{
  "slug": "dtg-vs-screen-print-breakeven",
  "title": "DTG vs Screen Print Breakeven Calculator",
  "heading": "DTG vs Screen Print Breakeven Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dtg-vs-screen-print-breakeven",
  "summary": "Find the quantity where screen printing beats direct-to-garment.",
  "description": "DTG (direct-to-garment) has near-zero setup cost but a higher per-piece print cost, while screen printing flips that: expensive setup, cheap marginal print. That crossover means DTG usually wins on small orders and one-offs, and screen printing wins once quantity climbs high enough to absorb the screen and labor cost. This calculator takes your DTG cost per shirt (ink plus pretreatment, typically $2–$5 depending on coverage and shirt color) and your screen print fixed setup plus marginal per-shirt cost, then solves for the exact quantity where total cost lines cross. Below that number, DTG is cheaper; above it, screens win. Dark garments cost more to print DTG because of the white underbase layer, which can push per-shirt DTG cost from $2.50 on a white tee to $4.50+ on black. Knowing your real breakeven quantity — not a rule of thumb like '24 pieces' — lets you route jobs to the right process and quote accurately instead of leaving margin on the table either direction.",
  "formula": "Breakeven qty = screen setup cost ÷ (DTG cost per shirt − screen marginal cost per shirt).",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=dtg-vs-screen-print-breakeven",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "dtgCost",
      "label": "DTG cost per shirt",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3.5,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0.1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "screenSetup",
      "label": "Screen print setup cost (screens + labor)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 90,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "screenMarginal",
      "label": "Screen print marginal cost per shirt",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1.4,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "quantity",
      "label": "Your actual order quantity",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 36,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "breakeven",
      "label": "Breakeven quantity",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "cheaper",
      "label": "Cheaper method at your quantity",
      "format": "raw",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "dtgTotal",
      "label": "Total DTG cost at your quantity",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "screenTotal",
      "label": "Total screen print cost at your quantity",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "savings",
      "label": "Savings by choosing cheaper method",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "DTG cost per shirt: 3.5 $",
      "Screen print setup cost (screens + labor): 90 $",
      "Screen print marginal cost per shirt: 1.4 $",
      "Your actual order quantity: 36"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Breakeven quantity: 43",
      "Cheaper method at your quantity: DTG",
      "Total DTG cost at your quantity: $126.00",
      "Total screen print cost at your quantity: $140.40",
      "Savings by choosing cheaper method: $14.40"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter dtg cost per shirt ($).",
      "Enter screen print setup cost (screens + labor) ($).",
      "Enter screen print marginal cost per shirt ($).",
      "Enter your actual order quantity.",
      "Read your breakeven quantity on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "dtgCost": 2.1,
        "screenSetup": 55,
        "screenMarginal": 0.84,
        "quantity": 22
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "dtgCost": 3.5,
        "screenSetup": 90,
        "screenMarginal": 1.4,
        "quantity": 36
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "dtgCost": 5.6000000000000005,
        "screenSetup": 145,
        "screenMarginal": 2.2399999999999998,
        "quantity": 58
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What's a typical breakeven quantity in the industry?",
      "a": "Most shops see the crossover somewhere between 24 and 60 pieces for a 1-2 color design, but it shifts a lot with design complexity. A photorealistic full-color design favors DTG even at 100+ pieces because screen setup for process color separations is expensive and slow."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does DTG cost change with design size?",
      "a": "Yes, moderately. Larger print areas use more ink so DTG cost per shirt rises roughly linearly with coverage, while screen print marginal cost is nearly flat regardless of image size within the same color count. This widens the gap that favors screens at high quantity."
    },
    {
      "q": "Why is dark-garment DTG so much pricier?",
      "a": "Printing on dark fabric requires a white ink underbase layer printed first, then the color layer on top — effectively doubling ink usage and pass time. Expect $1–$2 more per shirt on black or navy versus white for the same design."
    },
    {
      "q": "Can I mix methods on one order?",
      "a": "Yes — some shops DTG the small sizes or low-count colorways and screen print the bulk sizes. It adds coordination overhead but can lower blended cost when an order has uneven size/color distribution."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/screen-print-cost-per-shirt",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/garment-blank-margin",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/heat-press-throughput"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — DTG vs Screen Print Breakeven Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dtg-vs-screen-print-breakeven)"
}