Question 1

How much does ink cost per shirt?

Accepted Answer

For plastisol at 100 square inch print area: $0.012-$0.022 per color per shirt ($25/gal plastisol ÷ 1,500-2,000 prints per gallon). A 3-color design at 100 sqin costs ~$0.05-$0.07 of ink per shirt. Water-based runs 25-40% higher per print. Specialty inks (puff, metallic, discharge) can double or triple that.

Question 2

What is the minimum order for screen printing to be profitable?

Accepted Answer

Minimum viable: 12-24 pieces. Below 12 the setup cost per piece destroys margin. A 1-color setup at $20 spread over 6 pieces is $3.33/shirt in setup alone. Most shops set their minimum at 24 pieces for stock blanks, 12 for contract printing with customer-supplied blanks. Screen print is genuinely wrong for 1-10 piece custom orders; recommend DTF or HTV for that volume.

Question 3

How do I price multi-color designs?

Accepted Answer

Each color adds setup ($15-$30) + ink rotation time + more labor seconds per shirt. Industry pricing typically adds $1.50-$3 per color per shirt to the base rate. A 1-color shirt at $9 wholesale becomes $10.50-$12 for 2 colors, $12-$15 for 3 colors. High color counts (6+) usually shift to a simulated process or CMYK process with its own pricing structure.

Question 4

Plastisol vs water-based: which should I price higher?

Accepted Answer

Water-based commands 20-40% premium. Soft hand feel, more environmentally friendly (less VOC), better for premium brands. Costs more per print ($30-$55/gal vs $18-$40 plastisol), requires tighter humidity control, and is harder to work with on dark shirts. Plastisol is the shop workhorse; water-based is your premium tier.

Question 5

What is a screen setup fee and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

Setup fee covers: coating the screen with emulsion, exposing the film, washing out, taping, and setting up on the press. Real cost: $15-$35 per screen depending on mesh count and complexity. Most shops bundle this into the per-shirt price on stock runs but itemize it on contract work. On small runs, setup fees dominate cost; on 250+ runs they are negligible per piece.

Question 6

How do I calculate run profit?

Accepted Answer

Run profit = (retail per piece - cost per piece) × quantity. The calculator shows this. A 100-piece 3-color run at $18 retail, $12 cost = $600 profit on $1,800 revenue (33% margin). That is the headline number; compare against the 6-10 hours of total time spent (burn screens + print + clean up) to see your effective hourly rate.

Question 7

Should I charge differently for customer-supplied blanks?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Contract printing (customer supplies blanks) uses a different pricing structure: per-piece print fee only, no blank markup. Typical contract rates: 1-color $2.50-$4.00 per shirt, 2-color $3.50-$5.50, 3-color $4.50-$6.50. You make less per piece but skip the blank-inventory risk.

Question 8

What does a typical 100-piece screen print order look like profit-wise?

Accepted Answer

Standard tee, 1-color, 100 pieces: $3 blank + $0.05 ink + $0.20 setup amortized + $0.30 labor = $3.55 cost. At 55% margin, retail $7.89 wholesale, typical customer pays $12-$15 retail. Run revenue $789-$1,500, run profit $434-$1,145. Total time investment ~4-6 hours. Effective hourly $80-$200. One of the best margins in custom apparel when run at scale.

Screen Print Pricing Calculator

Why screen print pricing confuses new shop owners

The run-quantity economics

Worked example: 100-piece 2-color run

Frequently asked questions

Apparel-method pricing companions