[silverbolt]

I found a company to screenprint my shirts at less than 5 dollars a piece for one color. I want to print another version of the same basic design but they are requiring I buy the same 72 minimum per design. Does this seem reasonable to those of you who have been doing this a while? They don't charge a set-up fee or a screen charge but they do have that 72 piece minimum per design rule.
Thanks
Silverbolt

 

[Rodney]

screen printing prices are usually calculated by the number of colors to be printed, the number of print locations, the color/style of the garment (if the printer is supplying the garments) and the quantity you want to print.

So changing any of those variables can change the price you pay to get shirts screen printed.

It's hard to say what's reasonable without knowing all of those factors.

A good way to find out if it is a good price is to call around to other local screen printers or to request bids on a place like http://boards.screenprinters.net (classifieds) or even the classifieds here.

You may find that running smaller quantities might be worth it even if you have to pay a screen fee or a film fee. That way you don't have more shirts than you need.

 

[Solmu]

It depends what you mean by "another version". If the art is different, then it's fair that their 72 minimum order applies to any design they're printing. If you're talking about a colour change, no it's not reasonable. Most places will charge you a fee to change ink colours (which is perfectly reasonable), but that's it. It takes labour to wash out the screen and setup again for a different colour, so that's fair. But by the same token it doesn't take that much labour. It really depends what you're asking them to do.

(incidentally, the 72 minimum, no setup charge, etc. is just a way of simplifying their charges to make them easier for customers to understand. They need to maintain that minimum in order to average out all the charges over the shirt cost.)

 

[lousentdreem]

places that i've dealt with require you purchase a case (72 tees) to get a decent wholesale price per tee. setup and screen charges usually are in addition to that- unless they are slow and you can talk them into killing a fee.
the price is based on one design being screened because changeover requires
new setup, screens, and labor. So that sounds pretty normal...if you're not getting charged for setup or screens that's a bonus or they may be adding it in to their cost per tee. find others that have made similar orders-ask what they got for a price!