POD POLL: Zazzle, RedBubble, CafePress or ???

[norki]

The past few months I have been in the process of starting my own online shop. I have registered to cafepress, society6 and now zazzle.

Cafepress was a little difficult to handle, takes too long to upload an image and create a product. Also my first client contact me to tell me that he never got his order. Of course there was a refund but still... So I switched to society6.

In society6 it is so easy to upload images but for additional products such as bags and t-shirts you have to use the same image file, so the final result may not be very appealing. Plus I ordered a print for myself and it came out a lot darker. I understand that you can't have the perfect result when you don't print yourself but I want the best possible one.

So now I am thinking to give a try to zazzle. Most of you here seem quite satisfied, but I really need to know more about the print quality, maybe someone can upload a photo from a print that have recently obtained from zazzle. This would so much helpful.

Thanx!

[EyeSpy]

Hi, Norki, and welcome to WetCanvas!

I don't think seeing a photo of a Zazzle print will be helpful, at all. There are too many variables that will determine what you see in that photo -- including the settings of the camera taking the photo, the skill of the photographer, and the calibration of the monitor that photo will be viewed on.

Ordering a sample print (or two) would be a much more reliable way to see the actual quality of a Zazzle print.

I can tell you that Zazzle has long been one of my favorite online print services, consistently producing very high-quality, fade-resistant prints. Currently, I'm maintaining four Zazzle stores and have exhibited and sold Zazzle prints, many times, including in gallery exhibitions.

Most of my large-format work is printed by Zazzle.

With every print service I've used, I've found that I need to lighten my images a bit before printing. This holds true no matter how carefully my monitor is calibrated.

CafePress was a major headache for me; I won't try them again. I've never tried Society6, but am thinking about it. Zazzle is definitely the best of the several that you mentioned, imo. Another great option is FineArtAmerica.com.

But, as I said before, actually ordering prints from any online print service is the best way to feel truly confident about the product received by your buyers.

Best of luck to you!

[norki]

Originally Posted by EyeSpy

With every print service I've used, I've found that I need to lighten my images a bit before printing. This holds true no matter how carefully my monitor is calibrated.

Indeed, this is a very useful advice while most sites state that what you see is what you get.

An other thing I wanted to add is that zazzle asked me for an IRS form (I am an European citizen). On society6 and capress you can create your shop with a simple registration.