In this blog, we will cover how to price your screen printed work. If you are a hobbyist printer and are looking to start printing for cash then this is a great read. We will break down costs and make sure you cover your bases before sending your client a quote or invoice. If you are already printing for profit it's worth a glance to make sure you are charging for all aspects of your work. Below, we also include a great Pricing Template that will allow you to plug and play with numbers to get printing quotes quickly!
When screen printing for profit there are 4 things you want to take into consideration before giving your customer a quote. When talking with your client you should determine the four factors below.
- What type of garment do they want and what color?
Every garment differs in price and the type of screen printing textile you are printing on will determine what kind of screen printing ink you need to use. If it's cotton, that is simple. However, if someone wants something printed on nylon, for example, you may need to purchase a nylon additive thus driving up the cost.
Now let’s talk color. Lighter screen printing colors tend to be cheaper because the garment cost is usually cheaper and the labor to print on the garment is typically less. No print, flash print, or base color is needed.
- How many print locations are on the garment?
Number of locations is important because every time there is a new location you have to reposition the screen or switch the screen for an entirely new design. Let’s take a t-shirt with a large graphic on the back and a pocket print on the front. That will require two different inkjet transparencies printed and may take up two screens rather than one.
Repositioning the screen also requires more labor.
- How many colors does the print require?
Multiple color prints can be labor and supply intensive. Each color needs to be separated, printed onto its own transparency, and usually requires another screen coated with screen printing emulsion.
- What is the customer’s order quantity?
Quantity matters for several reasons. For starters, screen printing is labor intensive and it doesn’t make sense to go through the whole printing process for 2 items. Second, the more raw material you can purchase in bulk from your vendors the better pricing you will get. When buying t-shirts in bulk most sellers sell in quantity breaks. When it comes to your printing supplies such as emulsion and ink, buying a gallon of ink rather than an 8-ounce container is much more friendly for your bank account in the long run.
Below, we have included a basic template to get you started pricing your screen printed work. Keep in mind that every printing shop is different so this might not fit your exact operations. If you are a big shop you will need to take into consideration things like labor and shop rent.
Click here for Screen Printing Pricing Template
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