Minimum Quantity in Textile Printing — Which Method Pays Off When?

Minimum quantity per method — quick overview

Rule of thumb: Low quantity = digital. High quantity = screen printing. Embroidery for premium look.

Why is there a minimum quantity at all?

The reason is set-up cost — cost for print preparation that is charged once on every order, regardless of quantity. Per method:

• Screen printing: Create and set up one screen per print colour — with us €20 per screen (net), per printed side; on coloured garments a white underbase is added as an extra screen, not on white or off-white. With 4-colour print: 80 euros set-up cost, 100 euros on coloured garments (net, plus VAT).
• Embroidery: Digitise embroidery file (digitising fee 27.50 to 88.00 euros net depending on embroidery area), program machine.
• Sublimation: Prepare special ink and sublimation paper.
• DTG/DTF (digital print): No set-up cost, hence possible from 1 piece.
• Flex print: Plotter set-up, from 1 piece.

At low quantity, set-up costs make the unit price high. At high quantity, they spread across many pieces and drop significantly per piece.

Screen printing — with us from 50 pieces

Classic for mass orders. The unit price drops in stages (price matrix, € net per piece, 1 print colour on a white garment, per print position; on coloured garments the white underbase counts as one more colour):

• 50 pieces: 1.93 euros print per piece
• 100 pieces: 1.16 euros
• 250 pieces: 0.99 euros
• 500 pieces: 0.83 euros
• 1,000+ pieces: 0.72 euros

For single-colour print and 100+ pieces screen printing is very economical per piece. Multi-colour printing (4-6 colours) makes it complex: each colour needs a screen, each colour set-up cost. So: many pieces = many colours sensible, few pieces = rather digital print.

Digital print (DTG) — economic from 1 piece

Digital print has no set-up cost with us — this applies to DTG and to DTF, which runs as digital print with the same prices. Per our price matrix, the print price per piece and print position (net, plus VAT) depends on quantity and motif area (from under 150 cm² to over 1,000 cm²), not on the garment colour:

• 1 to 24 pieces: 3.32 to 5.84 euros
• 25 to 49 pieces: 3.15 to 5.67 euros
• 50 to 99 pieces: 2.48 to 5.00 euros
• 100 to 249 pieces: 2.06 to 4.58 euros

Unit price drops less steeply than with screen printing — DTG print takes several minutes per shirt. Recommendation: below 50 pieces DTG, from 50 pieces screen printing if the motif fits (1-3 colours, clear contours).

Embroidery — economic from about 10 pieces

Embroidery has a digitising fee (the digitised embroidery file) that is charged on every order — for a 5 × 5 cm logo (25 cm², tier up to 30 cm²) 33.00 euros net; we keep the embroidery file on file. Then it runs by machine. Unit price for this logo (net, per embroidery position, excluding the garment):

• 1 piece: 10.06 euros embroidery
• 10 pieces: 8.18 euros
• 25 pieces: 6.29 euros
• 50 pieces: 4.44 euros

Volume effect is smaller than with screen printing because the embroidery machine takes time per stitch. Embroidery pays off when the look should be premium or the material (polo, cap, workwear) demands it.

DTF — flexible all-rounder

DTF combines advantages: no set-up cost, good on any fabric, brilliant colours. With us DTF runs as digital print — the same prices as for digital print above apply, from 1 piece.

At 100+ pieces of the same motif size screen printing often becomes cheaper, but DTF remains the pro for blended materials and functional fabrics.

Sublimation — for polyester, on request

Sublimation works only on polyester and needs special print set-ups. We offer sublimation on request — price and minimum quantity are stated in your quote. Advantage: print disappears into the fabric, feels like no print.

Break-even calculation — an example

Assume you need 75 white hoodies with a 2-colour logo. The hoodies themselves cost the same in both variants — and the volume discount (15 % from 50 pieces) applies to the goods only and is the same everywhere. The difference is the finishing alone (all amounts net, plus VAT):

Screen printing variant:

• Screen print set-up (2 colours = 2 screens at 20 euros): 40 euros
• Screen print per piece (2 colours, 50 to 99 pieces per our price matrix): 2.20 euros × 75 = 165 euros
• Finishing total: 205 euros → 2.73 euros per piece

On coloured hoodies the white underbase is added as a third screen: 60 euros set-up and a unit price as for 3 colours, 2.42 euros × 75 = 181.50 euros — together 241.50 euros, i.e. 3.22 euros per piece.

DTG variant:

• DTG set-up: 0 euros
• DTG per piece (logo of 150 to under 500 cm², e.g. 20 × 20 cm; 50 to 99 pieces per our price matrix, regardless of garment colour): 3.32 euros × 75 = 249.00 euros
• Finishing total: 249.00 euros → 3.32 euros per piece

For this logo screen printing is cheaper at 75 pieces: on white hoodies by 0.59 euros per piece (2.73 instead of 3.32 euros), on coloured ones by 0.10 euros (3.22 instead of 3.32 euros). For a small logo under 150 cm² (e.g. 12 × 10 cm) DTG costs only 2.48 euros per piece at 75 pieces — then DTG is cheaper: by 0.25 euros per piece on white hoodies and by 0.74 euros on coloured ones. At 200 pieces screen print drops to 1.43 euros per piece, and the 40 euros set-up comes to only 0.20 euros per piece; DTG then costs 2.90 euros per piece for the 20 × 20 cm logo.

When does what pay off — summary

• 1-15 pieces, any colour/photo: DTG or DTF
• Under 50 pieces, simple motif: DTG or DTF — we offer screen printing from 50 pieces only
• 50+ pieces, simple motif: Screen printing
• Polo/cap with logo: Embroidery (from 1 piece, economical from about 10 pieces)
• Functional fabric with print: DTF or sublimation
• Sport jersey with number: Flex print

More calculations in our volume discount screen printing guide.

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