How much does the blank shirt change the price of screen printing?

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.

  • Same 1-color front print, 200 shirts: Gildan 5000 $6.18, Bella Canvas 3001 $7.96, AS Colour 5001 $10.48 a shirt.
  • The print didn't change. Only the blank did.
  • A cheaper blank isn't wrong. It's a different shirt for a different customer.
  • The blank is the one part your customer touches every time they wear it, so pick it first.
  • Threadbird standard pricing, November 2026. Sizes S-XL, before tax and shipping. Not a quote.

Nick Roccanti · Updated 2026-11-04

Transcript

One blank costs about $2. Another costs up to $10. Here's what that does to your price once it's printed.

Same one-color print on the front. 200 shirts. On a Gildan, that's $6.18 a shirt. On a Bella Canvas, $7.96. On an AS Colour, $10.48.

The print didn't change. Only the blank did. Gildan runs about $2 to $3. Bella Canvas, about $4. AS Colour, $4 to $10.

Here's the thing. A cheaper blank isn't wrong. It's a different shirt for a different customer. But it's the one part your customer touches every time they wear it. So pick it first. Every other cost sits on top of it.

Part 1 of 5. Follow for part 2: ink colors.

Up next in Pricing & quotes

  • 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.

  • 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.

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