How many shirts should you order for screen printing?

Order what you can sell, not what gets the lowest price per shirt. A 1-color front on a Bella Canvas 3001 is $15.46 a shirt at 24 and $7.06 at 500, because setup costs the same at any quantity. But 500 shirts is a $3,530 order. If you're reselling, 100 to 200 is usually the right range.

  • 1-color front on a Bella Canvas 3001: 24 shirts $15.46, 50 $10.81, 100 $8.76, 200 $7.96, 500 $7.06 a shirt.
  • The printing is the fastest part. Making the screens and setting up the press is the same work for 24 shirts or 500.
  • That's why the first jump, from 24 to 50, is the biggest.
  • The cheapest price per shirt can be your most expensive order: 500 shirts is $3,530, 100 is $876.
  • Reselling? Aim for 100 to 200 shirts, and find the right balance for your brand.
  • Threadbird standard pricing, November 2026. Sizes S-XL, before tax and shipping. Not a quote.

Nick Roccanti · Updated 2026-11-04

Transcript

Same shirt, same print. $15.46 or $7.06. The only thing that changed is how many you ordered.

Bella Canvas tee, one color on the front. 24 shirts, $15.46. 50, $10.81. 100, $8.76. 200, $7.96. 500, $7.06.

Here's why. The printing is the fastest part. Most of the work is making the screens and setting up the press, and that's the same for 24 shirts or 500. That's why the first jump is the biggest.

But here's the trap. The cheapest price per shirt can be your most expensive order. 500 shirts at $7.06 is $3,530. 100 at $8.76 is $876.

Don't order for the price break. If you're reselling, aim for somewhere between 100 and 200. That's usually where the price per shirt works for resale, without a pile of shirts you can't sell. It's about finding the right balance for your brand.

Part 4 of 5. Follow for part 5: putting it all together.

Up next in Pricing & quotes

  • How do you plan a custom shirt's cost backwards from its retail price? (video, 1:14)

    Start from your retail price. Rule of thumb: retail at least three times your landed cost (the shirt plus shipping, tags and packaging), so a $35 shirt should land under about $11.67. At 200 shirts, an AS Colour 5001 front print is $10.48, a Gildan 5000 front, back and sleeve $10.28, and a Bella Canvas 3001 front and back $10.01.

  • How much does the blank shirt change the price of screen printing? (video, 0:51)

    The blank sets the floor for your price. With the same 1-color front print on 200 shirts, a Gildan 5000 is $6.18 a shirt, a Bella Canvas 3001 $7.96 and an AS Colour 5001 $10.48. A cheaper blank isn't wrong, it's a different shirt for a different customer. Pick the blank first.

  • How much does each ink color add to a screen printed shirt? (video, 1:08)

    Less than most people think. On 200 Bella Canvas 3001 tees with a front print, one color is $7.96 a shirt and six colors $9.46, about 30¢ a color. It's more on smaller runs (45¢ at 100 shirts, 75¢ at 50). Threadbird charges no screen fees, including the white underbase on colored shirts.

  • How much does a back or sleeve print add to a screen printed shirt? (video, 0:51)

    Much more than an extra color, because each location is its own run on the press. On 200 Bella Canvas 3001 tees with 1 color per location, front only is $7.96 a shirt, front and back $10.01, and front, back and sleeve $12.06. That's about $2.05 a location, against 30¢ for a color.

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