Screen printing is one of the most profitable custom apparel businesses when you nail your pricing—but most shop owners leave thousands on the table by undercharging or using guesswork. Your price isn't just a number; it's the difference between growing or staying stuck.
Start With Your True Costs
Before you quote a single job, map out what actually costs you money. This includes:
- Direct costs: ink, blank apparel, separations, screens, and direct labor per shirt
- Overhead: rent, utilities, insurance, equipment maintenance, software subscriptions
- Hidden costs: design revisions, damaged pieces, setup time, quality control, packaging materials
Most screen printers miss overhead because they focus only on per-unit production costs. A typical shop allocates 25–40% of revenue to overhead. If your blank tee costs $3, ink and labor run $2 per piece, and you factor in overhead, your actual cost per shirt might be closer to $6–$7 before any profit.
The Markup Multiplier Method
Once you know your true cost, apply a markup that reflects your market position and order volume.
Small orders (1–24 pieces) typically earn 150–250% markup. A job costing $7 per shirt might sell for $17–$24 per unit. These orders demand higher prices because setup time doesn't scale. Setup—screens, separations, registration, testing—costs the same whether you're printing 5 shirts or 500.
Mid-volume orders (25–99 pieces) usually see 100–150% markup. Here, unit cost drops slightly due to efficiency, so $7 actual cost might price at $14–$17 per shirt.
Bulk orders (100+ pieces) operate on 75–100% markup. A corporate order for 500 polos might be priced at $12–$14 per unit, leaving good margin while competing on volume.
These ranges aren't universal—they shift based on complexity, your location, and local competition—but they're realistic anchors.
Factor In Setup and Complexity
Setup fees are where many printers undersell themselves. A basic single-color print requires minimal setup; a four-color photorealistic design with color separations and halftone burns takes hours.
Structure your pricing this way:
- Simple jobs (1–2 colors, stock designs): charge per-unit price only
- Standard jobs (3–4 colors, basic custom design): add $25–$75 setup fee
- Complex jobs (5+ colors, specialty inks, detailed color seps): add $100–$300 setup fee or quote as custom
Be explicit about what's included. One revised design? Free. Five revisions? $15 each after the first round. That clarity saves arguments and protects your margin.
Positioning Against Your Competition
Check what local screen printers charge for similar work, but don't just undercut them. If a shop charges $18 per shirt for a basic 2-color print and you're tempted to charge $15, ask yourself why they're higher. Is their equipment nicer? Their turnaround faster? Their customer service better? If yes, match or beat their price quality-for-quality. If no, you have room to price competitively higher.
Use online platforms like Mercoly to list your services and win leads at scale—you'll see exactly what customers search for and what they're willing to pay, which beats guessing about local competition.
Adjust for Profit Goals
Decide what profit margin you actually need. Many screen printers target 35–50% net profit after all costs and overhead. If your annual overhead is $60,000 and you want $40,000 in personal profit, you need $100,000 in revenue. That's your pricing ceiling if your costs justify it.
Calculate backwards: if you run 20 jobs per month averaging 50 shirts each (1,000 shirts/month), you need an average per-shirt price of about $8.33 to hit $100,000 annual revenue. Now build your pricing tiers around that target.
Test and Adjust Quarterly
Don't lock in pricing for a year. Review margins every three months. If ink costs spike or you upgrade equipment, recalculate. If you're consistently profitable and have more demand than capacity, raise prices 5–10%. If work is thin, analyze before cutting prices—it might be a sales or positioning issue, not a pricing one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I charge per-unit or offer flat-rate pricing? Per-unit pricing is clearer and scales with order size; flat rates work only if order sizes are predictable. Hybrid pricing (per-unit + setup) is standard and fair.
Q: How do I price rush orders? Add 25–50% to standard pricing for orders needed in under 5 business days, depending on your current workload and complexity.
Q: What if a customer wants a sample before committing to 100+ shirts? Charge for the sample or require a sample fee that credits toward the bulk order; don't absorb full production cost on speculative work.
Start pricing based on your real costs and desired profit—not what feels right or what competitors charge—and watch your profitability shift.