- General – Ecommerce Terms
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✦ Integration
The connection of an eCommerce software (Shopify, BigCommerce etc) or Marketplace (Etsy, Amazon etc) with other software solutions (Printful, Printify etc) to automate the order process.
Example: When you have the POD supplier connected to your shop and someone places an order, the POD supplier will take care of payment, placing the order and even message the customer when the item has been shipped.
✦ API
This stands for Application Programming Interface. An API essentially lets different software systems communicate with each other. API is a great choice if you don’t want to use an ecommerce platform that the POD supplier integrate with, but it requires some programming knowledge to set up.
✦ Domain Name
The name used to identify a website or an e-commerce shop.
✦ Storefront
The online space where you’re listing and selling your products.
✦ eCommerce platform
A software application that allows online businesses to manage their website, marketing, sales, and operations.
eCommerce examples: Shopify, BigCommerce, Squarespace etc.
✦ Online marketplace
A type of e-commerce site where product or service information is provided by multiple third parties. They act as intermediaries by connecting sellers and consumers.
Marketplace examples: Etsy, Amazon, Ebay, Storenvy etc
✦ Keyword /Tag
A word or phrase indicative of the major theme in a piece of content. When you search for something in a search engine or a marketplace, you type in a keyword and the search engine gives you results based on that keyword. One major Goal of SEO is to have your website or products in the marketplace show in searches for as many relevant keywords as possible.
✦ SEO
Search Engine Optimization – the process of improving a website’s performance and positioning in organic search engine results through a variety of methodologies including content production or improvement, technical and code improvement, and link acquisition.
✦ White-label
A product or service produced by one company that other companies rebrand to make it appear as if they had made it.
Example: You as a Seller on a marketplace or your own website can tell your Print-on-Demand supplier to have your own Brand/Logo appear on the package they ship to your customer.
✦ Drop-Shipping
Business model in which a store doesn’t keep an inventory of the products it sells, but purchases them from a third-party supplier who then ships the products directly to end-customers.
✦ Profit Margin
The amount of profit you earn per sale. There are two transactions that take place: the POD supplier charges the price per product, and then you charge your end customer the retail price. What’s left in between is your profit.
✦ Conversion
The completion of a predefined goal. This is often used to track the number of site visitors that have been “converted” into paying customers
- Print on demand – Terms
✦ POD
Print on Demand (POD) is when you sell your own custom designs on various different types of products. Print on demand products include t-shirts, hoodies, leggings, phone cases, books, and many other items.
✦ Fulfillment
This is the process of getting your order ready to ship and all that it entails: printing, embroidery, sewing, packaging, and every other detail that goes into getting your order ready.
✦ Independent POD
Also known as a “All-in-one POD” , “self-printing” or “print-on-demand marketplace for artists” is a print on demand platform that allows you to upload a design and list it for sale on their Marketplace and it would offer you a Storefront too that you can customize and categorize the products as you wish. From marketing to customer support, they do everything. You will get a profit margin for every sale you made.
✦ POD Supplier
A print on demand company that help you fulfill the orders that you get thru your online store. They print the design on the product you sell and ship it to your customer with your own branding on the package.
✦ Mock-up generator
A tool that most of the PODs have where you can upload your graphics to generate mockup images that you can upload to your store. Some PODs also offer an Editor where you can create simple text based designs and also add cliparts and shapes to it.
✦ Product Push generator
A tool that lets you add products directly to your store from within your POD supplier. This is only available for those PODs that have integration with your e-commerce Store /Marketplace.
- Printing Techniques
✦ Dye-sublimation
A printing technique where your design is printed on paper with dye ink and then it gets transferred directly onto the garment with heat. Sublimation lets you cover all of the garment with your design instead of our other printing methods that have a smaller area to work with.
✦ Direct-to-Garment (DTG)
A process of printing on textiles using specialized aqueous ink jet technology. DTG printers typically have a platen designed to hold the garment in a fixed position, and the printer inks are jetted or sprayed onto the textile by the print head. Unlike with sublimation printing, DTG has a smaller print area to print on.
✦ Cut and Sew
The process where fabric is sublimation-printed, cut, and then sewn.
✦ UV Printing
UV printing uses ultraviolet lights to cure (or dry) the ink directly on the material. This is used to print on materials like metal or glass.
✦ Screen Printing
Screen printing is the process of transferring a stencilled design onto a flat surface using a mesh screen, ink and a squeegee. Fabric and paper are the most commonly screen-printed surfaces, but with specialised inks it’s also possible to print onto wood, metal, plastic, and even glass. The basic method involves creating a stencil on a fine mesh screen, and then pushing ink (or paint, in the case of artwork and posters) through to create an imprint of your design on the surface beneath.
- Graphics
✦ Print file
The file with your design that you submit to the POD supplier for printing. This file must match with the product guidelines that you create the design for. They usually offer pre-made templates for Photoshop or Illustrator where you can see the printing area’s size and guides.
✦ Mockup
An image that shows how a product looks with your design. Most POD suppliers offer a free mockup generator but you can also create this yourself with a photo editing software or use an online mock-up tool.
✦ DPI
This stands for Dots Per Inch. It’s a measurement that indicates how many dots a printer can place per square inch. Most POD suppliers asks to have your file with at least 150 DPI to ensure great quality.
✦ CMYK and RGB
RGB and CMYK are the two most popular color spaces.
RGB is best for digital work, while CMYK is used for print products.
Most POD suppliers would require you to design and save your file in sRGB as the printers nowadays can already print colors outside of the usual CMYK range.