Print on demand on Shopify after migrating from WooCommerce (2026)
How to set up print on demand on Shopify after WooCommerce — Printful vs Printify comparison, migrating POD products, product data that carries over, and Shopify POD store setup.
Print on demand (POD) stores on WooCommerce typically use Printful, Printify, Gelato, or similar services connected via a WooCommerce plugin. When migrating to Shopify, the fundamental model stays the same — POD services connect to Shopify just as readily as they connected to WooCommerce, often with better native integrations. The challenge is migrating the product catalogue correctly and re-linking designs.
How WooCommerce POD integrations work
POD plugins for WooCommerce (Printful for WooCommerce, Printify for WooCommerce) create products in your WooCommerce store that are linked to a product template in the POD platform. When an order comes in:
- WooCommerce sends the order to the POD service via webhook/API
- POD service prints and ships directly to the customer
- WooCommerce marks the order as fulfilled
This connection is platform-specific — the WooCommerce product-to-POD-template link does not transfer to Shopify.
What migrates and what doesn't
| Data | Migrates via k-sync | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Product title | Yes | Transfers as standard product data |
| Product description | Yes | Transfers as standard product data |
| Price | Yes | Retail price transfers; POD base cost is reconfigured on Shopify side |
| SKUs | Yes | Useful for matching products to POD templates |
| Product images (mockups) | Yes | Lifestyle mockup images transfer as standard images |
| Variants (size/colour) | Yes | Variant structure transfers; must be re-linked to POD template variants |
| POD template link | No | Platform-specific. Must re-link each product to POD template on Shopify. |
| Design files | No | Design files are in your POD platform account, not in WooCommerce. Accessible from your Printful/Printify dashboard. |
| Order fulfillment routing | No | Re-configured in Shopify POD integration |
Reconnecting POD products on Shopify
The migration workflow for a POD store:
- Use k-sync to import product titles, descriptions, prices, variants, and mockup images from WooCommerce to Shopify
- Install your POD app on Shopify (Printful, Printify, Gelato — each has a dedicated Shopify app)
- For each product: open the product in your POD platform → sync/link it to the corresponding Shopify product (most POD apps allow linking to existing products rather than creating new ones)
- Verify fulfillment routing: place a test order and confirm it routes to your POD service
Printful vs Printify on Shopify
| Factor | Printful | Printify |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify integration quality | Excellent (first-party app, fast sync) | Excellent (dedicated Shopify app) |
| Product range | Good — premium products, consistent quality | Very large — multiple print providers per product type |
| Pricing | Higher base cost, no monthly fee on base plan | Lower base cost on many items; premium plan reduces cost further |
| Print quality consistency | High — Printful controls all printing | Varies by print provider (choose providers carefully) |
| UK fulfilment | UK fulfilment centre (Riga or UK depending on product) | Multiple UK print providers available |
| Warehousing | Yes — store your own inventory at Printful for fulfilment | No |
| Sample orders | 20% discount on samples | Free/discounted samples available |
POD-specific configuration on Shopify
- Shipping rates: Most POD apps manage their own shipping settings within the app — do not create separate Shopify shipping rates for POD products or they'll conflict. Configure shipping in the POD app, not in Shopify's general shipping settings.
- Tax on POD orders: POD services typically charge you (the store) tax on production orders. Customer-facing VAT is handled by Shopify checkout normally. Ensure you understand whether your POD service is your supplier (you collect VAT, pay them net) or if they handle the end-customer transaction (some POD models).
- Inventory: POD products should have inventory tracking disabled in Shopify (or set to "Continue selling when out of stock") — POD items are made on demand and never run out.
Multi-supplier stores (POD + own stock)
If your store sells both POD products and physical stock you hold yourself, Shopify's location-based fulfillment handles routing:
- Your own products: fulfilled from your location
- POD products: fulfilled by POD app (which overrides Shopify's standard fulfillment for those products)
- Set POD products to "Fulfilled by [Printful/Printify]" in the product settings — this routes orders to the POD app automatically
Post-migration POD checklist
- POD app installed on Shopify (Printful, Printify, Gelato)
- All WooCommerce POD products imported to Shopify via k-sync
- Each Shopify product linked to its POD platform template
- Variant linking verified (size S in Shopify → size S in POD template)
- Test order placed and fulfilled correctly by POD service
- Inventory tracking disabled on POD products (or set to continue selling)
- Shipping configuration in POD app (not Shopify general shipping)
- POD product images: check mockup quality migrated correctly
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