Table of Contents
- Understanding Print-on-Demand (POD)
- Society6: A Creative Marketplace for Diverse Products
- Spoonflower: The Fabric and Wallpaper Haven
- Society6 vs. Spoonflower: Choosing the Right Platform for You
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Conclusion
Introduction
For artists and designers looking to share their creations with the world and earn income from their passions, print-on-demand (POD) services offer a fantastic opportunity. This guide delves into two prominent POD platforms: Society6 and Spoonflower, providing a comprehensive comparison to help you navigate this exciting landscape.
The debate of “society6 vs spoonflower” or “spoonflower vs society6” frequently arises for creatives seeking the ideal platform. This guide aims to answer your questions and provide clarity on which platform, “society6 or spoonflower,” best aligns with your individual needs.
Whether you’re drawn to Society6’s diverse product range or Spoonflower’s specialized fabric focus, understanding each platform’s strengths and weaknesses is crucial. By the end of this post, you’ll be equipped to confidently choose the POD platform that aligns with your unique creative goals and business strategies.
I. Understanding Print-on-Demand (POD)
Print-on-demand is a revolutionary business model that allows you to sell your artwork printed on a variety of products without having to handle any inventory or shipping yourself. Here’s how it works:
- Design: You create the artwork and upload it to the POD platform.
- Product Selection: You choose which products you want to offer your artwork on, such as art prints, phone cases, apparel, home decor, and more.
- Listing: You create listings for each product, setting the prices and writing descriptions.
- Customer Purchase: When a customer purchases a product featuring your design, the POD platform handles the entire process.
- Printing and Fulfillment: The platform prints your artwork onto the chosen product and ships it directly to the customer.
- Earnings: You receive a commission or royalty on each sale.
Benefits for Artists:
- Passive income potential: Once you’ve uploaded your designs and created listings, you can earn money even while you sleep.
- No upfront costs: You don’t have to invest in inventory, printing, or shipping. The POD platform takes care of all that.
- Product variety: You can offer your art on a wide range of products, reaching a broader audience.
Potential Drawbacks:
- Lower profit margins: Compared to other business models like selling original art or wholesaling, POD typically involves lower profit margins per sale.
II. Society6: A Creative Marketplace for Diverse Products
Society6 is a vibrant online marketplace that allows artists to showcase their creativity across a vast selection of products. With categories spanning art prints, home decor (including furniture), apparel, tech accessories, and more, Society6 caters to diverse customer interests. Its large and established customer base provides significant potential for discoverability and sales, particularly for artists seeking a broad reach.
- Extensive Product Categories: Society6’s wide array of product categories caters to diverse customer interests, maximizing the potential for sales across multiple niches.
- Large, Established Marketplace: The platform boasts a vast, pre-existing customer base, enhancing the likelihood of organic sales and visibility for artists.
- User-Friendly Platform: Uploading artwork and managing your shop on Society6 is intuitive and straightforward, even for artists new to POD services.
- Artist-Friendly Features: Society6 empowers artists with features like setting sale prices, creating discount codes, and running promotions to drive sales.
- Lower Profit Margins: Compared to other platforms like Spoonflower, Society6’s profit margins for artists are lower, typically offering a smaller percentage of each sale.
- Active Marketing Required: To stand out amidst the vast competition on Society6, artists need to actively market and promote their work to increase visibility and attract customers.
- Challenging for New Artists: While Society6 offers potential for high visibility, gaining traction for new artists can be challenging due to the platform’s competitive nature.
D. Uploading Artwork: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Create an Account and Shop: Sign up for a free Society6 account and set up your artist shop profile, including a bio and profile picture.
- Click “Add New Artwork”: Begin the upload process by clicking the “Add New Artwork” button on your shop dashboard.
- Select Artwork File: Choose a high-resolution file of your artwork, ensuring it can scale up without losing quality for larger products. Society6 accepts JPG or PNG files in RGB color mode.
- Enter Artwork Title: Give your artwork a concise and descriptive title that accurately reflects the design.
- Add Categories and Tags: Select the appropriate categories for your artwork and add relevant keyword tags to improve discoverability in searches. Think about the themes, colors, and styles that describe your design.
- Optimize for Products: Society6 automatically applies your artwork to various products. Go through each product category, toggling on the ones you wish to enable. Edit the design’s scale and position to ensure it looks its best on each item.
- Wallpaper Patterns: If you’re offering wallpaper, you’ll need to upload a separate, seamless repeating pattern block.
- Preview and Publish: Preview how your artwork looks on all enabled products. When satisfied, click “Publish Artwork” to make your designs available for purchase.
III. Spoonflower: The Fabric and Wallpaper Haven
Spoonflower stands apart as a unique POD platform dedicated to fabric, wallpaper, and home decor. Artists can create and sell custom-printed fabrics on a variety of materials, ranging from cotton to silk to linen. Spoonflower empowers artists with a high degree of control over their designs, allowing them to create intricate repeating patterns and determine the scale of their designs.
- Higher Profit Margins: Spoonflower offers artists higher profit margins compared to Society6, allowing you to earn a larger percentage of each sale.
- Specialized Focus: The platform’s niche focus on fabric and wallpaper attracts a dedicated audience of craft enthusiasts, DIYers, and home decor lovers.
- Design Control and Customization: Spoonflower offers artists extensive control over their designs, allowing for intricate repeat pattern creation, scale adjustments, and color adjustments.
- Test Swatches: Spoonflower requires artists to order test swatches of their designs before publishing. This ensures color accuracy and pattern alignment, leading to higher customer satisfaction.
- Limited Product Categories: Spoonflower’s focus on fabric and wallpaper results in a smaller range of product categories compared to the diverse offerings on Society6.
- Smaller Customer Base: The platform’s niche appeal attracts a smaller customer base than the more general marketplace of Society6. This may require more targeted marketing efforts to reach the right audience.
- Swatch Purchase Required: While test swatches ensure quality, they represent an initial investment for each design, adding to the artist’s upfront costs.
- Pattern Design Complexity: Creating seamless repeating patterns for Spoonflower can be more technically challenging for artists new to surface pattern design.
D. Uploading Artwork: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Create an Account and Shop: Sign up for a free Spoonflower account and set up your shop profile.
- Click “Add Designs”: Initiate the upload process by clicking the “Add Designs” button on your dashboard.
- Prepare Your Artwork: For seamless patterns, create a high-resolution, repeating pattern block. If your artwork is a standalone design, ensure it’s high-resolution and in the appropriate file format (JPG or PNG).
- Choose File Type and Upload: Spoonflower offers specific options for uploading different types of designs, including “Basic Repeat,” “Half-Drop Repeat,” and “Mirror Repeat.” Choose the option that best suits your pattern design. Click “Choose File,” select your artwork file, and confirm your copyright.
- Add Title and Tags: Give your design a descriptive title and add relevant keyword tags to aid discoverability.
- Adjust Pattern Size and Repeat: Use the “Smaller,” “Larger,” “Half Brick,” and other options to adjust the size and repeat of your pattern. Preview these adjustments to ensure your design looks how you intended.
- Fabric Selection: Choose the fabric types you want to offer your design on. Spoonflower provides information on each fabric’s weight, texture, and suitability for various projects.
- Order Test Swatch: To publish your design, you must order a test swatch of your fabric. This allows you to check color accuracy, pattern alignment, and the overall quality of the print.
- Approve Swatch and Publish: Once you’re happy with your test swatch, approve it, and Spoonflower will publish your designs, making them available for purchase.
IV. Society6 vs. Spoonflower: Choosing the Right Platform for You
Choosing between Society6 and Spoonflower requires careful consideration of your art style, business goals, and preferred level of involvement. When contemplating “society6 vs spoonflower,” several factors come into play.
A. Head-to-Head Comparison Table
| Feature | Society6 | Spoonflower |
|---|---|---|
| Product Categories | Extensive: Art prints, home decor (including furniture), apparel, tech accessories, and more | Specialized: Fabric, wallpaper, home decor (limited selection) |
| Profit Margins | Lower (typically 10%) | Higher (base commission of 15%) |
| Customer Base | Large, general marketplace with diverse interests | Smaller, niche audience focused on craft and home decor |
| Marketing Effort | Requires active marketing and promotion | May require more targeted marketing but less overall competition |
| Design Control | Limited control over design placement and scale on products | Extensive control over pattern design, repeat, and scale |
B. Decision Factors to Consider
- Art Style and Focus: Consider whether your art style is versatile enough for a wide range of products (Society6) or primarily suited for fabric and wallpaper applications (Spoonflower). When deciding between “society6 or spoonflower,” evaluate which platform aligns best with your design strengths.
- Desired Profit Margin: If you prioritize earning a higher percentage per sale, Spoonflower’s higher profit margins are appealing. However, Society6’s larger marketplace and diverse product range might lead to higher sales volume, potentially offsetting the lower individual profit margin.
- Marketing Strategies and Resources: Are you prepared to dedicate time and effort to actively promoting your work? Society6 often requires more marketing effort to stand out, while Spoonflower’s niche focus might allow for more targeted, less intensive strategies.
- Technical Skills and Experience: Designing seamless repeating patterns for Spoonflower requires specific technical skills. If you’re new to surface pattern design, the straightforward upload process for non-repeating art on Society6 might be more manageable.
V. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What file types can I upload to Society6 and Spoonflower?
Both platforms accept high-resolution JPG and PNG files. Spoonflower also accepts TIFF files. Always ensure your artwork is in RGB color mode.
- How do tags and descriptions affect discoverability on POD platforms?
Tags and descriptions are crucial for search engine optimization (SEO) and helping customers find your artwork. Use relevant keywords that accurately describe your designs.
- Do I need to order test swatches for every product on Society6 or Redbubble?
No, test swatches are not required for Society6 or Redbubble. However, you can order samples of your own products to assess quality.
- How can I effectively market my artwork on these platforms?
Promote your work on social media, participate in artist communities, consider paid advertising, and engage with potential customers.
- What are the best practices for setting prices for my products?
Research similar products on the platform, consider your production costs and profit goals, and offer competitive prices.
Choosing the right print-on-demand platform can be a game-changer for your art business. Both platforms offer unique advantages and drawbacks. The “society6 vs spoonflower” decision ultimately boils down to your individual preferences and business strategy. By considering your art style, profit goals, marketing strategies, and technical skills, you can choose the platform that best suits your creative vision and entrepreneurial aspirations. Explore both platforms, experiment, and find the one that helps you thrive in the world of print-on-demand.