How to Avoid the Digitization Fee on Printful

Want to skip the $6.50 digitization fee on Printful?

Here’s the fastest answer: reuse your embroidery files across products with the same size and placement, or use Printful’s built-in text and clipart tools — those don’t trigger the fee at all.

Now, if you’re selling embroidered products like hats or hoodies and that fee’s eating into your margins, you’re not alone. I’ve been there — testing logo placements, uploading variations, and suddenly watching my costs climb.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly how I manage to avoid that digitization fee, when you can skip it, and how to keep your product line lean and profitable without compromising on quality.

What Even Is the Digitization Fee?

Here’s the deal:

When you want to embroider a product through Printful (like hats, polos, or jackets), they can’t just slap on a PNG or JPEG like they do with direct-to-garment (DTG) printing.

Embroidery needs a stitch file — usually in .DST or .EMB format — that tells the machine exactly how to sew your design.

That’s where the $6.50 digitization fee comes in.

It’s a one-time setup charge per design to create that stitch file.

But it’s not just about the file — it’s tied to:

• Size
• Placement
• Orientation

So if you change even one of those, you could get charged again.

1. Reuse the Same Embroidery File (Smart Design = Zero Repeat Fees)

This is the #1 way I save money on Printful.

Once you’ve paid the $6.50 fee for a design, you can reuse it on future products, as long as:

• The design doesn’t change
• The placement and size stay the same

Real Example:

I digitized my brand’s logo once — 3″ wide, front placement — and reused it on:

Product	Digitization Fee	Same File Used?
Classic Dad Hat	$6.50	Yes
Trucker Hat	$0	Yes
Hoodie (left chest)	$6.50 (new placement)	No
Beanie (front)	$0	Yes

Tip: Stick to one standard embroidery size/placement for your designs. It’ll save you hundreds if you’re testing new products.

2. Use Built-In Fonts and Clipart = 100% Free

Here’s something most people miss:

Printful’s Text Tool and built-in shapes don’t need digitization.

So if you create a design using their built-in editor — like text-based designs, monograms, or minimalist symbols — you skip the digitization fee completely.

Great for:

• Personalised products (e.g. “Dad Est. 2024”)
• MVP or test designs
• Etsy stores offering made-to-order items

I’ve tested this with simple embroidered caps — just text, no logo — and they sold surprisingly well. All without paying a cent for setup.

3. Don’t Upload Embroidery Files Unless You Know What You’re Doing

Printful technically lets you upload pre-digitized files (.DST or .EMB), but here’s the kicker:

They’ll still charge you if the file doesn’t match their embroidery guidelines.

Even if you hire someone from Fiverr or Upwork to create a file for you, if the:

• Stitch count is too high
• Thread path isn’t clean
• Sizing is off

…they’ll reject it and charge the $6.50 anyway.

When it works:

• If you have an in-house embroidery specialist
• If you’ve worked with a pro digitizer who knows Printful’s rules

But for most of us? It’s honestly not worth the hassle. I tried this route once, and after two rejected uploads and back-and-forth with support, I just paid the fee.

4. Offer Products That Don’t Use Embroidery

This sounds obvious, but you’d be shocked how many people forget this:

Digitization fees only apply to embroidery.

That means:

…are all free to upload and sell. No setup charges.

When I’m testing new ideas or seasonal designs, I usually start with DTG t-shirts or mugs. No risk, no digitization cost, and if the design works — then I upgrade it to embroidery.

5. Consolidate Design Placements and Variants

Every placement needs its own file.

• Left chest logo ≠ Front cap logo
• Back of hoodie ≠ Sleeve embroidery

Even if it’s the same design, if you upload it in a different size or for a different product area, you’ll be charged again.

How I avoid that:

• I pick one embroidery placement per design (usually front)
• I don’t offer placement options to customers unless I’m willing to pay extra
• I use mockups to show variety but only fulfill from one file

This keeps my product pages clean — and avoids surprise fees.

6. Build the Cost into Your Pricing

Let’s say you can’t avoid the $6.50 fee. Then what?

Charge it back — but invisibly.

I’ve built that cost into the product pricing without anyone blinking:

Product	Base Cost	Embroidery Fee	Retail Price	Profit
Embroidered Cap	$14.95	$6.50	$34.99	~$13
Hoodie (Logo Front)	$22.95	$6.50	$45.00	~$15

Just position it as a premium product. Say it includes “custom embroidery” or “professionally stitched logo”. The customer doesn’t need to know how Printful charges you.

Bonus? This makes your stuff feel higher-end.

If you’re selling on Etsy or Shopify, the way you set up your product matters.

When you use Printful’s push generator:

• Make sure your embroidery design is set up once
• Then duplicate the product listing in your store and swap mockups manually

This prevents re-triggering the digitization fee by mistake.

I’ve made the error of re-uploading a product through Printful’s push tool and accidentally submitted the same design with a different file name — and yep, I got charged again.

8. Offer “Free Embroidery Setup” as a Conversion Booster

Want to flip the script?

Take the $6.50 and turn it into a selling point.

On my product pages, I added a small note: “Includes Free Embroidery Setup ($6.50 value)”

Guess what happened?

My conversion rate on Etsy went up by around 11%.

Even though I still paid the fee, the perception of getting something free worked in my favor.

This small psychological trick made it easier to charge premium pricing — while covering my backend costs.

9. Compare Printful to Other POD Providers (But Be Careful)

Some people switch from Printful to Printify or Gooten thinking they’ll avoid digitization costs.

Here’s what I found:

Provider	Digitization Fee	Quality	Reuse File?
Printful	$6.50	High	Yes
Printify	$6.99–$9.99	Varies	Sometimes
Gooten	Up to $10	Varies	Rare

In my experience, Printful gives the most consistent embroidery quality — and you get better control over reusing your files.

Sure, some Printify partners may offer free digitization, but you’re rolling the dice on quality and returns.

10. Final Thoughts — What Works Long-Term

After selling embroidered products for a while, here’s the combo that worked best for me:

• Use one logo design across 3–5 products
• Stick to a single size/placement
• Start with built-in text products to test ideas
• Build the $6.50 into your price (and use it as a promo angle)
• Avoid uploading your own files unless you’re confident they match Printful’s specs
• Use DTG/sublimation to test new designs without risk

If you’re serious about building a profitable POD store, learning how to work around platform limitations like this is what sets you apart.

And once you’ve got a library of digitized designs that sell, you’ll never pay that fee again for those files.