sample project
- minimum costs
——Before we can begin to understand
how to estimate the financial investment involved in a screen-printing project,
it is important to quickly point out the three (3) seperate and distinct
facets of the total project cost, specifically...
——1.
retail cost of apparel (incl. shipping and handling)
——2. imprint (screen and press)
charges
——3. graphic (design and/or
prepress) charges
——In order to acquire some idea about
how to calculate these costs, it's best to illustrate with an explaination
of the simplest and least expensive project possible, which would imply the
following specifications and cost ...
item |
quantity |
description |
unit cost |
x quant. |
apparel |
12 |
white, 50/50 shortsleeve tees (SST) | 4.00 |
48.00 |
imprint |
12 |
black, full front (1 screen *) | 3.92 * |
47.00 |
graphic |
0.25 |
0:15 min. pre-press (1 film *) | (20.00) |
6.25 |
absolute unit cost (AUC) · total project cost (TPC) = |
8.44 |
101.25 |
||
AUC and TPC with 08% NYS clothing tax (8.10) = |
9.11 |
109.35 |
||
50% required deposit · balance due on delivery = |
50.63 |
58.72 |
||
——* Note: The imprint unit cost incorporates both press
charges and screen charges.
——Click
here for details on imprint
costs.
——There is a twelve (12) piece minimum
order on all apparel. Refer to the subject of
Client Requirements
in our Help Section for more information about this and other considerations.
Beyond an increase in the quantity of apparel, here are a few items
that will increase the project costs for this particular style and quantity
of apparel...
apparel: colour and size
——The unit cost for colour apparel
(particularly dark colours) is anywhere from 0.75 more (for light colours)
to 1.25 more (for dark colours) than the white or natural counterparts. In
general, the difference in cost between light and dark apparel decreases
as the quantity increases. However, applying a design to dark coloured
apparel will increase the unit cost further because the imprint-apparel colour
scheme will likely have to be changed. It is normally more expensive
to print light inks on dark garments because additional steps must be taken
to ensure a proper imprint. The sample project defined above would
also have to allow for adult sizes smaller than XXL or 2XL (XXL/2XL adds
1.00 to each piece; XXXL or larger adds 2.00).
apparel: material and style
——The unit cost for 100% cotton tees
is generally 0.50 greater than the 50/50 blend counterparts. As with
apparel colours, the cost difference between all cotton apparel and cotton-poly
blends decreases as the quantity increases. Cotton apparel is favoured
because it is softer and more absorbent. Although most cotton apparel
is pre-shrunk, it may tend to shrink even more if the garment is washed and
rinsed in very hot water. Pocket tees are 1.00 extra.
imprint: ink colour scheme
——An increase in the number of imprint
ink colours applied to render the image would obviously increase the unit
price (in general, about 0.35 to 0.40 more per each colour for the press
charge as well as 20.00 to cover the cost of each additional screen).
However, the imprint size, location and exact colour is irrelevant
for pricing, except that there is more than one location or the required
colour is unavailable as a stock standard (usually PMS colour matches fall
under this category)
graphics design
——In the above example, the graphic
design would have to be provided entirely by client, with no revisions to
design. The image would have to be delivered in proper format. Even
so, some pre-press attention may be required. Graphic design charges
are 25.00 per hour in fifteen (15) minute increments.