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Pricing guide for t-shirt printers

How to price a printed t-shirt

Most underpricing comes from a cost that leaves something out: the packaging, the minutes, the shirts that did not come out right. Here is the formula, then one real example worked from start to finish: one color screen printed tee, which costs $8.76 per shirt and sells at $17.51.

Updated . Example prices checked on supplier sites the same month.

The formula

  • Cost per shirt = (materials + packaging + labour + dryer and exposure unit time) / shirts made
  • Price = cost per shirt / (1 - margin)

Margin is the share of the price you keep. A 50% margin means the price is twice the cost. A 60% margin means 2.5 times.

A worked example: one color screen printed tee

Small print shops often run orders of 24 to 72 shirts. This example screen prints a one color front design on 24 tees, with one screen and the dryer running about 40 minutes.

Cost of One color screen printed tee, 24 shirts
MaterialUsedCost
Plastisol ink, white, pint$22.95 for 16 fl oz12 fl oz$17.21
Photo emulsion, quart$41.99 for 28 fl oz1.5 fl oz$2.25
Blank tee (soft cotton, XS to XL)$5.78 for 1 piece24$138.72
Poly mailer 10 x 13 in$20.00 for 100 pieces24$4.80
Labour: 2 h at $20.00/hr$40.00
Time on the dryer and exposure unit: 43 min at $10.00/hr$7.17
Total for 24 shirts$210.15
Cost per shirt$8.76
Where the example prices come from
  • Blank tee (soft cotton, XS to XL): $5.78 for 1 piece, from Jiffy, checked October 4, 2026.
  • Plastisol ink, white, pint: $22.95 for 16 fl oz, from ScreenPrinting.com, checked October 4, 2026.
  • Photo emulsion, quart: $41.99 for 28 fl oz, from McLogan, checked October 4, 2026.
  • Poly mailer 10 x 13 in: $20.00 for 100 pieces, from Uline, checked October 4, 2026.
  • Custom DTF transfer 11 x 11 in: $7.26 for 1 piece, from Jiffy Transfers, checked October 4, 2026.

Prices change and shipping is extra. They are here to make the example real, not as a quote. Put your own prices in the calculator.

Step by step

  1. List what goes into one batch. Write down every material, with the amount you use for one batch of 24 shirts, and the packaging for each shirt.
  2. Price each material from the pack you bought. Divide the pack price by the pack size, then multiply by the amount you used. Change units first so grams go with grams. In the example the materials and packaging come to $162.98.
  3. Add your time. Count every minute: making, cleaning up, packing. 2 h at $20.00 an hour is $40.00.
  4. Add time on the dryer and exposure unit. Machines cost money to buy, run and repair. 43 min at $10.00 an hour is $7.17.
  5. Divide by the shirts you made. $210.15 / 24 = $8.76 per shirt. Use what you really got, not what the recipe promised.
  6. Set the price from the margin you want. Price = cost / (1 - margin). At a 50% margin: $8.76 / 0.50 = $17.51.

Check the wholesale price

Shops that buy wholesale usually pay about half of the shop price. Half of $17.51 is $8.76. That still covers the $8.76 cost, with $0.00 left per shirt.

What t-shirt printers often leave out

  • Screens and setup. Coating, exposing and registering screens take the same time for 12 shirts as for 100.
  • Ink lost on the screen. Flood coats and cleanup use more ink than lands on the shirts.
  • Misprints. A shirt ruined on press costs the blank and the ink. Order a few spares.
  • Bigger sizes. 2XL and up often cost a lot more as blanks. Price them on their own.

Try it with your own numbers

The apparel printing cost calculator starts with this example. Change the prices and amounts to yours and you have your cost and price in a minute. Save it as a recipe in Stockria and the cost stays right when a supplier changes a price.

We set it up for you

Frequently asked questions

How much should I charge for a screen printed t-shirt?

Add the blank, ink, emulsion, setup and your minutes, spread over the order, plus the mailer. That is the cost per shirt. Divide by 1 minus your margin. A shirt that costs $10 sells at $20 for a 50% margin.

Is DTF cheaper than screen printing?

For small orders and many colors, often yes, because there are no screens to set up. For big orders of one design, screen printing usually costs less per shirt. Work out both from your own costs.

Should I charge a setup fee per color?

Many printers do, because each color needs its own screen and setup. Either charge it on its own line or spread it over the shirts in the order.

How to Price A Printed T-Shirt: Formula and Example | Stockria