Screen printing rates: what to charge per shirt, per colour and per run
Table of Contents
Published US rates run about US$14 to US$18 a shirt for 12 to 23 one-colour shirts, falling to US$4 to US$7 a shirt at 250 or more. Screen fees add about US$15 to US$35 per colour, once per design. Each extra colour adds about US$1.50 to US$2.50 a shirt.
A customer who can see what 48 two-colour shirts will cost, without waiting for a call back, has one less reason to look elsewhere. That starts with rates you can explain in one table.
The done-for-you automation platform for sign and print businesses: your customers price, order and pay on your own website, and we connect it all for you.
If you searched "screen printing rates" or "screen printing price list", here are the ranges, where they come from, and how to build your own.
How much should you charge for screen printing?
Screen printing rates per shirt depend on quantity and colour count more than anything else. This is one published US table for plastisol on a cotton tee, setup billed separately.
| Quantity | 1 colour | 2 colours | 3 colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 to 23 | US$14 to 18 | US$18 to 24 | US$22 to 30 |
| 24 to 47 | US$10 to 14 | US$13 to 18 | US$16 to 22 |
| 48 to 99 | US$8 to 11 | US$10 to 14 | US$12 to 17 |
| 100 to 249 | US$6 to 9 | US$8 to 12 | US$10 to 14 |
| 250 and up | US$4 to 7 | US$6 to 9 | US$8 to 12 |
Source: Printable Press, Screen Printing Pricing Guide, April 2026.
Read down a column to set your quantity breaks, and across a row to price each extra colour. These are US dollars. Convert them and check them against your own costs before you copy a number.
What do screen and setup fees cost?
About US$15 to US$35 per colour, charged once per design. A second guide from the same publisher puts setup at US$15 to US$25 per colour. A four-colour design costs about US$60 to US$140 in screens before any shirt is printed. On a 24-shirt, four-colour order, screen fees can be 40 to 60% of the whole job. That is why small runs feel expensive to the customer and why a reorder of the same design can come in cheaper: the screens may already exist.
How do you build a screen printing price list?
Cost each line, then set your breaks.
- Blank garment. About US$2.50 for a basic cotton tee up to US$12 or more for premium blends.
- Ink. About US$0.05 to US$0.30 a print. Small.
- Press labour. About US$0.50 to US$2.00 a piece in a commercial shop.
- Screens and setup. Per colour, per design, as above.
- Overhead. About 20 to 40% on top of direct cost.
- Margin. About 40 to 55% gross on print revenue.
Source: Printable Press, Screen Printing Cost Breakdown and How to Price Screen Printing Jobs, April 2026.
A worked example from the same guide: 100 white tees, two colours. Screens US$40, ink about US$25, blanks US$350, labour US$150, overhead US$60. Direct cost US$625. The guide prices it at a 35% gross margin, below the 40 to 55% it recommends, so read that as a floor: about US$962, or US$9.62 a shirt. At 45%, inside the range, the same job quotes at about US$1,136, or US$11.36 a shirt.
Then publish the breaks your customers think in. Common steps are 12, 24, 72 and 144 pieces, with a minimum of 12 to 24 per design. Add your surcharges as clear lines: each extra colour about US$1.50 to US$2.50 a shirt, rush jobs about 15 to 25%, specialty inks about 20 to 30%.
Why does the price per shirt fall so fast with quantity?
Because setup is fixed and the run is not. With one US$25 screen and a US$4 blank, cost per shirt falls from about US$9.08 at 12 shirts to US$5.75 at 100 and US$4.55 at 500. The ink and the press time per shirt barely move. The screen is simply shared by more shirts. The same logic runs long corflute sign runs; the volume method is in how to price printed signs.
How do you let customers price a print job without calling you?
Put the price list where the customer already is: your website. On a SwiftSignQuote store your customers choose the product, quantity, size and options, watch the price move, upload artwork and pay or check out as a quote. The price tables are calibrated with you before go-live, and they are yours to own and adjust after it. Show the screen fee and the minimum before checkout, not on the invoice, so the price the customer sees is the price they pay. We serve customers in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, Germany and the US.
We automate garment and embroidery sales too, as adjacent work. But the real money in most print businesses is in larger jobs and repeat customer orders, so that is where we recommend you focus the automation first. For most shops, that is not apparel.
See how it runs a whole print business in print shop management software, and how decals are priced in how much to charge for vinyl decals and stickers.
Or see it live on the demo store.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does screen printing cost per shirt?
One published US table puts one-colour prints at about US$14 to US$18 a shirt for 12 to 23 shirts, US$6 to US$9 at 100 to 249, and US$4 to US$7 at 250 or more, with setup billed separately. More colours cost more per shirt.
What is a normal screen fee per colour?
About US$15 to US$35 per colour, charged once per design. A four-colour design costs about US$60 to US$140 in screens before the first shirt is printed.
Why are small screen printing orders so expensive?
Because the screens and setup cost the same for 12 shirts as for 500. On a 24-shirt, four-colour order, screen fees can be 40 to 60% of the job.
What margin should a screen printer aim for?
Professional screen printers typically run about 40 to 55% gross margin on print revenue, with overhead of about 20 to 40% on top of direct cost.
What should a screen printing price list include?
Price per piece by quantity break and colour count, the screen fee per colour, the minimum per design, the extra colour charge, and surcharges for rush jobs and specialty inks.
Can customers price print jobs on my website?
Yes. On a SwiftSignQuote store your customers choose quantity, size and options, see the price and pay or check out as a quote on your own website. We automate garment and embroidery sales too, as adjacent work. But the real money in most print businesses is in larger jobs and repeat customer orders, so that is where we recommend you focus the automation first. For most shops, that is not apparel.
