If your brand is scaling, odds are your supply chain has already outgrown the simplicity of a single fulfillment center (FC). That growth brings exciting opportunities, but also operational headaches and many teams don’t realize just how challenging print becomes until they expand to a second or third FC. What used to be a straightforward reorder becomes a set of harder questions: Where should we produce? How much should we order? When and where is the material needed? How long will it take to arrive?

In this post, we’ll break down our personal learnings of critical points companies should watch for as their production scales. Most brands choose their initial printer based on convenience. Having your printer near your HQ or first fulfillment center works early on. But things get tricky when a second or third FC comes online. Imagine this: your first FC is in New Jersey, your printer is in NYC, and suddenly you’re expanding to Los Angeles. Now you face a choice:

• Keep production in a single place and absorb the cost and time of cross-country freight.

• Relocate to a central hub to split the distance.

• Adopt a distributive print model with regional production

These choices impact not just unit costs and freight, but also critical elements like color matching, material standards, and branded finishes that need to stay uniform across facilities. 

Know What’s Needed, Where, and When

Managing print across multiple FCs isn’t just tracking inventory pieces. Keep in mind that you need to be clear on which materials tie to each SKU—whether inserts, outer cartons, labels, or other printed components—and how those materials move across your network. Most brands already have systems in place to track their core products. But the supporting print materials are often overlooked or tracked inconsistently. This creates risk when materials are needed but not available, or when lead times aren’t aligned with production needs.

You don’t need a perfect system to solve this. A simple spreadsheet, clear visibility into order history, and thoughtful planning can go a long way. What matters is identifying what’s needed, where it’s needed, and building timelines that reflect reality.

Understand Print-on-Demand vs. Fulfillment-on-Demand

Print strategy isn’t one-size-fits-all. The right model depends on how your supply chain operates — and how much volatility you need to absorb. In Casper’s case, the challenge wasn’t unusual: multiple partners, each ordering print materials independently. The default was Print-on-Demand (PoD) — one-off, small-quantity orders that offered flexibility but came with high unit costs and long lead times. As demand spiked or shifted across fulfillment centers, the PoD model became increasingly unsustainable.

We worked with the team to transition to a Fulfillment-on-Demand (FoD) approach — consolidating production into larger, more efficient runs, warehousing materials near key fulfillment centers, and creating a structured call-off system. This reduced unit costs, ensured faster turnaround when demand shifted, and gave the team much better visibility and control.

Here’s the tradeoff:

• PoD can offer convenience in early stages, but often breaks down at scale — especially when spikes in demand outpace production capacity.


• FoD requires more upfront coordination, but delivers better unit economics, speed, and reliability across a distributed network.

Align Production with Distribution 

The lowest per-unit print price isn’t always the most cost-effective choice once you factor in freight, lead times, and brand requirements. One Flyleaf client, for example, has seven fulfillment centers. New Jersey alone handles 40% of order volume, and with additional Southeast sites, the East Coast accounts for over 50%. The rest of the orders are distributed across three Midwest and two West Coast facilities. Printing in the Midwest might offer appealing unit costs — but 80% of the finished goods would need to be trucked long distances. Producing on the East Coast creates more efficient lanes for half the volume, with only 25% exposed to higher freight costs. There’s no universal formula: the best plan depends on where your demand originates and how much flexibility your vendors can offer. And for brands that are highly particular about color accuracy or brand consistency — as this one was — distributed production presents another challenge. Matching brand colors perfectly across multiple print sites is difficult, even with precise color management. In this case, we prioritized consistent quality and made tradeoffs in freight cost to maintain brand integrity.

Plan Reorders with Supply Chain Realities in Mind

In print, as in the broader supply chain, timing can be tricky. By the time inventory gets low, you may be waiting on signals from contract manufacturers, reacting to unplanned demand, or navigating shifting timelines. That kind of complexity can leave teams scrambling — especially when multiple fulfillment centers are involved.

We try to take that pressure off. Whether you’re printing for a product launch or restocking core materials, we look at:

• Freight and fulfillment efficiencies (full cartons or pallets often travel better)

• Weeks-of-coverage per FC, so you’re not guessing where the next shortfall might happen

• Upcoming version changes, like artwork or claim updates, that could influence timing or quantity


These factors don’t eliminate every surprise — but they help us stay ahead of the curve. And even if things shift (as they often do), there’s usually a smarter way forward when the right.

Monitor, Communicate, and Adjust

The real work is in paying attention, staying aligned, and adjusting when things change. That’s why we keep a close eye on order activity and flag potential issues early.For example: “This item hasn’t been reordered from several FCs — is demand shifting, or is something else going on?” That kind of nudge helps us stay in sync, so you’re not left reacting too late. More than anything, printers need to be flexible partners, not rigid vendors. If they can’t support you in a pinch — whether it’s a faster turnaround or a last-minute change — they’re not the right fit for Flyleaf or our clients. That mindset is core to how we operate.

Why This Matters

Every scaling brand faces these questions eventually. It’s not about having every answer upfront — it’s about having a partner who’s built to respond when things shift.
We’ve seen how even small changes in production, fulfillment, or marketing can ripple across a supply chain. That’s why we’re structured to:

• Monitor print activity across multiple FCs
• Understand the realities of your supply chain and marketing plans
• Solve problems flexibly when things don’t go to plan

With the right coordination, print becomes clearer, faster, and easier to manage. The Flyleaf Platform gives your team—and ours—a shared system to manage specs, proofs, updates, and deliveries all in one place.

This way, you’ll always know what’s happening, where things stand, and what’s needed next. 


If you’re looking for smarter ways to coordinate print production, see how Flyleaf helps brands grow without compromising on quality, control, or clarity.

If you’re looking for smarter ways to coordinate print production, see how Flyleaf helps brands grow without compromising on quality, control, or clarity.