Smart Pricing Strategies to Boost Your Garment Decorating Profits

If you're in the garment decorating business, whether using DTF, DTG, embroidery, or heat transfers, pricing your work accurately is essential. It's not just about covering your costs. It’s about making sure your time, effort, and creativity are actually profitable.

Let’s break down a few proven methods to help you calculate your pricing the smart way, so you're not just busy, you're making money.

This is the most straightforward method:
(Cost of Goods + Overhead + Labor) + Markup = Final Price

 

• Blank garment cost
   
• Consumables (ink, thread, film, pretreat, etc.)
   
• Machine cost per item (depreciation & maintenance)
   
• Labor (your time or employee time)
   
• Overhead (rent, electricity, admin, software)
   
• Markup (typically 30%–100%+ depending on market)
   

 

Item Cos tBlank shirt$3.00Ink/thread$1.00Labor (10 mins @ $18/hr)$3.00 Overhead allocation $1.50Subtotal $8.50Markup (100%) $8.50 Final Price $17.00  

Sometimes it's less about your costs and more about what the market is willing to pay.

 

• Research local and online competitors.
   
• Look at Etsy, Printify, Amazon, and custom t-shirt shops.
   
• Find the average price range and align yourself accordingly.
   

 

If your pricing is higher, emphasize quality, speed, or customization.
If you're lower, highlight value or bulk discounts.

This is especially useful if you're doing high-end designs, personalized work, or fast turnarounds.

 

• What is the perceived value to the customer?
   
• Is this for a wedding, business, or event where quality matters more than cost?
   
• Are they paying for speed, service, or style?
   

 

 

• Cost to make: $8.50
   
• Perceived value (wedding shirts, custom branding, etc.): $30–$40
   
• Price you charge: $30
   
• Profit: $21.50
   

 

You’re being paid for your skill, not just your materials.

Bulk pricing encourages bigger orders while protecting your margins.

Quantity Price / Shirt Profit Margin 1–5$20 High 6–20 $16 Medium 21–50$13 Lower, but steady 

This makes it attractive for businesses or events to order more at a better per-unit rate, and fills your machine schedule.

If you’re a solo operator, calculate how much money you need to make per hour.

 

• Goal: $60/hour
   
• If a shirt takes 15 minutes total:
   
• You must make $15 per shirt minimum in profit
   

 

Factor in setup, cleanup, packaging, and communication time.

There are tools out there or even Excel templates you can customize to keep track of:

 

• Costs
   
• Time per job
   
• Pricing tiers
   
• Bulk discounts
   

 

Need help building one? We’ll be glad to share a free pricing calculator, just send us a message!

Your creativity is valuable. Your time is valuable. Your business should be profitable.

There’s no one-size-fits-all pricing model. Use a mix of these methods to land on prices that make sense for you and your customers.

And remember, if you’re not pricing for profit, you’re just working for free.

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