Yes. Gelato is a print-on-demand company, meaning it prints a product only after a real order comes in rather than manufacturing a batch in advance. That single detail, print-after-sale instead of print-then-store, is what separates print on demand from traditional wholesale apparel. Here is exactly what that means in practice and where Gelato fits among the platforms built around the same idea.
In a print-on-demand setup, a design sits uploaded and ready, but nothing physical exists until a shopper places an order. The moment that happens, the order is sent to production, printed onto a blank garment or product, and shipped directly to the buyer. No warehouse of finished product, no unsold sizes, no upfront purchase order.
Gelato provides the fulfillment side of that process across a network of local production partners in 30+ countries, printing an order at the facility closest to the buyer rather than from one central warehouse. It integrates with storefront platforms so an order placed on a seller's Shopify or Etsy page routes automatically to the nearest Gelato partner for production.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Gelato does not include the actual storefront a shopper buys from. A seller needs a separate site, most commonly Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, or Wix, and that site is billed independently. Because production is distributed across regions, exact per-unit cost and product specs can also vary by which facility fulfills a given order.
| Model type | Example | Storefront | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distributed production network, plugs into your site | Gelato | Not included | Sellers with a genuinely international buyer base who already run a website |
| All-in-one storefront plus fulfillment | Bear Grips Pro Shops | Included, branded URL | Sellers who want to launch fast without building a separate site |
A first-time seller without an existing website, especially one selling mostly to a US audience, usually saves time going with an all-in-one option. Bear Grips Pro Shops starts a branded shop the same day a design is uploaded, with tees from $19.88 VIP base and free US shipping already included. Read the full Gelato alternative guide for the wider comparison.
Storefront and fulfillment in one place. Free plan, no minimum order, free US shipping included.
Start FreeIt works with local production partners holding blank, undecorated stock ready to be printed on demand, not finished pre-printed product waiting for a buyer.
Yes, Gelato integrates with Etsy alongside Shopify, WooCommerce, and Wix as common storefront connections.
They are closely related. Print on demand is a specific form of dropshipping where the product is manufactured, not just shipped, after the order is placed.
No, most integrations are point-and-click through app stores or plugin marketplaces on platforms like Shopify.
Bear Grips Pro Shops