How do you plan a custom shirt's cost backwards from its retail price?

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.

  • Rule of thumb: retail at least 3 times your landed cost. A $35 shirt should land at about $11.67 or less.
  • Landed means everything: the printed shirt plus shipping, tags and packaging.
  • Better blank: AS Colour 5001, front print, $10.48. Add a back and it's $12.53, a little over.
  • More prints: Gildan 5000, front, back and sleeve, $10.28.
  • In the middle: Bella Canvas 3001, front and back, $10.01.
  • It's a rule of thumb, not a hard line. Understand your costs, pick what matters most and design around your budget.
  • Threadbird standard pricing, November 2026. 200 shirts, 1 color per location, sizes S-XL, before tax and shipping. Not a quote. The 3x rule is a starting point, not financial advice.

Nick Roccanti · Updated 2026-11-04

Transcript

You want to sell your shirt for $35. Let's build it backwards.

My rule of thumb for every brand: your retail price should be at least three times your landed cost. So a $35 shirt needs to land at about $11.67 or less. And landed means everything. Shipping, tags, packaging. So the printed shirt needs to come in under that.

So now you've got a budget. The question is, what matters most to you? The quality of the blank, or more print locations?

Here's what that looks like at 200 shirts. If it's the blank, go AS Colour with one print on the front: $10.48. Add a back, and it's $12.53. A little over. And that's okay. It's a rule of thumb, not a hard line. Just know you're making that call.

If it's the prints, go Gildan. Front, back and sleeve: $10.28. Still under.

Or meet in the middle. Bella Canvas, front and back: $10.01. Under the line too.

Neither one is wrong. Understand your costs, pick what matters most to your brand, and design around your budget.

That's the series. Want your exact numbers? The estimator's free at threadbird.com. Follow for more.

Up next in Pricing & quotes

  • 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.

  • 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.

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