Print on demand continues to evolve, and 2025 was another year of learning and iteration across the industry. At Apliiq, our focus wasn’t on big promises or flashy changes — it was on making thoughtful improvements that help brand owners present their products more clearly, sell with more confidence, and build something sustainable over time.
This recap highlights a few areas where we invested in innovation in print on demand, guided largely by feedback from the creators and brands we work with every day
Helping Brands Make Their Products Shine!
One of the ongoing challenges in print on demand is product presentation. Because customers can’t touch or try on a product before buying, visuals play an outsized role in trust, understanding, and conversion.
In 2025, a meaningful portion of our product work focused on improving how products are shown to customers — not just how they’re reviewed internally.
Mockup Generation & Mockup Packs
Throughout the year, we released new mockup packs covering core product categories like t-shirts, tanks, crop tops, and yoga pants. These mockups were designed to give brands a more consistent and realistic way to present products across storefronts, marketplaces, and marketing channels.
For brand owners, better mockups can mean:
- A more polished and professional storefront
- Clearer communication of fit, style, and design placement
- Greater consistency across product listings
Rather than relying on generic or mismatched visuals, these tools give creators a way to put their products in their best light, which can positively influence click-through rates and conversion — especially for newer or growing brands.
Woven Label & Embroidered Patch Previews
Branding details like woven labels and embroidered patches often play a meaningful role in how customers evaluate quality, even if they’re small elements of the product.
In 2025, we introduced visual previews and mockups for woven labels and embroidered patches so brands could clearly show these details as part of their product presentation.
These previews help brands:
- Set their brand apart with retail ready quality
- Highlight craftsmanship and attention to detail
- Show scale and placement more accurately
- Set clearer expectations for customers before purchase
While these tools also support review and approval workflows, their bigger impact is on customer confidence. When shoppers can clearly see branding details, they’re more likely to trust what they’re buying — and trust is closely tied to conversion in print on demand.
Supporting Marketplace Sellers with the Etsy App
Another area of focus in 2025 was reducing friction for creators selling on third-party marketplaces.
The Apliiq × Etsy App was introduced to help Etsy sellers connect their shops directly to Apliiq fulfillment. The goal wasn’t to change how sellers run their businesses, but to simplify order flow and reduce manual steps.
For many creators, this made it easier to manage fulfillment while staying focused on product development, marketing, and customer experience.
Enabling Hybrid Fulfillment: Mixing Print on Demand with Premade Inventory
One area where we spent a lot of time in 2025 was improving how brands handle fulfillment as they grow. Many creators reach a point where print on demand alone isn’t always the best fit — but fully managing inventory can feel like a big leap.
To address this, we continued building systems that allow sellers to mix premade products and print-on-demand products within the same store and fulfillment workflow.
This hybrid approach gives brands the ability to:
- Premake and stock best-selling or time-sensitive products
- Continue offering long-tail or experimental items on demand
- Reduce risk by not overcommitting to inventory
- Maintain the flexibility that makes print on demand appealing
Rather than forcing brands to choose between two fulfillment models, these updates allow them to combine the benefits of both — speed and flexibility from print on demand, alongside control and efficiency from stocked products.
This reflects a practical form of innovation in print on demand: meeting brands where they are and giving them room to grow without changing platforms or workflows.
Expanding Product Options with New Brand Partners
As brands mature, product quality and material choice become more important.
In 2025, we expanded our catalog with new apparel partners, including:
Both additions give creators more options when choosing blanks that align with their brand standards, particularly for those looking to offer more premium products within a print-on-demand workflow.
A Practical View of Innovation in Print on Demand
For us, innovation in print on demand isn’t about dramatic claims or one-off features. It’s about steady, practical improvements that add up over time:
- Clearer product presentation
- Stronger branding visibility
- Greater customer confidence at the point of sale
- Fulfillment systems that support growth, not just transactions
2025 was about listening closely, making adjustments, and continuing to build tools that help creators sell products they’re proud of.
Looking Forward to Print On Demand Innovation For 2026
There’s still plenty to improve — and that’s part of the process. The feedback we received throughout 2025 continues to shape what we’re working on next. As print on demand evolves, we’ll keep focusing on thoughtful, incremental innovation that supports long-term brand building.