Key Takeaways
- Real per-shirt price, not a guess. This DTG printing cost calculator uses Arklavo's actual finished prices, so the number matches what you pay at checkout.
- Color count never changes the price. DTG is priced flat per garment, so a one-color logo and a photo-real ten-color design cost the same on the same shirt.
- No setup fees, no minimum. Print one shirt or one thousand. There is no screen to burn and no per-color charge.
- Price drops as the run grows. A volume discount applies automatically: 5% at 10, 10% at 24, 15% at 50, 20% at 100, 25% at 250 shirts.
- First print included. Each extra placement (back, sleeve) adds 8.99 dollars per shirt.
- Unlock an extra no minimums. Enter your email to reveal your first-order code.
What DTG Printing Actually Costs
A full-color, direct-to-garment printed tee starts around 12 dollars per shirt and drops as your run grows. DTG is priced flat per garment, so the design's color count never changes the number; a one-color mark and a photographic print cost the same on the same shirt. Your price is the finished garment with the print and first placement included, plus 8.99 dollars per extra placement, with a volume discount applied automatically. There is no setup fee and no minimum. Use the DTG printing cost calculator above to see your exact per-shirt cost, then unlock an extra no minimums.
How DTG Printing Cost Actually Works
DTG cost comes down to the garment, the placements, and your run size, never the color count. Direct-to-garment printing, or DTG, lays full-color ink straight onto the fabric with an inkjet head, much like a printer puts ink on paper. At Arklavo it is one flat finished per-shirt price by garment, with the print and your first placement already in. There is no setup fee and no minimum. The thing that surprises most people: color count does not change the price. A one-color logo and a photo-real ten-color design cost the same on the same tee.
- Flat per garment. The blank drives the number. A printed tee sits at the low end; a printed hoodie or jacket sits higher because the garment costs more, not because of the art.
- No per-color charge. Unlike screen printing, DTG has no screens to burn, so full color and fine gradients cost the same as a simple mark.
- Placements. The first print is included. Each extra placement, like a back print or a sleeve hit, adds 8.99 dollars per shirt.
- Volume discount. The per-shirt price steps down as your run grows, and your email unlocks an extra 15 percent off your first order.
Use the calculator at the top to flex any of these and watch the per-shirt number move.
Try a full-color design in the calculator
Color count never moves the price in DTG, so run a photo-real front and a back print and watch only the placement add. Then jump back to the calculator to lock your scenario.
DTG Price Per Shirt by Run Size
The per-shirt DTG price steps down at set quantities, and color count never enters it. Arklavo applies an automatic volume discount by run size, with no code needed. The example column shows a full-color DTG tee at a 12 dollar finished price, with each tier's discount applied. The same flat price holds whether the design is one color or photographic.
| Run size | Volume discount | Example per shirt (full-color DTG tee, $12) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 9 | 0% | $12.00 |
| 10 to 23 | 5% | $11.40 |
| 24 to 49 | 10% | $10.80 |
| 50 to 99 | 15% | $10.20 |
| 100 to 249 | 20% | $9.60 |
| 250 plus | 25% | $9.00 |
Quick Reference: When DTG Is the Right Call
Reach for DTG when the art is full-color, detailed, or photographic, especially on cotton. With no per-color charge and no minimum, it is the simplest way to print complex designs at any run size.
Reach for DTG
Full-color, detailed, or photographic art on cotton and high-cotton blends. With no per-color charge and no minimum, a single sample shirt or a small run of complex designs is simple and clean.
Expect a soft hand
DTG ink soaks into the fibers rather than sitting on top, so the print breathes with the fabric and reads soft. That is why it suits detailed, full-color work that screen print would struggle to hold.
Grow the run
The automatic volume discount steps the per-shirt price down as your order grows: 5 percent off at 10, then 10, 15, 20, and 25 percent at 24, 50, 100, and 250.
For a one or two color design on a very large run, compare DTG with our screen printing cost calculator before you decide.
What Moves Your DTG Cost the Most
The garment and your run size move your DTG cost; the color count does not. Pick the blank and the quantity, add any extra placements, and your number is set.
What I Tell Teams About DTG Printing Pricing
I am Conor Smart, founder of Arklavo. The question I get most about direct-to-garment is "does a full-color design cost more than a simple logo." It does not. DTG sprays the ink straight onto the shirt, so there are no screens to burn and no per-color charge; a one-color mark and a photo-real print land at the same flat price on the same garment. We built Arklavo so a 12-person crew and a 300-person company get the same honest math: a finished price with the print included, a volume discount that shows up on its own, and no setup fee waiting at the end. The only thing that moves your DTG cost beyond run size is the garment you pick and extra placements at 8.99 dollars each. If you want a second opinion on garment or art before you commit, send the spec and we will sanity-check it. That is the whole model, and the calculator above runs it live.
Methodology and Data Sources
This calculator runs on Arklavo's own DTG production inputs, not a generic formula. It is a planning estimate, not a public flat rate, so the output is a primary source you can cite, not a formula anyone could rebuild from a blog post.
What the estimate is built from
- Live catalog prices. Finished per-shirt DTG prices for tees, polos, hoodies, sweatshirts, jackets, caps, aprons, and bags from the Arklavo catalog, with the full-color print and your first placement already included.
- Flat per-garment pricing. Direct-to-garment is priced by the blank, not the design. Color count, ink coverage, and gradients do not change the per-shirt price, because there are no screens to set up.
- Automatic volume discount. Real tiers by run size, applied at checkout with no code: 5 percent off at 10 units, 10 percent at 24, 15 percent at 50, 20 percent at 100, and 25 percent at 250 or more.
- Extra placements. The first print placement is included in the finished price. Each additional placement adds 8.99 dollars per shirt. There is no setup fee and no minimum order.
The formula
Per shirt equals the finished catalog price for the garment with full-color DTG print, which already includes the first placement, plus 8.99 dollars per shirt for each additional placement, with the automatic volume discount for your run size applied on top. Color count never enters the formula. Your email unlocks an extra 15 percent off your first order.
Sample basis and limits
Prices reflect Arklavo branded-apparel offerings across corporate, hospitality, workwear, healthcare, and team verticals, printed on cotton and high-cotton blends where DTG performs best. The estimate excludes sales tax and assumes standard left-chest sizing for the first placement. Your exact price depends on the specific blank and brand you choose, which a quote confirms.
Last updated June 30, 2026
Sources and further reading
- Arklavo catalog: finished per-shirt DTG prices with full-color print and first placement included.
- Arklavo volume discount tiers, applied at checkout: 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 percent at 10, 24, 50, 100, and 250 units.
- Direct-to-garment method: flat per-garment pricing with no per-color charge, plus 8.99 dollars per extra placement.
DTG Printing Cost FAQ
At Arklavo a direct-to-garment printed tee starts around 12 dollars per unit, finished, with your first chest print included. A printed hoodie or jacket runs higher because the blank costs more. DTG is priced flat per garment, so a full-color, photographic design costs the same as a simple one-color mark on the same shirt. The calculator on this page returns a per-unit estimate from your garment, run size, and placement count.
No. Direct-to-garment printing lays full color straight onto the fabric with an inkjet head, so a one-color logo and a photo-real, ten-color design cost the same flat per-unit price at Arklavo. Color count is a design and quality decision, not a price input. That is the big difference from screen printing, where each extra ink color adds a screen and setup.
Usually yes for small runs and detailed art. DTG has no per-color screen setup, so a run of one to fifty full-color tees is simple and the flat per-unit price applies from the first piece. Screen printing wins on very large single-color or two-color runs where the ink cost per shirt is lowest. Compare both with our screen printing cost calculator.
No. Arklavo has no setup fee and no order minimum on DTG, so you can print one shirt or one hundred. The finished per-unit price already includes the garment and your first print placement, and an automatic volume discount starts at 10 units.
The estimate includes the finished garment with full-color direct-to-garment printing and your first print placement, plus 8.99 dollars per unit for each additional placement such as a back print or sleeve. The automatic volume discount is applied. There is no setup fee and no minimum. It does not include sales tax, and shipping is free on orders over 150 dollars.
Each additional print placement, such as a back print or a sleeve hit, adds 8.99 dollars per unit on top of the first placement, which is included. The calculator adds each extra placement to the per-unit total so you can see what a front-and-back print does to your number.
Yes. Direct-to-garment ink soaks into the fibers rather than sitting on top, so the print has a soft hand and breathes with the fabric. It is at its best on cotton and high-cotton blends, which is what gives DTG its photographic detail and soft feel. Wash cold and dry low and the print holds well.
It is a planning estimate built from Arklavo catalog prices, with a flat finished per-unit price per garment, a volume discount by run size, and 8.99 dollars per extra placement. Your exact price depends on the specific blank and brand you choose, which is why a quote confirms the final number. Use the estimate to budget and compare scenarios.
Enter your email on this page and we send your discount code, an extra 15 percent off your first order with Arklavo. Apply it at checkout or mention it on your quote request, and we apply it to your first DTG run.
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