What does a printed t-shirt cost in 2026?
The honest answer: between €6.90 and €22.90 per piece — depending on model, technique and run length. You see the final price in the configurator once you've chosen brand, print size and quantity. Four factors drive the price: the shirt model (budget classic like Gildan 64000 or organic premium like Stanley/Stella), the printing technique (DTG from 1 piece, screen print from 25 pieces), the run length (volume staircase breaks at 25 and 100) and the colour count (screen print gets more expensive with each spot colour, DTG does not).
Three real examples from our order book make the range tangible. A stag-do set for six on Fruit of the Loom Valueweight, single-colour DTG: roughly €14 per piece, because below the screen-print threshold. A 25-piece club order on Gildan Softstyle 64000, two-colour screen print: roughly €8 per piece, because the setup amortises. A 100-piece class order on Stedman ST2000, single-colour screen print: roughly €5.90 per piece. At the premium end — Stanley/Stella Creator organic, 1 piece DTG — you land at roughly €22.
Live-price table: four models, three quantities
These six values are not bait prices but live numbers from our configurator (May 2026, single-sided print A4, excluding shipping):
| Model | 1 piece (DTG) | 25 pieces (screen) | 100 pieces (screen) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gildan Softstyle 64000 | €11.90 | €6.90 | €5.80 |
| Fruit of the Loom Valueweight 61-036 | €10.90 | €5.90 | €4.90 |
| Stedman Comfort-T ST2100 (EU-made) | €13.90 | €8.20 | €6.90 |
| Stanley/Stella Creator STTU169 (organic) | €22.90 | €14.90 | €12.90 |
Shipping: €4.90 flat DE/EU, free above €80 order value. Volume breaks at 25 pieces (–25 to –30 %) and 100 pieces (–35 to –45 %) versus single piece.
What makes a t-shirt cheap — and where it backfires
"Cheap" doesn't mean "low quality". A €4.90 t-shirt can be high quality — if material, print and shipping match the run length. It can disappoint when you save on the wrong dial. Five points make the difference:
- Fabric weight — 140 gsm (Gildan 5000) feels light and somewhat transparent, 180 gsm (Gildan Softstyle 64000) is the mainstream optimum, 190 gsm (B&C Inspire) feels heavier and more premium. Above 165 gsm prints still look fresh after 30 washes.
- Cut quality — slim fit (Gildan Softstyle, Stanley/Stella) is the popular cut for 22- to 35-year-olds. Regular fit (Fruit of the Loom Valueweight) runs slightly fuller, suits clubs and mixed groups.
- Printing technique — DTG for small runs (1–20), screen print from 25 pieces with 1 to 3 colours, DTF for full-colour designs on dark shirts. Choosing DTG for 100 single-colour club shirts costs 25 % more than necessary.
- Run length — screen-print setup amortises from 25 pieces upward. For 6 stag-do shirts, DTG is faster, cheaper and equally durable.
- EU vs. Asian production — Stedman ST2000 and B&C Inspire come from EU production with OEKO-TEX certification. Asian stock is cents cheaper but rarely certified. We work exclusively with certified materials.
Where it backfires: a single-layer 140 gsm shirt with DTG print and a 60 °C wash fades visibly after eight to ten washes. A 180 gsm shirt with DTF print survives 40 washes at 40 °C. Cost difference on purchase: roughly €1.20 per piece. Difference in wear life: double.
The four cheapest bestsellers — from budget to organic premium
We carry four models that together cover roughly 80 % of B2C orders. They differ in fabric weight, cut and price anchor — all four are printable from 1 piece.
Gildan Softstyle 64000 cheap printing is the volume champion: 180 gsm ring-spun cotton, 32 colours, slim fit. From €5.80 per piece at 100-run, single-colour. Top choice for stag-do crews, club shirts and anyone wanting a modern, clean standard shirt with strong print quality.
Fruit of the Loom Valueweight T 61-036 is the classic since 1992: 165 gsm, 41 colours, regular fit. From €4.90 per piece at 100-run. The cheapest serious branded shirt in the German market — perfect for 50- or 100-piece bulk orders where budget is the first priority.
Stedman Comfort-T 185 ST2100 (EU-made) is the mid-tier from EU production: 185 gsm, slim fit, OEKO-TEX certified. From €6.90 at 100-run. We recommend Stedman whenever the order needs a touch of premium despite a budget — company event, graduation crew, sports event.
Stanley/Stella Premium Organic Creator STTU169 is the premium anchor: 180 gsm organic cotton, GOTS certified, Fair Wear Foundation member. From €12.90 per piece at 100-run. For gifts, premium photoshoots and anything that should feel different from a standard shirt the moment you pick it up.
Which printing technique is cheapest?
There isn't one cheapest technique — there is the right choice per run length. The rule of thumb is simple:
| Technique | Min. quantity | Price from 1 piece | Price from 25 pieces | Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital print (DTG) | 1 | €5.90 | €4.50 | Full-colour, photos, no setup |
| Screen print | 25 (sensible) | – | €2.90 | Long runs, brilliant colours |
| DTF print | 1 | €6.90 | €4.90 | Dark shirts, full-colour motifs |
| Flex print | 1 | €4.90 | €3.50 | Pure lettering, crisp |
Up to 10 pieces always choose DTG or DTF — no setup, no quantity lock-in. From 25 pieces single-colour screen print becomes cheaper because the setup costs amortise. For logos and lettering on a single colour, flex print delivers the crispest and most durable look. More details in our printing technique comparison.
Volume discount — when does a bulk order pay off?
Our volume staircase follows five tiers: 1 / 10 / 25 / 50 / 100 pieces. Strongest discount breaks at 25 pieces (–25 to –30 %) and 100 pieces (–35 to –45 %). Concrete example: Gildan Softstyle 64000 with single-colour print:
- 1 piece = €11.90 (DTG)
- 10 pieces = €8.30 (DTG with volume discount)
- 25 pieces = €6.90 (screen-print threshold reached)
- 50 pieces = €6.20 (screen print)
- 100 pieces = €5.80 (screen print, full discount)
For clubs, school classes and company events from 25 pieces, switching to screen print always pays off — even when the motif is technically multi-colour, a reduced spot-colour variant can save €1.50 per piece. For orders above 100 pieces, contact us for a custom quote — we calculate beyond the standard staircase.
Upload your design or build it in the configurator
You don't need graphic software to design your t-shirt. Three steps lead from idea to order button:
- Choose a model — 32 brands, over 90 models, filtered by material, cut and price
- Upload a design or build it in the configurator — own logo as PNG, SVG or PDF (min. 300 DPI, transparent background) or pick text and template directly in the browser
- See live pricing + order — gross/net toggle included, volume discount calculated automatically
Print-file format: min. 300 DPI at final print size, max. motif area 30 × 40 cm, transparent PNG or vector background. If your file doesn't fit, we contact you within 24 hours — the print-data check is always free, even on single-piece orders.
Have only a photo and no finished layout? Just upload it — for DTG digital print we print photos at photo quality from 1 piece. For flex print on lettering, you only need the text and pick a font in the configurator.
Who benefits most from cheap t-shirt printing?
Six use cases make up the largest share of our orders:
- Stag-do crew (6–12 people) — Bachelorette / stag-do shirts with "Team Bride" or "Last Night of Freedom". Recommended: Fruit of the Loom Valueweight, single-colour DTG, from €12 per piece.
- Club event (25–100 people) — Club shirts with club logo and sponsor name. Recommended: Gildan Softstyle 64000, two- to three-colour screen print, from €7 per piece.
- Company event (10–50 people) — staff t-shirts or crew wear for trade fair or campaign day. Recommended: Stedman ST2000 or Stanley/Stella, single-colour embroidery or DTG, from €9 per piece. More under business clients.
- Class shirt / graduation crew (20–100 people) — year shirts, class shirts, graduation crew. Volume discount from 50 pieces. Recommended: Gildan Softstyle 64000, single- to two-colour screen print.
- Festival crew (4–20 people) — Wacken, Glastonbury, Roskilde. Recommended: heavy 190 gsm shirt, full-colour DTF print. From €14 per piece.
- Marathon team (10–50 people) — run crew, helpers, training camp. Performance fabric or cotton, flex print with bib number. More under sports event shirts.
What sets ShirtStore apart from pure discount platforms?
There is an honest reason our prices don't sit 22 % below wholesale platforms: we don't sell a blank shirt. Four points make the difference:
- EU finishing in Germany — no Asian stock logic, no customs delay, short paths
- Configurator from 1 piece (no MOQ) — the only German provider with a live-price configurator and no minimum order
- Personal advice by phone and email — reply within 24 hours, German landline
- Print-data check before production included — we verify resolution, colour profile and format before the press runs
Trust stripe: Trusted Shops seal, OEKO-TEX-certified materials, secure payment (PayPal, Klarna, SEPA, invoice), 30-day return policy for unprinted orders.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a printed t-shirt cost from 1 piece?
A printed t-shirt at our shop starts from €10.90 (Fruit of the Loom Valueweight, single-sided DTG, 1 piece). Premium models like Stanley/Stella Creator organic start at €22.90 per piece. The price depends on model, technique, run length and print size. Live pricing in the configurator — no log-in, no minimum.
What's cheaper — screen print or digital print?
Up to 20 pieces digital print (DTG) is always cheaper — no setup, no minimum. From 25 pieces single-colour screen print becomes cheaper because the setup amortises across the run. At 100 pieces screen print sits roughly 30 % below DTG. Rule of thumb: one-off photo motif → DTG. Club logo at 25-piece run → screen print.
Can I print a t-shirt from 1 piece?
Yes — our configurator shows live pricing from the first piece. No minimum, no account, no phone enquiry. For single-piece orders we recommend digital print (DTG) or DTF — both techniques have no setup and price from piece one.
More frequently asked questions
From which quantity does screen print beat DTG?
The threshold sits around 25 pieces. Below that, DTG is faster and cheaper because no screen setup applies. From 25 pieces with a one- to three-colour motif, screen print takes over the pricing — roughly €0.80 setup per spot colour once, then €0.10 to €0.30 per print. At 100 pieces screen print is around 30 % below DTG.
Which t-shirt brand is the cheapest for printing?
Fruit of the Loom Valueweight T 61-036 is the cheapest branded option — from €4.90 per piece at 100-run single-colour. Gildan Softstyle 64000 sits about €1 higher but offers slim fit and 32 colours. For pure-budget bulk orders from 50 pieces, FOTL Valueweight is the first choice; for the 22–35 persona we recommend Gildan Softstyle.
How long does delivery take for printed t-shirts?
Standard lead time: 4–7 working days EU including finishing. Express production on request in 2–3 working days (20 % surcharge). In peak season May to September allow 4 weeks of lead time — stag-do, wedding and festival orders overlap, presses are busy. Tracking via DHL or GLS.
Is the t-shirt print wash-resistant at 60 °C?
Screen print and flex print are wash-resistant at 60 °C (50+ wash cycles). DTG we recommend washing at 40 °C, then it lasts 30–40 washes without visible fading. DTF is the most robust — colour-fast even at 60 °C. For all techniques: first wash cold and inside out, then normal machine wash.
Is there a minimum order quantity?
No. We print from 1 piece with DTG or DTF — no setup cost, no minimum. For screen print and embroidery we recommend runs from 25 pieces for economic reasons, but smaller runs are technically possible. The configurator automatically suggests the cheapest technique for your quantity.
Which printing technique lasts longest?
Screen print lasts longest — 50+ washes at 60 °C without visible fading, because the ink penetrates the fibre. DTF follows with 40+ washes. DTG lasts 30–40 washes at 40 °C. Flex print is extremely durable on pure lettering because the foil doesn't release from the fabric.
How large can the motif on the t-shirt be?
Standard print area on front or back: max. 30 × 40 cm (DIN A3+). Chest logo: 8 × 8 cm. Full-front print or all-over print on request. For embroidery the limit is 7 × 7 cm due to the placket on polos. In the configurator the print size is live-matched with the motif — you instantly see whether the resolution suffices.
Do you print on hoodies, polos and caps too?
Yes — we finish hoodies, sweatshirts, polos, caps and bags with the same techniques as t-shirts. Hoodies start at around €22 per piece with DTG, polos from €18, caps with embroidery from €12. All models and finishings live in the configurator — the pricing range mirrors the t-shirt logic.