When it comes to the print-on-demand (POD) market, t-shirts make up 60% of the sales. AI image generation has now found its way into this branch of e-commerce. If you are wanting to have a slice of this lucrative online shopping experience, here are 8 of the best AI design tools for t-shirt POD. It’s all about ease of use, quick image generation and unique styles that make your brand stand out.
YupTees is a POD software service that was created by on demand sellers with ease of use in mind. The AI allows you to generate high resolution 4500x5400px images that can be used for commercial purposes.
If you want to edit your image, YupTees online tool gives you the ability to change text and graphics as well as a background removal tool. You are also able to create multiple designs at once through YupTees’ editor’s parallel generation feature.
Once your design is ready, you can export the file to any POD service.
Pricing for YupTees is $10/month with a free trial. On signing up you get 1.5 credits which allows you to play around with designs and see if YupTees will meet your POD requirements.
Printify has long been a respected name in the POD community. When it comes to printing t-shirts, you have an AI tool that allows those with limited design skills to make unique graphics via text prompts.
You are provided with live mock ups which is critical for creators who urgently want to release a new product. Another advantage of this feature is that it lets you scale up your T-shirt catalog while avoiding sophisticated software.
All images are automatically upscaled to at least 1024x1024px, ensuring that your graphics are print ready.
Printify can integrate seamlessly into a number of e-commerce sites such as Etsy, and Shopify. Therefore all that is required at your end is to create your design and then sell your T-shirts.
You can use Printify for free with the cost charged solely for the products and shipping charges. The company does offer a Premium plan that is $US29/month or $US299 annually. On the Premium plan you get a maximum of 20% off on most of Printify’s products and can connect your account to 10 online stores at once.
Kittl is a versatile player in POD services. Online sellers are provided with a platform that combines a range of AI models and technology with powerful creative assets (e.g. classic frameworks, and sophisticated fonts) that caters to both novice and expert users.
The Kittl Flow software generates a vast number of alternatives from a single design, which allows you to pick the best one for your market. Advanced text transformation offers another option to level up your design so that you truly stand out in the online t-shirt space.
There are a range of pricing options that Kittl has. On the free plan you get a maximum of 5 projects and 100 AI images. For the Pro plan ($US10/month) you receive 2.000 AI tokens every month and unlimited projects. The Expert plan ($US24/month) gives you everything that is contained in the Pro option as well as first access to new content and new AI models. Finally there is the Business plan ($US65/month) that is the Expert plan plus you get dedicated support and advanced security.
Canva is a well known name in the online print world. With its unique AI tool creators have the ability to quickly generate ideas for t-shirt POD with text prompts in Canva’s Magic Media. To add interesting text slogans, you can use Magic Write.
You also have access to a multitude of templates as well as a huge library of graphics and fonts. In regards to your design, you have everything at your fingertips that lets you make something unique and ready for POD. Canva has a mockup feature so that you can visualise the final product before sending it to market.
For pricing, you have three choices. The free plan gives you 1.6 million templates and 4.7 million photos, graphics, and other multimedia access. You can upgrade to Pro for $US!2.99/month which expands the template range to 3.6 million choices and over 140 million mixed media. Canva’s business plan is $US10 - $15 per month for each user and allows for team collaboration and 100 Brand kits as opposed to 5 in the Pro subscription.
Playground AI gives you several ways to create a POD t-shirt design. Either upload an image you have already made and then edit it through Playground’s online software or start from scratch. Another choice is to use one of the templates which are sorted into categories such as Valentine’s Day.
Like other AI tools, you can use text prompts to come up with a graphic. Every day you get access to a vast number of free images, so you can try out different ideas and styles for your niche. All designs are able to be used commercially.
Playground’s free plan gives you 10 image generations every 3 hours. If you want more, then upgrade to the Pro plan ($US12/month). On this plan you can make 120 images with prioritized creation. If you want unlimited generations then consider the Pro Plus option for $US36/month.
Creators can also earn passive income by uploading their designs to Playground’s platform.
VistaCreate’s drag and drop functionality make this POD service a viable choice for beginners. To add your own flair to a design you can use one of the 200,000 templates that are available. Also you can access over 170 million royalty photos, graphics, and illustrations.
Most AI tools have a background removal tool, but VistaCreate gives you more: using AI you can remove unwanted objects from an image. Another creative tool that can enhance a design is the Sticker Maker which transforms your t-shirt image into a “sticker”.
If you already use an online e-commerce site that supports VIstaPrint, you can seamlessly integrate VIstaCreate into your store.
VistaCreate offers two plans for t-shirt POD. With the free plan, you can use any of the 100,000 templates available. Plus, there are 1 million graphics you can add to your design. If you want more then an upgrade to Pro ($10/month) provides double the number of templates and 170 million images to choose from.
GIMP is free which can be ideal for budget conscious individuals just starting out in the t-shirt POD business. Within the software you are provided with powerful editing tools such as layering and color correction. Such options give you the ability to customize AI images you have already created.
If you want more AI functionality within GIMP, you can utilize plugins that add AI features to the software (e.g. object removal, image-to-image creation). However, that can require some technical know-how and isn’t recommended for beginners.
Once your image is finished in GIMP you can upload it to t-shirt POD services.
If you are wanting an AI tool that was created solely for merchandise, then Vexels Designer is it. It offers POD compliance through ensuring your creation meets the stringent printing requirements (i.e. dimensions and color safety).
Vexels Designer trains the AI software with popular styles and trends so that your t-shirt becomes more marketable. The redesign feature gives you the ability to instantly change an element so that it matches your niche. Also, repetitive tasks are automated which saves time so that you can focus more on selling your merchandise.
All designs can be used for commercial purposes.
Regarding the plans, you have a choice of either a monthly or annual subscription. There are also a couple of lifetime plans available (for $US550 for 200 stock downloads a month and 12,000 AI credits; and $US1,500 for 2,000 downloads per month and twice as many AI credits). The monthly/annual subscriptions range from $US14/month ($US126/year) for 30 downloads and 200 AI credits/month through to $US49/month ($US441/year) 200 stock downloads and 1,000 credits.