How much does each ink color add to a screen printed shirt?

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.

  • 200 Bella Canvas 3001 tees, front print: 1 color $7.96, 6 colors $9.46 a shirt.
  • Each extra color adds about 30¢ a shirt at 200 shirts, 45¢ at 100 and 75¢ at 50.
  • Every color is its own screen and its own setup on the press, split across every shirt you print.
  • Most shops charge a screen fee, usually $25 to $40 a screen. Threadbird doesn't.
  • Dark or colored shirts need a white layer under the ink. That's another screen, and Threadbird doesn't charge for it.
  • Cut colors when the design looks better with fewer, not to save a little on every shirt.
  • Threadbird standard pricing, November 2026. Sizes S-XL, before tax and shipping. Not a quote.

Nick Roccanti · Updated 2026-11-04

Transcript

Before you cut your design down to one color to save money, look at what the colors actually cost.

Same Bella Canvas tee, same front print, 200 shirts. One color is $7.96 a shirt. Six colors is $9.46. Each color adds 30 cents.

Here's why it goes up at all. Every color is its own screen and its own setup on the press. Most shops charge you a screen fee for every one of those, usually $25 to $40 a screen. Threadbird doesn't, but that setup gets split across every shirt you print.

Print fewer shirts and that same setup gets split fewer ways. At 100 shirts, each color adds 45 cents. At 50, 75.

Printing on black or any colored shirt? Every ink color needs a layer of white underneath, or the color shifts. That's another screen. We don't charge for it.

So cut colors when the design looks better with fewer, not to shave a little off every shirt.

Part 2 of 5. Follow for part 3: print locations.

Up next in Pricing & quotes

  • 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.

  • How many shirts should you order for screen printing? (video, 1:12)

    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.

  • 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.

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