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What is the minimum order for custom printed t-shirts?

The minimum order for custom printed t-shirts is 36 pieces per design on screen printing. Embroidery also starts at 24 pieces, DTF transfers at 12 and heat transfer vinyl at 6; DTG has no minimum, so a single shirt is a real order. Minimums are per design, not per order, and they exist because of prep rather than greed: a screen has to be burned for every ink color whether the run is 36 shirts or 1,200, and that cost is carried inside the per-piece price, so below the minimum the per-shirt number stops making sense.

Last updated October 17, 2026 · Printed in Santa Fe Springs, CA · (562) 407-3800

Why screen printing has a minimum at all

Screen printing front-loads its work. Before a single shirt is printed, the artwork is separated by color, a film positive is output for each one, a mesh screen is coated and burned for each color, and the press is registered so the colors land on top of each other. That work is identical for 36 shirts and for 1,200. Below 36 pieces the setup is a larger share of the job than the printing, and the per-shirt number stops looking like a deal to anyone.

You never see that prep as its own line. It is spread across the run inside the per-shirt price, one screen per ink color plus one for the white underbase on dark garments, which is why the number falls as the count rises and climbs as colors are added. Runs of 24 pieces or fewer also carry film per color and a press setup per location, included the same way. The screens are burned fresh for every order, so a reorder carries the same prep, and we keep your artwork on file, so it is quick.

What to do if you need fewer than the minimum

Run it on DTG. Direct-to-garment prints from the file straight onto the shirt, so there is nothing to burn, nothing to register and no setup fee, and DTG has no minimum. One shirt, eight shirts or twenty all price the same way: a per-piece charge that gets better as the count rises.

The trade is that DTG likes cotton and likes a smooth blank, and it is a different look than a plastisol screen print: flatter, softer, more like the garment is dyed than coated. For full-color and photographic artwork it is frequently the better print anyway. If your count is close to 36, it is worth pricing both, because clearing the minimum changes the per-shirt number sharply.

Minimum is per design, not per shirt style

The count that matters is how many pieces carry the same artwork in the same ink colors. Within that, sizes mix freely, and in most cases so do garment styles and colors. Twelve tees and twelve hoodies with the same left-chest print is a 36-piece screen print job, not two jobs. Two completely different designs at 18 pieces each is not.

One thing that does count for you: the volume tier is calculated on the total pieces on the order across all designs, so a multi-design order reaches a better per-piece rate than each design would on its own.

Minimum order by decoration method

Method	Minimum	Why
Screen Print	36 pieces	One screen is burned per ink color and that prep rides inside the per-piece price, so a short run carries more of it per shirt.
Embroidery	24 pieces	The design is digitized into a stitch file once; the machine run is the cheap part.
DTG (direct-to-garment)	None	Printed straight onto the garment from a file. No screens, no stitch file, no setup.
DTF	12 pieces	Transfers are gang-printed on a film sheet, so a sheet has to be worth running.
Heat Transfer	6 pieces	Vinyl is cut and pressed piece by piece, which is why small runs work here.

Published order minimums. The quote calculator enforces the same numbers.

Go deeper

Price a short run on DTGOpens the calculator on the method with no minimum and no setup fee.Screen printing cost per shirtWhat the per-piece price does once you clear 36 pieces.Custom shirt minimums by print methodThe long version, method by method.

Frequently asked

Can I order just one custom shirt?

Yes, on DTG. Direct-to-garment printing has no minimum and no setup fee, so a single shirt is a normal order. Screen printing and embroidery are the methods with a minimum, because both pay for their setup before the first piece is made.

Is the minimum per design or per order?

Per design. You need 36 pieces carrying the same artwork in the same ink colors for a screen print. Sizes mix freely inside that count, and in most cases garment styles and colors do too, so a mixed run of tees and hoodies with one left-chest print counts as one design.

Why is the screen printing minimum 36 pieces?

Because the prep does not scale down. Color separations, film, a burned screen per color and press registration cost the same for a tiny run as for a big one, and all of it is carried inside the per-piece price. Below 36 pieces the prep would be most of what you were paying for per shirt, which is why we route those jobs to DTG instead.

Do the shirts have to be the same size and color?

No. Sizes mix with no restriction. Garment colors usually mix too, although moving between light and dark shirts inside the same design can change whether an underbase is needed, so give us the color breakdown when you ask for the quote and we will price it correctly the first time.

What is the minimum for embroidery?

Embroidery starts at 24 pieces, plus one-time digitizing of $45.00 per design. The stitch file is saved after the first run, so reorders of the same logo have no digitizing charge.

Is there a minimum for a rush order?

The same minimums apply on rush work. Standard turnaround is about 2-3 weeks after the artwork is approved and the deposit is paid. Rush is not a fixed window: it depends on the schedule, so tell us your date and a person will confirm what is possible.

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