Spreadshirt
Spreadshirt is a print-on-demand custom apparel platform serving individuals, independent designers, and businesses through multi-brand marketplaces, white-label dropshipping, and B2B services, with vertically integrated production across five facilities in Europe and the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersGreensburg, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Spreadshirt does
Spreadshirt, founded in 2002 in Leipzig, Germany, operates a print-on-demand custom apparel and accessories platform serving individual consumers, independent designers, businesses, and groups. The company runs a multi-brand portfolio including the core Spreadshirt marketplace, Spreadshop for creator-owned storefronts, TeamShirts for group and team orders, Spreadconnect for white-label dropshipping with a 48-hour turnaround, SPOD as a Shopify-integrated dropshipping service, and sub-brands such as PixelCotton (gaming merchandise), Yink (bulk orders), and Spreadshirt Pro (B2B). Production is vertically integrated across five facilities in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the USA, utilizing multiple print technologies (Digital Direct/DTG/DTF, screen printing, flex, flock, embroidery, sublimation) and capital investments including €1.2M deployed in 45 Brother GTX presses in 2017.
The business model combines product sales (customized apparel priced $19.99–$49.99 for individuals), marketplace commissions (20% affiliate plus up to 40% volume commission for designers), and B2B bulk/white-label services with order minimums starting at 12–25 units. Revenue reached nearly €170M in 2020 with 29% YoY growth on 9.8M items printed, supported by 70,000+ active design partners and a customer base spanning D2C, marketplace discovery, and enterprise teamwear. Distribution extends across owned e-commerce, external marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, Rakuten), and B2B sales channels, with geographic reach across 20+ countries including the USA, most of Europe, Brazil, Japan, and Australia. The parent entity is sprd.net AG, a German public limited company; Spreadshirt Inc. is the US operating subsidiary incorporated in Delaware. No AI/ML capabilities are documented; competitive differentiation is rooted in industrial printing capacity, partner ecosystem, and multi-channel distribution.
Spreadshirt firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Spreadshirt
- Legal name
- Spreadshirt Inc.
- Website
- https://spreadshirt.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Spreadshirt is a print-on-demand custom apparel platform serving individuals, independent designers, and businesses through multi-brand marketplaces, white-label dropshipping, and B2B services, with vertically integrated production across five facilities in Europe and the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Spreadshirt industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Print-on-Demand Custom Apparel
- NAICS
- Packaging and Labeling Services (56191), Printing and Related Support Activities (323)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Form-Fill-Seal (Vertical & Horizontal) Machines (IMALAOAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Bundling, Overwrapping & Shrink Packaging Equipment (IMALAOAI)
Keywords
Where Spreadshirt is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Greensburg
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Spreadshirt business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Print-on-Demand Product Sales: Core revenue stream from printing and selling custom-designed apparel and accessories. Products are only printed once ordered and in the exact quantity required, eliminating overstock waste. Customers pay purchase price plus applicable sales taxes and shipping charges upon ordering.
- Marketplace Commission: Designers and shop partners can sell designs through the Spreadshirt Marketplace. Partners earn commission on sales with a 20% Affiliate Commission plus up to 40% Volume Commission during two-week sales periods. The platform supports independent designers with €17MM paid out in 2020 alone.
- Bulk and Wholesale Orders: B2B bulk ordering service for corporate teamwear, group orders, and wholesale merchandise. Offers price breaks on orders from 100 pieces with identical design and print method. Payment required prior to production with options including credit card, PayPal, check, and international wire transfers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bulk orders for businesses and groups requiring 25+ items of the same design |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bulk embroidery orders for polo shirts and embroidered apparel requiring 12+ items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual consumer orders for custom printed products |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels7 records
Spreadshirt product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Spreadshirt operates a print-on-demand platform that customizes over 250 products (T-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, caps, mugs, aprons, baby clothing) using multiple printing technologies including Digital Direct, screen printing, embroidery, flex/flock, and sublimation. The platform combines a direct-to-consumer custom design tool, a multi-vendor marketplace for independent designers, white-label dropshipping services for e-commerce merchants, and a dedicated B2B bulk order service for corporate teamwear and promotional merchandise.
Product overview
Spreadshirt operates as a multi-brand print-on-demand platform offering custom apparel and merchandise through several integrated products. The core offerings include the Spreadshirt Marketplace for multi-vendor designer sales, Personalisation services for on-demand customization of 250+ products, and Spreadshop for standalone e-commerce stores. Supporting sub-brands include TeamShirts (group orders), Spreadconnect (white-label dropshipping), SPOD (Shopify integration), PixelCotton (gaming merchandise), and Yink (bulk orders). Additional services encompass Bulk Orders for wholesale embroidery and screen printing, Spreadshirt Pro for B2B corporate solutions, and the SpreadApp mobile application for partner management. The platform operates across external marketplaces including Amazon, eBay, and Rakuten, with production facilities in Europe and the USA.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Spreadshirt Pro: B2B business solutions for custom corporate teamwear, giveaways, and white label shops
- TeamShirts
- Spreadshop
- Spreadconnect
- SPOD
- PixelCotton
- Yink
Products and services
- Spreadshirt Marketplace
- Spreadshop
- Spreadconnect
- SPOD (Spreadshirt Print-On-Demand)
- TeamShirts
- Spreadshirt Pro
- Bulk Orders Service
- SpreadApp
- PixelCotton
- Yink
- Spreadshirt Premium Collection
Quantifiable outcome
- Return rate of under 2% (industry best)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Spreadshirt
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Spreadshirt technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature4 records
Spreadshirt partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Shopify (SPOD)coreSPOD (Spreadshirt Print-On-Demand) was launched in January 2019 as a Shopify service, providing dropshipping service integrated with Shopify platform for merchants to sell custom print-on-demand products.
- PixelCottonminorSpreadshirt's new global venture created to fit the lifestyle needs of gamers. PixelCotton team released StreamMerch, the first plug-in for Twitch to make gaming merchandise sales highly personalized and interactive, connecting streamers and their fans.
- RakutencoreSpreadshirt opened stores on the US platform of Japanese marketplace Rakuten in August 2015 as part of expansion on external marketplaces. This partnership extends Reach to Rakuten's customer base in Japan and other markets where Rakuten operates.
- AmazoncoreSpreadshirt sells products through Amazon in the USA, France, and UK as one of the external marketplace channels. This partnership provides access to Amazon's massive customer base and fulfillment infrastructure.
- eBaycoreSpreadshirt opened a shop on eBay Germany in July 2015, joining existing Amazon listings in USA, France, and UK, and existing eBay presence in the USA. This expanded the number of external marketplaces to 6.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves14 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Spreadshirt competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Printful: Print-on-demand fulfillment and custom apparel platform with strong Shopify/WooCommerce integration. Directly competes with Spreadshirt's SPOD service on white-label dropshipping, but operates without a two-sided creator marketplace.
- CafePress: Custom print-on-demand retailer for personalized apparel, accessories, and home goods. Direct competitor in custom product marketplace space, though smaller scale than Spreadshirt.
- Redbubble: Global print-on-demand marketplace for independent artists selling designs on apparel and accessories. Closely mirrors Spreadshirt's marketplace/creator-payout business model and product range.
- TeePublic: Designer marketplace for graphic tees and apparel with strong creator community. Closely comparable to Spreadshirt's Marketplace model, though more US-focused and narrower in product range.
- CustomInk: US leader in custom apparel for groups, teams, and corporate orders. Closely comparable to Spreadshirt's TeamShirts and Bulk Orders offerings, with overlapping B2B teamwear customer base.
- Gelato: Global print-on-demand production network connecting merchants to local printers in 30+ countries. Competes with Spreadshirt's Spreadconnect white-label dropshipping offering and global production footprint.
- Printify: Print-on-demand marketplace aggregator connecting merchants with global print providers. Competes directly with Spreadshirt on Shopify ecosystem and B2B custom apparel, also targeting SMB merchants.
- Zazzle: Custom products marketplace allowing designers to create and sell personalized goods including apparel. Overlapping business model with Spreadshirt's Marketplace and Spreadshop platforms.
- Teespring (Spring): Creator-economy custom apparel marketplace enabling influencers and content creators to monetize designs. Directly comparable to Spreadshirt's Marketplace and partner ecosystem model.
Broad incumbents
- Vistaprint: Large established player in custom printing for small businesses (marketing materials, signage, apparel). Broader portfolio than Spreadshirt but overlaps significantly on custom apparel and B2B bulk orders.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Spreadshirt social profiles
Digital presenceSpreadshirt compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Spreadshirt financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Spreadshirt leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Spreadshirt subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries14 records
Spreadshirt funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Spreadshirt M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Spreadshirt
What does Spreadshirt do?
Spreadshirt operates a print-on-demand platform that customizes over 250 products (T-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, caps, mugs, aprons, baby clothing) using multiple printing technologies including Digital Direct, screen printing, embroidery, flex/flock, and sublimation. The platform combines a direct-to-consumer custom design tool, a multi-vendor marketplace for independent designers, white-label dropshipping services for e-commerce merchants, and a dedicated B2B bulk order service for corporate teamwear and promotional merchandise.
Is Spreadshirt a public or private company?
Spreadshirt is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Spreadshirt founded?
Spreadshirt was founded in 2002. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Spreadshirt based?
Spreadshirt is headquartered in Greensburg, United States, in the North America region.
How does Spreadshirt make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Print-on-Demand Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are marketplace Commission and bulk and Wholesale Orders.
Who are Spreadshirt's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Printful, CafePress, Redbubble, TeePublic, CustomInk, Gelato, Printify, Zazzle and Teespring (Spring). Vistaprint is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Spreadshirt have an API?
No public API is recorded for Spreadshirt.
What industry is Spreadshirt in?
Spreadshirt's product category is Print-on-Demand Custom Apparel. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALAOAA, Form-Fill-Seal (Vertical & Horizontal) Machines, with a secondary code of IMALAOAI, Bundling, Overwrapping & Shrink Packaging Equipment. Its NAICS code is 56191 and its SIC code is 5040.