Why it Makes Sense to Order Custom T Shirts in Bulk
There are a LOT of benefits when it comes to buying wholesale t shirts.
The first and most obvious is getting wholesale prices -- you stand to save TONS by ordering in large amounts. In the case of a single-color design, you might wind up paying less for 24 shirts than you would for 12 (because the customization goes from digital printing (which is necessary for small t shirt orders and certain designs) to screen printing). However, those savings only compound when your bulk t shirt order grows. You'll see massive savings when ordering 96 custom t shirts and then even more when ordering 144.
Besides the discounted price, a large order ensures a higher level of consistency with your custom tees. Due to a variety of factors, a blank t shirt from one order MIGHT not perfectly match a blank t shirt from another order. Even when you're buying the same color in the same style from the same company, there can be small differences in the garment's color, fit, and so on. While some companies are a lot better than others (Gildan is extremely consistent), it's always a potential concern... as is the possibility that a color could be out of stock at a later date.
On top of that, buying ahead just makes sense in many cases. If you're using a custom shirt as a work uniform, you're going to need those t shirts for years to come (unless you're planning on going out of business), so why not place a wholesale custom t shirts order?
Why Do You Save So Much When You Bulk Order Custom T Shirts?
There are a lot of efficiencies gained during wholesale t shirt printing. When you're only ordering a few shirts, it's expensive because they need to be digitally printed. As soon as you move into bulk t shirt printing -- specifically screen printing on an automatic press -- it's a different ballgame.
For starters, an automatic screen printing press is fast. One of the reasons for digital printing (aka DTG printing) being so expensive is that it's as slow as molasses in January. A digital t shirt printer has to chemically treat a shirt, flash-heat it to cure the base, print it, and then heat it again -- it's a slow, cumbersome process and the material costs are insanely high.
Although a manual screen printing press (also called a small screen printing press) is considerably faster when doing a large number of shirts, an automatic screen printing press completely blows that out of the water. Depending on the number of colors in the design, an automatic press can easily print over a thousand shirts in an hour (which works out to 16 shirts per minute!)
So, why not do everything on an auto screen printing press? Because there's a lot of set-up involved. Yes, you save a LOT of time on a large order, but it also takes time to prep the auto press (and that's on top of "burning" the screens -- whether you use an auto or manual press, silk screen printing requires burning designs onto screens).
Maximizing efficiency -- why some custom printed t shirts go on the auto press while other custom printed shirts are done on a small press or digitally printed
How do we decide what goes on the auto press? How many wholesale t shirts does somebody have to order? It's a quantity based on a number of factors, but the biggest factor is the colors. Artwork and graphics with a large number of colors will have a bigger cut-off than designs with fewer colors. And is a design has too many colors, it might not make sense to screen print it at all. (For example, a logo usually has fewer colors than a photo, so it makes sense to silk screen print a logo t shirt, but most photo shirts will be reserved for DTG printing.)
The garment choice can also play a role. Although we digitally print on cotton, we'll only screen print 100% polyester t shirts. That's why there are no minimums on cotton t shirts, but there's a minimum order on polyester shirts.
The Best in Bulk Custom T Shirt Printing
If you're looking for wholesale t shirts, Bolt Printing should be your first -- and last -- stop.
Bolt Printing specializes in wholesale t shirt printing -- we've been producing wholesale t shirts for a wide variety of customers, ranging from businesses to charities, churches, schools, sports teams, and even individuals looking to supply their family reunion with something special.
Our pricing is extremely fair -- and, although those prices are cheaper than our competitors, our quality is often better than what they're offering (ESPECIALLY when it comes to the quality of the print). How do we do it? Simple -- Bolt isn't a middleman. We handle all of our own manufacturing at our production facility in the Northeast.
To top it off, Bolt offers amazing customer service. When you call, we pick up the phone (during business hours). Even better, the customer care representative you talk to is knowledgeable about what images work and which don't -- as well as knowing ways to improve them. In other words, if you have a question, you'll get an answer right away (instead of being stuck playing phone tag). And those customer service experts make ordering a super-easy process, whether you have a large bulk order or just need a few shirts.
Oh, and did I mention we offer free shipping? Because we totally offer free shipping. If you purchase your wholesale t shirts well ahead of when you need them, you can save yourself a lot of money while still getting your shirts delivered on time.
Why would you create custom clothing anywhere else?
Learn more about:
- Designing t-shirts (with our ultimate guide)
- Choosing the best custom t-shirts (including 8 expert tips)
- Whether cotton, polyester, or a blended shirt will best fit your needs
