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Vistaprint is an affordable and cost-effective company for sign-making, ordering customized stationery, and purchasing personalized items. However, if you’re looking for help with specific customization options, several competitors might be a better fit for you.
These needs could be related to sign printing for your business, dropshipping, or packaging. So, whether you are a business owner in a niche market or a creative with a specialized focus, here are some of the top Vistaprint alternatives.
Key Takeaways
- When looking at Vistaprint alternatives, consider your specific printing, dropshipping, and signage needs.
- Like Vistaprint, any business you choose will have some limitations. These may relate to pricing, print quality, turnaround time, or customer service.
- Some providers focus strongly on B2B clients, while others lean toward B2C customers. Your choice should depend on whether you are ordering as a business or an individual.
Best Vistaprint Alternatives for Business Printing
Are you a business owner who needs a custom sign, banner, or poster to promote your services? If so, here are four printing companies similar to Vistaprint that offer just that.
Square Signs
Square Signs offers over 100 products ranging from customized signage to banners, business cards, and office stationery. With over 10 years of experience and partnerships with the likes of Google and Amazon, Square Signs provides expert printing knowledge and dedicated, professional design services to individuals and businesses alike. On the downside, Square Signs lacks the technical infrastructure to integrate with other e-commerce platforms, which isn’t ideal for resellers.
Uprinting
Uprinting has been in the printing business for over 20 years, and they have honed in on printing business cards, postcards, stickers, labels, signs, banners, and packaging materials. While businesses have chosen their services for two decades, some customers have reported shipping delays on their orders.
Moo
Moo is another Vistaprint alternative. The company started with printing high-quality business cards and has since expanded its catalog to include custom postcards, stickers, labels, and stationery. They are a solid choice, especially if you desire branded items that help promote your brand. However, Moo charges higher rates compared to other companies on this list and the industry in general.
48Hour Print
48Hour Print boasts fast printing, quality custom business cards, postcards, and banners. They also claim to be “the only printing company that offers guaranteed turnarounds” on all standard products. Despite these positive qualities, some customers have reported inconsistent product quality.
Alternatives to Vistaprint for Print-on-Demand and Dropshipping
If you’re looking for a more specialized service, such as print-on-demand or dropshipping, then these five companies are worth your consideration.
Printful
Printful is a reputable Vistaprint competitor. While their product range is not as wide as other alternatives, they offer several benefits. This includes using multiple printing techniques suited for different types of orders, integrating with e-commerce stores like Shopify for automated fulfillment, and producing everything in-house. This means that third-party businesses may be able to incorporate Printful’s product catalog into their Shopify-based platforms and sell those products without manually placing orders on Printful’s website.
Printify
Printify offers a wide range of quality products and connects users with a global network of third-party print providers. It supports multiple printing methods, including direct-to-film, embroidery, direct-to-garment, and sublimation. Businesses and designers use Printify to select products from different providers, create their own shop, and route customer orders to those providers through a single platform. Because fulfillment is handled by third-party partners, service quality and turnaround times may vary.
Square Signs
Square Signs is also an ideal alternative for businesses and individuals that sell signage, artwork, and other home and office decor. Although they offer white-label delivery, Square Signs does not integrate with e-commerce platforms. This means customers in general or resellers would need to access the website and place individual orders manually. That being said, Square Signs does offer resellers other benefits. Their customer support team usually provides an agreement that allows them to purchase and sell products at better prices.
Gelato
Gelato has over 140 local partners, operates in 32 countries, and specializes in local production. Users can connect their e-commerce stores, add products provided by Gelato’s partners, and upload designs. Gelato takes care of the rest. Some customers have reported poor customer service, but few complain about their low shipping costs and eco-friendly products.
Zazzle
Zazzle is one of the most popular Vistaprint alternatives. They offer a wide range of print-on-demand products popular with artists who sell custom-designed items. Zazzle allows independent artists to sell their designs while setting their own prices. Those artists leave storage, production, shipping, and customer support for Zazzle to handle. One drawback, according to some customer reviews, is inconsistent product quality. Zazzle’s packaging customization options are also limited.
Vistaprint Alternatives for Signage, Packaging, and SWAG
These four providers give customers the option to customize signage, experiment with packaging, and promotional merchandise.
Square Signs
Square Signs also specializes in custom signage solutions, such as metal and plastic signs. They also provide large print sizes for optimal advertising. While they do not directly offer multi-address shipping, their customer support team can set up a solution for businesses and individuals who have this specific need. Their drawback is that they do not offer custom packaging.
Loom Signs
Loom Signs is one of the newest premier sign-making businesses in the industry, and as such, their inventory is limited. However, they are a good Vistaprint alternative, since they provide top-notch product quality and customer support. On the other hand, some products might be more pricey than their competitors.
Custom Ink
Unlike other Vistaprint competitors on this list, Custom Ink does not offer print-on-demand services and focuses primarily on t-shirt printing. Nevertheless, they’re known for printing other types of branded merchandising and bulk orders. One thing to keep in mind is that some of their products have order minimums.
Mimeo
Mineo is another Vistaprint competitor. The company isn’t your run-of-the-mill print company. It caters to businesses and corporations, providing print materials such as booklets, training manuals, and other corporate materials. Although some reviews claim poor print quality and color accuracy, Mimeo’s reliability is corroborated by thousands of positive reviews on Trustpilot.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Proper Alternative for Vistaprint
Before you choose which Vistaprint alternative to go with, these are the six factors you should consider.
Product Range
Browse the company’s catalog to get a sense of what products they sell. If they claim to specialize in custom business signs but have a large catalog of random products, it’s possible that their quality might be inconsistent. Some companies have a wide product range of similar products. For example, they might sell acrylic signs that come in white, clear, black, and gold. This might be a good sign since it indicates they maintain a strong attention to detail.
Prices
Compare and contrast the prices of the companies you are exploring. Some price differences might be minimal, while others can be noticeable. If something is out of your desired price range, you might consider a cheaper alternative if you think it’s a better investment. On the other hand, if something is underpriced, then it might be cheaply-made. Items made of cheaper materials will be less durable. In the long term, you might end up paying more if something is noticeably cheaper.
Customization Tools
If you crave creative freedom, look for companies that offer free online design tools. When you find those that do, take some time to try a few of them and figure out which one you like most. Keep in mind that some design tools are limited in their capabilities, while others offer numerous options, including size adjustment, a diverse color palette, stock images, and ready-made templates. Customizable templates are an excellent tool if you don’t feel confident in your own creativity. They allow you to improve your design skills without having to make something from scratch.
Turnaround Time
If your Vistaprint alternative makes everything in-house, then you will likely experience more flexible shipping options. This includes a faster turnaround time. However, if you expect a faster turnaround, you should be prepared to pay higher shipping costs.
E-commerce Integration
If your business operates an online store, choosing a print provider that integrates with an e-commerce platform is often the most practical option. These integrations automate order routing, sending customer purchases directly to the print provider for production and fulfillment, which reduces manual work and speeds up delivery to the end customer.
FAQs
Who should I use instead of Vistaprint?
There are several online printing companies you can choose instead of Vistaprint. The companies we cover in this blog are: Square Signs, Uprinting, Moo, 48HourPrint, Printful, Printify, Gelato, Zazzle, Loom Signs, Custom Ink, and Mimeo.
Weigh up the pros and cons of each alternative to determine which company is the best for you.
Why should I look at other companies?
Vistaprint is a good option if you have general printing needs, but the companies we highlight are more specialized in business printing, dropshipping, and different signage needs. If you have specific requirements, then going with an alternative company can lead to better satisfaction.
How do I choose a good alternative to Vistaprint?
Focus on your main objective. Figure out if you want to go with a service that specializes in dropshipping, print-on-demand, or business printing. You should also consider the company’s price, product range, customization tools, templates, turnaround time, and e-commerce integration. Another helpful way to see if the alternative to Vistaprint is good is to check customer reviews.
Is Vistaprint overpriced?
No. Vistaprint is an affordable option, but some of the competitors’ products may be even more affordable. Keep in mind that price is not the only determinant when choosing your printing partner. Turnaround, shipping cost and speed, customer support, and customization options should all influence your decision.
How can I prevent quality issues when I change providers?
The best way to prevent quality issues is to have an intimate knowledge of your brand, logo, and printed product. This includes saving high-resolution designs in the proper format file to your hard drive. You should also know your artwork’s fonts, CMYK, its format and size, and other specifications such as dimensions and font type. Communicate this knowledge with your new provider. Always ask for a proof of your order before finalizing it. If you have any doubts, order a small sample before ordering in bulk. You should also take proactive steps to ensure that the printing company you choose is reputable and has positive customer reviews.
If you’ve already decided that Square Signs is the best partner for you, don’t hesitate and get started with your next signage project today!