Can I get custom shirts with no minimum?

For small quantities, DTF (direct-to-film) prints as few as one shirt - it uses no screens. Screen printing starts at 25 pieces and embroidery at 12, because each takes a one-time setup that only makes sense across a run. That setup is not billed separately on any of them: there are no setup or screen fees.

Why do custom shirt shops have minimums?

Screen printing burns a screen for every ink color and embroidery digitizes your logo once - both are fixed setup costs. On a handful of pieces, that setup makes the per-shirt price steep, so a minimum keeps the math fair. DTF skips per-color setup, which is why it can go lower.

What is the cheapest way to get just a few custom shirts?

DTF. With no per-color setup, it is the most economical route for small batches, samples, and one-offs, and it prints full color at one flat price.

What is the cheapest shirt for a big order?

A budget blank printed in volume with screen printing. Our most cost-effective tee is the Port & Company Easy Cotton Tee (PC43); on a large single-design run, screen printing spreads its setup thin and gets you the lowest price per shirt.

Minimums, explained

Custom shirts with no minimum: the honest answer

“No minimum” is one of the most-searched things in custom apparel - and most shops are vague about it. Here’s the straight version: it depends entirely on the print method, and we’ll tell you exactly when a minimum applies and when it doesn’t.

The short answer

Need just a few? DTF (direct-to-film) has no per-color setup and can print as few as one shirt.
Ordering 12 or more? Embroidery opens up at 12 pieces and screen printing at 25, and both get cheaper per piece the more you order.

Why minimums exist at all

Screen printing makes a screen for each ink color; embroidery converts your logo into a stitch file once. Those are one-time setup costs. Spread across 50 shirts they’re tiny per piece; spread across 3 they’re painful. Our minimums - 25 pieces for screen printing, 12 for embroidery - are the point where that math starts working in your favor. DTF avoids per-color setup entirely, which is why it has no real minimum.

Getting the lowest price either way

For a small batch, DTF on the garment of your choice is the move. For a big run where cost per shirt is everything, screen-print our most cost-effective tee - the Port & Company Easy Cotton Tee (PC43) - and watch the per-piece price fall as the quantity climbs. Either way the price you see is all-in, with setup already included. See the pricing guide for the full breakdown.

Which method at which quantity

1–24 pieces: DTF. No per-color setup, full color, one shirt if that’s all you need. (Embroidery starts at 12.)
25–49 pieces: screen printing opens up and usually wins on bold 1–3 color designs; DTF still wins for photographic art.
50+ pieces: screen printing, no contest - the per-piece price keeps falling as the run grows, and running specials on the deals page can drop it further.

Custom embroidered shirts with no minimum?

Embroidery is the one method where a minimum genuinely protects you: your logo is digitized into a stitch file once, so tiny runs carry that whole cost. We embroider from 12 pieces - polos, hats, beanies, jackets - and the digitizing is a one-time thing, so reorders skip it entirely. Need fewer than 12 decorated pieces? A DTF-printed shirt gets you a small batch now, and the stitch file will be waiting when your order grows. Hats are where embroidery shines - see the embroidered hats guide.

Good blanks for a small run

When you’re only printing a few, the blank is most of what you feel - so pick a good one. The Bella+Canvas 3001 is the soft, retail-fit standard for DTF one-offs and samples. Want a heavier, boxier premium feel? The Comfort Colors 1717 garment-dyed tee looks like a merch drop even as a single. And when the run grows into the hundreds, the Port & Company PC43 is our most cost-effective tee for volume.

Local to Washtenaw County?

We print everything in Ann Arbor - free local pickup, no shipping wait, and you can see and feel blanks in the shop before committing to a big run.

See your price at any quantity

Build your order and the all-in per-piece price updates live - a few pieces or a few hundred.

Start designing → Screen print vs DTF The budget tee