Screen printing for event shirts
Screen print is the cheapest way to put a design on 48 or more shirts, and a sponsor back with ten logos in one color is one screen. Battle Born Clothing prints in-house in Yerington, Nevada with plastisol, water-based and discharge inks on a conveyor dryer. No hard minimum; 48 and up is where it pays.
What it costs
| Job | Print per piece | Screens (one-time) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 color, front only, light shirt | $4.34 | $20 |
| 1 color, front only, dark shirt (flash) | $4.59 | $20 |
| 1 color front + 1 color back, light shirt | $8.68 | $40 |
| 1 color front + 1 color back, dark shirt | $9.18 | $40 |
On the $6.04 PC61, a dark shirt with a 1-color front and a 1-color sponsor back is $15.22 each at 48 plus $40 in screens. Every extra ink color is another $20 screen and a per-piece rate quoted for the job. Quantities other than 48 are quoted per job. Worked totals are on the pricing page.
Sponsor backs count as one color if the logos are one color
The most common event back is a block of sponsor logos. Printed all in one ink color (white on a dark shirt, black on a light one), that is one screen and one print location no matter how many logos are on it. The moment one sponsor insists on their two-color logo, the whole back becomes a two-color print. Our sponsor-logo back guide shows how to handle that conversation.
Inks
- Plastisol: opaque, bright, sits on top of the fabric. Works on cotton, blends and polyester. The default for event shirts.
- Water-based: soaks into the fiber for a soft hand. Best on light 100% cotton. Good for merch people will keep.
- Discharge: removes the shirt dye and replaces it with the ink color. Softest result on dark 100% cotton. Not for blends or polyester.
The flash charge
On a dark shirt we print a white underbase and flash-cure it before the top color so the design is bright. That is the $0.25 per location on the quote. White, ash and most light colors do not need it. One reason light event shirts are cheaper.
Artwork for screens
Vector art (AI, EPS, PDF, SVG) separates into colors cleanly. A 300 dpi PNG at print size works for one-color art. Photos and gradients are not screen print jobs; they go to DTF. Minimum line weight is about 1 point; small text under 8 points fills in.
Questions
What is the minimum for screen printing?
No hard minimum. Under 48 pieces the $20 screens make each shirt expensive, and we will tell you if DTF is cheaper for your count.
Can you print youth and adult shirts together?
Yes. Same screens, same run, one quantity count. If the design has to shrink for youth sizes it needs its own screen ($20).
Do you keep the screens?
Screens are reclaimed after the job. We keep the film and the art, so a reorder pays for new screens but no new setup work.