There are three ways we decorate a garment, and the right one depends far more on your quantity and your artwork than on preference. Prices below are live - they are the same figures the order tool quotes from, per unit, on top of the garment price.
Which method suits your job
Digital / DTF Printing
Minimum 10 units
Best for: Small runs, full-colour artwork, photographs, or several designs across one order.
There are no screens to make, so there is no setup to amortise and the minimum is low. Print full colour at ten units without the cost penalty screen printing would carry.
Watch out: Per-unit price falls more slowly than screen printing. Past a few hundred units of a simple design, screen printing usually overtakes it on cost.
Screen Printing
Minimum 50 units
Best for: Big runs of the same design in a handful of flat colours.
Each colour needs its own screen, so there is setup work before the first shirt. That cost spreads across the run, which is why screen printing starts at a higher minimum and then becomes the cheapest option per unit as quantity climbs. Colours are solid and hard-wearing.
Watch out: Photographs and gradients do not suit it. If the artwork has more than about four colours, ask about DTF instead.
Embroidery
Minimum 11 units
Best for: Polos, caps, jackets and anything worn as a uniform.
Stitched rather than printed, so it survives industrial laundering and reads as more formal. Priced on stitch count, not colours - a small dense logo can cost more than a large simple one.
Watch out: Fine detail and small text do not stitch well. Very large designs get heavy and stiff on lightweight fabric.
What it costs
Per unit, added to the garment price. The unit rate drops as the quantity rises.
Digital / DTF Printing — priced by print position, minimum 10
| Quantity | Front | Back | Front + Back | Front + Back + Sleeve | Front + Back + Both Sleeves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10–24 | $12.00 | $12.00 | $15.00 | $20.00 | $25.00 |
| 25–49 | $10.00 | $10.00 | $12.00 | $15.00 | $20.00 |
| 50–99 | $8.00 | $8.00 | $10.00 | $12.00 | $18.00 |
| 100–199 | $6.00 | $6.00 | $8.00 | $10.00 | $15.00 |
Screen Printing — priced by number of colours, minimum 50
| Quantity | 1 Colour | 2 Colours | 3 Colours | 4 Colours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50–99 | $8.00 | $11.00 | $12.00 | $13.00 |
| 100–199 | $6.00 | $7.00 | $8.00 | $9.00 |
| 200–499 | $5.00 | $5.50 | $6.00 | $6.50 |
Embroidery — priced by stitch size, minimum 11
| Quantity | Small (1-5k stitch) | Medium (5-10k stitch) | Large (10-15k stitch) | XLarge (15k+ stitch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11–49 | $7.00 | $8.00 | $9.00 | $10.00 |
| 50–199 | $5.00 | $6.00 | $7.25 | $8.00 |
| 200–499 | $5.00 | $5.50 | $6.00 | $6.50 |
Choosing between them
A rough rule that holds most of the time: under 50 units, DTF. Over 200 units of a simple design, screen printing. Anything that will be worn as a uniform and washed weekly, embroidery. Between 50 and 200 it genuinely depends on how many colours the artwork carries, and that is worth a two-minute conversation rather than a guess.
Decoration is done in-house, so a printed order does not add a third party to the timeline — artwork, approval and dispatch stay in one place.