POD-Glossar
Klare Definitionen zentraler Begriffe der Print-on-Demand-Branche
- POD
- Print on demand: products are printed and shipped only after an order is placed, so no inventory is held upfront.
- MOQ
- Minimum order quantity: the smallest number of units a supplier will produce in one order.
- DTF
- Direct-to-film: a design is printed onto a film, then heat-pressed onto fabric via adhesive powder.
- DTG
- Direct-to-garment: ink is sprayed directly onto the fabric by an inkjet printer.
- UV Printing
- Printing that cures ink instantly with ultraviolet light, used on hard surfaces like phone cases and mugs.
- Sublimation
- Dye turns to gas under heat and bonds into polyester fibers, giving all-over, fade-resistant prints.
- All-Over Print
- A print that covers the entire surface of a product, edge to edge.
- Color Fastness
- How well a printed color resists fading from washing, rubbing, or light.
- Curing
- Setting ink permanently onto fabric using heat or UV so it won't wash off.
- Pretreatment
- A liquid coating applied before DTG printing so ink bonds properly to fabric.
- GSM
- Grams per square meter: fabric weight; higher GSM means thicker, heavier material.
- Tech Pack
- A spec sheet detailing materials, measurements, and print placement for production.
- Proofing
- Making a sample unit to confirm design, color, and quality before mass production.
- QC
- Quality control: inspecting products against defined standards before shipment.
- Turnaround Time
- The time from order confirmation to the product being ready to ship.
- Fulfillment
- The full process of receiving an order and getting the product to the customer.
- 3PL
- Third-party logistics: an outside company that handles warehousing and shipping.
- Hybrid Fulfillment
- Combining on-demand printing with stocked inventory or multiple 3PL nodes to balance speed and cost.
- Dropshipping
- A model where the seller never handles stock; the supplier ships directly to the buyer.
- White Label
- A generic product a seller rebrands as their own with no supplier branding.
- Branded Packaging
- Packaging carrying the seller's logo and design instead of the factory's.
- SKU
- Stock keeping unit: a unique code for each product variant (size, color).
- Variant
- A specific version of a product, such as a size or color option.
- Mockup
- A digital preview showing how a design looks on the product.
- Print File
- The high-resolution artwork file used by the printer to produce the design.
- DPI
- Dots per inch: print resolution; higher DPI means sharper detail.
- Bleed
- Extra artwork beyond the trim edge so no white border shows after cutting.
- Niche
- A focused market segment defined by a specific interest or audience.
- Profit Margin
- The share of the selling price left after deducting product and fulfillment costs.
- Base Cost
- The supplier's per-unit cost that the seller marks up to set the retail price.
- Conversion Rate
- The percentage of visitors who complete a purchase.
- Listing
- A product page published on a marketplace such as Etsy or Amazon.
- IP Compliance
- Ensuring designs don't infringe trademarks, copyrights, or licensed content.
- Recycled Polyester
- Polyester fiber made from recycled plastic, such as used bottles.
- Organic Cotton
- Cotton grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.