Last Updated on December 12, 2025 by Ewen Finser
So you have a big order to print, but you don’t know who to choose. You’re feeling overwhelmed and frustrated because there are so many options out there, but none seem to be meeting all of your criteria. You’re not asking for much – all you want is someone who’s timely, who takes pride in their work, who’ll support you in each stage of the process, and who’ll price you fairly. Sure, someone might exist out there who does what you need, but you don’t want to spend hours (and possibly money) on trial and error.
We get it, and you’ve come to the right place. We’ve done the research so you don’t have to do quite as much, and we’ve found the POD (print-on-demand) companies to trust with your work.
But First: What to Consider When Choosing Your Printing Company
Of course, your needs are going to depend on the size of your order, the event you’re preparing for, and the complexity of your design. That said, there are things everyone should consider when choosing the best company for their POD needs. Everything below is what we took into account when choosing our favorites for this article:
Turnaround Time – Can tight turnaround times be accommodated? How sure are delivery times?
Quality Consistency – Are there often problems with the final product? How rigorous is quality control?
Production Location – Is the work done in-house, or is it outsourced?
Pricing transparency – Are there hidden costs or fees?
Sample programs – Are you able to see your design before you receive it?
Customer support – If something does go wrong, how easy is it to get it rectified? Do you talk to a human being or an AI chatbot?
Ability to handle high-volume or recurring orders – Can they do what you need without feeling stretched, whether that be a lot at once, or different orders over time?
Every company here answers these questions in one way or another, but be sure to keep in mind how it applies to your specific situation as you read on.
BlueCotton
Started by a couple of enterprising college grads in 1991, BlueCotton is a gem hidden in the city of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Above everything else, this company is focused on people, both those who buy from them and those who work for them.
On the customer’s side, BlueCotton is perfect for orders of just about any size. They have the scale to handle a very high capacity of orders, taking over 250 a day on average. Whether you purchase the usual t-shirts or sweatshirts, or custom office supplies or drinkware, they have professional artists on staff to check, adjust, and approve your design before printing for free. This way, you aren’t left with any clipped edges, blurry images, or wrong colors at the last minute.
There’s also an impressive 9-step quality check on every single order. They ship for free to all 50 states and guarantee their delivery dates. For those who need faster service, they offer more rush delivery options than most (5-day, 3-day, and 1-day rushes are all available).
If you’re the kind of person who needs to hold an order in your hands before you approve it, BlueCotton can also do that for free for orders of more than 250 pieces, and for a small fee on orders less than 250 pieces (that fee is also credited back after your bulk order is made. How cool is that?)
You’ll also never speak to AI support with BlueCotton, as they proudly support a “human-first” environment. The customer service department is based inside the same building as production. This means that not only do real people always answer support calls, but that problems get solved quickly and personally, and you’re always talking to someone within the company itself.
Speaking of “human first:” BlueCotton also prides themselves on employee-focused culture and strong emphasis on the development of the people who help them operate day-to-day. This means that supporting BlueCotton means directly supporting their people, and we love that.
Nothing is outsourced, nothing goes through middlemen; you’re always dealing with the same people, which streamlines the process and adds a level of security you rarely get anywhere else. You can’t go wrong with any of that.
In Summary
- Turnaround time: Guaranteed delivery, 10-day production standard, rush availability at 1, 3, and 5 days
- Quality Consistency: Early professional design check, 9-step quality check on all orders
- Production location: Bowling Green, KY. All in-house production.
- Pricing Transparency: Free shipping within the 50 states, pricing very easy to find on their website
- Sample programs: free samples for 250+ piece orders, $100 fee for smaller orders, that is credited back on bulk orders
- Customer support: All human, in-house
- Ability to handle high volume orders: Able to handle multiple large, repeat orders multiple times a day
Custom Ink
Custom Ink has been around for over two decades and is a very well-known name in the POD space, and for good reason. Their website is well-designed, set up to be a one-stop shop for designing, ordering, and support on an impressive number of possible products.
It’s possible to order the usual T-shirts, sweatshirts, and drinkware, but Custom Ink also offers printing on other, “swaggier” options like office supplies and tradeshow signage. All of this is easy to put together with their online Design Lab option, but if you need help, it’s possible to reach out to a real person via chat. After you’ve submitted your design, you’ll receive a free design review to make sure that everything is ready for printing.
Custom Ink is very upfront about their pricing. It’s easy to find the cost of each shirt ordered, each design chosen, and each shipping option. In fact, if you’re shipping within the continental US or Canada, standard shipping is free. That said, if you need to get your order faster, you can get your order rushed within one week or “super-rushed” within three days.
Samples are a bit hard to come by, as orders need to be 5,000+ pieces in order to qualify; otherwise, a $100 non-refundable fee is required in order to get an example of your order.
Custom Ink’s ability to handle high volume is without question, as printing is outsourced to any of around 100 third-party vendors. This can be both good and bad, as it can get work done quickly, but it also means that things like cost and work quality are going to be inconsistent.
Customer service is always available, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, both by chat, by email, and by phone. Custom Ink prides themselves on their support being “real person” based, so you won’t ever have to talk in circles with an AI chatbot. In the event that support can’t help you with an order – say, it arrives too late to be used – Custom Ink has a guarantee that you can return the order within 15 days for a full refund.
In Summary
- Turnaround time: Standard shipping is two weeks or less; rush orders available within one week, Super Rush within three days
- Quality Consistency: Early professional design check
- Production location: Fairfax, VA. Printing is outsourced.
- Pricing Transparency: Free standard shipping within the 50 states and Canada, easy enough to get quotes and prices on the website
- Sample programs: Free samples for 5000+ piece orders with complicated designs, $100 fee for smaller orders that is nonrefundable
- Customer support: 24/7, all human
- Ability to handle high volume orders: Very capable; ~100 third-party vendors do the printing
RushOrderTees
Don’t let the name fool you: RushOrderTees doesn’t just do t-shirts. They proudly print on a wide array of products, including activewear, tents, and earbuds. Do trust the name when it comes to turnaround time, though: they get your order done fast. If you need an order rushed, this company can get it to you in as little as two days.
RushOrderTees prints everything in-house at their facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The facility is huge (over 60,000 plus square feet) and can easily handle very large orders. All orders are reviewed for free by an in-house design team, and minor adjustments are made free of charge. Larger adjustments can cost an extra fee.
If you don’t need your order right away, standard shipping is between nine and twelve days, and is free for anywhere within the contiguous US or Canada. Rush orders are within two days for printed products and six days for embroidered products. Samples are available, but it’s not clear if there’s a minimum order size or cost to get them.
If you run into any issues with your order, it’s easy to get in touch with support. You can email, call, and live chat with customer service 24/7, and it’s as simple as clicking on whichever you need right there on the company’s website.
If you’re needing a company that’s quick and dialed-in to its strengths, this is the place to call.
In Summary
- Turnaround time: Standard shipping is 9-12 days; Rush orders are 2 days for printed products, 6 for embroidered products.
- Quality Consistency: Design check and minor adjustments done for free. Major adjustments may cost extra and require extra approval of a new proof
- Production location: Philadelphia, PA. Printing is done in-house.
- Pricing Transparency: Free standard shipping within the continental 50 states and Canada. Rush orders require getting in contact with the company.
- Sample programs: Samples are available, but guidelines are murky as to how
- Customer support: 24/7, all human
- Ability to handle high-volume orders: Huge facility that can handle many high-volume orders at once
VistaPrint
Another big name in the POD game, there’s a reason why VistaPrint has been around for so long, and a peek at their website gives you all of the reasons why. Put simply, VistaPrint is a company of options. Not only are there a large number of products to customize, but there are a number of levels of shipping available, too. They’re also known for their beautiful pre-made designs, especially for their business cards and stationery.
Shipping options range from Economy (delivery in about 8 days) to Rush (delivery in 2), and is free for Economy orders over $100. VistaPrint proudly states that they stand by their promised delivery dates, and encourage customers to contact their support if the order doesn’t arrive when they say it will. As one of the more corporate options on this list, they also have the ability to ship to about 17 countries besides the United States.
Every design that passes through VistaPrint’s facilities is taken seriously. So much so that they offer a complimentary design check, especially on those that call for embroidery. Small adjustments are made for free.
If you’re hoping for clothing samples, that process might be a bit harder to complete. One thing to note is that VistaPrint is more of a paper-focused printer; while they do offer apparel printing options, their strongest suit is in business cards, flyers, and other 2-D products. This means a couple things:
1. That apparel is generally much more expensive than it would be with printers who specialize in printing on clothes, and
2. While you can easily order free sample kits online of a number of stationery, you’ll have to contact the company directly for any apparel. It is not clear if those samples will be free.
VistaPrint is able to handle some very high-volume orders, and if you should run into any issues, their human customer service is available by email and by phone during regular business hours. There is also an AI chatbot available to help you with smaller, faster issues.
VistaPrint does beautiful work and has been involved in the print-on-demand industry for a very long time. Those looking for name recognition could do a lot worse.
In Summary
- Turnaround time: Economy shipping is 8 days; Rush orders are 2 days.
- Quality Consistency: Complimentary design check and minor edits.
- Production location: Multiple locations, all printing is done in-house.
- Pricing Transparency: Free economy shipping on orders over $100. All pricing is well-communicated and easy to find
- Sample programs: Samples for paper are easily ordered online, but apparel samples must be ordered through direct company contact
- Customer support: Human by phone and email during business hours, AI chatbot available 24/7
- Ability to handle high volume orders: All facilities are huge and accustomed to regular high volume orders
4Imprint
For those large, corporate orders, many trust 4Imprint to do the job.
4Imprint’s catalog is massive, with products in everything from apparel to toys to wellness tools. This focus on supplying large companies comes with a focus on large-scale orders, consistent quality, and definite delivery times, which makes it a very strong contender for POD orders.
Customers have the option of ground, 2-day, and next-day shipping, and costs for these depend on the product being ordered. It’s also possible to split orders and to ship internationally, with a little discussion between you and the customer support department.
4Imprint’s main hub is based in OshKosh, Wisconsin, but they also have branches in the UK, Ireland, and Canada. Some capabilities – like quality control, the complimentary design team, and screen printing – are done in-house, while other modes of decoration are done through outsourcing. Shipping dates are guaranteed, and 4Imprint promises a full refund if the order doesn’t show up on time.
Due to the sheer number of products, pricing varies a lot. 4Imprint tries to be as upfront as possible, though, by answering numerous questions about taxes and fees on their FAQ page. They’re also very generous with samples, often sending them free of charge and only asking that you send the item back if it’s particularly expensive.
Customer service is available via call, chat, or email during business hours and is fully staffed by humans.
4Imprint is great for anyone looking for a product they may not be able to find elsewhere, complete with free design help and surprisingly transparent communication. A large, corporate order will do well here.
In Summary
- Turnaround time: Ground shipping depends on location. Two-day and next-day shipping are available.
- Quality Consistency: A free design check is done on every order. Customers may also simply ask the design team to come up with their customizations for them for no extra charge.
- Production location: Multiple locations. Some things, like screen printing, are done in-house; other things are outsourced.
- Pricing Transparency: Pricing is very dependent on shipping location and product. All taxes and fees are calculated and shared beforehand as you build your order.
- Sample programs: Samples are available, often free of charge and yours to keep, unless otherwise specified.
- Customer support: Available during business hours via phone, chat, and email. Fully human.
- Ability to handle high volume orders: Fully accustomed to large orders, with multiple locations and outside vendors to move higher volume.
What About Shopping Locally?
Of course, we want to support small businesses whenever we can, and if this is something that works for you and your order, we think it’s a great idea! We also caution you that most local shops may struggle with larger orders, complicated designs, and hairpin turnaround times. Just be sure that your local printer will be able to keep up with your needs, so that neither of you are left in the lurch.
Our Favorite: BlueCotton
For us, of everyone on this list, BlueCotton takes home the trophy. They’re not only able to manage large-scale orders, but they also take great care in making sure that nothing leaves their facility in less-than-stellar condition. Even more importantly, you can feel that they care in every step of the process. Your importance as a customer doesn’t disappear the moment you’ve received your order; in fact, BlueCotton wants to be available for you in a genuinely human way for as long as they can. You’re talking to people just like you, as much as you need, the whole time. That, and you wind up with some truly beautiful printed apparel. It’s a win for everyone all around.
If you’ve worked with a POD provider recently, let us know how it went! We love hearing about your experiences.