The rising cost of custom printing and what you can do...

In the last few years, it seems like everything has gotten more expensive with no relief in sight. We've done our best to keep our costs in check so our customers don't feel the pain but the reality of the matter is that custom t-shirt prices are not excluded from the rising cost of goods and materials. Just like everything else in the world today, our cost to produce a custom t-shirt has increased as well. From the price of the blanks to the cost of inks, labor, utilities and shipping, everything seems to be going up. But did you know there are some tips to keep the cost of your custom t-shirts down? While these tips aren't significant in their ability to insulate you from the increases you are seeing, they still can provide a little relief which is why we felt it was best to share them with you as we are all in this together. So with all of that said here are some things that affect the price and what you can do to keep your custom t-shirt costs in check.

What makes custom T-shirts costs go up?

Most custom T-shirt price increases are out of the control of the T-shirt printing company.

• Wholesale garment prices have gone up considerably because of increasing raw material costs, including the cost of cotton (which rose by 50 percent last year), polyester, bamboo, and rayon.

• T-shirt manufacturing prices have also gone up nationally and abroad due to drastic increases in wholesale shipping costs. Oil and gas prices are higher. Shipping container costs have tripled since the beginning on the pandemic. Trucking load prices have increased by 12 percent so far this year and are expected to continue going up throughout the year.

• Port congestion and supply chain halts have also negatively impacted the manufacturing of inks in accordance with customer demand as well as limited the ink manufacturers’ ability to ship ink to screen printers in a timely manner.

• Inflation is ticking upward. As of March 2022, the inflation has climbed to 7.5 percent, the greatest spike in 40 years.

• Clothing brand manufacturers have increased their prices ranging from 5 percent higher on the lower end to 15 percent on the higher end. While clothing brand prices have gone up, availability and color choices have gone down.

How can you keep your custom T-shirt costs down?

Here are 7 simple strategies that we feel can help keep your costs down that you might not have previously been aware of:

1. Choose the right product. Not all T-shirts are created or priced equally. In fact, some of our favorite T-shirts have a lower price point than some premium priced brands. Check and compare garment prices. If you are selling T-shirts to promote your business or brand, choose a high-quality garment. If you are making T-shirts that will only be worn once as a gag, go cheap.

2. Increase your quantity. Some printing companies will offer you quantity discounts of upwards to 10%, 20% and even 30% for like items. Make sure to check with the company if such a program exists.

3. Reduce the number of print colors. Where This one is pretty self explanatory but one that a lot of people tend to overlook. Reducing the number of print colors will always keep the overall cost down. Work with your print company to see how best to maximize your color options while maintaining the overall look of the design. You will be surprise how much you can save when your color options are reduced.

4. Reduce the number of print locations. T-shirt screen printing pricing is based on the number of colors per print location. For example, if you have a 4-color design going on front, back, and sleeve, that’s a total of 12 imprints (or screens). Your order will be 3 times the cost of a single-location print job.

5. Order the exact sizes you need the first time. Guessing sizes can mean placing a second or third order. Ordering the sizes and number of T-shirts you need all at once gives you the greatest quantity price break and saves repeating printing costs. Compare it to making one lasagna to feed the whole family, or making one small lasagna, cleaning everything up, then making another small lasagna and cleaning everything, then making a third one—you get the picture. One and done is the most time saving and cost-effective way to go.

6. Choose the right decorating method. If you have a complicated design with lots of fine details and colors, instead of screen-printing you might opt for computerized direct-to-garment printing which requires only one printing pass. Similarly, it might make sense to embroider a small pocket logo on a few shirts rather than screen-printing it.

7. Eliminate personalization. Personalization adds to the overall cost of the final product. While we can always add a name or number, if you are looking to keep cost down and don't really need it, this may be an option that you pass on this time around.