If there’s one question, I hear more than any other, it’s some variation of: “So, what does a custom t-shirt actually cost?” It’s a fair ask—and honestly, there’s a good reason it pops up so quickly. Whether you’re launching a new business, outfitting a team, or prepping for your next fundraising run, that magic number makes all the difference. Everyone wants value, not just the lowest sticker price. Let’s pull back the curtain and talk too long—and from experience—about where those numbers come from when it comes to custom tee pricing.
QUANTITY: WHERE BULK REIGNS SUPREME
The most noticeable factor when asking any local screen printing shop for a quote is quantity. Simply put: the more custom t-shirts for your business you order, the lower the per-unit price. Compare the company ordering twenty shirts as a thank-you for volunteers to the school placing those spirit-wear orders in the hundredth-the school kids’ shirts could cost 35-45% less each!
Why? Setting up presses, mixing inks, programming machines, it takes practically the same amount of prep (and skilled labor) to create one spectacular janitorial staff shirt as it does sixty. Higher runs dilute one-time “setup” costs across more units.
CHOOSING YOUR CANVAS: STYLE AND FABRIC
Here’s where it gets fun. You want your staff or guests looking snazzy, but the tee you pick packs a punch on cost. Entry-level 100% cotton tees might start at $7-9 per shirt (with moderate app quantities), but upgrade to ringspun softness or the athletic blends cushioning those creative branding solutions on all-office retreats, and you’ll pay $2-10 extra for style and texture. Add embroiderable polos, custom hoodies, sweatshirts or specialty workwear—even more choices with custom pricing.
DECODING THE IMPACT OF PRINT AND STITCH
Screen printing for schools and teams—especially if you want vivid logo design and apparel branding—makes amazing sense when printing the same simple artwork in bulk. Each color requires a unique screen, so three-color prints carry slightly more cost than black-only. Meanwhile, if you’re shopping business logo embroidery services or worried about embroidery services near me for hats and jackets? Cost adjusts based on stitch count, thread amount, and surface. Typical embroidery, like branding small logos on custom polos or caps, may add around $3-6 per piece on base tee cost.
SPECIAL REQUESTS, SPECIAL FEES
From careful file setup for art to ‘burning’ screens to adding names with business logo embroidery services, each step carries a labor value. Like wanting shirts packed by size for easy event handout—a gamechanger, often a handy $0.25 or so per shirt.
SETTING YOUR BUDGET: A FEW BALLPARKS REALLY HELP
Just as a snapshot, here is what corners of the print shop world look like:
Embroidery services near me or quick-turn local screen printing might add incremental rush cost–always ask.
MAXIMIZING YOUR ORDER (sans meltdown over budget)
Plain-spoken tips for slashing cost: Use vector files or print-ready images, group order details by garment color to avoid duplicating screens, check if close color matches RATHER THAN ‘spot specialty inks.’ A flexible timeline means your shop will batch promos with other jobs—a win-win “back pocket” approach.
SO, WHAT DO YOU GET? IT’S MORE THAN INK AND THREAD.
True custom touches are an extension of your business identity. We recently helped a small insurance office in the Midwest stylize every local farmers’ expo employee—a sea of ultra-soft blue tees matched with milky white logo design. The result? Recognizability soared, new client signups shot up, and folks asked where to buy their shirts after the event. Branded merchandise for companies makes people look twice, smile, and connect.
The real value also lives in straightforward pricing discussions. You never deserve vague, shifting past-slide quotes; instead, send an email or walk in your “logo cocktail napkin dreams,” and you’ll get transparency—cost ranges, clever workarounds, local suggestions on fabrics, minimums, and realistic delivery schedules.
YOUR LAST STEP: REQUEST WITH CONFIDENCE
Custom t-shirts aren’t cookie-cutter. But armed with context (and pro advice from your truthful screen printing guide), finding your answer is a lot easier—and enjoyable, dare we say? Just ask for a quote: a cost, yes, but also ideas to stretch your custom apparel as far as your next event, uniform, or team celebration will go. Price is important but value wins every time.
Feeling inspired or deep in questions? Drop us your details. There really is no wrong starting point—your shirt, your way (with numbers you'll see up front).