Quantity Discount Calculator — At What Quantity Does Screen Printing Pay Off?

How screen-print prices come about

Screen-print prices consist of three components:

1. Set-up costs (once per order, per print motif and printed side): €20 per screen (net, plus VAT) — one screen per print colour; on coloured garments a white underbase is added as an extra screen, not on white or off-white. These costs occur once per order — whether you print 50 or 5,000 pieces — and are charged on every order, including reorders. We keep your print data on file.

2. Unit costs (per shirt and print position): per our price matrix 0.72 to 6.38 euros net per piece depending on number of colours and quantity; the motif size does not change the price. On coloured shirts the white underbase counts as one more colour.

3. Textile price: depending on model, colour and size — the configurator shows you the current price.

The set-up costs are the decisive lever. For a single-colour design that is €20 on white or €40 on coloured shirts (net). Anyone printing 50 pieces — our smallest screen-print quantity — spreads that across 50 shirts (0.40-0.80 euros per piece). Anyone printing 500 pieces spreads the same set-up across 500 shirts (0.04-0.08 euros per piece) — negligible.

More background detail in our screen-print overview.

Sample calculation — 1-colour chest print on a standard t-shirt

Assumption: 1 print colour, chest print, print prices per our screen-print price matrix, all amounts net, plus VAT. On a white shirt that is 1 screen (20 euros set-up); on a coloured shirt the white underbase is added as a second screen (40 euros) — and the print is charged as 2-colour. The shirt itself comes on top; the volume discount applies to the shirt only, not to print and set-up.

(All values net, plus VAT. Values are sample calculations; your specific enquiry via the bulk order form gets binding prices.)

Insight: Below 50 pieces we don't offer screen printing — that is what digital print and DTF are for. At 50 pieces print plus set-up share costs 2.33 € net per piece on white or 3.00 € on coloured shirts, at 100 pieces only 1.36 € or 1.83 €. From 100 pieces screen printing is clearly cheaper than digital printing.

Comparison screen print vs. digital print

All values net, plus VAT, per piece and print position, without the textile. For screen print the set-up share from the table above is already included; per our price matrix digital print (DTG and DTF at the same price) has no set-up and costs the same regardless of garment colour.

Break-even point: we offer screen printing from 50 pieces. Below that digital print pays off, from 50 pieces usually screen print — exception at 50 to 99 pieces: small motifs under 150 cm² on coloured shirts are cheaper in digital print at 2.48 € net than in screen print (3.00 € net at 50 pieces). More on DTG in our digital-print overview.

When is screen printing always right?

• Runs of 100+ and a single-colour logo: Easy decision. Screen print cheap and brilliant.
• Club kit, carnival, promotion runs: typical large quantities here.
• High-end brand merch: screen print looks more refined and lasts longer than digital print.
• Special effects: metallic prints, glitter, high-gloss varnish only work in screen printing.

When is screen printing less suitable?

• Small quantities below 50: we offer screen printing from 50 pieces only.
• Photo motifs with many colours: every colour = its own screen = multiple set-up costs.
• Many variations (e.g. different names per shirt): personalisation is practically impossible in screen printing. DTF or digital print help here.

Multicolour prints — watch out for set-up

Each additional colour adds a screen. Example (net, plus VAT): 4-colour print = 4 × 20 euros = 80 euros set-up, on a coloured shirt with white underbase 5 × 20 euros = 100 euros. At 50 pieces that is 1.60 to 2 euros per piece for set-up alone — plus the higher unit price: 4 colours €2.70, on a coloured shirt charged as 5 colours €3.19 per piece. Economics tip quickly here — digital print or DTF often cheaper.

Tip: If you have a multicolour logo, check before ordering whether you can create a reduced 1- or 2-colour version for screen print. Every colour you drop saves a screen, i.e. €20 set-up (net) per printed side and order.

Special case — bulk orders from 500 pieces

Here screen-print prices are extremely competitive. Per our price matrix, print at 500 pieces costs 0.83 € (1 colour) to 2.48 € (9 colours) net per piece and print position, 4 colours 1.21 €, on a coloured shirt with white underbase charged as 5 colours 1.32 €. The set-up of 80 € (4 screens) or 100 € (with white underbase) is then spread across 500 shirts. Anyone planning large quantities (e.g. city festival, marathon, festival) is practically always cheapest with screen printing for one- to three-colour motifs.

Use case — quantity discount comparison

A club orders 80 t-shirts with a 1-colour chest logo. We compare only the finishing per piece — print plus set-up share, without the textile, all amounts net, plus VAT. The textile costs the same in both variants, and the 15 % volume discount applies to it only.

• Screen print: on white shirts 1.93 € + 20 € / 80 = 2.18 € per piece; on coloured shirts with white underbase (charged as 2 colours) 2.20 € + 40 € / 80 = 2.70 € per piece
• Digital print (DTG), per our price matrix by motif area and without set-up: 2.48 € per piece under 150 cm², 3.32 € per piece at 150 to under 500 cm²
• Saving via screen print at 80 pieces: on white shirts 24.00 € (small logo) or 91.20 € (medium logo), on coloured ones 49.60 € with the medium logo. With the small logo on coloured shirts, however, screen print costs 17.60 € more than digital print.