Cheap Custom Shirts That Get Cheaper in Bulk

Where the Price Drops: Bulk Break Points

Every decorated shirt has two kinds of cost: the shirt and decoration you pay for on every piece, and the one-time setup you pay once per design. Bulk pricing works because that setup gets divided across more shirts, and because blanks and production get more efficient at volume.

Our setup fees are simple. DTF has no setup fee, embroidery has a one-time $35 digitizing fee per design, and screen printing, for orders of 100+ pieces through our team, has a one-time setup quoted with your order. Both setup fees are charged once per design, so reorders skip them. A three-color screen print needs three screens, each set up once. On 100 shirts that's a noticeable share of each shirt; on 250 it nearly disappears.

Price breaks across the industry usually step down at points like 24, 48, 72 and 144 pieces. If you're near a break, ask for pricing at two quantities; a few extra shirts can lower the cost of every shirt in the order. You don't need volume to order, though: you can always order a single shirt. For worked examples, see our breakdown of what custom t-shirts cost.

Cheapest Ways to Get Decorated Tees

For cheap custom t-shirts with the lowest possible price per shirt, these choices matter most:

• One ink color. Each extra color adds a screen. A bold one-color logo on a contrasting shirt often makes a sharper branded tee anyway.
• One print location. Front-only or back-only beats front and back, and a left-chest print is cheaper still.
• A value cotton or 50/50 blank in a standard color such as black, navy, white or heather gray.
• Everything in one order. Splitting the same design into three small orders repeats the setup and loses the quantity break.
• A reusable design. Leave the year off giveaway and staff shirts so leftover branded staff shirts stay useful next season.

For runs under 100 pieces, or for full-color art, we print with DTF, which has no setup at all; screen printing is for orders of 100+ through our team.

Branded Giveaway Shirts for Events and Fundraisers

Giveaway shirts only pay off if people wear them after the event. Choose a soft tee in a color people already wear, keep the front design clean, and put sponsor logos on the back, where local businesses are often happy to help cover the order in exchange for visibility.

Charity walks, 5Ks, church events, volunteer days, trade shows and company picnics all follow this playbook. Leagues and offices ordering sports and department shirts can add personalized names and numbers to just the shirts that need them. Schools stretch the budget with one design printed across the whole grade on school spirit shirts, in youth and adult sizes in the same order. Family reunions and personalized group trips work the same way: one shared design, with names added only where they matter.

Bulk T-Shirt Printing: Screen vs. DTF at Volume

At volume, the method decides most of the price.

• Screen printing pushes ink through a mesh screen, one screen per color. Setup is quoted with your 100+ piece order, but each additional shirt costs very little to print, so it's the cheapest option for one- to four-color designs on larger runs. Prints are bright, opaque and durable.
• DTF prints your design in full color onto film, then heat-presses it onto the shirt. There's no setup fee, and photos or gradients cost the same as simple art, but each print carries its own material cost, so the savings at high quantities are smaller.

As a rule of thumb, a one- or two-color logo on 100 or more shirts belongs on screen. A full-color design on 30 shirts belongs on DTF. Our screen printing and DTF options page shows both in detail, and this comparison of screen printing vs. DTF costs walks through the break-even point.

Wholesale Blanks From Budget to Premium

The blank is the other big lever. From least to most expensive:

• Value cotton (around 4.5 to 5 oz, open-end yarn): sturdy and inexpensive, with a slightly rougher feel. Fine for one-day events.
• Classic heavyweight cotton (around 5.3 oz): thicker and long-lasting, the default for bulk staff and team tees.
• 50/50 cotton-poly blends: shrink less, hold color well and print cleanly; a great middle ground.
• Ringspun cotton (around 4.2 to 4.5 oz): smoother yarn, softer feel and sharper prints, at a moderate step up.
• Tri-blends and performance polyester: the softest or most technical options, and the priciest.

If the shirt doubles as branded merch you'll sell, step up to high-quality blanks; a softer tee sells and gets worn more. Planning cool-weather events too? The same bulk logic applies to bulk custom hoodies.

White, Color and Mixed-Size Bulk Orders

White tees are usually the cheapest blank, and dark ink on white needs no extra steps. Dark shirts with light ink usually print over a white base so the colors stay bright. On dark garments, your mockup and quote show exactly how the design prints, and a white base layer never adds to screen-print setup. Heather and pastel shirts sit in between.

Mixing sizes is standard and doesn't change the setup. Extended sizes, 2XL and up, often cost more because the blank itself does. You can also run the same design on several shirt colors in one order, and your mockup shows how it prints on each one.

Budget Shirts That Still Look Good

A low price shouldn't mean a shirt that twists after one wash. Look for double-needle stitching at the sleeves and hem, shoulder-to-shoulder taping, preshrunk cotton and a tear-away or printed label. On the design side, size the front print about 10 to 12 inches wide for adult shirts, use strong contrast between ink and fabric, and avoid huge solid blocks of ink, which feel heavy and stiff on lighter tees. Washing the shirts inside out in cold water keeps an inexpensive print looking good for a long time.

Planning Timelines for Large Orders

Big orders go smoothly when you start early. Build in time for mockup approval, collecting sizes from everyone, finalizing every size and color you need, production and shipping. Tell us your in-hand date when you request a quote, and we'll confirm whether it's realistic before anything goes into production. Rush orders are available, with the fee quoted with your order. Approving the mockup quickly and sending a final size breakdown in one go are the two easiest ways to keep a large order on schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find cheap custom shirts that last?

Choose a classic heavyweight cotton or a 50/50 blend with double-needle hems, keep the design to one or two ink colors, and order everything at once. That combination keeps the price per shirt low while giving you a branded tee that holds its shape and color through dozens of washes.

How many shirts count as a bulk order?

Many shops treat 24 or more as bulk; at BizzyStitchn, bulk quotes and screen printing start at 100 pieces. From there, the price per shirt keeps falling at higher quantities, as the one-time setup is spread across more shirts and production runs longer.

How much do bulk custom t-shirts cost per shirt?

It depends on the blank, the number of ink colors, the number of print locations and the quantity. Screen printing, for orders of 100+ pieces, adds a one-time setup quoted with the order, while DTF has no setup fee. Request a quote at your expected quantity and one break higher to see how much the price per shirt drops.

Can I mix sizes and colors in a bulk order?

Yes. Sizes can be mixed freely within an order without extra setup, and the full quantity counts toward your price break. Different shirt colors can share one design too. On dark garments, your mockup and quote show exactly how the design prints, and a white base layer never adds to screen-print setup.

Do you sell wholesale custom t-shirts to resellers?

Yes, for brands that buy and hold their own inventory. We print your designs in bulk and ship the finished shirts to you; we don't offer print-on-demand or drop-shipping to your customers. If you're starting a label, read our guide to selling your own shirt line before you place your first run.