Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
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
$14.40
Psst — share this and help Rex grow
One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter dtg cost per shirt ($).
- 2Enter screen print setup cost (screens + labor) ($).
- 3Enter screen print marginal cost per shirt ($).
- 4Enter your actual order quantity.
- 5Read your breakeven quantity on the right — it updates as you type.
- 6Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
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.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
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
Results
- 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: $14.40
What each field means
Inputs
- DTG cost per shirt ($)
- The dtg cost per shirt used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 3.5 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Screen print setup cost (screens + labor) ($)
- The screen print setup cost (screens + labor) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 90 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Screen print marginal cost per shirt ($)
- The screen print marginal cost per shirt used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1.4 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Your actual order quantity
- The your actual order quantity used in the calculation. Starts at 36 so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Breakeven quantity
- Returned as a whole number and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Cheaper method at your quantity
- Returned as a plain value. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total DTG cost at your quantity
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total screen print cost at your quantity
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Savings by choosing cheaper method
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What's a typical breakeven quantity in the industry?
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.
Does DTG cost change with design size?
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.
Why is dark-garment DTG so much pricier?
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.
Can I mix methods on one order?
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.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). DTG vs Screen Print Breakeven Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dtg-vs-screen-print-breakeven
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dtg-vs-screen-print-breakeven" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DTG vs Screen Print Breakeven Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [DTG vs Screen Print Breakeven Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dtg-vs-screen-print-breakeven) (2026).