Underpricing is one of the most common ways heat press businesses slowly bleed out. It doesn't feel like a problem at first — the orders are coming in, customers seem happy, you're busy. But if you're not factoring in your real costs, you might be working hard for very little actual profit.
Here's a straightforward framework for pricing custom shirts that actually covers your costs and leaves room to grow.
Step 1 — Know Your Hard Costs Per Shirt
Before you can price anything, you need to know what it actually costs to produce one shirt. Hard costs are the expenses that go directly into the product — no guessing, no rounding down.
Blank Garment
This is usually your biggest per-unit cost. A Gildan 64000 might run you $2.50–$4.00 depending on where you buy and how many you order at a time. Heavier blanks, premium brands, or specialty styles cost more. Use your actual cost per unit, not a ballpark.
Transfer Cost
DTF transfers typically run $1.00–$3.00 per unit depending on size and supplier. Plastisol transfers on bulk orders can be cheaper per piece. Know your per-transfer cost for each design — this number matters more than most pressers realize.
Consumables
Teflon sheets, parchment paper, tags, poly bags, shipping materials. Small per-unit, but real. Budget $0.25–$0.75 per shirt depending on your packaging.
Step 2 — Factor in Your Time
Your time is a cost. A lot of new pressers skip this and wonder why the business doesn't feel sustainable. Whether you're paying yourself or planning to eventually, you need to account for labor.
At a consistent press pace, you can typically press 20–30 shirts per hour. If you value your time at $20/hr, that's roughly $0.70–$1.00 in labor per shirt, before setup, order management, packing, and customer communication. A fair total labor estimate for a simple one-color shirt order is $1.50–$2.50 per unit all-in.
Step 3 — Add Overhead
Overhead includes your heat press, electricity, software subscriptions, shipping supplies, and anything else that keeps the business running. This is harder to calculate per shirt, but a common approach is to estimate your monthly overhead and divide it by your average monthly unit output. If your overhead runs $200/month and you press 400 shirts, that's $0.50 per shirt.
Step 4 — Apply Your Markup
Once you have your true cost per unit, apply a markup that reflects your market position and profit goals. Most heat press businesses target a 2.5x to 3x markup on hard costs for retail orders, with bulk/wholesale pricing closer to 2x.
What the Market Actually Charges
Custom shirts from heat press operations typically sell in the $18–$30 range for standard tees, depending on design complexity, blank quality, and market. Hoodies run $35–$55. If you're pricing below $15 for a custom shirt, check your math — something's probably not being accounted for.
Bulk Pricing
Bulk orders lower your per-unit costs — you're buying more blanks, pressing more efficiently, and often ordering transfers in larger quantities. It's reasonable to offer tiered pricing for orders of 12+, 24+, or 48+ units. Just make sure your bulk price still covers your true costs with margin remaining.
Knowing Your Costs Starts With Inventory Tracking
You can't price accurately if you don't know what your blanks and transfers actually cost you. That means tracking what you paid, not just what you have. When your inventory data is solid, pricing decisions become much clearer — and you stop guessing at margins.
Track Your Inventory in PressTrak →