DTG Print Cost Calculator

No setup, no volume discount.

No setup, no volume discount. Direct-to-garment has no setup cost and no volume discount, so its per-unit cost is flat.

Written and maintained by Mohit PatelLast checked August 4, 2026How we build these

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Quantity

DTG print cost per unit

Blank garment cost

Pretreatment per unit

Screen print setup for comparison

Screen print cost per unit

Selling price

DTG cost per unit

$9.95

$7.17 screen printed at this quantity

DTG per unit$9.95

Screen print per unit$7.17

Cheaper method herescreen print

Crossover quantity17

Screen printing becomes cheaper above about 17 units, because its setup cost spreads while DTG's per-unit cost does not fall. DTG also handles unlimited colours, which screen printing charges for individually.

How the DTG Print Cost Calculator works

Direct-to-garment has no setup cost and no volume discount, so its per-unit cost is flat. Screen printing starts higher and falls with quantity, and the crossover between them is a specific number worth knowing.

Also known as: direct to garment cost · DTG printing price per unit · digital garment print cost

Digital printing onto fabric

Direct-to-garment printing works like an inkjet printer aimed at a shirt. There is no screen, no setup, and no colour limit.

That structure inverts the screen printing economics: the per-unit cost is high and constant, and there is effectively no setup. One shirt costs roughly the same per unit as a hundred.

Which makes it the method for low quantities, for full-colour designs, for print on demand, and for anything where the design changes between garments. It is not the method for a thousand identical one-colour shirts.

What drives the per-unit cost

Ink coverage is the largest variable. A small design uses little ink; a full front print covering most of the garment uses a great deal, and DTG ink is expensive.

Dark garments cost substantially more because they require a white underbase laid down by the same printer, and white ink is the most expensive and the most consumed.

Pretreatment is required on dark garments and often on light ones: a liquid applied and heat-pressed before printing so the ink sits on the surface rather than wicking into the fibres. It is a consumable and a labour step.

The fabric constraint

DTG works best on 100% cotton with a smooth surface. Ring-spun and combed cotton produce noticeably better results than open-end cotton because the surface is smoother.

Polyester is difficult: the inks are formulated for cotton, and polyester dye can migrate into the print under heat, discolouring it over the following days. Blends sit in between and results vary.

Which means garment selection is part of the print specification rather than a separate choice. A cheaper blank in the wrong fabric produces a print that looks poor and may fail after washing, which costs more than the garment saved.

Durability against screen printing

Properly cured screen prints with plastisol ink are extremely durable and outlast the garment in most cases.

DTG prints are good and generally not equal. The ink penetrates the fibres rather than sitting on top, which gives a softer hand feel and less dramatic colour, and washing gradually reduces the print.

Both depend heavily on curing. Under-cured prints of either type fail quickly, and the most common cause of a print failing after a few washes is inadequate heat rather than the method. That is a process control question rather than a technology one.

Print on demand economics

DTG is what makes print on demand possible: no inventory, no setup, one unit at a time. The trade is a per-unit cost several times what a screen printed equivalent would be at volume.

For a business testing designs that is straightforwardly worthwhile, because the alternative is buying inventory of designs that may not sell.

The transition point comes when a design proves out. A design selling steadily at volume is cheaper screen printed, and continuing on demand out of convenience gives away margin every unit. Setting a threshold, in units per month, at which a design moves to screen printing turns that into a decision rather than a drift.

Where to go next

The DTG Print Cost question rarely arrives on its own. These are the ones that usually come with it:

Screen Print Cost Calculator — Setup dominates at low quantities.
Sublimation Cost Calculator — Labour is the majority of the cost.
Print on Demand vs Dropshipping Profit Calculator — The refund gap usually decides it.
Etsy Fee Calculator — Every Etsy fee on one sale, itemised.

Not financial advice. Marketplace fees change, and they vary by country, plan and seller status. Every rate here is an editable default, not a quoted price, check the platform's current fee schedule before you price a product against it. This is not tax or business advice.

Frequently asked questions

How much does DTG printing cost?

Commonly £4 to £8 per garment for the print, plus the blank and pretreatment. It does not fall meaningfully with volume.

When is DTG better than screen printing?

Below the crossover quantity, for designs with many colours, and for any print-on-demand model where each order is one unit.

Does DTG handle unlimited colours?

Effectively yes; it prints like an inkjet, so a photograph costs the same as a two-colour logo. That is its main advantage over screen printing.

How durable is DTG?

Good on cotton with proper pretreatment, less so on synthetic blends. Screen printing generally outlasts it, which matters for workwear and less for fashion.