The most common question we get is the simplest one: how much is this going to cost? Most print shop websites answer with "contact us for a quote." We'd rather just show you. Every number on this page comes from the same price list our online designer uses, as of November 2026, so if you build the same order there you should see the same total.
Short answer: a single custom t-shirt printed on the front starts at $18.50 on a white Gildan tee and $23.00 on a colored one. At 48 or more, the same colored shirt is $18.50 each. A printed hoodie starts at $41.50 for one and comes down to $35.50 each at 48. No setup fees, no screens, and no New Jersey sales tax on clothing.
What one custom t-shirt costs
Because we print with DTF (direct-to-film) transfers and a heat press instead of screen printing, there is no screen to burn and no setup charge. That is the main reason a single shirt is affordable. Here is what one shirt costs on our most popular blanks:
| Shirt | White, front print | Color, front print | Color, front + back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton | $18.50 | $23.00 | $30.00 |
| Gildan 64000 Softstyle | $22.00 | $26.50 | $33.50 |
| Bella+Canvas 3001 | $23.00 | $30.00 | $37.00 |
| Comfort Colors 1717 | $34.50 | $31.00 | $38.00 |
| Gildan 18500 Hoodie | $39.50 | $41.50 | $48.50 |
"Front print" means one design on the front, up to a full-size print. Adding a design to the back is built into the front + back column. A sleeve print or any other extra spot is $3.00 more per shirt.
Comfort Colors is the odd one where white costs more than color. That is not a typo. The garment-dyed white blank simply costs more from the mill than the colored ones.
How quantity changes the price
Prices step down at 6, 12, 24 and 48 pieces. After 48 the price mostly levels off, because with DTF the cost of the transfer and the shirt itself is most of what you pay for. Here is the colored Gildan 5000 with a front print at each break:
| Quantity | Per shirt | Example total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $23.00 | $23.00 |
| 6 | $22.50 | $135.00 |
| 12 | $22.00 | $264.00 |
| 24 | $21.00 | $504.00 |
| 48 | $18.50 | $888.00 |
The biggest jump is at 48. If you are sitting at 40 shirts for a team or a family reunion, it is worth asking whether a few more people want one, because you may end up paying about the same total for eight more shirts.
Sizes and colors can be mixed. A team order with ten different sizes still counts as one quantity, as long as it is the same shirt style.
Three real example orders
A birthday shirt for one person
One black Gildan 5000 with a photo and name on the front: $23.00. Picked up at our door in Paramus, that is the whole bill. Shipped, add $9.99.
A youth soccer team of 24
Twenty-four colored Gildan tees, team logo on the front, player name and number on the back: 24 at $27.00 each is $648.00. If four of the parents want adult 2XL, those add $2.00 each, so $656.00. Want the town name down a sleeve too? That is another $3.00 a shirt.
A company with 48 staff shirts
Forty-eight Bella+Canvas 3001 tees in a heather color, small logo on the left chest and a big one on the back: 48 at $29.50 each is $1,416.00. The same order on Gildan 5000 would be 48 at $24.00, or $1,152.00. That difference is entirely the blank shirt, which is why we always let you see both in the designer before you decide.
What makes custom shirts cost more
- The blank. Softer, more fitted shirts like Bella+Canvas and Comfort Colors cost more than a classic heavy cotton tee. Our hoodie and sweatshirt guide walks through which blanks are worth paying for.
- Print locations. Front only is the base price. A back print adds roughly $4.50 to $7.00 a shirt depending on the style, and sleeves or extra spots are $3.00 each.
- Bigger sizes. 2XL and 3XL usually cost $2.00 to $4.00 more because the blank costs more. A few styles, like garment-dyed hoodies, have bigger jumps, and the designer shows that before you check out.
- Rush. Standard printed orders are ready 7 to 10 business days after your deposit. Rush gets them done in 5 business days for 25% more. More on that in our last-minute shirts guide.
- Embroidery. Stitched logos on hats and polos are done by our embroidery partner. Embroidered hats and polos start at 6 pieces, a trucker cap is about $19 each at 24, and there is a one-time $35 digitizing fee per logo that is waived at 24 or more.
What you will not pay
- Setup or screen fees. There are none on printed apparel.
- Art fees for normal files. If you have a logo or a clear image, you upload it and place it yourself. If your file needs real cleanup, we will tell you before we start. Our artwork guide explains what works best.
- Sales tax on clothing. New Jersey exempts most clothing from sales tax, and printed t-shirts and hoodies fall under that, according to the NJ Division of Taxation's clothing publication. Signs and vinyl decals are not clothing, so those are taxed at 6.625%.
- Pickup fees. Contactless pickup at our front door in Paramus is free. If you would rather we ship, it is $9.99 for up to 12 pieces, $14.99 up to 48, and $24.99 above that.
How payment works
You pay a 50% deposit when you approve your mockup, and the balance when your order is ready. Nothing gets printed until you have seen and approved exactly what will be on the shirt, at the size it will print. If something looks off, you change it in the designer before you pay a cent.
Is it cheaper to screen print?
For a single design in one or two colors on 100 or more shirts, screen printing at a larger shop can come out cheaper per shirt. For most of what people in Bergen County actually order, though, which is 1 to 72 shirts, often with full-color logos, photos or individual names, DTF is usually the better value because there is no setup cost to spread out. We go deeper on the trade-offs in DTF vs screen printing vs embroidery. We do not screen print ourselves, and if your job really would be cheaper that way, we will tell you.
Getting your own price
The fastest way is the designer: pick a shirt, upload your art, drag it where you want it and watch the price update. If you just want a ballpark first, the instant estimate tool takes about 30 seconds. And if you are pricing something other than shirts, the sign designer and vinyl designer work the same way.
If you still have a question about cost, text us at 201-948-4433. We are two guys in Paramus, so you will get one of us, not a call center.