Which custom apparel platform is better for your business? Here's an honest breakdown.
Bear Grips Pro Shops is a print-on-demand custom apparel platform built for businesses of all types — gyms, churches, schools, restaurants, salons, trades, and more. You get a fully branded online shop with a curated catalog of proven best-sellers. Every product in our catalog is backed by real sales data across all our vendors, so you're not guessing what works — you're selling what's already proven. Free shipping is included on every order, and our Done-for-You VIP plan handles design for you. Plus, every account comes with a built-in affiliate program to earn passive income.
Underground Printing is a custom apparel focused on colleges, greek life, and campus organizations. College organizations, fraternities/sororities, and campus groups ordering 12+ matching items.
Their pricing: Bulk pricing, free shipping on orders 12+
Their model: Custom apparel focused on colleges, Greek life, and campus organizations
Integrations: Standalone platform, group ordering
Before comparing platforms, many businesses start with a local print shop. Here's the problem:
Bear Grips Pro Shops eliminates all of this. Zero inventory, zero minimums, zero upfront costs. We print and ship each order directly to your customer with free shipping. And we're constantly adding new products to keep your shop current with the latest styles and trends.
Underground Printing has carved out a real niche with college Greek life and campus organizations. They hold licensing agreements with hundreds of universities and Greek letter organizations, which means they can legally print officially licensed Greek apparel and university trademarks, something most POD platforms can't legally touch. For a fraternity, sorority, or campus group ordering 50 matching shirts with Greek letters and a school logo, UP is often the only legal option at scale.
Pick Underground Printing when: (1) you're ordering for a Greek organization or licensed campus group, (2) the order requires officially trademarked university marks, and (3) you want a single bulk order, not an ongoing storefront.
For everyone else, the model breaks down. Minimums apply (usually 12+ items), there's no online storefront for ongoing sales, and per-order design and licensing fees stack up. Bear Grips is the better fit for non-licensed merch, your gym's own logo, your church's name, your studio's brand, sold continuously through a real storefront with no minimums and no per-order setup fees.
Underground Printing is a capable platform for college organizations, fraternities/sororities, and campus groups ordering 12+ matching items. But for a full branded apparel shop with free shipping and done-for-you support, Bear Grips is the stronger choice.
If you want a branded athletic custom apparel shop with a curated best-seller catalog, free shipping, and done-for-you design support — Bear Grips Pro Shops is the better choice.
No inventory. No minimums. No upfront costs. Free shipping on every order. 100+ premium products with new styles added regularly. Start free.
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