You have 75 shirts to order and four quotes that refuse to line up, because screen printing vs DTG vs DTF gets quoted four ways.
Direct answer: Quantity sets the floor: under 24 pieces pick DTG or DTF, from about 50 pieces upward screen printing wins on cost per piece, and embroidery wins on polos, caps and fleece past 12 units. Color count and fabric content then decide the rest.
Key Takeaways
- The blank is the big number, not the decoration. Screen print decoration runs $0.80–$2.00 per piece and DTF $1.50–$3.50, per ClothingManufacturer.us, while a Gildan 64000 lists from $6.96 and a Comfort Colors 1717 from $13.04 at S&S Activewear. Start every screen printing vs DTG vs DTF comparison with the garment.
- Setup, not ink, makes small runs expensive. QRSTs publishes $35 per color per side plus a 24-shirt minimum: $1.46 per shirt at 24 pieces, $0.07 at 500.
- Durability ranks in a fixed order: embroidery 100+ washes, screen print 50+, DTF 20–30, DTG 15–25.
Why Four Quotes Never Match: the screen printing vs DTG vs DTF Pricing Problem
Shops bundle different things into “per shirt.” Separate blank cost from decoration cost, or you are not comparing prices at all.
Instant-quote widgets ask for quantity and colors, rarely the garment, yet the blank is often 70–90% of landed cost. Rolled Up Tees publishes per-color upcharges of +$0.75–$1.50 for a second color and +$3.50–$5.00 or more for a fifth or sixth. Ask for three numbers: blank and list price, decoration per piece, total setup or digitizing.
Still not sure which method your job needs?
Send your artwork, quantity and deadline. We quote blank cost and decoration cost separately, so you can actually compare us to anyone else.
The Screen Printing vs DTG vs DTF vs Embroidery Framework
Match process to fabric first, then let quantity pick the winner. Screen printing pushes plastisol through one screen per color, so cost sits in setup. DTG sprays pigment into cotton fibers: photographic, no setup. DTF heat-presses adhesive-backed film onto any fiber, and per ColDesi color count “has little effect on the cost or output speed.” Embroidery sews a digitized stitch path.
The master comparison table
ClothingManufacturer.us, 2026 decoration-only ranges, excluding the garment. That publisher is an apparel manufacturer, so treat them as one interested source’s benchmarks, not quotes.
| Method | Decoration cost/pc | Setup | Practical minimum | Durability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen print | $0.80–$2.00 | $15–$25 per color | 24–50 | 50+ washes |
| DTF | $1.50–$3.50 | None | 1 | 20–30 washes |
| DTG | $2.00–$5.00 | None | 1 | 15–25 washes |
| Embroidery | $1.50–$8.00 | $15–$50 once | 12–24 | 100+ washes |
| Puff print | $1.50–$3.00 | $15–$25 per color | 24–50 | 30–40 washes |
Blank + decoration: screen printing vs DTG vs DTF in real dollars
A Gildan 64000 Softstyle lists from $6.96 at S&S Activewear, plus 1-color decoration and QRSTs’ $35 per color per side setup.
| Quantity | Blank (S&S list “from”) | Decoration/pc | Setup amortized | Landed cost/pc | Blank as % of landed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12* | $6.96 | $2.00 | $2.92 | $11.88 | 59% |
| 50 | $6.96 | $1.50 | $0.70 | $9.16 | 76% |
| 150 | $6.96 | $1.10 | $0.23 | $8.29 | 84% |
| 500 | $6.96 | $0.80 | $0.07 | $7.83 | 89% |
* Below QRSTs’ 24-piece minimum, shown to illustrate setup amortization only.
At 500 pieces the blank is 89% of landed cost, so change the blank before the method.
The fabric × method compatibility matrix
Fiber content decides feasibility before price does, so the screen printing vs DTG vs DTF answer changes with the garment.
| Garment / fabric | Screen print | DTG | DTF | Embroidery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% ring-spun cotton | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| 50/50 cotton-poly blend | Good | Fair | Excellent | Good |
| Performance polyester | Fair | Poor | Excellent | Fair |
| Fleece / hoodies | Excellent | Good | Good | Excellent |
| Polos | Fair | Poor | Good | Excellent |
DTF bonds to performance polyester where plastisol struggles, so the race-day tech tee runs DTF and the sponsor polo runs embroidery.
Where the screen printing vs DTG vs DTF cost lines cross
ColDesi’s break-even model puts the crossover near 800 shirts for a 4-color design and 500 for a single color, pricing its 250-shirt study at $194 (about $0.78 each) for screen printing against DTF at $0.70 ($174). Read that carefully: ColDesi models an equipment owner’s materials-and-labor cost, not a retail quote. At retail the crossover lands far earlier, commonly 48 to 150 pieces. Owners cross over in the hundreds; buyers in dozens.
The decision path
- Quantity. Under 12: DTF or DTG. 24 up: screen printing, leading from 50.
- Colors and fabric. One to four colors: screen printing. Eight or more, or polyester: DTF. Polos, caps, fleece: embroidery.
- Lifespan. A weekend: DTG or DTF. Three seasons of washing: embroidery.
Embroidery prices per unit by quantity and stitch band. The Apparel Factory lists $9.00–$14.00 at 12–24 pieces, $6.00–$8.00 at 50, $4.00–$6.00 at 150–300, under $4.00 at 500+, digitizing $35–$75, setup $25–$50. A left-chest logo runs 5,000–10,000 stitches (Essential Workwear).
Screen Printing vs DTG vs DTF on One Miami Order
A composite, illustrative example, not a Shirt Lab quote.
A Miami company needs 250 giveaway tees, 2-color front print. Screen printed: $6.96 Gildan 64000 blank plus $1.20 decoration plus $0.28 setup ($35 × 2 ÷ 250) equals $8.44 each, $2,110. On DTF: $6.96 plus $2.25, no setup, or $9.21 each, $2,302.50. Screen printing wins by $192.50, or $0.77 per shirt. At 8 colors DTF wins outright, because screen setup becomes 8 × $35 = $280 and Rolled Up Tees adds +$3.50–$5.00 each for colors five and six. Art specs per Printable Press; custom-cut MOQs are 50–500 units per style, per MakersRow.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what quantity does screen printing become cheaper than DTF?
In a retail screen printing vs DTG vs DTF quote, screen printing overtakes DTF between 48 and 150 pieces, as setup amortizes. ColDesi puts the crossover near 500 shirts for one color and 800 for four, but that is an equipment owner’s cost model, not a customer quote.
Which lasts longer, DTF or screen printing?
Screen printing lasts longer, 50+ washes against 20–30 for DTF, per ClothingManufacturer.us. Embroidery beats both at 100+ washes, which is why staff polos get stitched.
What is the minimum order for screen printing?
Most shops set 24 to 50 pieces, and QRSTs publishes a firm 24-shirt minimum, because screens must be burned and registered whatever the run size. The Shirt Lab Miami has no minimum order requirement, so we run a single shirt on DTG or DTF, with bulk tiering from 10+.
How much does it cost to print 50 custom t-shirts?
Rolled Up Tees reports most shops charge $8–$15 per shirt at 24–48 pieces, and QRSTs lists $12.75 at 24–60 for a 1-color print on lights. Our landed model reaches $9.16 before labor and margin.
Get a Real Quote, Not a Calculator Guess
A quote that separates blank from decoration is the only quote you can compare.
Four facts settle screen printing vs DTG vs DTF. Under about 50 pieces, DTF and DTG carry the day. From 50 upward, screen printing takes the cost crown on 1–4 color art, and past 8 colors DTF wins at any quantity. Embroidery wins on polos and caps.
We run all four methods in house here in Miami, so we settle screen printing vs DTG vs DTF on your numbers, not on the one machine we own. We have no minimum order requirement: order one shirt or one thousand, with bulk tiering from 10+.
Request a Custom Merch Quote
📞 786-508-4607 · ✉️ info@theshirtlabmiami.com · Mon–Fri, 9AM–6PM
Your Vision. Your Shirt.
Request a Custom Merch Quote
Send your artwork, quantity and deadline. You get a quote that separates blank cost from decoration cost, so you can compare it against anyone. No minimum order. Call 786-508-4607.