Most people getting into t-shirt printing are leaving serious money on the table. After running hundreds of print jobs, here are the 3 biggest margin killers I see over and over:

1. Underpricing custom orders.

If you're charging $15 for a custom screen-printed tee, you're working for free once you factor in setup time, screens, ink, and labor. Your minimum should be $25+ for single-color work. Multi-color? $35+. Charge for your skill, not just the shirt.

2. Not buying blanks in bulk.

Going to the craft store for 10 blanks at a time is eating your margins alive. Find a wholesale supplier, order cases of 72+, and your per-unit cost drops by 40-60%. That's the difference between a hobby and a business.

3. Ignoring repeat customers.

One-off orders are the hardest money in printing. The real bag is getting local businesses, sports teams, churches, and event organizers on recurring orders. One client doing quarterly merch runs is worth more than 50 one-off custom tees.

Fix these three things and your margins will double within a month. No exaggeration.

I built Printing Session Studio for printers who are ready to stop guessing and start scaling. If that's you, come through.

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