How Much Does Custom Screen Printing Cost?

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

If you've ever gone searching for screen printing pricing online, you already know it's a mess. Every shop seems to have a different answer. Some want to charge you setup fees before they'll even tell you a number. Others throw out prices so low you wonder if the ink will survive the first wash.

Here's the deal: I've been running an M&R Gauntlet GT-8 Revolver — an industrial 8-color automatic press — out of Yerington, Nevada since 2019. I've printed for mining crews pulling 12-hour shifts in 110-degree heat, off-road teams hammering through King of the Hammers, and local businesses that need uniforms to actually hold up. I'm going to break down exactly what drives screen printing costs — no jargon, no bait-and-switch — so you know what to expect before you ever request a quote.

The Short Answer: What Does Screen Printing Actually Cost?

For a standard custom screen-printed t-shirt in 2026, expect to pay somewhere between $6 and $20 per shirt all-in (garment + printing) — with most orders landing in the $7–$14 range. That range is wide because a lot of variables are at play. A one-color print on 60 Gildan tees is a completely different job than a four-color design on 48 premium Carhartt pocket tees. Below, we're publishing our actual retail pricing with flash so you can see exactly how the numbers work.

Here's our actual retail pricing for screen printing — print cost per piece, not including the blank garment. These are real numbers straight from our shop, including flash charge (the cure between color layers that keeps everything crisp):

Pricing shown is per-piece print cost including flash (the mid-print cure between color layers). This does not include the blank garment. A Gildan 5000 runs about $3–$4 wholesale. A Carhartt K87 pocket tee? You're looking at $12–$15 before any ink hits the fabric. Additional print locations (back, sleeve, etc.) are priced separately. Request a free same-day quote for your specific project.

Look at the jump from 1–11 pieces to 24+ — a one-color print drops from $9.31 to $4.62. That's the power of quantity in screen printing. And once you hit 60 pieces, you're under $3 per shirt for a single color. At 240+, even a 4-color print is only $2.75 per piece. That's why screen printing dominates for bulk orders.

The 6 Factors That Actually Drive Screen Printing Pricing

Every quote you get from any print shop — including ours — comes down to these six variables. Understanding them puts you in control.

1. Number of Ink Colors

This is the single biggest pricing lever in screen printing. Each color in your design requires its own screen — a custom stencil burned onto mesh using UV-sensitive emulsion. One color means one screen. Four colors means four screens, four setups, four registration adjustments, and four passes through the press. On our M&R 8-color press, we can handle up to 8 colors in a single run, but every additional screen adds setup time and material cost.

The sweet spot for most businesses? One to three colors. You get sharp, professional-looking results without the cost multiplying on you. If your logo has seven colors and gradients, we might recommend a different approach — like DTF printing, which handles unlimited colors at a flat rate.

2. Order Quantity

Screen printing is a setup-heavy process. Whether you're printing 24 shirts or 240, the time to burn screens, mix inks, register the design, and dial in the press is roughly the same. Once everything is dialed, the per-shirt cost drops fast because the press just keeps spinning.

Look at our pricing table — a 1-color print at 1–11 pieces runs $9.31 each. Jump to just 24 pieces and it drops to $4.62. Hit 60 and you're at $2.80. That's a 70% cost reduction just from ordering smarter. If you only need 6–12 pieces, DTF or embroidery is usually the smarter play. For bulk orders of 120+ pieces, screen printing becomes the most cost-effective method on the planet — and the prints hold up better than anything digital.

3. Ink Type

Not all ink is created equal, and the type matters for both cost and quality.

Plastisol ink is the industry workhorse — durable, vibrant, and cost-effective. It sits on top of the fabric and gives you that bold, opaque print most people associate with screen printing. This is what you'll get by default at most shops, and it's a great choice for the majority of jobs.

Water-based ink soaks into the fabric fibers rather than sitting on top, giving you a softer hand-feel. It costs a bit more due to longer dry times and more finicky press management. Great for retail-quality garments where that "no-feel" print matters.

Discharge ink is the premium tier. It chemically removes the dye from the garment and replaces it with the ink color, resulting in an ultra-soft print that feels like it's part of the shirt. We use discharge on a lot of our own retail apparel because it's what the big brands use. Expect a 15–25% premium over plastisol, and it only works on 100% cotton or high-cotton blends.

Specialty inks like metallic, glow-in-the-dark, puff, and reflective all carry premiums ranging from 20–50% above standard plastisol. They look incredible but plan your budget accordingly.

"Screen printing is synonymous with durability and long-lasting quality. Unlike other printing methods, which might fade or deteriorate over time, screen-printed designs maintain their integrity, offering resistance to cracking, peeling, and fading. The process embeds the ink deeply into the fabric, ensuring that the design remains vibrant and intact over time." — Chromaline, an IKONICS Corporation brand and leading manufacturer of screen printing emulsions and supplies

4. Garment Selection

The blank you choose is often the biggest single cost in your order — bigger than the printing itself on large runs. Here's how common blanks stack up:

A lot of shops won't tell you this, but the garment you pick often matters more than the number of colors. If you're on a tight budget for an event, a Gildan with two-color print can look sharp and save you $5+ per shirt compared to a premium blank.

5. Print Location and Size

Standard pricing typically covers one print location — usually a left-chest logo or a full-front design. Every additional location (back, sleeve, inside tag) is essentially another setup. Front + back is the most common combo, and most shops (including us) will price the second location at a slight discount since the screens are already prepped.

Oversized prints that go edge-to-edge or wrap around sleeves require larger screens and platens, which can increase costs. If you're doing a standard 12" x 14" chest print, you're in the standard pricing lane.

6. Setup and Art Fees

Some shops charge $20–$35 per screen as a setup fee. On a four-color job, that's $80–$140 before a single shirt gets printed. Other shops roll setup into the per-shirt price (which is what you'll see reflected in the table above). Neither approach is inherently better — just make sure you're comparing apples to apples when you get quotes.

Art preparation is another potential cost. If you send a print shop a low-resolution JPEG and ask them to make it work, there's real design time involved in rebuilding that artwork into print-ready vector files with proper color separations. Some shops charge $25–$75+ for art prep; others include it. At Battle Born, we offer graphic design services to make sure your artwork is dialed before it hits the screen.

Screen Printing vs. Embroidery vs. DTF: Cost Comparison

People often ask us whether screen printing, embroidery, or DTF is the cheapest option. The answer depends entirely on the job.

Want the full breakdown? We wrote a complete comparison of Screen Printing vs. Embroidery vs. DTF that goes deep on when to use each method.

5 Ways to Get the Best Value on Your Screen Printing Order

After printing thousands of orders, here's what separates the customers who get maximum bang for their buck from the ones who overspend:

Keep your color count lean. A well-designed one or two-color print can look just as professional (sometimes more so) than a six-color design. Simple designs also print faster and more consistently.

Order in the quantity sweet spot. For screen printing, 60–120 pieces is where pricing really starts working in your favor. At 60 pieces, a 1-color print is just $2.80 each — compared to $4.62 at 24 pieces. If you're ordering 50 and can bump to 60, the per-piece savings often make the extra 10 shirts essentially free.

Match the garment to the job. Mining crew getting dirty every shift? A Gildan Heavy Cotton does the job at half the cost of a Carhartt. Client-facing sales team? The Carhartt or Bella+Canvas is worth the investment because it represents your brand.

Send print-ready artwork. Vector files (AI, EPS, SVG) with separated colors save your printer time — and that translates directly to savings on your quote. If you only have a JPEG, be upfront about it so your printer can factor art prep into the quote from the start.

Plan ahead. Rush fees exist because expedited jobs disrupt the production schedule. Standard turnaround (2–3 weeks) gets you the best pricing. Last-minute orders can add 25–50% to the total.

What About Printing on Dark Garments?

This catches people off guard. Printing on a black or dark-colored shirt costs more than printing on white, and here's why: ink isn't opaque enough to show up directly on dark fabric. Before your actual design colors go down, we have to lay an underbase — a layer of white ink that acts as a foundation. That underbase counts as an additional color in the print.

So that "two-color" design on a black tee? It's actually a three-screen job (white underbase + your two colors). Factor that into your planning. If budget is tight, printing on light-colored garments saves you a screen on every dark-shirt job.

Real-World Pricing Examples

To make this concrete, here's what typical orders look like when everything is factored in (garment + print):

Every order is different. These are ballpark ranges to help you budget — use the quote form below and we'll dial in exact numbers for your project.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does custom screen printing cost per shirt?

Custom screen printing costs between $1.86 and $13.76 per shirt for the printing alone (not including the blank garment), depending on quantity and number of ink colors. At 24 pieces with 1 color, expect about $4.62 per shirt. At 60 pieces, that drops to $2.80. At 240+ pieces with 4 colors, you're looking at $2.75 per shirt. Add $3–$15 for the blank garment depending on brand — a Gildan 5000 runs $3–$5, while a Carhartt K87 pocket tee is $12–$15.

What's the minimum order for screen printing?

Most professional screen printing shops (including Battle Born) set a minimum around 24 pieces for screen printing. Below that, the setup costs make each shirt disproportionately expensive. For smaller orders, DTF printing or custom embroidery are typically more cost-effective.

Is screen printing cheaper than embroidery?

For large, colorful designs on t-shirts and hoodies — yes, screen printing is almost always cheaper per piece, especially at higher quantities. Embroidery costs more per piece but gives a textured, premium look that's ideal for hats, polos, and workwear logos. We break down every scenario in our Screen Printing vs. Embroidery vs. DTF guide.

Do you charge setup fees?

Pricing structure varies by shop. Some charge per-screen setup fees ($20–$35 each); others roll them into the per-piece price. When comparing quotes, always ask whether setup is included or separate so you're comparing the real total cost.

How long does a screen-printed design last?

A properly cured screen print — run through a conveyor dryer at the correct temperature for the correct dwell time — should last the life of the garment. We cure every print on a Workhorse PowerHouse Quartz conveyor dryer with temperature monitoring to make sure nothing leaves the shop under-cured. Plastisol prints will eventually show some wear after many washes, but they should never crack or peel in the first year if done right.

Does printing on dark shirts cost more?

Yes. Dark-colored garments (black, navy, dark red) require a white underbase — an extra layer of white ink laid down before your design colors so they show up vibrantly. That underbase counts as an additional screen in the print. A "two-color" design on a black shirt is actually a three-screen job (white underbase + your two design colors). Printing on light-colored garments avoids this extra screen and reduces your per-piece cost.

Why are some shops so much cheaper than others?

You'll find quotes all over the map. Ultra-low pricing usually means one (or more) of these things: lower-quality ink, under-curing (prints that crack and fade fast), overseas production with longer lead times, or a bait-and-switch where fees get added later. A print shop running quality equipment with premium inks like Rutland, Wilflex, or International Coatings is going to cost more than a garage operation using bargain supplies — and the difference shows after the fifth wash.

Can I get just one shirt printed?

Not cost-effectively with screen printing. For single pieces or very small runs, DTF (Direct to Film) printing is your best bet. There's no screen setup, so the cost stays reasonable even for one piece. Check out our customizable products for options.

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