If you're ordering custom-printed shirts for your team, school, event, or business from a screen printing service, a common question is "How many can you make for us?" The volume capabilities depend on the shop's size, equipment, and capacity. Here's what impacts how many tees a screen printing service can realistically handle.

Screen Printing Equipment

The more screens, presses, and drying racks in the print shop, the higher the volume they can produce. For example, multi-armed presses allow the loading of multiple shirts at once while conveyor dryers speed up curing. Ask about the types of presses, number of print heads, and pallet and belt sizes. The equipment your vendor has dictates the output that's possible.

Available Staff

An ample production team allows the screen printing service to operate multiple stations and shifts to maximize throughput. Experienced printers ensure fast, consistent results. Ask how many print technicians they have for setup, press operation, and quality checks. More staff means the ability to take on bigger jobs.

Order Timeframes

While a print shop might get back to you quickly, definitely remember that large orders may take days or weeks to fully complete. Ask about your vendor's current workload and typical production timeframes. A shop with a backlog that goes on for weeks likely can't turn around huge orders as fast as one with greater capacity. When you're vetting your options, make sure to plan ahead.

Artwork Preparation

In our experience, simpler mono-color imprints on standard tees are the fastest to set up and print. However, it's possible to quickly print complex designs as well. You just need to ensure that the art is ready and that the files work well. Supply print-ready files and allow time for revisions to prevent delays.

Test Batches

No reputable screen printing service will over-commit to order quantities they can't deliver consistently. It's better to produce a smaller run with care than overwhelm them. Confirm they assess art complexity, order size, and deadlines to provide realistic turnaround estimates. Rushing leads to quality issues.

The number of shirts a screen printing service can reasonably handle depends on the shop's equipment, staff, current workload, art preparation, and quality controls. Providing ready-to-print artwork and flexible timeframes helps them maximize output. However, your custom t-shirts are worth the effort! According to Gitnux, 62% of Americans state that they own over 10 t-shirts in their wardrobe. This batch of t-shirts could serve as a great walking advertisement for years to come. Choose a printer with the capacity to meet your needs. When you're ready to get started, reach out to Diggit Graphics today to start the process.