Key Takeaways
- Flat per-shirt price, no surprises. This screen printing cost calculator uses Arklavo's actual finished prices, so the number matches what you pay at checkout.
- No per-color charge, no screen fee, no setup fee. A one-color logo and a four-color design cost the same per unit, so ink colors are a look choice, not a cost lever.
- No minimum order. Print a single sample piece or a run of a thousand.
- 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 pieces.
- First placement included. Each extra placement (back, sleeve) adds 8.99 dollars per unit, whatever the color count.
- Unlock an extra no minimums. Enter your email to reveal your first-order code.
How Screen Printing Pricing Actually Works
At Arklavo, screen printing is one flat finished per-shirt price by garment, with no per-color charge, no screen fee, and no setup fee.
Most print shops quote screen printing as a stack of fees: a screen-burn charge for every ink color, a setup fee, then a per-shirt rate that swings with quantity. That is why a four-color logo on twelve shirts feels eye-watering. Arklavo prices it differently. Your screen print is one flat finished per-shirt price by garment, with your first placement included, and there is no per-color charge, no per-screen charge, and no setup fee.
- Color count does not change the price. A one-color crew shirt and a bold three-color design cost the same per unit. You pick the artwork on look, not on a fee schedule.
- No screen or setup fee. Burning screens and dialing in registration are on us, so a short run is not penalized the way it is at a traditional shop.
- Placements. The first print location is included. Each extra placement, like a back hit or a sleeve print, adds 8.99 dollars per unit, whatever the color count.
- 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 quantity, garment, and placements and watch the per-shirt number move.
Try a bigger print run in the calculator
Bump the quantity and watch the automatic volume discount step the per-shirt price down. Then jump back to the calculator to lock your scenario.
Per-Shirt Screen Print Price by Run Size
The per-shirt price steps down at set quantities, and ink colors never move it. Arklavo applies an automatic volume discount by run size, with no code needed and no color surcharge along the way. The example column shows a printed tee at a 12 dollar finished price, with each tier's discount applied. The discount lands at checkout the same way on every garment.
| Run size | Volume discount | Example per shirt (printed tee, $12 finished) |
|---|---|---|
| 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: Screen Print, DTG, or DTF
Pick the print method on look and durability, not on price, because all three cost the same flat per unit at Arklavo.
Choose screen print
Bold, few-color art that needs to pop and last. The ink lays down thick and vivid, ideal for crew shirts, event tees, and uniforms run at medium and larger sizes. At Arklavo the price is the same flat per shirt as any print method.
Choose DTG or DTF
Photographic or many-color art, gradients, and small runs. Direct-to-garment and direct-to-film reproduce fine detail without a screen for every color. Same flat per-unit price, so you pick on the look.
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 mixed garments and placements, run each scenario in the calculator and email yourself the spec sheets to compare. Comparing methods? Price the same art with the DTG printing cost calculator or the embroidery cost estimator, or estimate a full order with the t-shirt pricing calculator. See every utility on the free tools hub, then request a quote to lock your price.
When the Per-Shirt Print Cost Moves Most
Your per-shirt cost moves on two things only: crossing a volume tier and adding a placement, never on ink colors.
What I Tell Teams About Screen Printing Pricing
I am Conor Smart, founder of Arklavo. The first thing teams ask me about screen printing is "how much extra for the colors," and the honest answer is nothing. We price print as one flat finished per-shirt price by garment, and a one-color crew shirt costs the same per unit as a bold three-color design. There is no per-color charge, no screen-burn fee, and no setup fee, because we absorb the screen burning, digitizing, and registration into that flat price instead of itemizing them. That is the math that makes small, multi-color runs painful at a traditional shop, and we took it off the table.
From there the model stays simple. The finished price already includes your first placement; each extra placement, like a back hit or a sleeve print, adds 8.99 dollars per unit no matter how many ink colors are in it. Run size is the only other lever: a volume discount lands automatically at checkout, 5 percent at 10 units, 10 at 24, 15 at 50, 20 at 100, and 25 percent at 250 or more, with no code to remember. There is no minimum, so a single sample piece is fine. The calculator above runs that exact formula on our live catalog prices, so the estimate is a planning number you can trust, not a guess. It excludes sales tax and assumes a standard front print for the first placement, and your exact price depends on the specific garment and brand, which a quote confirms. If you want a second opinion on garment or run size before you commit, send the spec and we will sanity-check it.
Last updated June 30, 2026
Screen Printing Cost FAQ
At Arklavo a printed tee starts around 12 dollars per unit, finished, with your first placement included. There is no per-color charge, no screen-burn fee, and no setup fee. The garment you pick and your run size move the number, and an automatic volume discount steps the per-unit price down as quantity climbs. The calculator on this page returns a per-unit estimate from your inputs.
No. Most print shops bill a screen-burn fee per ink color, which punishes small runs and multi-color art. Arklavo prices print as one flat finished per-unit price by garment, so a one-color logo and a four-color design cost the same per unit. There is no per-color charge, no per-screen charge, and no setup fee.
Screen printing shines for bold, few-color artwork at higher run sizes, where the ink lays down thick and the color stays vivid wash after wash. DTG and DTF handle photographic or many-color art and small runs without fuss. Since Arklavo prices all print methods at the same flat per-unit price, you can pick the method on look and durability, not on cost.
Yes. A properly cured screen print bonds into the fabric and holds up through heavy commercial laundering, which is why it is a workhorse for uniforms and crew shirts. For best life, wash inside out in cold water and skip high-heat drying. Durability is why many teams pick screen print for everyday wear.
Screen printing earns its keep on medium and larger runs of the same bold design, roughly 24 pieces and up, where the look and feel are at their best. With Arklavo there is no minimum, so a single sample piece is fine too, and the automatic volume discount rewards larger runs the same way it does on every method.
Arklavo applies an automatic volume discount by run size, with no code needed. It is 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. So the per-unit print price steps down as your order grows, and the discount lands at checkout.
The estimate includes the finished printed garment and your first placement, plus 8.99 dollars per unit for each additional placement, with any volume discount applied. There is no setup fee, no per-color charge, and no minimum order. It does not include sales tax. Shipping is free on orders over 150 dollars.
Each additional 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 number of ink colors in that placement does not change the price. The calculator adds each extra placement to the per-unit total so you can see the impact.
It is a planning estimate built from Arklavo catalog prices, with a flat finished per-unit print price, a volume discount by run size, and 8.99 dollars per extra placement. Your exact price depends on the specific garment and brand you choose, which is why a quote confirms the final number. Use the estimate to budget and compare scenarios.
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