{
  "slug": "screen-print-color-setup-cost",
  "title": "Screen Print Color & Setup Cost Calculator",
  "heading": "Screen Print Color & Setup Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/screen-print-color-setup-cost",
  "summary": "See exactly how each added color raises setup cost and unit price.",
  "description": "Every additional ink color in a screen print job means another screen, another burn, another registration step on press, and another wash-up at the end — and that cost compounds faster than most people expect because it's not just the screen itself but the added press time for each color pass. This calculator isolates the marginal cost of color count: screen cost per color, burn labor per color, and added press time per color, so you can see the true delta between a 1-color and a 4-color design on the same order quantity. It's built specifically to answer 'what does adding a color actually cost me' rather than the full per-shirt cost, which is covered by the companion screen print cost calculator. As a rule of thumb, each added color on a standard manual press job adds roughly 8-15 seconds of press cycle time per shirt plus $15-$25 in one-time screen and burn cost, so a jump from 2 to 4 colors can add $30-$50 in fixed setup alone before touching ink or blank cost.",
  "formula": "Added setup cost = added colors × (screen cost + burn labor); added press time per shirt = added colors × seconds per color; total marginal cost = setup ÷ qty + press time cost.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=screen-print-color-setup-cost",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "baseColors",
      "label": "Base color count",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": 10
    },
    {
      "id": "newColors",
      "label": "New color count",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": 10
    },
    {
      "id": "screenCost",
      "label": "Screen + burn cost per color",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 18,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "secPerColor",
      "label": "Added press seconds per color",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 10,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "pressRateHr",
      "label": "Press labor rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 30,
      "unit": "$/hr",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "quantity",
      "label": "Order quantity",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 100,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "totalMarginalPerShirt",
      "label": "Added cost per shirt",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "setupDelta",
      "label": "Added one-time setup cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "pressTimeDeltaPerShirt",
      "label": "Added press-time cost per shirt",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "totalJobDelta",
      "label": "Total added cost for full job",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Base color count: 1",
      "New color count: 3",
      "Screen + burn cost per color: 18 $",
      "Added press seconds per color: 10",
      "Press labor rate: 30 $/hr",
      "Order quantity: 100"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Added cost per shirt: $0.527",
      "Added one-time setup cost: $36.00",
      "Added press-time cost per shirt: $0.167",
      "Total added cost for full job: $52.67"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter base color count.",
      "Enter new color count.",
      "Enter screen + burn cost per color ($).",
      "Enter added press seconds per color.",
      "Enter press labor rate ($/hr).",
      "Enter order quantity.",
      "Read your added cost per shirt 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": {
        "baseColors": 1,
        "newColors": 2,
        "screenCost": 11,
        "secPerColor": 6,
        "pressRateHr": 18,
        "quantity": 60
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "baseColors": 1,
        "newColors": 3,
        "screenCost": 18,
        "secPerColor": 10,
        "pressRateHr": 30,
        "quantity": 100
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "baseColors": 2,
        "newColors": 5,
        "screenCost": 29,
        "secPerColor": 16,
        "pressRateHr": 48,
        "quantity": 160
      }
    }
  ],
  "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": "Why does press time increase with color count?",
      "a": "Each color needs its own head/pass on the press, its own registration check, and its own flash-cure time if it's underneath another layer. On a manual press this is mostly operator time; on automatics it's still real cycle time even though it's faster per pass."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is there a point where a color count becomes impractical?",
      "a": "Past 6-8 colors on standard equipment, most shops either move to a simulated-process technique that blends colors optically with fewer screens, or switch to DTG/DTF where color count doesn't add setup cost at all."
    },
    {
      "q": "How much should I charge the client for each extra color?",
      "a": "A common trade practice is a flat per-color upcharge, often $0.50-$1.50 per shirt for orders under a few hundred pieces, calibrated to cover both the setup dilution and the added press time shown here."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does color order or underbase count as an extra color?",
      "a": "Yes — an underbase white on dark garments is functionally its own screen and pass, so a '3-color design on black shirts' is really a 4-screen job once the white base is counted, and should be priced as such."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/screen-print-cost-per-shirt",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dtg-vs-screen-print-breakeven",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/heat-press-throughput"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Screen Print Color & Setup Cost Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/screen-print-color-setup-cost)"
}