How Much Do 50 Printed T-Shirts Cost? Bulk T-Shirt Pricing Explained

Fifty printed t-shirts cost noticeably less per shirt than ordering ten, because artwork setup and (for screen printing) screen-making are one-off costs spread across more garments. At around 50 units with a simple design, screen printing often becomes cheaper per shirt than DTF. Exact pricing depends on garment, print size, and number of colours — get a quote for your job.

What drives the per-unit price at 50 shirts

Factor	Effect on unit price
Method (screen vs DTF)	Screen wins at volume; DTF wins on colour flexibility
Number of print colours	More colours = more screens = higher setup
Print positions (front + back)	Each side is essentially another print
Garment brand and weight	Premium brands raise unit cost
Dark vs light shirts	Dark shirts need underbase

When does screen printing beat DTF?

Usually around 25–50 shirts for a 1–2 colour design. Below that, DTF wins because there's no screen setup. Above it, screen printing is faster per shirt and the per-unit ink cost drops. For a full-colour photo-style print, DTF wins at nearly any quantity.

Same design, mixed sizes?

No cost impact — sizes are priced from a size band. Ordering 20 mediums + 20 larges + 10 XLs is the same as 50 mediums for the print cost. Very small (kids) or very large (XXL+) sizes carry a small uplift.

Can I split into more designs?

Yes — but each design has its own setup, so 50 shirts as one design is cheaper than 25 + 25. Team kit with the same design and different names/numbers on the back is usually charged as one design with per-shirt personalisation.

FAQ

Is 50 the sweet spot for bulk pricing? It's often the point where per-unit price drops noticeably; 100+ drops further. Can we mix hoodies and tees at 50 total? Yes — same design across mixed garments works, cost adjusts per garment. Turnaround at 50 shirts? Usually within a week; rush jobs sooner — ask about our same-day service for local Ipswich work.