Tradeprint

Tradeprint is a UK trade printer and part of the Cimpress family that sells printed products to print professionals and runs a drop-shipping and print-on-demand service for sellers. Its range goes from business cards, flyers, calendars and posters to mugs, cushions, t-shirts, hoodies and tote bags. Its drop-shipping page puts the offer simply: "Get your design on anything from a flyer to a t-shirt", printed at its own sites and shipped in the seller's name with "no monthly fees or ties: Just pay when you get an order." The service is aimed at artists, brands, writers and illustrators selling online, at resellers and agencies reselling print, and at e-commerce businesses that want to connect a store or software to a printer through an API.

What a seller gets

The drop-shipping page lists what comes with the service: a diverse product catalog, "Full Photoshop mockups for you to generate images for your site", custom integration or API integration, seller support, "Centralised UK and international fulfilment options", exclusive drop-shipping discounts, an online designer to place a design on the product, and "Complete white label shipping". Tradeprint says it offers a UK and international supply chain, so products "can be despatched as quickly as the next day".

The page describes the business as "the perfect fusion of print and technology", with "on-site integrated manufacturing facilities" and membership of "one of the largest fulfilment networks in the world", and it offers account management services alongside the platform.

Print methods are named on the same page: direct-to-garment printing on clothing, dye-sublimation and heat transfer printing on products such as cushions and mugs, and lithographic and digital printing for paper products.

The drop-shipping range

The popular print-on-demand products on the drop-shipping page are:

• Ceramic mugs, shipped with the seller's branding or design straight to customers
• Apparel: men's and women's t-shirts in 100% cotton, described as ethically produced and vegan approved, in 12 colors; unisex college hoodies in 12 colors with mixed sizes in one order; kids' classic t-shirts for schools and clubs, and kids' high quality t-shirts in 12 colors
• Tote bags in natural 100% cotton, printed on one or both sides
• Wall art: canvas prints, heavyweight art prints on hand-picked papers in A3, A4 and A5, posters on 150gsm satin in A0, A1 and A2, waterproof PVC posters for outdoor use, and photo panels
• Home and desk: cushions with a zip closure in small, medium and large, printed on one or both sides; mouse mats; and coasters
• Stationery: notepads, A4 calendars on 130gsm gloss and silk, and wiro-bound thumb-cut and drilled calendars, the drilled version on 170gsm or 200gsm silk with a 200gsm or 300gsm silk cover

Delivery is flexible. Tradeprint can send an order to the seller in bulk, so the seller can add personalized packaging before shipping on, or deliver direct to the customer at no extra cost. The page says UK mainland delivery is included in the product price, with some exclusions, and that timed delivery is available as an upgrade in some areas. A best sellers sample pack lets sellers check products before listing them.

How orders reach Tradeprint

For sellers starting out on marketplaces such as eBay and Etsy, the team gives advice on setting up, getting noticed and choosing a product range. Sellers who already run a store can use batch ordering straight away, manual ordering, or the API "if the volume warrants it", after a free drop-shipping consultation.

The API is Tradeprint Connect, which the API page calls "the UK's most established Print API with over 500 integrations" and credits with 80,000+ transactions since inception. It gives businesses access to the product catalog and manufacturing capabilities. The page describes three routes in: a business with no website can build one with Tradeprint's technology team, a business with a site but little technical support can have Tradeprint's in-house developers integrate the API and configure products and artwork processes, and experienced teams can connect directly.

Business cards and trade print

Much of Tradeprint's trade catalog is business cards, which show how its standard ordering works. Classic cards are 85mm x 55mm in quantities from 50-50,000, with delivery within 2 working days, and there are rounded corner, folded, uncoated, recycled, square, kraft, spot UV, triple layer, plastic, metallic foil, textured, pearl and magnetic cards. Same-day printing with next-day delivery is available on the classic cards before the daily cut-off. Every style has a free template, and the online designer lets a seller upload images and logos, add contact details, and check the card in a real-time 3D model before ordering, then save the design as a PDF for later reprints. Cards print in CMYK; Pantone printing is not offered.

Artwork gets several layers of help. An intelligent upload tool pre-checks every file and flags problems so they are fixed before anything is printed. On top of that, the About page offers Just Print, a free 40-point check for print professionals; File Check, a free 60-point check; File Assist, where Tradeprint's team makes expert adjustments to get artwork print-ready; custom work by in-house designers; and Design Online for sellers who want to build a design themselves. Tradeprint also runs a Price Match promise on selected products.

Tradeprint PRO

Print professionals, such as print resellers, print managers, marketing agencies, design studios, printing companies and exhibition designers, can join Tradeprint PRO. It rewards customers who spend more than £250 per month with instant discounts in four tiers: Essential up to 10%, Premium up to 13%, Elite up to 17% and VIP up to 20%, with estimated volumes from 5-10 jobs a month up to 30+. The PRO page adds that "Items are always shipped white labelled."

Sustainability

The environmental policy says Tradeprint is "officially registered to use both FSC and PEFC certified papers", reports progress toward 95% of wood-fiber packaging spend from FSC, PEFC or post-consumer waste materials, and sets a target of a 53% reduction in its carbon footprint by FY30.

Who it suits

Tradeprint suits UK sellers of paper goods, wall art, mugs and basic apparel who want white-label shipping with delivery included, and resellers who want trade discounts and an API. Its calendars, notepads and art prints give stationery and wall art sellers a wider paper range than an apparel-first supplier, and the free file checks help sellers who are new to print production get artwork right the first time.