A $10 shirt and a $25 shirt both make sense, depending on the job. Custom apparel pricing moves with your garment, decoration method, quantity, artwork and deadline. This guide breaks down each cost driver, so Washington businesses, schools and event teams plan with confidence and know what to ask for when comparing quotes.
Six factors set the price on every order. Once you see them laid out, a confusing quote turns into a math problem you control.
Here’s the formula behind every quote:
Garment cost + decoration cost + setup or digitizing fees + quantity adjustment + rush fee (if needed) = your final price
Change one variable and the number moves. Order 12 shirts instead of 6, and your per-piece decoration cost drops. Add a second logo location, and production time goes up. Once you see the formula, a quote stops feeling random.
Two businesses ordering “custom shirts” walk away with two different invoices, and both are correct. One orders 12 heavyweight Carhartt shirts with embroidered logos on the chest and sleeve. The other orders 100 basic cotton tees with a one-color screen-printed design on the front. Different garment, different method, different quantity, different price.
Small orders carry the same setup work as big ones, spread across fewer pieces. Digitizing a logo for embroidery, or burning a screen for printing, takes the same time whether you order 6 pieces or 600. On a small run, that setup cost makes up a bigger share of your per-piece price. That’s normal, not a markup.
As quantity grows, setup cost gets divided across more units, and your per-piece price drops. This is where screen printing tends to gain an edge, since a bigger run spreads ink and screen costs further. Read more in our guide to bulk t-shirt printing pros and cons.
Watch the total, not just the per-piece number. Say one quote offers shirts at $5 each, but only in packs of 72. Another quote offers shirts at $9 each, in exactly the 50 you need. The math looks like this:
The first order looks cheaper per piece. It isn’t cheaper for your actual need, once the unused shirts are counted as waste. Order to what your team will use, not to whatever quantity unlocks the lowest sticker price.
Embroidery pricing runs on stitch count, not just design size. A denser logo with more stitches takes longer on the machine, which adds cost. Garment type, logo size and how many locations you decorate all factor in too, along with a one-time digitizing fee for new logos. See our custom embroidery services page for the full breakdown, including our 8-piece minimum on garments.
Screen printing pricing scales with quantity, ink colors and print locations. Each color needs its own screen, so a 4-color design costs more to set up than a 1-color design. That setup cost matters less as your quantity grows, which is why screen printing often wins on bulk orders. Details live on our screen printing page.
DTG (direct-to-garment) printing works like a high-end inkjet printer for shirts. There’s no screen to burn, so DTG often makes sense for small runs or highly detailed, full-color artwork. Learn more on our DTG printing page.
DTF (direct-to-film) prints your design on film, then heat-transfers it to the garment. It handles full-color designs on a wider range of fabrics than DTG, including some performance and polyester blends. See our DTF printing page for compatible fabrics.
| Method | Usually best for | Main cost drivers | Pricing tendency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embroidery | Polos, jackets, caps | Stitch count, garment, quantity | Higher setup cost, very durable |
| Screen printing | Bulk t-shirts, event shirts | Ink colors, print locations, quantity | Strong value at higher volume |
| DTG | Small or detail-heavy orders | Garment, artwork, quantity | strong for small runs |
| DTF | Full-color or performance fabric | Design size, garment, quantity | Flexible across fabric types |
No method wins every time. Screen printing often becomes more cost-efficient as quantity climbs, while DTG or DTF often makes more sense for a small or highly detailed order. Compare the trade-offs directly in our guide to embroidery vs. screen printing for work uniforms.
Setup costs (digitizing, screen burning, artwork prep) get charged once, then spread across every piece in the run. Order more pieces, and that fixed cost divides thinner. This is standard production economics, not a discount trick.
Volume pricing shows up most clearly on screen printing, where each added color needs its own screen. A jump from 24 pieces to 100 pieces spreads that screen cost across four times as many shirts. Our screen printing minimum order guide breaks down where those breakpoints usually land.
A lower unit price isn’t a saving if you end up with 50 extra shirts sitting in a closet. Before you round up your order to hit a lower price tier, ask whether every piece will get worn. A crew of 22 doesn’t need 30 jackets just because 30 hits a better rate. Order for your real headcount, plus a small buffer for turnover.
A basic cotton tee and a heavyweight Carhartt jacket start at very different blank costs before decoration touches them. Fabric weight, brand, fit and durability all factor into that starting price. Read our smart apparel sourcing and cost-saving tips for how to pick the right blank for your budget.
Workwear needs to survive weekly washing and job-site wear, so a durable garment like Carhartt or Dri Duck earns its higher price. Event apparel, worn once or a handful of times, often does its job in a lighter, less expensive tee. Matching the garment to how it will actually be used keeps you from overpaying or underbuilding. See our construction company uniform guide for durability-first picks, or Carhartt alternatives for bulk workwear if budget is tight.
For a construction crew, a durable jacket worn for two seasons often creates more value than a cheaper one replaced every few months. For corporate teams, a higher-quality polo signals professionalism to clients. For schools, budget usually rules, and a reliable mid-range garment gets the job done. Match the spend to the job, not the other way around. Our t-shirt sizing and style guide covers fit and fabric basics if you’re ordering across a full size range.
NWCA ordering requirements
| Method | Minimum | Typical use | Pricing driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embroidery (garments) | 8 pieces | Polos, jackets, work shirts | Stitch count + garment |
| Embroidery (caps) | 8 caps per style/color | Hats, beanies | Stitch count + garment |
| Screen printing | 48 pieces | Bulk t-shirts, event shirts | Ink colors + quantity |
| DTG printing | 12 pieces | Small or detailed runs | Garment + artwork |
| DTF printing | 24 pieces | Full-color, mixed fabrics | Design size + garment |
Order below these numbers, and a small under-minimum $50 charge applies. That fee covers the fixed setup cost that would otherwise get absorbed by a bigger run.
Digitizing turns your logo into a stitch file an embroidery machine can read. It’s a one-time cost for a new design, and it’s saved for every reorder after that. Screen printing carries a similar one-time setup cost per color, per design. See our full logo digitizing for embroidery guide for how the process works.
Screen printing usually wins at volume; DTG or DTF usually wins on small, detailed runs.
Fewer colors and fewer stitches mean lower setup cost, especially on embroidery and screen printing.
One order of 48 shirts costs less per piece, and takes less coordination, than two orders of 24.
Don’t pay for performance fabric on a one-time event shirt, and don’t skimp on durability for daily workwear.
Standard turnaround avoids the rush fee entirely.
A stored logo skips the digitizing or setup fee a second time.
None of this means chasing the cheapest quote. It means spending your budget where it earns its keep.
Two quotes with different bottom-line numbers aren’t automatically comparable. One might include the blank garment, decoration, proof and shipping. The other might quote decoration only, with the garment, setup fee and shipping added later. Compare quotes apples to apples with this checklist:
A quote missing half of these isn’t necessarily cheaper. It’s often just incomplete.
Your first order with a new vendor carries the most friction: new artwork, new digitizing, new garment decisions. Every order after that gets easier, provided you stay with the same shop. That’s a big part of why 95% of NWCA customers reorder.
Your logo file, stitch count, garment specs and past order details all stay on record. A reorder skips the setup work your first order required.
For a construction crew, a matched uniform across five reorders looks more professional than five slightly different batches from five different vendors. For a school program, the same team look, year after year, builds identity. For a corporate account, consistent branding protects the image your first order established.
Because your artwork and specs are saved, a reorder often moves faster and involves fewer decisions than your first order did. That’s the value chasing a cheaper new vendor rarely accounts for.
Not sure exactly what you need priced? Visit our showroom in person. Read why a showroom visit prevents blind-ordering mistakes before you commit to a fabric or color sight unseen.
Send us these details, and we’ll turn around an itemized quote within one business day:
Cost depends on garment, decoration method, quantity, artwork and turnaround. A basic screen-printed tee in bulk costs less per piece than a small run of embroidered jackets. Send your order details through our quote form for an exact number within one business day.
Six factors set the price: garment, decoration method, quantity, artwork complexity, print locations and turnaround time. Change any one of these, and your quote changes. See the full breakdown in the “What determines custom apparel pricing” section above.
Usually, yes, on a per-piece basis. Setup costs like digitizing and screen burning stay fixed no matter the quantity, so spreading them across more pieces lowers your per-unit price. Order only what your team will use. Extra pieces bought purely for a lower rate aren’t a real saving.
Not automatically. They run on different cost structures. Embroidery pricing depends on stitch count and garment; screen printing depends on ink colors and quantity. Screen printing often becomes more cost-efficient as quantity climbs, while embroidery holds up better for durability on smaller runs. Compare both in our embroidery vs. screen printing guide.
Minimums vary by method. Embroidery garments start at 8 pieces, embroidery caps at 8 per style/color, DTG at 12 and DTF at 24 pieces. Screen printing minimums 48 pieces.
Setup fees are always itemized, never hidden. A new embroidery logo needs a one-time digitizing fee; a new screen-printed design needs a one-time screen setup per color. Both fees disappear on reorders, since your file stays on record.
Yes. A basic cotton tee and a heavyweight Carhartt jacket start at different blank costs before any decoration goes on. Choosing the garment for its actual use, not just its price tag, usually saves money over the life of the order.
Yes, in most cases. Extra print or embroidery locations add production time and, on screen printing, may require an additional screen. A single chest logo is the lowest-cost starting point.
Often, yes, because setup work is already done. Your artwork, stitch file and garment specs stay on file after your first order, so a reorder usually skips the digitizing or setup fee that came with the original run.
Yes. Send your project details (garment, quantity, decoration method, timeline) through our contact page, and we’ll build a quote within one business day, no obligation to order.
You now know what sets your price: garment, method, quantity, artwork, locations and turnaround. The fastest way to see your actual number is to send us your order details.
Call 253-922-5793 or visit our Milton, WA showroom, Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
