How much does custom t-shirt screen printing cost? For a basic cotton tee with a one-color front print, most South Florida businesses pay somewhere between $7 and $15 per shirt all in, and the spread is almost entirely quantity. Twenty-four shirts sit at the top of that range; two hundred and fifty sit at the bottom. Everything else, from the blank you pick to the number of ink colors, moves the number a dollar or two at a time. Here is how we build a screen printing quote at our shop in Deerfield Beach, so you can estimate your own order before you ask for a price.
Want a real number instead of a range?
Send the design and a rough quantity. We will price it on the exact shirt you want, at your quantity and the next break up, the same business day. 24 piece minimum, no setup fees.
What is in a screen printing price
Every quote is the sum of four things: the blank shirt, the print (priced per shirt, per location, by number of colors), any extras like fleece or specialty ink, and rush if you need it faster than our standard 7 to 10 business days. We do not charge screen or setup fees, so there is no fixed charge sitting on top of a small order; the quantity effect you see below is the real cost of setup being spread across more shirts.
Cost per shirt by quantity
These are typical all-in ranges for a one-color front print on a standard 100% cotton tee such as the Gildan 5000, including the shirt. Use them to budget; the exact figure depends on the blank, sizes and art.
| Quantity | Typical all-in price per shirt | What is happening |
|---|---|---|
| 24 (our minimum) | $12 to $15 | Setup is spread over very few shirts |
| 48 | $9 to $12 | First meaningful break |
| 100 | $7 to $9 | Sweet spot for most company orders |
| 250 | $6 to $8 | Print cost is now mostly the blank |
| 500+ | $5 to $7 | Volume pricing; ask for a quote |
Two consequences worth money. If you are near a break, round up: 100 shirts often costs little more than 85 because the whole run reprices. And one order beats two: if you know a reorder is coming in a month, say so, because 2 x 50 pays setup twice and 100 pays it once.
The shirt you choose
The blank is the biggest single line on most orders and the easiest one to control. A basic heavy cotton tee like the Gildan 5000 or Port & Company PC43 is the budget floor. A retail-feel blend like the Next Level 6210, our most-printed shirt, adds a few dollars per piece and is what most businesses pick for staff and customer-facing shirts. A premium garment-dyed tee like the Comfort Colors 1717 adds several more. Sizes 2XL and up carry an upcharge on nearly every style, so the size run affects the total. Our best shirts for screen printing guide compares the ten we run most, with print notes.
Ink colors and print locations
Each ink color is a separate screen and a separate station on the press, so each additional color adds to the per-shirt print cost, usually in the range of 50 cents to a dollar and a half depending on quantity. One detail catches people out: on a colored shirt, most designs need a white underbase so the colors stay bright, and the underbase counts as a color. A two-color logo on a black tee is a three-color print. On a white or light shirt it stays two.
Each print location, front, back, sleeve, is its own setup and its own pass through the press, so a front-and-back shirt is roughly double the print cost of a front-only shirt. A small one-color back or sleeve hit on a 100-plus piece order is the cheapest way to add a second location.
Extras that change the number
Hoodies, crewnecks, shorts and pants print a little slower and add a small per-piece charge on top of the higher blank cost. Puff ink for raised 3D prints is a specialty process priced per print. Metallic and glow inks are quoted per job. Individually bagging and folding shirts for retail or distribution adds a per-piece charge. None of these are large on their own, but on a 500-piece order they add up, so tell us what you need at quote time rather than at pickup.
Rush orders
Standard turnaround is 7 to 10 business days from art approval. Rush is a percentage added to the print cost only, never the blank: about 15% for 4 to 5 days, 25% for 72 hours, 40% for 24 to 48 hours, and 50 to 75% for same day, subject to press capacity. Details and what to send are on the rush order t-shirts page. Because we own three automatic presses, rush is usually available; call before you order.
Three example orders
Church volunteer shirts, 48 pieces, one-color front on a Gildan 5000. Budget around $10 a shirt all-in, about $480. Adding a one-color back pushes it toward $13.
Company staff shirts, 100 pieces, two-color logo on a black Next Level 6210. Black means an underbase, so this is a three-color print on a premium blank. Budget $11 to $13 a shirt, $1,100 to $1,300.
5K run tees, 300 pieces, one-color front and sponsor back on a white Gildan 5000. White shirt means no underbase. Budget $8 to $10 a shirt with both locations, $2,400 to $3,000. Sponsors usually cover it several times over.
How to get the lowest price without cutting corners
Print on white or light shirts when the design allows, so you skip the underbase. Reduce colors: a one-color version of a three-color logo often looks sharper on a shirt anyway. Consolidate departments or events into one order. Pick a size run that avoids a pile of 3XLs you do not need. And ask for the next quantity break every time; it is sometimes nearly the same total. If you have fewer than 24 shirts, screen printing is not the right process and we will say so; our screen printing vs heat press guide explains the alternatives.
The custom screen printing page has everything else: what we print on, file requirements and how to order.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to screen print 100 shirts?
For a one-color front print on a basic cotton tee, typically $7 to $9 per shirt including the blank, so roughly $700 to $900. A premium blank or more colors moves it up a few dollars per shirt.
How much does it cost to screen print 24 shirts?
Around $12 to $15 per shirt all-in for a one-color front on a basic tee. Setup is spread across very few pieces at the minimum, which is why 48 or 100 is dramatically cheaper per shirt.
Is there a setup fee for screen printing?
Not at our shop. Screens, films and press setup are built into the per-shirt price, which is why the per-shirt price falls as the order grows.
Why does a colored shirt cost more to print than a white one?
Most designs on dark or colored garments need a white underbase so the ink colors stay bright, and that underbase counts as an additional color.
Does a back print double the price?
Roughly, it doubles the print portion, not the shirt. Each location is its own setup and pass through the press. A small one-color back hit on a larger order is the cheapest second location.
What is the cheapest shirt to screen print on?
The Port & Company PC43 and Gildan 5000 are the lowest-cost blanks we run regularly. The Gildan 5000 has far more colors, which is why it wins most budget orders.
Get your order priced
Send the design, the shirt you have in mind (or let us recommend one) and your quantity. We will price it at your number and the next break up, the same business day.