Printed Workwear and Promotional Textile Cost Calculator
Set-up and per-piece cost separated, so a screen print, a transfer and an embroidery quote can be compared at your actual quantity.
Calculator
From quantity, method and colour or stitch count to the cost per piece and the order total.
Result
The calculation runs entirely in your browser; nothing you type is sent to our servers. Only if you press “Turn this into a quote request” is the result written to your browser’s session storage, so it can be carried into the quote form.
Worked example
Opened with its default case — Order quantity: 100 · Garment unit price (TRY, excl. VAT): 0 · Decoration method: Screen printing — a screen per colour — the calculator returns the figures below. The headline result is 2 screens (preparation the method needs). They are written out here so the output is readable without running JavaScript: in print, with scripts disabled, or by a search engine.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Order quantity | 100 |
| Garment unit price (TRY, excl. VAT) | 0 |
| Decoration method | Screen printing — a screen per colour |
| Number of colours (screen printing only) | 2 |
| Screen charge per colour (TRY) | 0 |
| Stitch count (embroidery only) | 5000 |
| Price per 1,000 stitches (TRY) | 0 |
| Digitising (punch) charge (TRY) | 0 |
| Decoration price per piece (TRY, except embroidery) | 0 |
| Number of print positions | 1 |
| VAT rate (%) | 20 |
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Preparation the method needs | 2 screens |
| Decoration runs in the order | 100 decoration runs |
Change any field above and the calculator recomputes; this table is the default case only.
How is printed workwear priced?
Every quote has two parts and confusing them is what makes offers look incomparable. There is a one-off set-up charge — screens in screen printing (one per colour, per position) or digitising in embroidery — and a per-piece charge that recurs on every garment. The set-up is divided across the run, so it dominates the unit price on short runs and almost disappears on long ones: a screen charge that adds a large amount per piece at 20 garments adds very little at 500. That single fact explains most of what looks like inconsistent pricing between suppliers — and it means the two most effective ways to cut the unit price on a small order are reducing the colour count and reducing the number of print positions, not negotiating the garment.
Set-up versus per-piece
| Charge | Applies | Multiplied by | Effect on unit price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen charge | Screen printing | Colours × positions | Large on short runs, negligible on long ones |
| Digitising (punch) | Embroidery | Positions (one-off per design) | One-off; must not be charged again on a repeat order |
| Per-piece decoration | All methods | Positions | Constant per garment; the dominant cost on long runs |
| Garment | All methods | — | Fixed by fabric, weight and brand; negotiate on specification, not on price alone |
Ask for the set-up and per-piece figures separately in every quote. A supplier who only gives an all-in unit price is not necessarily hiding anything, but the number cannot be compared against another quantity or another quantity break.
Take the digitised embroidery file with you. It is produced once, paid for once, and belongs to the job — being charged for digitising a second time on a repeat order is the single most common avoidable cost in this category. Ask for the file at delivery and archive it with the artwork.
Choosing the method
| Method | Set-up | Best for | Constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen printing | Screen per colour per position | Large runs, few colours, strong durability | Uneconomic below roughly a few dozen pieces |
| DTF transfer | None | Small runs, many colours, dark fabrics, mixed garments | Durability below screen printing; hand feel is a film |
| DTG | None | Photographic detail on cotton garments | Requires high cotton content; poor on polyester and blends |
| Embroidery | Digitising, one-off | Logos on workwear, polos, caps and jackets; premium look | Priced by stitches, so detail costs; fine text does not reproduce |
| Sublimation | None | All-over prints, sportswear, light polyester | Fabric must be at least about 65% polyester and light coloured |
The method is usually decided by the garment and the artwork rather than by preference. Dark cotton rules out sublimation; a polyester softshell rules out DTG; a one-colour logo on 500 t-shirts is a screen print by arithmetic.
Embroidery is priced by stitches
Embroidery does not price by size but by stitch count, quoted per thousand stitches. A left-chest logo typically runs 2,000 to 5,000 stitches, a standard logo 5,000 to 10,000, and a full back 20,000 or more. Two consequences follow. Dense fills and gradients cost real money, and simplifying the artwork for embroidery is a cost decision as much as a design one. And a stitch count is something you can ask for before approving the digitising, which turns an unknown into a line you can budget.
What to check before approving a sample
- Colour under the right light. Check the sample under the lighting where the garments will be worn, not under the office fluorescents. Corporate colours shift noticeably between light sources.
- Placement measured, not eyeballed. Agree the distance from the collar seam and the centre line in centimetres, and have it written on the order.
- Wash test. Wash the sample at the temperature the garments will actually be washed at, then look again. This is where transfer and embroidery differences appear.
- Size on the actual garment. A logo sized on an M looks small on an XXL and crowded on an XS. Agree whether the logo scales with the size or stays fixed.
- Fabric behaviour. On high-visibility garments, decoration placement is restricted by the retroreflective bands — check this before the artwork is finalised, not after.
Sizes, and the size curve nobody forecasts
The most common practical failure in a workwear order is not price but sizing. Ordering a standard curve rather than measuring the actual population leaves the extremes short, and the extremes are exactly the sizes that cannot be substituted. Two habits prevent it: collect actual sizes rather than estimating, and order a small buffer at the ends of the range instead of an even buffer across it.
It is also worth ordering a sizing set before the main run where the garment is new to the group. Manufacturers’ sizing differs enough that a medium in one brand is a large in another, and a set of samples to try on costs far less than a reorder.
What to send us for a quote
Send the calculator output with the artwork (vector if you have it), the garment type and fabric, the print positions and the size breakdown. Artwork format decides whether digitising or colour separation is needed, and the size breakdown decides delivery. We quote the garment and the decoration as separate lines so both can be compared, with the set-up shown once rather than buried in the unit price.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the unit price so much higher on a small order?
Because the set-up — screens or digitising — is divided across the run. On 20 pieces it dominates the unit price; on 500 it is close to invisible. The fix on a small order is fewer colours and fewer positions, not a discount on the garment.
How many stitches is a typical logo?
A left-chest logo is usually 2,000 to 5,000 stitches, a standard logo 5,000 to 10,000, and a full back 20,000 or more. Ask for the stitch count before approving the digitising — it converts the largest unknown in an embroidery quote into a budgetable line.
Do I have to pay the digitising charge again on a repeat order?
No. Digitising is one-off for a given design. Take the digitised file at delivery and archive it with your artwork; being charged twice for it is the most common avoidable cost in this category.
Which method is best for dark garments?
DTF transfer or screen printing with an underbase. DTG struggles on dark fabric unless the garment is high in cotton and pretreated, and sublimation cannot be used on dark garments at all — it needs a light polyester base.
Can you print on high-visibility garments?
Yes, but placement is restricted by the retroreflective bands, and covering them affects the garment’s performance. Agree the placement before the artwork is finalised rather than after the sample.
Do you supply the garments as well as the decoration?
Yes — workwear, polos, t-shirts, softshells, caps and promotional items with the decoration applied, on one quote and one invoice. Send the artwork and the size breakdown and the quote comes back within one business day.
Send your list — your quote is ready within 1 business day.
A list, a photo or an Excel file — whatever is easiest. On standard items most quotes go out the same business day. Custom production, imports or 50+ line lists can take longer; when they do, we tell you the timeline in writing on the day we receive the request.