Real-Margin Workbook

Product, print provider, and sales channel are three different levers — you can fulfill a mug through Printify while selling it on Shopify, for example. Choosing a product + provider above fills in an example blank + print cost so the calculator isn't empty; it is not live pricing. Replace it with the real number from your own account before trusting the verdict — costs shift by size, color, print area, and region.

Printful

Catalog → open the product → Pricing tab. Printful is both blank supplier and printer, so it publishes one all-in cost per size/color — enter it under "Blank" and leave "Print" near $0.

Printify

Catalog → open the product → the page lists several print providers for that same blank, each with its own price. Compare 2–3 before picking one; cost can swing several dollars between them for an identical item.

Gelato

Catalog → open the product → pricing shown is localized to wherever Gelato routes production. Check the price for each region you expect to sell into (US/EU/UK), not just your own.

Sales channel

Etsy's current transaction %, payment processing %, and listing fee are on their Seller Handbook fees page; Shopify's card rate is on your plan's payments settings page. Both change occasionally — check your last payout statement if the number looks off.

Taxes

27% is a common U.S. rule-of-thumb set-aside for a sole proprietor / single-member LLC — it roughly covers the ~15.3% self-employment tax plus a modest income-tax bracket. Your real rate depends on total income, state, filing status, and business structure, and this isn't tax advice. If you're in the U.S. and expect to owe more than a small amount, the IRS generally expects quarterly estimated payments, not one lump sum in April — talk to a tax professional or use your tax authority's own tools to pin down your actual rate.