This glossary explains the 48 terms you will meet when you sell designs through print on demand (POD) or publish books on Amazon KDP. Each definition is short, with a concrete example and, where one exists, a link to the blog guide that goes deeper.

Lire en français : Glossaire du print on demand et de KDP

The print on demand model

Print on demand (POD)
A product is only made after a customer orders it. The creator holds no stock and ships nothing; the platform prints, ships and pays the creator a margin. See Print on demand.
Marketplace
A platform that sells your designs to its own audience and handles payment (Redbubble, TeePublic, Spreadshirt). You get its traffic, but you do not always set your prices.
Integrated store (Shopify, Etsy + Printful…)
Your own store connected to a print provider. You control everything, but bringing visitors is your job.
Margin or markup
What the creator earns on each sale above the platform's base price. On Fine Art America, for example, artists set their markup and keep all of it.
Base price
The cost of the blank product and printing, set by the platform. Retail price = base price + your margin.
Fulfillment
Everything after the order: printing, packing, shipping, customer service. In POD the platform does it.
Niche
A specific group of customers with a shared passion (cats and martial arts, gymnasts, ramen fans). The narrower the niche, the more the design speaks to its audience. See Find a niche.
Evergreen
A theme that sells all year (animals, jobs, humor), as opposed to seasonal themes.
Seasonal
A theme tied to a date (Halloween, Father's Day, Juneteenth). Upload it several weeks ahead. See the POD calendar.

Files and printing

DPI (dots per inch)
Image density when printed. 300 DPI is the standard for a sharp result. A 4500 × 5400 px PNG printed at 300 DPI covers 15 × 18 inches. See T-shirt print file guide.
Transparent PNG
An image format that keeps transparency, so only the artwork prints, not a background rectangle. Almost every apparel platform asks for it.
Vector
An image made of mathematical shapes (.ai, .svg, .eps files) that scales without loss. You then export a PNG at the right size.
Raster
An image made of pixels (PNG, JPG, PSD). Enlarged beyond its size, it turns blurry.
Bleed
Extra artwork beyond the trim line, so no white edge appears after cutting. Essential for a KDP cover or a poster.
Safe area
An inner margin where text and key elements stay, so nothing gets cut off.
DTG (direct to garment)
Inkjet printing straight onto fabric. It handles gradients and photos and is used for most POD t-shirts.
Screen printing
Printing through a screen, one color at a time. Very durable, but only cost-effective in bulk.
Sublimation
Ink turns into gas and bonds with polyester or a special coating (mugs, synthetic fabrics). It does not work on cotton.
Mockup
An image showing your design on the product (a worn t-shirt, a mug on a table). It is often the first selling point. See Choosing better mockups.

Design

Typography design
A design driven mostly by text: the font, the layout and the phrase carry the message. See Typography t-shirt design.
Palette
The limited set of colors in a design. Fewer colors often make artwork easier to read on a garment.
Contrast
The difference in lightness between artwork and product. Dark artwork disappears on a black shirt: plan a light variant. See T-shirt colors.
Template
A design or layout bought from a stock site (Vexels, Creative Fabrica). Its license says what you may do with it, and other sellers may use the same one. Rework it properly.
AI-generated image
Artwork made with a tool such as Midjourney, ChatGPT or Nano Banana. Useful to explore ideas, but check rights, details and sharpness before printing.
Upscale
Enlarging an image with software or AI to reach print size. A poor upscale creates blur or artifacts.
Vectorization
Converting a pixel image into a vector one. Handy for a logo or line art.

Selling and search

Tags (keywords)
Words that describe your design for the platform's search engine. They should match what buyers actually type. See Redbubble tags.
Listing
A design's page: title, description, tags, mockups. A good listing answers questions before they are asked.
Long tail
A specific, less competitive search ("karate cat shirt for kids") rather than a broad one ("cat shirt"). It converts better.
Conversion rate
The share of visitors who buy. 2 sales for 100 visits = 2%.
Favorites
How many people saved your design. A good interest signal, even without a sale.
Redbubble account level (Standard, Premium, Pro)
The account level that sets the fees taken from your earnings above a threshold. See Redbubble vs Spreadshirt.
Artisan / Apprentice (TeePublic)
TeePublic seller levels. Apprentice designs do not show up in on-site search. See Selling on TeePublic.
Affiliate link
A link that pays a commission to the person recommending, at no extra cost to the buyer. It must be disclosed. See the affiliate disclosure.
Trademark
A word, slogan or logo protected for certain products. Using one on a t-shirt can get your design or account removed. See Checking trademarks.
Copyright
Automatic protection of an original work (drawing, photo, text). Copying an existing character or illustration without permission is not allowed.
Commercial license
Permission to use a font, image or template on products you sell. Check it for every resource.
Fan art
Work inspired by an existing property. Outside an official program, selling it through POD leads to takedowns.
Public domain
Works no longer protected (in Europe, usually 70 years after the author's death). You may use them, but not protected recent additions.

Amazon KDP and books

KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)
Amazon's self-publishing service for ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers printed on demand. See Publishing on KDP.
Low-content
A book with repetitive or fill-in content: lined notebook, planner, journal. It can be published without an ISBN. Coloring and activity books usually do not count.
ISBN
A book's identification number. KDP provides one free for print books.
Trim size
The finished book's dimensions: 6 × 9 in for a journal, 7.5 × 9.25 for a composition notebook, 8.5 × 11 for a coloring book. See My 6 KDP books reviewed.
Printing cost
What Amazon deducts from each sale to make the book. It depends on page count, trim size and ink.
Royalty
What the author earns: on Amazon.com, 60% of the list price from $9.99 (50% below), minus printing cost.
BSR (Best Sellers Rank)
A product's sales rank on Amazon. The lower the number, the more it sells. It moves after every sale.
ASIN
A product's unique Amazon ID (for example B0FPQZSLR1). Handy to track a competitor.
Amazon Ads
Paid placements in Amazon search results. Negative keywords stop you paying for off-topic clicks.

Missing a term? Message me from the Contact page and I will add it.

Lire en français : Glossaire du print on demand et de KDP