Why Does Custom Apparel Pricing Change With Quantity? | Accent T-Shirts | by Lindy Williams

If you have ever requested a custom T-shirt printing quote, you may have noticed something interesting: ordering 48 shirts usually does not cost four times as much as ordering 12 shirts.

In fact, the price per shirt can drop significantly as your order quantity increases.

That is because custom apparel pricing involves more than the cost of the blank T-shirt. Every order requires artwork preparation, equipment setup, labor, printing, cleanup, and production time. Once those initial costs are spread across a larger number of garments, the cost per piece becomes lower.

At Accent T-Shirts in Las Vegas, we use quantity price breaks to help businesses, organizations, schools, events, and individuals get better pricing when ordering custom apparel in larger quantities.

Why Are 12 Custom T-Shirts More Expensive Per Shirt Than 48?

Imagine two customers want the exact same design printed on the exact same T-shirt.

One customer orders 12 shirts.

The other orders 48 shirts.

Both orders may require many of the same initial production steps. The artwork still needs to be reviewed and prepared. Screens may need to be created. Ink has to be mixed or selected. The printing press must be set up and registered. Test prints need to be produced before the actual order begins.

Those setup steps happen whether we print 12 shirts or 48 shirts.

With the 12-shirt order, those costs are divided between only 12 garments. With the 48-shirt order, the same basic setup costs are spread across four times as many shirts.

That is one of the biggest reasons bulk T-shirt printing costs less per shirt.

What Are Screen Printing Setup Costs?

Traditional screen printing requires preparation before the first shirt ever goes onto the press.

Depending on the artwork, production may involve:

• Preparing and separating the artwork by color
• Creating screens for individual ink colors
• Setting up the screens on the printing press
• Registering the colors so they align correctly
• Preparing and mixing ink
• Producing test prints
• Adjusting print placement and ink coverage
• Cleaning equipment after production

A one-color logo is generally simpler to set up than a four- or five-color design.

But regardless of the number of shirts being printed, the setup still takes time.

That is why screen printing is especially cost-effective for larger custom apparel orders.

What Are Quantity Price Breaks?

Most professional custom apparel printers use quantity price breaks.

Instead of charging exactly the same price per shirt regardless of quantity, the price per piece decreases when an order reaches certain quantity levels.

For example, a custom T-shirt order might have pricing tiers around quantities such as:

12, 18, 24, 48, 72, 144, or 500 pieces.

The exact price depends on the garment, artwork, print locations, number of ink colors, sizes, and decoration method.

This also means that sometimes ordering just a few additional shirts can move your project into the next pricing tier.

For example, if you are considering ordering 44 shirts, it may be worth asking what the pricing looks like at 48.

Depending on the project, reaching the next bulk custom T-shirt price break can make the additional shirts surprisingly inexpensive.

Production Becomes More Efficient With Larger Orders

Once a screen printing press is properly set up, producing additional shirts becomes much more efficient.

Consider the difference between preparing the press and printing 12 shirts versus preparing the same press and printing 100 shirts.

The initial setup work is similar.

The printer simply continues running additional garments through the production process.

This improved efficiency reduces the labor cost per garment and allows a printing company to offer lower per-piece custom apparel pricing on larger orders.

The same basic concept applies to many forms of branded merchandise and apparel decoration.

The Blank Garment Can Also Cost Less in Larger Quantities

Printing is only part of the price.

Your quote also includes the cost of the blank garment.

Apparel suppliers often provide better purchasing efficiencies when larger quantities are ordered. Shipping and handling costs may also be distributed across more garments.

That means larger orders can potentially benefit from savings on both:

the garment itself and the decoration process.

This is another reason companies ordering employee shirts, event apparel, or promotional merchandise often purchase enough inventory to cover future needs.

Number of Print Colors Affects Custom T-Shirt Pricing

Quantity is not the only factor affecting the price of a screen printed T-shirt.

The number of colors in your artwork can also make a difference.

Traditional screen printing generally requires a separate screen for each print color. A simple one-color design therefore requires less setup than a detailed six-color design.

For example:

A black T-shirt with a simple white logo may require a relatively straightforward production setup.

A design containing white, red, blue, gray, yellow, and green may require several screens, additional registration time, and more printing steps.

When keeping costs down is important, simplifying the artwork can sometimes help.

Print Locations Matter Too

Where your artwork is printed also affects pricing.

A basic order might include one print location, such as:

Full Front

Adding additional locations increases production requirements.

Common locations include:

Left Chest, Full Back, Sleeve, Right Chest, and Full Front.

A shirt with a small front logo and a large back print requires two separate printing operations.

Adding sleeve printing creates another production step.

This is why a custom T-shirt with front and back printing will typically cost more than the same shirt with only a front print.

Why Larger Orders Work Especially Well for Businesses

Businesses often get the most value by thinking slightly ahead.

Instead of ordering 12 employee shirts every few weeks, it may make more sense to order 48, 72, or 144 shirts at one time.

The additional shirts can be used for:

New employees, replacement uniforms, giveaways, promotional events, trade shows, customer gifts, community events, or future marketing.

You receive a lower cost per shirt while keeping branded apparel available when you need it.

Event Organizers Can Benefit From Bulk Pricing Too

Las Vegas hosts thousands of conventions, trade shows, corporate meetings, races, tournaments, reunions, and special events every year.

For an event organizer, ordering a few additional shirts can often make sense.

Extra shirts can cover:

Last-minute attendees, volunteers, event staff, size exchanges, damaged garments, VIP guests, or unexpected registrations.

Because larger quantities generally lower the custom T-shirt cost per piece, having a small amount of extra inventory may cost less than placing a second small order later.

Should You Always Order More Shirts to Save Money?

Not necessarily.

The goal should not be to purchase shirts you will never use simply to reach a price break.

However, if your quantity is close to the next pricing tier, ask your printer to compare the options.

For example, compare:

36 shirts vs. 48 shirts

or

65 shirts vs. 72 shirts

You may find that the additional shirts cost much less per piece once the order reaches the next quantity level.

For businesses and organizations that will eventually use the garments anyway, ordering slightly more upfront can be a smart way to stretch the apparel budget.

Does Embroidery Pricing Work the Same Way?

The basic concept is similar, although the production process is different.

Custom embroidery pricing typically depends on factors including the quantity of garments, stitch count, logo size, garment type, embroidery locations, and artwork digitizing.

Once an embroidery design has been prepared and the machines are set up, producing additional garments becomes more efficient.

As a result, larger embroidered polo, hat, jacket, and uniform orders will often have lower per-piece pricing than very small orders.

What About DTF Printing?

Direct-to-film printing, commonly called DTF, has a different setup process than traditional screen printing.

DTF can be an excellent option for smaller quantities, highly detailed artwork, or designs containing many colors.

However, quantity still matters.

Garment purchasing, transfer production, pressing time, labor, and overall production efficiency can all affect the final DTF printing price.

This is why the best printing method can change depending on how many shirts you need.

How Can I Get the Best Price on Custom T-Shirts?

When requesting a custom apparel quote, provide as much information as possible.

The most useful details include your approximate quantity, garment style, shirt color, size breakdown, artwork, number of print locations, desired completion date, and whether you need shipping or local pickup.

You can also ask for pricing at two nearby quantity levels.

For example:

“Can you quote this at 48 shirts and 72 shirts?”

That makes it easy to see whether moving into another quantity tier makes financial sense.

Custom T-Shirt Printing in Las Vegas

Accent T-Shirts provides custom T-shirt printing, screen printing, embroidery, DTF printing, promotional products, and custom apparel in Las Vegas.

Whether you need shirts for a local business, convention, corporate event, school, nonprofit organization, sports team, family reunion, or promotional campaign, we can help determine the most economical production method for your quantity and artwork.

The biggest thing to remember is simple:

The more efficiently an order can be produced, the lower the cost per garment can become.

That is why ordering 48 shirts can sometimes cost considerably less per piece than ordering 12.

If you're planning a custom apparel order, request pricing at a few different quantities. You may be surprised how much value you can gain by moving into the next price break.

Written by Lindy Williams, Founder/Owner of Accent Promotions and Media

Accent T-Shirts
Las Vegas, Nevada
702-866-8888
team@accenttshirts.com