Printed T-Shirts for Events, Fun Runs and Fundraisers: Ordering in Bulk on a Budget

For events, fun runs and fundraisers, the budget formula is simple: a bold one-colour design (cheap to screen print in volume), budget-appropriate garments, ordered in bulk with a realistic size spread. Keep the design dateless where you can so leftovers stay usable, and consider adding sponsor logos — sponsors often cover the shirt cost in exchange for the placement.

Cost-stretching tactics

Tactic	Saving
One-colour design	Cheapest to screen print at volume
Budget garments	Lower unit cost for one-wear items
Bulk order	Setup spread thinnest
Dateless design	Reusable next year
Sponsor logos	Offsets or covers garment cost

Screen print is your friend at volume

For hundreds of identical event tees in one or two colours, screen printing gives the lowest per-shirt price — the setup cost amortises across the run. DTF only wins here if the design is full-colour or the quantity is smaller.

Getting the size spread right

Over-order the middle (M, L, XL), keep a handful of S and XXL, and add spares. For public events, err generous — you can't reprint on the day, and a leftover box beats turning runners away. A simple size-estimate breakdown (roughly 10/20/30/25/15% across S–XXL) is a safe starting shape, adjusted for your crowd.

Sponsor logos: the funding trick

A fun-run tee with sponsor logos on the back turns the shirt from a cost into a funded asset — local businesses pay for the visibility on every runner and every finish-line photo. Place logos by agreed size; keep the front for the event's own design.

FAQ

Cheapest possible event tee? One-colour screen print on a budget garment in bulk. Can we mix garment colours? Same design on different colours is fine; it can affect screen setup — ask. Dateless or dated? Dateless if the event recurs; leftovers then serve next year.