Corporates order custom t shirts for countless reasons. From company promotions to fundraising, conference, events, team building, and advertising their brand. The one aspect that all these projects share is that they all want a fair price. However, since most people do not know what institutes a fair price they end up overpaying for t shirt printing in Singapore. Paying to enjoy the benefits of t shirt printing for your business is by no means wrong. However what you should know, is that a custom tee should not cost more than $10. Here is why:

Exclusive Suppliers’ Rate

There wasn’t much creativity in t shirts customisation in the past. In the present global clothing market, you can get options like ladies outfit, performance material, and name brands. This has made the prices of buying blank t-shirts vary significantly.

Nonetheless, when printing companies get t shirt supplies in plain, they are being offered at an agent price. This price is only offered for printing companies. Moreover they could bargain the price lower for buying in bulk as they would have the purchasing power to do so. In fact, the wholesale cost of cotton t shirts easily cost SGD3-5 a piece. These savings should ultimately reflect on the custom t shirts pricing.

Innovative Printing Technology

Generally, there are two t shirt printing technologies:

Screen printing – this is the most commonly used type of t shirt printing. Even so, it is the cheapest especially if you have prepared the screens in advance, so they are ready-to-expose whenever an order arrives. One screen uses about SGD1.50 worth of materials while the pre-stretched screens cost approximately SGD25.

The pre-stretched can be changed and used over and over again (more than 20 times). For the ink, the customisers can print thousands of t shirts from a gallon of ink, and that makes the typical cost of ink to be SGD0.05 per item. Of course labour and time wasn’t calculated.

Therefore the start-up cost for silkscreen printing on t shirt is approximate SGD70 in the market. This explains why if you are printing 100pc of t shirt in single color design, you would be charged less than a dollar for printing cost. Do the math, how is it not possible to print a t shirt for less than $10?

Digital printing – this method of printing allows for unlimited printing on both dark and light apparel. Just like how we print on papers using an inkjet printer. It is able to print full color and different color gradients. As well as overlapping colors and photography images solely with the use of a printer.

Therefore, you do not have to pay per colour like silk screen printing does. With the DTG printing method, you can customise t shirt with any colour for one low price as you do not have to pay for additional printing materials or resources. Moreover, the technology eliminates the use of toxic inks and water from its production process.

However, to achieve a printed t shirt below $10, white or light colored t shirt is the only options. As it is more than double of the cost for DTG printing to be done on black or dark colored t shirts. This is due to in order to print on dark colored t shirt, it has to be coated before hand. Extra labour, material cost and time is required.

Nonetheless, knowing the differences of silk screen printing and DTG printing will help you manage your design better. And work towards the budget you have set for your projects.

Bulk Purchase Discounts

Customised corporate t-shirts are usually large orders, which have discounts. Most customisers have a policy — if you order a large number of shirts, you can save more money. This is not a scam or  marketing ploy to take your number, it is just the way it is.

As skeptical as one may be, it is less expensive to set up and print a large quantity order of a similar design as compared to a small quantity. The rationale is this, if you were to order a small quantity of custom t shirts, you are essentially paying more for the resources and the set up cost just to print a low quantity amount of t shirts.

In contrast, the same set up and resources can be reused to print on a lot more t shirts. Fully utilising the materials and the resources needed will save you a lot. Also, each printing location area and each colour requires a new screen set up. Distributing that cost amongst several shirts instead of one means savings per piece.

Save Your Money For Other Marketing Efforts

Purchasing a bulk order for custom t shirts of less than $10 will give you more freedom financially to spend on other marketing efforts. This is especially crucial for companies who run events, campaigns and roadshows at different locations in a calendar year.

Consider this, when a project starts, the marketing costs have to be allocated accordingly. Booth space, event emcees, promotional materials such as signages and brochures are all considered. Searching for top promotional products should also be factored into your budget. Hence, using custom t shirts as marketing tools to promote your brand is only a fraction of your overall marketing strategy. Therefore, it is more cost efficient to purchase a larger order right from the get go at a cheaper price.

Final remarks

As with customised corporate gifts, custom t shirts can also create lasting memories. Strike conversations, promote brand awareness, and even unite groups for a shared purpose. They are also an excellent way to showcase your identity and creativity. Even so, paying more than $10 for a custom printed t shirt is, quite simply, overpaying. Be strategic in your decision making and think in the long haul.

You may feel like you are spending more while buying in bulk, but as we have explained, you are the one making your money’s worth at the end of the transaction. Here at TREA, we provide quality advice for your merchandise marketing. Our custom t shirt printing  boasts a wide variety for you to choose from. Coupled with premium t shirt printing services to cater specifically to your requirements.