T-Shirt Printing Minimum Orders: What You Actually Need to Order
The first question almost every customer asks is "what's your minimum order?" The answer depends on what method you're using and how you want it to look. Here's the actual landscape so you can plan a job without wasting time getting quoted on something that won't work.
Why minimums exist at all
Custom printing has setup costs that don't scale with order size. Screen printing needs screens made. Embroidery needs the design digitised. Sublimation needs templates set up. Whether you order 10 units or 200, those setup steps still happen. Minimums exist so the setup cost doesn't end up bigger than the actual print job.
DTF is different. There's no per-job setup, just the press time, so a single tee is genuinely viable. Most "no minimum" shops you see in Melbourne are running DTF for the small jobs and quietly outsourcing or refusing screen print work below a threshold.
Minimums by method
| Method | Our minimum | Why |
|---|---|---|
| DTF (digital print) | 1 unit | No setup. Single tees work. |
| Screen print | 25 units | Screens cost $60 each to set up |
| Embroidery | 10 units | Design needs digitising once ($55 setup) |
| Sublimation (cut and sew) | 15 units | Pattern setup + minimum panel runs |
| Promo products (mugs, bags, etc) | 25 units typically | Supplier minimums, not ours |
What "no minimum" actually costs
You can absolutely get one custom tee printed in Melbourne. We'll do it. DTF is built for this. But the price per unit at one tee is meaningfully higher than at fifty, because all the cost (machine time, your artwork prep, garment cost, labour) lands on a single shirt instead of being shared.
A rough rule: a one-off DTF tee runs about $50-65 depending on garment and print size. The same artwork on the same garment at fifty units drops to $25-30 each. The setup costs disappear into volume.
If you only need one or two for a sample or pitch, this maths is fine. If you're cost-comparing single-unit pricing to bulk quotes, you'll think we're expensive. We're not, you're just looking at a different product.
Where the value cliffs sit
Most quoting calculators have natural breakpoints where the per-unit price drops noticeably. Knowing where they are helps you order smart.
- 1-9 units - Sample rate. You're paying for setup time on a tiny order.
- 10-24 units - Small job rate. Cheaper per unit, still no screen print option.
- 25-49 units - Screen print becomes available. DTF still often wins on cost.
- 50-99 units - Sweet spot for most jobs. Both methods are competitive, depending on colour count.
- 100-249 units - Screen print pulls ahead clearly on per-unit cost.
- 250+ units - Bulk pricing tiers kick in. Worth getting itemised quotes.
Single units: when they're worth it
People often dismiss the "I just want one" scenario as a waste of time. It's not, depending on why you're doing it.
Useful single-unit jobs we see regularly:
- Brand pitch sample, before you commit to a thousand-unit run
- Photoshoot tee for product photography or a Kickstarter campaign
- Final-design check on a tricky garment colour or fabric type
- One-off staff gift, retirement piece, or commemorative item
- Wholesale buyer requesting a sample before placing a bulk order
For all of these the maths is "the value of getting it right is much higher than the unit cost." Small premium, big payoff.
What to send when you're getting a quote
The fastest quote we can give comes when you tell us four things upfront:
- What garment and roughly how many (estimate is fine)
- Where the print goes (chest, full front, back, sleeve)
- How many colours in the design (or send the artwork, we'll count)
- When you need them by
With that, we can come back same business day with itemised pricing, a recommendation on the best method, and any flags about lead time or fabric compatibility. Send it through here or email sales@melbournemerch.com.au.
FAQ
Do you have a true zero-minimum option?
Yes, DTF starts at one unit. Screen printing stays at 25, embroidery at 10. We won't refuse a small order, but we'll be honest about which method makes sense for the size.
Why is one tee so expensive compared to fifty?
The setup work, artwork preparation, machine warm-up, and labour cost is roughly the same whether we print one tee or fifty. At one unit, all that cost lands on a single shirt. At fifty, it's spread across fifty shirts.
Can I mix sizes within a screen print run?
Yes. The 25-unit minimum is by design, not by garment. So 25 tees with the same logo across XS to 3XL counts as a single screen print run. Different artwork would be a separate setup.
What about mixed methods on the same job?
Common request, and we do this every week. Screen print on the front for durability, DTF on the back for photographic detail. The minimum is the higher one (25 if any element uses screen print).
Do bulk discounts ever start lower than 50 units?
For DTF, no - the per-unit pricing is already at the floor. For screen print, the price drops in tiers from 50 onwards (50, 100, 250, 500). The biggest single drop is between 25 and 50.
Short version
One unit is fine for DTF. Twenty-five is the screen print floor. The maths gets dramatically better at fifty and again at a hundred. Whatever the size, send your details through and we'll give you the actual numbers, not a generic price list.