Two questions come up with almost every screen printing order: how many do I have to buy, and how long will it take? Both have pretty straight forward answers.
At Kong, our goal is to educate so you can make an informed decision on how to approach your project. This guide covers Kong’s minimum order size and the standard timelines behind it, so you know what to expect before you call.
The quick answer, before you read the whole thing
- Minimum order. 25 pieces for most things, though we do sometimes make exceptions depending on the job.
- Standard turnaround. About three weeks after your order is approved.
- Why there’s a minimum. Screen printing and embroidery have real setup work (burning screens, registering colors for screenprinting, digitizing and loading thread for embroidery) that costs the same whether you print 10 shirts or 500. Spreading that cost across more pieces is what makes them more affordable at volume.
- Under 25 pieces? Direct-to-film printing usually fits smaller runs better, with different per-piece math and no screen setup to pay for.
- What moves the three-week window. Order size, number of colors and decoration locations, garment availability, and how clean your artwork is when it lands in our inbox are all important. One often overlooked variable is how quickly payment is made and proofs are approved. Delays on those can create delays in production.
Why screen printing has a minimum order at all
Screen printing works by pushing ink through a fine mesh screen, one screen for every color, directly onto the garment. Before any of that happens, we burn a screen for every color in your design, register the screens so each color lands in the right spot, and dial in the squeegee speed, pressure, and angle to ensure the perfect print. That setup work is identical whether the run is 25 pieces or 250.
Because the setup cost is fixed, it has to be accounted for somehow. Spread it across a large order and it barely shows up in the per-piece price. Spread it across a handful of shirts and it dominates the number. A minimum order keeps that math reasonable for everyone: it protects the price-per-piece advantage that makes screen printing worth choosing in the first place, and it keeps us from quoting a job where the setup cost would eat your whole budget.
That’s the honest reason behind the minimum. It isn’t a rule for its own sake. It’s what screen printing costs to do right.
25 pieces for most things, and the exceptions Kong makes
All that being said, 25 isn’t a hard cutoff. We do make exceptions under certain circumstances, so if your count is close to 25, or your situation doesn’t fit the usual mold, the right move is to ask. We’ll tell you straight whether it works and what it costs to make it work.
If your real number is well under 25 and there’s no path to an exception, that doesn’t mean you’re out of options. It usually means a different decoration method may fit your job better.
Under 25 pieces? Here’s where DTF fits in
Small runs and screen printing setup don’t mix well, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck if you have a small order. Direct-to-film (DTF) printing is a digitally printed film that presses onto the garment with heat, and it carries no screen setup at all. That makes the cost per piece far more consistent whether you order 10 shirts or 60.
DTF is also the better call for full-color, photo-detailed art on a small run, for mixed orders that combine cotton and synthetic fabrics, and for jobs that need names or numbers printed individually piece by piece. We press DTF in-house, right alongside screen printing, so switching methods doesn’t mean switching shops.
If a job sounds like it needs a tiny run of a highly detailed design, tell us that up front. We’d rather point you to the method that fits your count and your art than force a 12-piece order through a process built for 200.
What the standard three-week turnaround covers
Our standard turnaround time is about three weeks after your order is approved. Huge projects can take a little longer, smaller projects are often done sooner.
The clock typically starts once your order is approved. Within that 3 week timeline, we both have responsibilities to cover that ensure everything moves along smoothly and delays don’t happen.
Your Responsibilities: make payment and approve proofs. Completing these quickly help ensure we are able to handle all of our responsibilities and deliver your order on time!
Our Responsibilities: create proofs, order garments, do the pre-work, and most importantly – make the dang thing!
You can see how the proofing step fits into the bigger picture on our process page.
That window also gives us room to catch a problem before it becomes your problem, instead of after 200 shirts are already printed. A rushed process skips steps. A standard process doesn’t.
What can move your timeline, in either direction
And a handful of things can shift that standard schedule. Here’s a quick list of what they are and how we can account for them.
- Order size. A very large run takes more press time than a small one. If you’re ordering over 3000 pieces planning for a longer timeline is a good idea.
- Colors and print locations. Complex designs with many colors print slower than simple, low color designs. And the shirts go through the whole print process each time for each print location.
- Garment availability. Popular blanks and sizes are usually in stock, but a specific style or color can occasionally run behind. 95% of the time the 3 week turnaround accounts for this, but sometimes seasonality or world events can impact availability long term.
- How clean your artwork is. A print-ready vector file moves straight into production. A grainy JPEG will likely require some design work to get print ready, which adds a step before the clock starts.
- Print method. Embroidery runs on a tighter calendar than screen printing and DTF. So delays in payment and approval can have a larger impact on the turnaround.
- Payment and Approval – the single biggest levers you control are the timeliness of payment and approvals. The more you are able to keep on top of those things, the more we’re able to keep on top of standard process.
If you’re weighing screen printing against embroidery for the same order, our screen printing vs. embroidery guide breaks down how the two compare on both cost and calendar.
Planning ahead protects both your price and your date
If you already know a launch, a season, or an event is coming, let us know! There’s no such thing as too much lead time and too little stress.
This matters most for organizations that reorder on a schedule: a staff refresh every year, spirit wear for back to school, or a merch line you restock throughout the year. Our guide to screen printing reorders covers what we keep on file between those runs. Planning around the standard three-week production window instead of rushing through the process at the last minute is what keeps those orders predictable
Need something faster than the standard timeline? That’s a real option in a lot of cases, and it’s its own conversation with its own answer. Tell us your desired in-hand date when you reach out.
Getting an accurate answer for your order
The fastest way to know exactly where your order stands is to give us the two numbers that drive everything: how many pieces, and when you need them. If this is your first custom order anywhere, our step-by-step guide to ordering custom shirts in Austin walks through the whole process. Plus, we’ll tell you honestly whether your count clears the minimum, whether DTF is the better fit, and what the standard timeline looks like for your specific job. Get a quote or contact our team and we’ll take it from there.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the minimum order for screen printing at Kong?
25 pieces for most things, though we can make exceptions depending on the circumstances. The minimum exists because burning screens and setting up the press involves the same amount of work no matter the order size, so a minimum order size helps ensure its good deal for everyone. If your count is close to 25 or your situation is unusual, ask us directly.
Can I order fewer than 25 pieces?
Sometimes, and it’s worth asking. But for most orders well under 25 pieces, we’re going to recommend direct-to-film transfers. DTF printing is a better economic fit than screen printing at those quantities. DTF has no screen setup, so the cost per piece stays consistent at those counts instead of carrying a setup charge that a small order can’t spread out.
How long does a standard screen printing order take?
About three weeks after your order is approved. That window covers confirming your art is print-ready, ordering the right garments, your proof approval, and us doing our thing to produce it right!
Does the three-week timeline start when I place my order or when I approve the proof?
It starts once your order is approved. Time spent reviewing your art, requesting estimate changes, or finalizing garment choices happens before that three-week clock begins.
What can make my order take longer than three weeks?
A few things: a very large piece count (several thousand), a large order with several colors or multiple print locations, a garment style that is out of stock, or artwork that needs cleanup before it’s press-ready. Sending a clean, print-ready file, prompt payment, and approving your proof quickly are the best ways to keep your order on the standard schedule.
Is embroidery turnaround the same as screen printing?
Typically, but there’s less flexibility in the schedule and delays in payment or proof approval can throw more of a wrench in things than with screen printing or DTF. If your order mixes methods, like embroidered polos alongside screen-printed tees, ask us how the timelines line up for your specific job.
Do smaller orders cost more per piece than larger ones?
Yes, for screen printing specifically. The setup work is fixed, so spreading it across more pieces lowers your cost per shirt. That’s why the minimum exists and why a run of 200 lands at a very different per-piece price than a run of 25, even with the same design.
What if I need my order faster than three weeks?
Tell us the date you need them. Faster turnarounds are possible in a lot of cases, and we’ll always tell you honestly whether we can hit it before you commit to anything.
Ready to start
Your custom merch deserves a partner, not just a printer. Tell us about your project and the date you need it and we’ll tell you what’s possible. Get a quote and we’ll take it from there.
