When Zazzle first started, they just printed posters.

After a while, they started printing T-shirts too. (Although the actual 
printable area is a tiny fractal of the total surface area.)

A little while after that, they added the ability to print with opaque 
ink, allowing you to print light colours on dark fabric.

Then they started printing greetings cards. Which is an entirely 
sensible move.

Then they went slightly crazy. They let you print shopping bags, and 
ties, and key rings, and a few other things.

Having visited in the last few days, they seem to have gone full-on 
insane! Zazzle now print *everything*!

Some of the stuff they print makes a lot of sense. For example, they now 
print wrapping paper. (Surely a much-requested feature.) I can't help 
but feel that some of the designs on offer would have you spending hours 
trying to make the picture wrap nicely around the box, but that's not 
really Zazzle's fault. Some of the designs look damned fantastic, and 
would be really hard to find in shops.

They also now print table cloths, place mats (either fabric or 
laminated), tea towels, table runners (whatever they are), and even 
chopping boards. (The naff textured-glass kind, with a picture on the 
underside.)

Some of the stuff is more questionable. For example, they print plates. 
But although they are microwave and dishwasher safe, they recommend you 
use them only to serve "pre-cut food". Which leads me to believe the 
design is likely to wear off. They also sell the option of a decorative 
plate stand, which leads me to think they're expecting most people to 
put these things in a display stand. (They also sell paper plates, which 
I guess are gonna be much more popular!)


going to tile your kitchen wall with these things. Again, there's the 
offer of a display stand. While I'm sure there's a bulk discount if you 
buy enough of them, they're still *way* too expensive to tile a wall 
with. At best, you could maybe have a wall of blue tiles with a single 
picture tile in the middle or something.

They even print tattoos! Temporary tattoos, that is. Or "transfers", as 
we call them. :-P

And then they sell some stuff which leaves me scratching my head. For 
example, they print poker chips. I can only imagine somebody printing a 
few for their stag night or something, with their name on them. Other 
than that... I don't know why you'd bother.


steel bottle stopper, with a tiny, tiny image printed on the top of the 
handle. Um, why bother?

Also, you know how restaurants have those little stand thingies with the 
pole and the hoop of wire, and you put your table number on it? Zazzle 
print those. As in, they have the stands, and the base is a brick of 
clear plastic, and they can glue a picture to the underside of it. Why 
would you bother? And who the hell is even going to buy that? I'm sure 
actual restaurants already have suppliers for such things. When was the 
last time *you* threw a party large enough to require table numbers?!

They also print cheese boards. As in, you get a circular wooden board, 
with a plastic lid, and when you take the lid out, there's a cutting 
surface, with two recesses which hold a pair of cheese knives. And the 
plastic lid is the only printable part. The part you're going to throw 
away, in all likelihood. Worth it! (Who even *has* a cheese board anyway?)

They also print gym bags. Or rather, they print a tiny 1-inch square on 
the side of an otherwise plain gym bag. (It's kinda cool that almost all 
their fabric products that can be printed can also be embroidered though.)

They also print lunch boxes. But not a box that holds your lunch. They 
print a paper insert into the lid of a huge plastic box that has a 
complex set of inserts with boxes and compartments and areas and stuff...

They also print shoes, which is interesting. They can print flip-flops. 
Or they can print canvas plimsolls. Which is interesting, because these 
are the few products where you can print *everything*. If only more 
stuff was like this! (Although I'm not sure I can think of much stuff 
worth printing on the meagre surface of a shoe.)

They still print old tat such as key fobs, badges and fridge magnets.

I leave you with a question: Would YOU buy this tie?

http://www.zazzle.co.uk/orange_lightning_tie_tie-151189304400272900

Because this is actually one of my biggest sellers! I put the ties on 
sale as a joke, and I've sold more of them than any other product. (!!) 
I can only imagine that somebody *really* wants to make a statement, or 
else these are getting bought as joke gifts or booby prizes or 
something... :-P

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