What We Look for When Testing a New POD Product
When you're shopping online, it's easy to look at a product photo and assume that's exactly what you'll receive. Most of the time, you don't think much about how the product was made or what went into getting it ready for sale.
But when you're the one selling the product, there's quite a bit more to think about.
At Lencyn, we're always looking at new products and thinking about what we might want to offer in our store. Sometimes it's a different journal style, a new type of mug, or something we haven't offered before.
Before adding a new type of product to our store, we may order a sample to see what it's actually like.
And when that sample arrives, there are several things we pay attention to.
First Impressions Matter
First, we take a good look at the product.
Does it look as nice in person as it did on the computer screen? Does it feel like something we'd be happy to give as a gift?
Sometimes a product looks wonderful in the supplier's photos, but when you finally hold it in your hands, it doesn't quite meet your expectations.
Other times, it's even nicer than you expected.
We also look at the overall appearance. Are the colors attractive? Does the product look well-made? Is there anything that immediately catches our attention, either good or bad?
Those first impressions tell us quite a bit.
How Does the Printing Look?
This is one of the biggest things we look at.
A design might look beautiful on a computer screen, but printing it on an actual product can produce a different result.
Colors may appear lighter or darker than expected. Fine details might not show up as clearly, and sometimes a design that looked perfectly sized on screen turns out a little too large or too small.
We've experienced this ourselves.
For example, we ordered a sample floral mug and discovered the design would look better if it were a little smaller.
That's the kind of thing you might not notice until you have the finished product sitting in front of you.
We also check whether the printing looks sharp, whether the colors are consistent, and whether the design is positioned where it should be.
A small adjustment can sometimes make a big difference in how the finished product looks.
What About the Product Itself?
Good printing is important, but it isn't the only thing that matters.
The actual product needs to be something we're comfortable selling.
If we're looking at a journal, we want to know how the cover feels, whether the pages look nice, and how well the journal is put together.
For a mug, we look at the finish, the handle, and the overall appearance.
With something like a jewelry dish, we pay attention to the surface, the shape, and how the finished design looks on it.
Different products have different things worth checking.
A product might have a beautiful design printed on it, but if the product itself feels poorly made, that becomes a problem.
After all, customers aren't just buying the artwork. They're buying the entire product.
Would We Be Happy Receiving It?
This is probably one of the simplest questions we ask ourselves.
If we ordered this product for ourselves, would we be pleased when we opened the package?
And if we were giving it to someone as a gift, would we feel good about handing it to them?
We think those are fair questions to ask.
Not every product needs to be expensive or luxurious. A simple journal or coffee mug can make a wonderful gift.
But it should still look nice, feel well-made, and be something the person receiving it can enjoy.
That's especially important with personalized products. When someone orders an item with a special name, photograph, or message, we want the finished product to do justice to what they've chosen.
We Also Pay Attention to the Packaging
Something else worth looking at is how the product arrives.
Was it packaged securely? Did it arrive in good condition? Was there enough protection to help prevent damage during shipping?
A product might leave the printing facility looking perfect, but it still has to make the trip to the customer's home.
We also look at the condition of the packaging when it arrives. If a box is badly damaged or an item isn't adequately protected, that's something we want to know about.
Of course, one sample shipment can't tell us how every future order will arrive. But it does give us an idea of what to expect.
Sometimes We Make Changes
One of the nice things about ordering samples is that they give us a chance to make adjustments.
Maybe the design needs to be moved slightly. Maybe the wording would look better in a different size. Or perhaps a particular color doesn't look quite the way we imagined it would.
Those are usually things we can go back and work on.
We may also discover that a design looks better on a different product than the one we originally had in mind.
Occasionally, a sample tells us a particular product simply isn't what we're looking for, so we leave it out of our store.
That's part of the process, too.
Not Every Product Needs a Sample
As a small business, we have to be practical about how many samples we order.
We can't order every product in every available color, size, or design. That would become expensive very quickly.
Instead, we focus on selected products, particularly when we're considering something new or want to see how a certain type of printing turns out.
Once we're familiar with a product, we can use that experience to create additional designs for it.
It doesn't eliminate every possible issue, but it helps us make better choices.
Why We Take the Time
Running a print-on-demand store involves more than choosing attractive designs and putting them on products.
There's also the question of whether those products will look and feel the way we expect them to.
We know that ordering a sample doesn't guarantee every future order will be perfect. Printing differences, shipping problems, and occasional mistakes can still happen.
But having the opportunity to see and handle selected products ourselves gives us a better understanding of what we're offering.
And sometimes, the most useful thing a sample can tell us is that we need to make a change before putting something up for sale.
At Lencyn, we're not trying to offer every product available through print-on-demand. We'd rather take our time choosing products we feel good about offering.
Because when someone orders something from our store, whether it's a little gift for themselves or something special for another person, we want them to be happy with what arrives.