Spreadshirt

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.

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

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

• Print-on-demand apparel
• Custom merchandise platform
• White-label dropshipping
• Online apparel marketplace
• Custom clothing printing

Headquarters

HQ city

Greensburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Shopify (SPOD)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019SPOD (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.
• PixelCottonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2017Spreadshirt'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.
• RakutencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 August 2015Spreadshirt 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.
• AmazoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 August 2015Spreadshirt 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.
• eBaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2015Spreadshirt 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

Direct 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/spreadshirt
• Facebookfacebook.com/spreadshirt
• Instagraminstagram.com/spreadshirt
• Pinterestpinterest.com/spreadshirt
• Xx.com/spreadshirt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spreadshirt

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spreadshirt