Bulk T-Shirt Order Discounts, Explained
June 17, 2026 · Los Angeles Printing Depot
Custom shirts get dramatically cheaper per piece as the quantity climbs. Understanding why helps you order smart — and sometimes adding a few shirts actually lowers your total cost per shirt enough to be worth it.
Where the savings come from
- Setup is fixed. Screen printing has a one-time per-color screen charge. Spread across 24 shirts it's small; across 6 it's big.
- Garment price breaks. Blanks themselves get cheaper by the case.
- Run efficiency. Once the press is dialed in, each additional shirt is mostly just ink and labor.
The price-break tiers
Pricing steps down at common quantity breaks — typically around 12, 24, 48, 72, 144 and up. If a quote lands just under a break (say 22 shirts), bumping to 24 can drop the per-shirt price enough that the bigger order costs nearly the same — with spares in hand.
Bulk + DTG/DTF
Digital methods skip screen setup, so small orders stay friendly, but bulk screen printing still wins on cost per shirt for big, few-color runs. For mixed needs, the quote compares them automatically.
Set your quantity in the designer and watch the per-shirt price drop in real time, or request a bulk quote for 100+.
Keep reading
Custom T-Shirt Printing in Los Angeles: A Local's Guide
Everything an LA business, team, or event needs to know to get great custom shirts fast — methods, turnaround, and how to order online.
How Much Do Custom T-Shirts Cost? (2026 Pricing Guide)
A clear breakdown of what drives custom shirt pricing — and the quantity where screen printing overtakes DTG.
Screen Printing vs DTG: Which Do You Need?
A no-nonsense breakdown — when each method wins, and how quantity changes the math.