DTF printing cost depends on how you buy it. Ready-to-press transfers ordered by size run about $1 for a 2" logo up to $10 for a 20" back print. Gang sheets, where you fill one 22" wide film with as many designs as fit, run around $0.40 per linear inch at DAB DTF. An efficiently nested layout can bring an adult-front transfer down to roughly $2.50 and a small logo under $0.50. Using typical assumptions for blanks, transfers, and press labor, a finished DTF shirt costs roughly $7 to $13.50 before overhead.
Printing in-house cuts per-print consumable costs but adds equipment, maintenance, and labor. Whether that pays off depends on your monthly volume.
DTF pricing chart: what each option costs in 2026
| How you buy | Typical price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Transfers by size (single) | $1.00 (2") to $9.99 (20") each | One design, exact sizes, quick reorders |
| Transfers by size (75+ pieces) | About half the single price | Team orders, uniform runs |
| Gang sheet | About $0.40 per linear inch on a 22" sheet | Multiple designs, mixed sizes, lowest cost per print |
| Full-service shirt (garment + print + press) | Roughly $8 to $20+ per shirt, depending heavily on garment, print size, and volume | Hands-off merch, events |
| In-house printing (consumables only) | Cents to a few dollars per print, before equipment and labor | Shops with high, steady volume |
The first three rows are DAB DTF's current prices. The last two are broad market ranges; the low end of full-service pricing usually reflects large orders on basic blanks.
What decides the price of a DTF transfer
Transfer size is the main driver of price. Larger transfers use more film and cost more. At DAB, by-size transfers are priced by the print width you select, and gang sheets by sheet length at a fixed 22" width. The number of colors in the artwork doesn't change the price, so a photorealistic design and a one-color logo of the same size cost the same.
The other three factors are:
- Format. Gang sheets cost less per usable square inch than individually cut transfers, because you pay for film, not per design.
- Quantity. Volume tiers drop the unit price on by-size orders.
- Fill rate. On a gang sheet, empty film is money spent on nothing. A tightly nested sheet is where the savings come from.
DAB charges no setup, color, or art fees, and several major DTF suppliers now use the same model. Our advice: if a quote includes those fees, ask what they cover.
Option 1: DTF transfers by size
Ordering by size is the simplest route. You pick the final width, upload one design, and get transfers cut to that size, ready to press.
DAB DTF transfer prices by width
| Width | Single price | Typical placement |
|---|---|---|
| 2" | $1.00 | Neck label, hat, small logo |
| 3" | $1.49 | Left chest |
| 4" | $1.99 | Left chest, pocket |
| 5" | $2.49 | Sleeve, onesie |
| 7" | $3.49 | Youth front |
| 9" | $4.49 | Youth front, tote |
| 10" | $4.99 | Adult front |
| 11" | $5.49 | Standard adult front |
| 12" | $5.99 | Large adult front |
| 14" | $6.99 | Oversized front |
| 16" | $7.99 | Back print |
| 20" | $9.99 | Full back |
Every half inch in between is also available, priced in the same steps.
Volume discounts
| Quantity | Discount | 11" adult front each | 3" left chest each |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | None | $5.49 | $1.49 |
| 5+ | 10% | $4.94 | $1.34 |
| 10+ | 15% | $4.67 | $1.27 |
| 20+ | 20% | $4.39 | $1.19 |
| 35+ | 30% | $3.84 | $1.04 |
| 75+ | 50% | $2.75 | $0.75 |
Order by size when you have one design, need the exact same dimensions every time, or want to reorder without rebuilding a layout.
Option 2: DTF Gang Sheets
A gang sheet is one 22" wide film with many designs nested together. You pay for the sheet length, not the number of designs.
DAB DTF gang sheet prices
| Sheet size | Price |
|---|---|
| 22" x 10" | $3.99 |
| 22" x 20" | $7.99 |
| 22" x 50" | $19.99 |
| 22" x 80" | $31.99 |
| 22" x 100" | $39.99 |
| 22" x 120" | $47.99 |
| 22" x 150" | $59.99 |
| 22" x 180" | $71.99 |
| 22" x 200" | $79.99 |
That works out to a flat $0.40 per linear inch, $4.80 per linear foot, or about $0.018 per square inch at every length. Some suppliers lower the per-inch rate as sheets get longer; ours stays the same, so a short sheet for a small job costs the same rate as a 200" production run.
For context, current supplier pricing on 22" film commonly falls in roughly the $4 to $7 per linear foot range before longer-run discounts, although pricing models vary considerably. Some decorators who resell transfers price per square inch instead, with rates that vary widely by volume and overhead.
What a gang sheet actually costs per print
These examples assume a quarter-inch spacing between designs.
| Design | Fits on | Count | Cost per print |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5" left-chest logo | 22" x 20" ($7.99) | About 25 | About $0.32 |
| 3" hat or sleeve logo | 22" x 200" ($79.99) | About 360 | About $0.22 |
| 10.5" x 12" adult front | 22" x 100" ($39.99) | 16 | About $2.50 |
| 10.5" x 12" adult front | 22" x 200" ($79.99) | 32 | About $2.50 |
| Mixed: 8 fronts + 24 left-chest logos | 22" x 80" ($31.99) | 32 prints | About $1.00 average |
Compare the adult front at DAB's current prices: $5.49 ordered singly, $2.75 at 75+ by size, and about $2.50 on an efficiently nested gang sheet with no quantity minimum. Gang sheets win any time you have several designs or several sizes going out in the same week.
How to get the most out of a gang sheet
- Put every design for the week on one sheet instead of ordering per customer.
- Fill gaps around large prints with small logos, neck labels, or sleeve hits.
- Rotate designs to nest them tighter.
- Upload at final size and 300 DPI. Anything on the file prints, including stray backgrounds.
What does it Cost to Make a DTF Shirt?
Here is an estimated cost model for one finished adult tee with a front print, pressed in your own shop. Swap in your own numbers to get your real cost.
| Cost item | Low | High | Assumption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blank tee | $3.50 | $6.00 | Basic to mid-weight tee; some suppliers list blanks under $3 |
| DTF transfer | $2.50 | $5.49 | DAB gang sheet vs single 11" transfer |
| Press labor | $0.75 | $2.00 | 12 shirts per hour at a loaded labor rate of $9 to $24 per hour |
| Total | $6.75 | $13.49 | Before overhead |
Overhead such as rent, electricity, software, payment processing, packaging, and spoilage is not included. Premium blends raise the blank cost. Adding a left-chest logo from the same gang sheet adds under fifty cents.
Budget press time conservatively. Loading the shirt, aligning the transfer, pressing, cooling, peeling, and the final press take about 5 minutes per shirt for most operators, which is roughly 12 shirts an hour on one press. A 200-shirt order is about two working days of pressing.
How to price DTF shirts for resale
A two to three times production-cost multiple is a common starting framework among small decorators, although actual pricing depends heavily on volume, customer type, and local competition. Applied to the model above, an $8 to $9 shirt would land between about $18 and $27. School and team orders tend to sit lower with higher volume; boutique brands and Etsy listings often sit higher.
Another structure practitioners describe: the pressing fee covers your time, and the markup on transfers and blanks is your profit. Some decorators charge about double what the transfers cost them, then add $1 to $2 per shirt for application. Track your real cost per shirt, including misprints and the occasional reprint, before setting a price.
What to charge for pressing only
When a customer brings their own shirts, and you supply or apply the transfers, you are selling labor. Practitioners commonly cite the rates below, though local labor rates and order volume can materially change the charge.
| Situation | Commonly mentioned charge |
|---|---|
| Wholesale pressing, per press | About $1.00 |
| Retail pressing, per press | About $2.00 |
| Additional print locations | Charged per press, often at a lower rate after the first |
| Customer-supplied garments | Same rates plus a handling premium, paid upfront |
Two protections are worth adding when you press garments you did not supply. Get payment before the job starts, and use a short waiver stating you are not liable for damage to supplied items, since blends, coatings, and thin fabrics can scorch or shine under heat. If the customer is open to it, supplying the shirts yourself adds a second margin to the job.
Overhead such as rent, electricity, software, payment processing, packaging, and spoilage is not included. Premium blends raise the blank cost. Adding a left-chest logo from the same gang sheet adds under fifty cents.
Budget press time conservatively. Loading the shirt, aligning the transfer, pressing, cooling, peeling, and the final press take about 5 minutes per shirt for most operators, which is roughly 12 shirts an hour on one press. A 200-shirt order is about two working days of pressing.
Is it cheaper to print your own DTF transfers?
Per print, yes. Overall, it depends on how many transfers you produce each month.
The ink, film, and powder in a single transfer cost a fraction of the retail price. That number is what most "print it yourself" comparisons quote. What it leaves out:
- Equipment. A printer, powder shaker, curing unit, and ventilation. Commonly quoted setups range from a few thousand dollars for desktop units to $20,000 or more for production lines.
- Maintenance. White ink settles and has to circulate. Idle printers clog. Printheads are a consumable part.
- Waste. Misprints, test prints, and color calibration all use film and ink, especially in the first months.
- Labor. Someone runs, cleans, and troubleshoots the printer instead of pressing and selling.
- Downtime. When your printer stops mid-order, the deadline does not move.
Because DTF printers need regular maintenance and carry fixed equipment costs, outsourcing can be more economical at low or intermittent volumes. Before bringing production in-house, compare your expected monthly transfer volume and average print size against equipment, financing, labor, maintenance, spoilage, and downtime costs, and against what the same transfers would cost from a supplier.
DTF printing cost in Richardson, TX and Dallas–Fort Worth
Richardson and the broader Dallas–Fort Worth area have a noticeable concentration of DTF suppliers offering local production and same-day or rapid pickup.
Current published prices from Richardson suppliers show:
- Small logo transfers starting around $0.75 to $2.00 each.
- Standard adult front transfers at about $5 to $10 singly, dropping to roughly $2 to $3 at volume.
- Gang sheets on 22" wide film, priced by length.
- No-minimum and no-setup-fee ordering, which is common among the major local suppliers.
What separates local suppliers is less the sticker price and more the operating details: whether they print in-house or resell, how consistent the color is from one order to the next, how fast an order is ready, and whether the price per inch holds on short sheets.
Buying from DAB DTF in Richardson
DAB DTF prints every transfer at our facility at 1400 S Sherman St, Ste 114, Richardson, TX 75081. Nothing is outsourced.
- Pickup: local orders are usually ready in about 2 hours. Pickup is free and saves shipping entirely.
- Shipping: most orders leave the Richardson facility within 1 to 3 business days, and qualifying orders may ship sooner. Free US shipping over $35.
- Pricing: flat $0.40 per linear inch on every gang sheet length, transfers by size from $1.00, volume discounts up to 50%.
- Minimums and fees: none.
- Durability: 100+ washes when pressed correctly.
- Bulk and recurring accounts: contract decorators, school programs, and brands with ongoing runs can request volume pricing.
We regularly supply decorators and print shops across Richardson, Plano, Garland, Allen, McKinney, Frisco, and the rest of the metroplex, including spirit wear and team orders for local school districts.
Hidden costs to check before you order
Lower sticker prices sometimes hide costs elsewhere. Before choosing a supplier, check:
- Shipping thresholds. A low transfer price with a high free-shipping minimum can cost more on small orders.
- Rush fees. Some suppliers charge for same-day; others build it into the standard turnaround.
- Reprint policy. Ask what happens if a transfer arrives defective, and who pays for reprints caused by file issues.
- Peel type. Hot-peel and cold-peel films press differently. Using the wrong settings ruins transfers you already paid for.
- Unused sheet space. A half-empty gang sheet can cost more per design than ordering by size.
One more thing on price. Even a modest saving per transfer can disappear quickly if inconsistent transfers lead to reprints or ruined garments. A batch that cracks, peels, or prints off-color has to be redone at your cost, blanks included.
Get an exact price for your design
The fastest way to know your real cost is to lay out your designs. Build a gang sheet to see how many prints fit, order transfers by size for single designs, or request a free sample to check color and hand-feel on your own blanks. Questions about a bulk run? Call (469) 803-0412 or contact us.
