How Much Does Custom Screen Printing Cost in 2026?
"How much does it cost to print custom shirts?" is the number one question we get at French Press Custom. The answer depends on several factors, but we believe in pricing transparency, so here is a real breakdown of what drives custom screen printing costs in 2026, and where to see the live numbers.
The Short Answer
Screen printing is priced per shirt, and the per-shirt price is built from four things: the blank garment, the number of ink colors, the number of print locations, and your quantity. The price per shirt falls as the quantity rises, because one-time setup is spread across more pieces.
Rather than print a table here that goes stale, we publish the live numbers from our pricing engine in two places:
- How Much Does Screen Printing Cost?, our engine-fed cost guide with the current per-piece tiers by color count, all-in examples, and the setup fee
- LA Custom Apparel Price Index, typical all-in ranges from real recent orders
And for your exact job, the instant quote tool prices your garment, colors, locations, and quantity in about a minute.
What Affects Screen Printing Price?
1. Quantity (The Biggest Factor)
Screen printing has an inverse cost curve: the more you order, the cheaper each unit becomes. This is because the setup costs (screens, ink mixing, press setup) are spread across more garments.
Our screen print minimum is 24 pieces per design, and the per-piece price steps down at 48, 100, 200, 450, and 1,000 pieces. If your count sits just under one of those breaks, adding a few shirts can lower your total, not just your per-shirt price. Under 24 pieces? We route the order to DTG, which has no minimum and no setup fee.
2. Number of Colors
Each color in a screen print requires a separate screen, ink, and press pass. More colors mean more setup time and materials. One color is the base price; each additional color adds a per-piece ink charge and another screen setup. Beyond six or so colors, simulated process or DTG usually makes more sense.
3. Number of Print Locations
Each print location (front, back, sleeve, etc.) requires its own setup and press pass. A front-and-back job is essentially two print jobs on one shirt, and a full front, full back, and both sleeves is four. Secondary locations are priced lower than the primary one, but they are never free.
4. Blank Garment Choice
The blank t-shirt itself is a significant portion of the total cost. We price blanks at our wholesale cost times a fixed markup, so the spread between a basic Gildan 5000, a premium Bella+Canvas 3001, and a specialty Comfort Colors 1717 carries straight through to your per-shirt price. Hoodies, polos, and hats cost more than tees. Browse live blank pricing on our t-shirts page and hoodies page.
5. Ink Type
Standard plastisol ink is included in base pricing. Specialty inks (water-based, discharge, puff, metallic, glow) carry a per-piece or per-location add-on; the current add-ons are listed in the quote tool when you select them.
6. Setup Fees
Most printers charge a one-time setup fee per screen. At FPC:
- One-time prep (a flat fee per screen, one screen per color per location, plus film and press setup) is billed as a separate line only on orders at the 24-piece minimum; above that it is built into the per-piece price. The current figures are in the cost guide
- Setup fees are waived on reorders if we still have your screens
- Rush setup fees may apply for expedited orders
7. Art Services
If your artwork is not print-ready, expect art charges. Simple vectorization is the most common and least expensive; full design recreation and complex color separation cost more. These are one-time fees quoted up front before we start, and once your art is print-ready we keep it on file for future orders. See How to Prepare Your Artwork for Screen Printing.
How a Quote Is Built
Every screen print quote we send adds up the same way, so you can sanity-check it yourself:
- Blanks: quantity times the blank price for your garment and size mix
- Printing: quantity times the per-piece print price for your color count, at your quantity tier, for each location
- Setup: on a 24-piece order, the per-screen fee times the number of screens (colors times locations) plus film and press setup; on larger orders, nothing separate
- Art and extras: any art services, specialty inks, or finishing you add
- Tax: California sales tax applies to the blanks
The cost guide walks through worked examples using the current engine numbers, so you can see what a 36-piece club order, a 100-piece band run, or a 500-piece corporate order looks like today.
How to Get the Best Value
- Order more at once: jumping from 40 to 48 shirts often barely changes the total
- Reduce colors: a bold 2-color design often looks better than a busy 6-color one
- Choose a budget blank: if softness is not critical, a basic blank saves real money per shirt
- Print one location: back prints are cool but they double the print cost
- Plan ahead: rush fees add a surcharge to your total
- Reorder the same design: no new setup fees
Why Prices Vary Between Printers
If you are comparing quotes, understand that cheaper is not always better:
- Print quality: cheap shops cut corners on ink coverage and curing
- Blank quality: some shops use no-name blanks and charge premium blank prices
- Hidden fees: watch for art fees, setup fees, packaging fees, and shipping
- Service level: do they offer design help, mockups, and proofing?
At French Press Custom, our quotes include everything, no hidden fees. We use quality inks, proper curing, and back every print with our satisfaction guarantee.
Get Your Free Quote
Ready to see exact pricing for your project? Price it now in the quote tool, or tell us your quantity, colors, garment preference, and design details and we will have a quote back to you within 24 hours. Learn more about our screen printing services.
Call us at (562) 407-3800 or email sales@frenchpresscustom.com.
