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

The minimum order for custom printed t-shirts is 24 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 setup rather than greed: a screen has to be burned for every ink color at $25.00 each whether the run is 24 shirts or 1,200.

Last updated September 21, 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 24 shirts and for 1,200. Below 24 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.

We charge that prep as a one-time line on runs of 24 pieces or fewer ($25.00 per screen, plus film per color and press setup per location) and waive it above that. Reorders of the same design skip it entirely, because your screens stay on file.

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 24, 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 24-piece screen print job, not two jobs. Two completely different designs at 12 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	24 pieces	One screen is burned per ink color, so a short run pays more in setup than in printing.
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 24 pieces.Minimum order for custom shirts, every method explainedThe 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 24 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 24 pieces?

Because the setup 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 a screen is $25.00 on its own. Below 24 pieces you would be buying setup rather than shirts, 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. What changes is the timeline, not the piece count: screen printing and embroidery normally run 7-10 business days and can rush in 3-5 days when the art is approved and the blanks are in stock.

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