, one standard
Every Live Ink order is printed, checked and packed by the same team in Bristol, so a reorder looks and feels the same as the first. With Printify, quality depends on which provider makes the product.
Certified garments and inks
Every Live Ink garment comes from organic and sustainable ranges, printed with GOTS-certified inks. On Printify, garments and inks vary from provider to provider.
No subscription to get the best price
Printify's lower product prices come with its Premium plan at $29 a month. Live Ink has one fixed price list in pounds, including VAT, with no subscription and 0% commission.
Printify vs Live Ink, side by side
How the two services compare on the points that matter most to a UK brand.
| Feature | Printify | Live Ink |
|---|---|---|
| Who makes your orders | A network of 90+ independent print providers, chosen by you for each product | Live Ink, in Bristol, UKOur own production site |
| Quality and consistency | Varies by provider, so each one needs sampling before you sell | One factory, one standardOur production team uses your mockup to check print placement |
| Delivery to UK customers | Depends on where your provider is based. International orders typically take 5–15 business days | UK domestic deliveryRoyal Mail Tracked from Bristol, plus worldwide shipping |
| Garments | Wide choice of blank brands, depending on the provider. Not exclusively sustainable, so organic and eco ranges sit alongside conventional garments | Curated organic and sustainable rangesIncluding Stanley/Stella, Earth Positive and AS Colour |
| Product range | One of the largest catalogues, covering apparel, accessories and home décor | Clothing and moreTees, hoodies, headwear, kids and baby, tote bags, mugs and homeware |
| Print methods | DTG, sublimation, embroidery, laser engraving and UV printing, depending on the provider | DTG, DTF, embroidery and screen printingAll under one roof, plus bulk orders when you need them |
| Certifications | Vary by provider | GOTS-certified inksOEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT, CPSIA compliant, AATCC tested |
| Packaging and branding | Packed by each provider, so options vary | Fully white-labelled and plastic-freePrinted neck labels, garment relabelling, swing tags and branded packing slips in recyclable paper mailers |
| Store integrations | Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, Wix and eBay, with TikTok Shop through its API | Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Not On The High StreetPlus a direct API for custom builds |
| Fees and plans | Free plan, or Premium at $29 a month ($24.99 billed annually) for 20% off products. Prices in US dollars | No subscription, minimums or commissionFixed prices in pounds, including VAT |
| Room to grow | Focused on print on demand, through its provider network | Print on demand to bulk in one place15+ years of garment production, with screen printing and live event printing too |
Printify details are based on publicly available information, checked October 2026. Services and prices change, so check with each provider before you decide.
Where the differences show up for your customers
Consistent quality
Your customers judge your brand on every order, not just the first one.
Printify
Each product is made by the provider you pick. Providers set their own blanks, print quality, stock and production times, so the same design can look and feel different from one provider to the next. Printify rates each provider to help you choose, but it's worth ordering samples before you commit.
Live Ink
Every order is printed in one Bristol factory, on the same retail-grade garments, by the same team. Our production team uses your product mockup to check print placement before it's packed.
Delivery times and costs
When your customers are in the UK, where your printer is based decides how quickly their order arrives and what it costs to send.
Printify
Shipping times and prices depend on each provider's location. Europe and international orders typically take 5–15 business days and cost $7–$15 or more, with extra charges at peak times.
Live Ink
Orders are printed in Bristol and sent by Royal Mail Tracked, priced in pounds. Your customer gets a tracking number, and your store's order status updates to match.
What your products are made from
Customers who care about where their clothes come from will ask. You need answers you can back up.
Printify
Garments, inks and packaging are chosen by each provider, so sustainability claims have to be checked provider by provider.
Live Ink
Everything in the catalogue is retail grade and sustainably sourced, printed with GOTS-certified inks and independently tested for skin safety and wash durability, then sent in plastic-free paper mailers. If you claim your brand is eco-friendly, you can prove it.
Room to grow
Print on demand is a good way to start. Successful designs often move on to bulk runs, events and wholesale.
Printify
Lower product prices come from upgrading to the Premium plan, or Enterprise pricing for high-volume sellers.
Live Ink
Over 15 years of garment production. DTG, DTF, embroidery, screen printing and live event printing all happen in one UK factory, so your best sellers can move to bulk without you changing supplier or quality.
Which is right for you?
Each service fits a different kind of brand. Here's an honest guide.
Printify could suit you if
- You want to test lots of product types cheaply, including home décor, drinkware and engraved items
- Most of your customers are in the US
- You sell on eBay, BigCommerce or PrestaShop
- You're happy to sample and manage several print providers
Live Ink is the better fit if
- Your customers are in the UK or Europe
- You want every order made to the same standard, in one factory
- You want organic garments and certified inks you can promote
- You want orders to arrive fully under your own brand, in plastic-free packaging
- You'd like prices in pounds with no subscription, and a UK team you can call
Printify vs Live Ink FAQs
Yes. Create a free Live Ink account, connect your store and build your products on our garments using your existing artwork. You can link the new products to your existing Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce or Squarespace listings, so you don't need to rebuild your shop.
Printify's t-shirts typically cost $8–$12 depending on the provider, in US dollars and before shipping, with 20% off if you pay for the Premium plan. Our prices are fixed, in pounds and include VAT, with no subscription and 0% commission on your sales. Our garments are organic and retail grade, so base prices reflect that, and UK delivery doesn't involve international shipping. Use the profit calculator on our Shopify print on demand page to work out your margins.
Printify doesn't print orders itself. It connects you to a network of more than 90 independent print providers in several countries, and you choose a provider for each product. Every Live Ink order is printed or embroidered at our own production site in Bristol, UK.
No. Printify has a free plan, with an optional Premium plan at $29 a month ($24.99 billed annually) for 20% off products, and Enterprise pricing for high-volume sellers. Live Ink has no subscription and takes no commission. You pay only the fixed price for the garment, the print or embroidery, and postage.
With Printify, it depends on where your chosen provider is based. US orders sent within the US typically take 2–5 business days, while Europe and international orders take 5–15 business days. Live Ink orders are printed in Bristol and sent to UK customers by Royal Mail Tracked, with tracked shipping worldwide.
Printify. Its catalogue covers apparel, accessories and home décor, including drinkware and engraved items. Live Ink's range is smaller and curated: tees, hoodies, headwear, kids and baby, tote bags, mugs and homeware, all retail grade and sustainably sourced.
Yes. We ship worldwide from Bristol, and we have guides for setting up shipping rates and US export duties in Shopify.
No. Live Ink orders can be fully white-labelled with printed neck labels, garment relabelling, swing tags and branded packing slips, so each order arrives as your brand.
Print your brand in the UK
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