The Print Bar

The Print Bar is an Australian custom apparel printer with two studios, one in Gaythorne in Brisbane and one in Fitzroy in Melbourne, and it describes itself as "Australian based wholehearted printing. Custom printed tees, totes, hoodies & more." It prints with digital (DTG), direct to film (DTF), screen printing and embroidery, and it sells in several ways: one-off and small orders through an online designer, same-day printing, bulk and promotional orders, and a print-on-demand service in which "Your customer orders from your store. We print, package and deliver to their door." The site promises "Fast local delivery Australia wide and international shipping" with pickup available in both cities.

What a seller actually gets

For a seller, the print-on-demand page is the heart of the offer. The company says its service lets sellers "sell your ideas, designs or merchandise without any setup expenses or storage needs", and every option includes the same base terms: "No minimums or maximums with this service", free setup and use of the integrations and the support team, and a wholesale discount: "We give our Print on Demand stores a wholesale discount of 25% OFF most of our customisable range." Sellers set their own retail prices and margins.

There are three routes, which the company says cover "everyone from beginners to fully established brands."

Shopify POD. "Our POD app smoothly integrates into your site, sending orders straight to our printers." Designs are managed in The Print Bar's Partner Portal, "it won't cost you a dime to set up or use", and the stated turnaround is "1-14 days". The setup runs in four steps on the page: create a free Print Bar account and connect the Shopify store with a one-time passcode, install the app and add billing details; design in the Partner Portal by uploading artwork and choosing garments, then sync the products to Shopify as new listings or link them to existing ones; turn on automatic fulfillment in Shopify and automated payments in the portal, after which "your orders will move automatically from your store to our production team without any manual steps"; and finally, "we print it, pack it in plain packaging, and ship it directly to your customer. You get paid through Shopify."

The Partner Portal is where products are created and pushed to Shopify, new designs linked to existing listings, order progress tracked and edited before production, customer shipping details updated, automated billing managed, and products organized into collections, with advanced options such as multiple variants.

TPB Dropshipping Platform. "This is our own full-featured website builder and secure eCommerce platform that doesn't require any custom code. You can create unique products, tell your story and make sales, and our platform is 100% free." It is "a stand-alone platform, it doesn't integrate with any existing websites." The overview adds "Secure hosting & optional domain included."

Printify Integration. For sellers on other channels, the company works through Printify, which "allows you to sell custom-printed products from a limited selection of our printable range" on Etsy, WooCommerce, eBay, Wix Stores and more.

Print methods

Each method has its own pitch on the homepage:

• Digital printing: "Photo realistic prints with a quick turnaround. Perfect for small run orders." The longer description promises "Impressive CMYK print quality, excellent washability and durability, and no minimum quantities."
• Direct to film: heat transfer prints that the company pitches for bright color and longevity, "Great for headwear, sportswear and workwear!"
• Screen printing: "Bulk orders and crisp colour accuracy." The company says it is best for spot colors and color matching and that "our Screen Prints last five years or more."
• Embroidery: "Custom threads for small designs and logos. Fantastic for caps, uniforms and colourful designs", with "no minimum quantities with a 14-day turnaround."

The print-on-demand section itself lists digital printing and embroidered caps among what it is good for.

Catalog and prices

The Print Bar shows garment prices openly. The bestseller strip on the homepage lists garments by brand with "From" prices before decoration: the AS Colour Mens Staple T-Shirt from $17.89, the Gildan Heavy Cotton Adult T-Shirt from $11.45, the AS Colour Kids Staple T-Shirt from $13.51, the AS Colour Mens Supply Hoodie from $46.20, the AS Colour Carrie Tote Bag from $18.66 and the Legend Life Premium Soft Cotton Cap from $8.75, several of them marked "Three Day Available". Print-on-demand stores get the 25% wholesale discount on most of the customizable range.

The clothing range covers T-shirts, tank tops, polos, pants, shorts, hoodies, jumpers, long sleeves, dresses, jerseys, jackets, shirts, onesies, workwear and sportswear. Accessories include caps, bucket hats, beanies, scarves, bandanas, tote bags and duffle bags, and the merchandise section adds event merchandise, stationery, drinkware and tea towels.

Same day, bulk and extras

Same-day printing is a headline service: "Order from our Same Day range by 11am to be ready by 5pm", for pickup in Brisbane or Melbourne or shipping. It is limited to digital printing and the Same Day range, and the homepage says it costs "only $10 extra". Same Day and regular products cannot share a cart, a point the FAQ covers.

Promotional item printing has "a minimum quantity of 20 units with a 21-day turnaround", and the company repeats "Higher quantity, lower prices guaranteed" for screen printing, embroidery and promo items. Customers can bring their own garments ("BYO merch for printing? No problem! Minimum 20x items."), and a relabeling service removes tags or prints new ones, which matters to a seller building a brand. The order flow for regular customers ends with "no setup fees".

Support and guarantees

The footer lists a phone line, (07) 3854 0608, open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm, with a Help Centre, a feedback form and an FAQ covering shipping, returns, Shopify linking and the difference between print methods. The homepage states a quality guarantee: "If you are not satisfied with your purchase from us, we will refund the full price of the product in question." The company also calls its facilities "award-winning", and its journal runs interviews with the artists and small brands it prints for, including a designer who launched a brand "using The Print Bar and Shopify's Print on Demand service", plus a PetRescue design competition to "help support rescue pets across Australia."

Who it suits

The Print Bar suits Australian sellers first: a Shopify store owner who wants a free app, plain-packaged dropshipping and a local printer, an artist who wants a free hosted store without building one, or a small brand that wants published garment prices and a 25% discount to plan margins against. Same-day printing and pickup make it handy for events and samples in Brisbane and Melbourne. Sellers on Etsy or eBay can use it too, with the caveat the company states itself: the Printify route offers only part of the range. International shipping is available, while pickup, same-day printing and local delivery are built for customers in Australia.