POD Benchmark

Materials for print-on-demand

Choose the product type first, then compare the material details that affect how it looks, feels, prints, and ships.

Last updated Aug 28, 2026

Choose a product type

Pick the product type you want to sell to see which material details actually matter.

Material guides and the products available to compare
Guide Suppliers Products
Apparel fabrics There is no single best fabric for every POD product. Start with the print method, then compare the exact color's fiber blend, weight, texture, and stretch. 6 1,726
Wall art substrates Choose wall art by the look you want, where it will hang, how it is built, and how it ships—not by the material name alone. 6 167

Product counts come from current supplier catalogs. Check the exact product page for fabric, finish, construction, and print method.

How to use these guides

Material names are a starting point, not a quality score. Fabric weight, paper weight, finish, coating, and construction describe different parts of the product, so compare the details that matter for what you plan to sell.

For clothing, check the exact color and size option. The fiber blend can change between solid, heather, and safety colors even when the product name stays the same.

The print method matters as much as the fabric. Cotton, polyester, and blends can need different inks, pretreatments, coatings, or heat settings, so confirm that the supplier supports the exact product and method together.

For wall art, compare the surface that carries the image and the finished construction. A product called an acrylic print may be printed directly on acrylic or may place a photo print behind an acrylic face, and those products can look and ship very differently.

What our catalog counts mean

Suppliers
How many suppliers currently sell this product type.
Products
How many individual products are in those catalogs right now.
Unique products
The same product sold by different suppliers is counted once here, so you can see real product variety instead of duplicate listings.
Product details
Counts show what catalogs list; they do not verify fabric blends, coatings, or print results. Always check the exact product page.