Is Shopify cheaper than Printmio?

Shopify’s base plan can look cheaper on its own, but the print-specific pieces - a designer app, a pricing app, proofing - are paid add-ons that stack up, plus transaction fees if you do not use Shopify Payments. Printmio includes the whole print toolset for one flat monthly price with no per-order fees - we put the exact numbers in front of you on your founding call.

Does Printmio produce print-ready files?

Yes. Every order can export a 300 DPI CMYK PDF ready for your press or RIP - no separate prepress app and no manual file cleanup.

What about my existing Shopify store?

You can keep a simple retail catalogue on Shopify and move your custom-print and B2B work to Printmio, where pricing, design and proofing actually fit. Free migration is part of our founding-100 offer - on any plan, we move your products, customers and price lists across with you at no extra cost; after the founding group, migration help is included on Growing Shop and Multi-Location.

Compare

Printmio vs Shopify (for print)

Shopify is a fantastic general store. But print is not a normal product - it needs sizing, pricing, a designer, proofing and print-ready files. Printmio builds all of that in.

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No coding required
$0 setup fee
Free migration for the founding 100
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The short answer

Shopify is excellent general e-commerce, but it is not built for print. Out of the box it has no print-specific pricing (area, size or quantity breaks), no customer design studio, no proofing and no print-ready CMYK output - those all require paid apps you have to assemble and maintain. Printmio is the print-native alternative, with the storefront, design studio, pricing, proofing and print-ready files in one system.

Fair credit

Where Shopify is strong

General e-commerce. One of the best platforms in the world for selling ordinary, fixed-catalogue products online.
A huge app ecosystem. If a need is common to retail, there is almost certainly an app for it.
Polished checkout and themes. A reliable, well-designed storefront and checkout experience out of the box.

Print-native

Where Printmio fits better

Print pricing built in. Charge a flat price, a percentage markup, by area, by quantity break or with your own formula - no pricing app to bolt on.
A real design studio. Customers create print-ready artwork in the browser, with live 3D preview - not a generic product-options field.
Proofing and print-ready files. Online proofs and approvals, then a 300 DPI CMYK PDF straight from the order - no extra plugins.
One bill, no app stack. Storefront, studio, pricing, proofing and your job board on one flat plan, with no per-order fees.

A vinyl banner product page on the demo shop: banner size and material options driving a live estimated total — Real screenshot - a banner priced by its dimensions - the math Shopify can't do

Feature by feature

Printmio vs Shopify

Feature	Printmio	Shopify (for print)
Built for	Print shops	General online retail
Branded storefront on your domain
Print pricing (area, dimension, quantity breaks)	Flat to formula, built in	Paid apps only
In-browser customer design studio		Paid apps only
Live 3D product preview		Paid apps only
Online proofs and approvals		Paid apps only
Print-ready 300 DPI CMYK PDF export		-
Order and print-job board for the shop		-
B2B corporate accounts (departments, pay on account)		Higher tier / apps
Payments included

"Paid apps only" means the capability is available through third-party Shopify apps, not natively. For current Shopify pricing and apps, see their website.

Switching from Shopify

How the move actually works

1Book a demo and bring your Shopify catalogue. We map your products, options and app stack against Printmio live on the call, so you see exactly what carries across - and which paid apps you get to cancel.
2We move it with you. Free migration is part of our founding-100 offer - on any plan, we move your products, customers and price lists across with you at no extra cost. After the founding group, migration help is included on Growing Shop and Multi-Location.
3Run both in parallel until you're sure. Keep Shopify running while your Printmio store takes its first orders - switch over when you're confident, not before.

Book a demo See how migration works

Illustration of a person at a fork between a tangled, cluttered path of loose papers and cables, and a clean path leading to a bright print shop

FAQ

Shopify vs Printmio, answered

You can list print products on Shopify, but it has no native way to price by area, size or quantity breaks, no design studio, no proofing and no print-ready CMYK output. You end up stitching together several paid apps and still doing prepress by hand. Printmio ships all of that as one system.

Other comparisons

Weighing up more than one?

Most shops shortlist two or three systems. Here is how we compare with the others.

Print isn't a normal product. Sell it on a store built for it.

Keep Shopify for retail if you like - and see your custom-print and B2B work priced, proofed and exported print-ready in one system, live on a 30-minute call. $0 setup and free migration for the founding 100.

Book a demo See the live demo

14-day free trial after approval · No credit card · $0 setup · We set it up with you