Custom Shirts in Reno NV: Pricing, Turnaround & How to Order (2026 Guide)

RK Robert Krause Owner, Battle Born Clothing & Print · Yerington, Nevada · Screen Printing & Embroidery Since 2019

If you're in Reno or Sparks and you need custom shirts for your business, team, event, or crew, you've got options. Downtown shops. Mall-adjacent franchises. Online brokers who print out of Las Vegas or Vietnam. And yes, shops like ours in Yerington, NV, an hour east of the Truckee Meadows, printing the same orders for the same prices with faster turnarounds and no middleman markup.

Here's what a lot of Reno business owners don't realize: the shop that's closest to your office isn't always the one that'll get your shirts done fastest or cheapest. What actually matters is who prints in-house, who stocks the blanks you need, and who picks up the phone when you call. This is a straight guide to ordering custom shirts in Reno, NV: what it costs, how long it takes, and what to look for so you don't get burned.

Custom Shirts in Reno NV: The Quick Answer

Custom screen-printed tees in the Reno area typically run $9 to $22 per shirt all-in (garment + print) depending on quantity, number of print colors, and which blank you pick. Most small-business orders land in the $12,$18 range. A handful of factors move the needle:

Want exact numbers for your project? Get a same-day quote using the form below or read our full screen printing pricing guide.

Who Orders Custom Shirts in Reno?

Reno and Sparks together make up the largest business community in Northern Nevada, with over 2,000 active Chamber members across Washoe County. In practice that means we see a pretty consistent mix of custom shirt buyers coming out of the region:

• Tech and warehouse crews around USA Parkway and the TRI (Tahoe Reno Industrial) corridor, ordering branded work polos, hoodies, and hi-vis safety tees for staff.
• Restaurants, breweries, and coffee shops in downtown Reno, Midtown, and the Riverwalk, ordering branded merch and staff shirts to sell to regulars.
• Construction and trades companies bidding jobs across Washoe County, ordering embroidered Carhartt jackets and crew uniforms that survive a full season on site.
• Schools, booster clubs, and youth sports across WCSD, ordering spirit wear, team tees, and event shirts tied to the school calendar.
• Event and festival organizers running 5Ks, car shows, charity events, and conventions at the Convention Center and Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center.
• Real estate agents, insurance agents, and small service businesses ordering a dozen branded polos and a few hats to hand out at community events.
• 4x4 clubs, overlanding groups, and off-road crews meeting up at the Peavine Peak trailheads and running custom club gear.

Different use cases, but every one of those buyers is asking the same three questions: what will it cost, how long will it take, and will the shirts actually look and feel right? Let me break those down one at a time.

What Custom Shirts Actually Cost in Reno NV

Every shop sets pricing differently, but the underlying cost drivers are the same everywhere in the industry. Here's what actually moves the per-shirt number:

1. Quantity

This is the biggest single factor. Screen printing has fixed setup costs (burning screens, mixing inks, registering the design). Those costs don't change whether you print 24 shirts or 240, so the more shirts you order, the more those setup costs get spread out. A 1-color print at 24 pieces runs about $9 a shirt; at 60 pieces it drops to $6; at 240 it's closer to $4. If you're on the fence between ordering 48 and 60, order 60, the extra dozen shirts are almost free.

2. Number of Ink Colors

Each color in your design is a separate screen, a separate ink, and a separate pass through the press. One or two colors is the sweet spot, you get sharp, professional results without the cost stacking up. If your logo has six colors and gradients, you might be better off with DTF printing, which handles unlimited colors at a flat rate.

3. The Blank You Pick

On large orders, the garment often costs more than the printing. Gildan 5000 heavy cotton tees run about $7,$8 retail. Bella+Canvas and Next Level CVCs run $8,$14. Carhartt K87 pocket tees run $15,$22. Premium retail-grade tri-blends can hit $20 before any ink. A good print shop will ask about your use case (mining crew vs. boutique retail vs. client giveaway) and recommend the blank that matches. A lot of shops just default to whatever has the biggest margin for them.

4. Print Location and Size

Standard pricing typically covers one location, usually a left-chest logo or full-front design. Each additional location (back, sleeve, inside tag) is another setup. Front + back is the most common combo. Most shops discount the second location slightly because the screens are already burned, but the cost still goes up.

5. Dark Shirts Cost More

This catches people off guard. Printing on a black or dark-colored shirt costs more than printing on white, because ink isn't opaque enough to show up on dark fabric. Before your design colors go down, a shop has to lay an underbase, a layer of white ink that acts as a foundation. That underbase counts as an extra screen. A "2-color" design on a black tee is actually a 3-screen job. If budget is tight, white or light-colored shirts save you a screen on every dark-shirt order.

"Reno's economy employs over 290,000 people and has more than 28,000 businesses, making it the commercial anchor of Northern Nevada."

, Chamber of Commerce, Reno NV business directory

How Long Does a Custom Shirt Order Take?

Standard turnaround in the Reno market is 7 to 14 business days from art approval. That's what you'll get from most reputable shops, us included. Here's what actually happens inside that window:

• Days 1,2: Art review and digital proof. A good shop will send you a mockup showing exactly where the design will print, in what colors, and on which blank. You approve the proof before anything else happens.
• Days 2,4: Blanks ordered from the wholesaler (SanMar, S&S Activewear, Alphabroder). Some shops stock popular blanks; others order per job. We carry most common Gildan, Bella+Canvas, Next Level, and Carhartt styles in-house to skip this step.
• Days 4,6: Screens burned, ink mixed, design registered on the press. This is the setup-heavy phase.
• Days 6,10: Press runs, shirts get cured through the conveyor dryer, quality-checked, folded, boxed.
• Days 10,14: Shipping or pickup. Reno orders from our shop in Yerington typically arrive within 1,2 business days by USPS or UPS Ground, or you can pick up in person.

Rush orders are absolutely doable, we've turned around 72-hour jobs plenty of times. Expect a 25,50% rush surcharge, and know that you're asking the shop to re-arrange their production schedule to accommodate you. If you need shirts in 3 days, call (don't email): (775) 230-0211.

Two Sites, One Shop: The Battle Born + Screen Prints Reno Setup

If you've been searching for a Reno print shop and you've landed on either battlebornclothing.com or screenprintsreno.com, you're in the same place. Both sites are ours. Same shop, same equipment, same phone number, same people answering the email. We run two sites because they serve two different kinds of visitors, and we want to make sure you land on the one that matches what you're trying to do.

If you're here on battlebornclothing.com and you've already decided you want to get a Reno quote without sorting through more content, skip straight to screenprintsreno.com and fire off the form. It'll route to the same inbox as everything else. If you want to understand what you're ordering before you hit submit, stick around here, this guide has the details.

Screen Printing vs Embroidery vs DTF: Which for Reno Buyers?

We get this question more than any other from Reno customers, and the honest answer is: it depends on what you're making. Each method has a lane where it dominates.

Quick rule of thumb for Reno buyers: If you need 24+ shirts with a simple design, screen printing wins on cost and durability. If you need hats, polos, or jackets with a logo, embroidery is the right call. If you need 5 shirts for a prototype or have a full-color photorealistic design, DTF is your friend. We wrote a full screen printing vs embroidery vs DTF breakdown if you want to go deeper.

How to Order Custom Shirts in Reno: The Actual Workflow

Here's what the ordering process actually looks like when you work with a real print shop (not an online broker):

1. Send your artwork and quantity. Vector files (AI, EPS, SVG, PDF) are ideal. JPEGs and PNGs work too, we can work with what you've got. If your logo is low-res, we'll tell you upfront and quote art prep if needed.
2. Get a quote. We quote same-day during business hours. You should get garment type, blank brand, print method, per-shirt price, and turnaround, not a single cryptic number with no breakdown.
3. Pay in full. We require 100% payment upfront before any work, mockups, or proofs are produced. This is a firm shop policy, it protects both sides and keeps the queue moving. Once payment lands, we start the order.
4. Approve a digital proof. After payment, you see exactly what it'll look like on the shirt you picked, in the colors you picked. Nothing hits the press until you sign off.
5. Production runs. This is where the shop earns its money, quality control, proper curing, consistent print placement across every shirt.
6. Pickup or delivery. For Reno customers ordering from us, it's either 1,2 day USPS or UPS Ground from Yerington, or you drive out to the shop for pickup.

What to Look For in a Reno Print Shop

Reno has a handful of reputable custom apparel shops, and plenty of online brokers pretending to be local. A few things separate the real shops from the middlemen:

• They print in-house. If a shop can't tell you what kind of press they run, they're reselling your job to someone else. Ask. A real shop will talk about their press (automatic vs. manual, brand, number of color heads), their dryer, and their typical production throughput.
• They stock blanks. Shops that order every blank per job are slower and more expensive. Shops that stock common Gildan, Bella+Canvas, Next Level, and Carhartt styles ship faster and can handle rushes.
• They have wholesale accounts with real distributors. SanMar, S&S Activewear, and Alphabroder are the big three garment wholesalers. Access to those accounts means real blanks at real wholesale prices. We hold all three.
• They show their work. Photos of recent jobs, equipment shots, press in action. If the only portfolio is stock photos and mockups, that's a tell.
• They pick up the phone. Real shops have real humans answering. An online quote form that takes 48 hours to get a reply usually means the shop is running at capacity or doesn't actually exist at that address.
• They have verified reviews. Google Business Profile reviews, Junip reviews on product pages, Facebook recommendations. If a shop has zero reviews or only internal testimonials on their website, be cautious.

If you want to compare shops directly, we wrote an honest breakdown of the 7 best screen printing shops in Reno NV and a matching guide for the 7 best embroidery shops in Reno NV. Both include our honest take on each shop's strengths, us included.

Why a Yerington Shop Makes Sense for Reno Orders

Battle Born Clothing is based in Yerington, NV, about 70 miles east of Reno down US-95A. That distance catches some Reno buyers off-guard, so let me address it head-on: shipping time from Yerington to Reno is one business day via USPS Priority or UPS Ground, and you don't pay for it on bulk orders.

Why it works for Reno customers:

• Same pricing, lower overhead. Our rent in Yerington is a fraction of downtown Reno commercial space. That doesn't mean we cut corners, it means our per-shirt prices don't have to carry Reno real estate costs.
• Same equipment as the big shops. We run a commercial M&R Gauntlet GT-8 automatic press, Workhorse PowerHouse Quartz dryer, and Happy commercial embroidery machines, same industrial-grade hardware the larger Reno shops run.
• Faster production slots. Reno shops handle high local volume, which can mean 3,4 week backlogs in peak seasons (summer event season, back-to-school, holiday merch). We often have open production slots when downtown shops are booked solid.
• You pick up if you want. We're an hour down US-95A, easy drive if you're not in a rush. A lot of our Reno customers grab orders on a weekend drive out to Walker Lake or Pine Nut Mountains.
• Same-day quotes. Email your artwork and quantity to sales@battlebornclothing.com or call (775) 230-0211, you'll have a quote back within hours, not days.

What We Make for Reno Customers

We also handle bulk apparel orders for larger runs (500,5,000 pieces) and offer graphic design services if your logo needs cleanup before it goes to print.

Service Areas Beyond Reno

We serve the entire Reno metro and surrounding Northern Nevada region. If you're in any of these cities, we can ship direct or schedule a pickup:

• Reno, Sparks, and the USA Parkway / TRI industrial corridor
• Carson City, Dayton, Gardnerville, and Minden
• Fallon, Fernley, Lovelock, Yerington, and Hawthorne
• Tahoe (North Shore, South Shore, Incline Village)
• Elko, Battle Mountain, Winnemucca (mining corridor)

We also ship nationwide, we've sent custom orders to all 50 states.

Get a Free Quote on Custom Shirts in Reno

Tell us what you're ordering, we'll have pricing back to you the same business day. No minimums on embroidery or DTF. 24-piece minimum for screen printing. Prefer the Reno-specific form with a use-case dropdown? Hop over to screenprintsreno.com, it routes to the same inbox.

Same-Day Quote

Estimated Quantity 1-11 pieces 12-23 pieces 24-47 pieces 48-119 pieces 120-239 pieces 240-599 pieces 600+ pieces Send Quote Request

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do custom shirts cost in Reno NV?

Custom screen-printed shirts in the Reno area typically run $9 to $22 per shirt all-in (garment + print), with most small-business orders landing in the $12,$18 range. Cost depends on quantity, number of ink colors, and which blank you pick. A 24-piece run of 1-color Gildan tees runs around $12,$14 per shirt. A 60-piece order of 2-color Bella+Canvas tees runs around $10,$13. For exact pricing on your project, request a same-day quote, or read our full screen printing pricing guide.

What's the minimum order for custom shirts in Reno?

For screen printing, most Reno shops (including us) have a 24-piece minimum, below that, setup costs make each shirt disproportionately expensive. For embroidery and DTF printing, we have no minimum order, we'll do one hat, one polo, or one shirt.

How long do custom shirts take to order in Reno?

Standard turnaround is 7 to 14 business days from art approval. Rush orders (3,5 days) are available with a 25,50% surcharge. Our shop is in Yerington, NV, and Reno orders typically ship 1,2 business days via USPS or UPS Ground after production wraps.

What's the difference between battlebornclothing.com and screenprintsreno.com?

Both sites are ours, same shop, same team, same phone. battlebornclothing.com is our main storefront with the full product catalog, service pages, and in-depth guides. screenprintsreno.com is our Reno-focused quote landing page, leaner, with a same-day quote form and instant cost calculator tuned for Reno buyers. If you want to research, stay on battlebornclothing.com. If you just want a quote, use screenprintsreno.com.

Do you do custom shirts for small businesses and startups in Reno?

Yes, this is a huge chunk of our order volume. Startups, small businesses, new restaurants, freelance service providers, we print for all of them. Typical orders are 24,48 shirts or polos with a simple one or two-color logo. We can also help you clean up your artwork if it's not print-ready.

Can I get embroidered Carhartt workwear for a Reno construction crew?

Yes. We're an authorized Carhartt wholesale dealer and can embroider your company logo on Carhartt jackets, hoodies, beanies, vests, and canvas caps. This is one of our most popular services for mining companies, construction crews, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing teams across Northern Nevada. See our Carhartt embroidery guide for details.

Do you deliver or ship to Reno?

Both. We ship to Reno addresses via USPS Priority Mail or UPS Ground, typical transit time is 1,2 business days from Yerington. Free shipping is included on most bulk orders. You can also pick up in person at our Yerington shop (3 Pebble Beach Ln, Yerington NV 89447), about an hour drive from downtown Reno.

What file format do I need to send for my logo?

Vector files are ideal, AI, EPS, SVG, or high-resolution PDF. If you only have a JPEG or PNG, that's workable as long as it's high resolution (300 DPI minimum). If your artwork needs cleanup or conversion to vector, we offer graphic design services starting at $25.

Ready to Order?

If you're in Reno, Sparks, Carson City, or anywhere in the Truckee Meadows and need custom shirts for your business, team, or event, here's how to start:

Email your artwork and quantity to sales@battlebornclothing.com, or call (775) 230-0211. We quote same-day during business hours and you'll hear back from a real person, not a bot. Prefer a guided quote form? Use the one above, or use our dedicated Reno quote page at screenprintsreno.com.

Born in Nevada. Built for the Grind. See you out there.

Battle Born Clothing & Print is a custom screen printing and embroidery shop based in Yerington, Nevada, serving Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Fallon, and all of Northern Nevada. We also ship nationwide. Have more questions? Visit our FAQ.