Custom t-shirts no minimum — that’s our policy, and if you’ve been told otherwise, you’ve been talking to the wrong shop.
That’s not a sales pitch. It’s the reason MC Print & Stitch exists.
Why Minimums Became a Problem in the First Place
When my wife and I started this business, we had already lived the frustration ourselves. We wanted custom apparel — not 144 pieces, not a case of shirts we’d never use — just a reasonable quantity for a real need. And shop after shop either turned us away or quoted us prices that only made sense if we were outfitting an entire school district.
That experience stuck with us. There were moms, small business owners, coaches, birthday planners, and everyday people who needed one shirt, or five shirts, with no real place to go locally. The big online platforms existed, sure — but you can’t walk into a Customink. You can’t feel the shirt before you order it, watch it being made, or call someone who actually knows your name.
So we opened the doors to be that local shop. And even though we now handle large orders regularly, we’ve never forgotten what got us started. There will always be room here for the person who needs just one.
Yes, We Really Do Mean One — Custom T-Shirts With No Minimum
The lowest quantity we’ve ever produced? One shirt.
One of our favorite examples: a grandfather found us by searching “custom T-shirts in Staten Island, New York.” He called and asked if we could make a single shirt for his granddaughter’s birthday. She had a little mock vlog she’d started called “Ten Minutes of Interrogation” — and he wanted to surprise her with something that made it feel real.
He didn’t have artwork. He didn’t have a file. He just had the name of her vlog and a grandfather’s enthusiasm.
We designed it, produced it in both white and red so she could choose her favorite, and had both shirts ready for him within a day. He wrote us a wonderful review and sent us a photo of his granddaughter wearing it.
That’s what this is about.
“Very imaginative design sense, beautifully rendered, promptly delivered. Couldn’t ask for more.”
— Henry E. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ via Yelp
So Why Does One Shirt Cost More Than a Dozen?
This is where a lot of customers come in with the wrong expectation — and it’s worth being honest about.
Pricing in this industry can be a little confusing, especially when everyone online is racing to offer the lowest possible number. But there’s a real reason why a single shirt costs more per unit than a bulk order, and it has nothing to do with anyone trying to take advantage of you.
Think about what goes into that first order:
— We sit down with you (or go back and forth digitally) to understand what you’re looking for. — We walk through garment options, colors, and decoration styles. — We receive your artwork — or help create it — and make it print-ready. — We set everything up and produce a sample.
That upfront investment of time, labor, and materials is the same whether we’re making one shirt or one hundred. When quantity increases, that setup cost gets spread across more units. By the time you’re ordering 50+, we’ve already done all the creative and technical groundwork — it becomes, in a sense, copy and paste. The price eases naturally because the hard part is already done.
So yes, one shirt will cost more per piece than fifty shirts. That’s not a penalty for ordering small — it’s just an honest reflection of what goes into it.
Which Decoration Method Is Right for a Small Order?
Great question, and the honest answer is: it depends on what you’re going for. Here’s a plain-English breakdown of the main options:
DTF (Direct-to-Film) — Think: full-color printed transfers applied with heat. One of the best options for small quantities. It’s fast, handles complex full-color graphics beautifully, and works on almost any garment type without the heavy setup that screen printing requires. If you have a detailed design or logo with multiple colors and you only need a few pieces, DTF is usually where I start the conversation.
Embroidery — Think: your design stitched directly into the fabric with thread. My personal favorite — especially for polos, hats, jackets, and anything with a professional or corporate feel. Done right, embroidery lasts forever and looks like it was built into the garment. You can actually feel the quality. It works great at small quantities, and the result is something that holds up wash after wash for years.
DTG (Direct-to-Garment) — Think: an inkjet printer, but for T-shirts. DTG has its place, particularly for large graphic tees and back prints. It requires garments to be pretreated so the ink properly adheres, and it works best on flat surfaces like T-shirt fronts and backs — not ideal for polos or structured items. It’s a solid option for photo-realistic or highly detailed artwork on a single shirt.
Screen printing — Think: ink pushed through a stencil, one color at a time. The industry classic, and for good reason — it produces bold, vibrant, long-lasting results. But it requires a separate screen to be burned for every color in your design, which means significant setup time and cost upfront. That’s why screen printing typically makes the most sense at higher quantities, where that setup investment pays off across the run.
For most small orders, I’d point you toward DTF or embroidery first and have a conversation from there. Not sure which is right for your project? We broke down the full comparison in our Screen Printing vs. Embroidery guide.
Who Actually Orders Small Quantities?
More people than you’d think. Some of our most common small-order customers include:
— Moms putting together something special for a birthday, a team, or a school event — Bridal parties who want a few custom pieces without committing to a full production run — Gift-givers — like that grandfather — who want something personal and one-of-a-kind — People looking for vintage or custom artwork on a single piece — Local shoppers who’d normally go to Etsy but want it made nearby, faster, with someone they can actually talk to
If you see yourself in any of those descriptions, you’re exactly who we built this for. If you’re placing your first order and want to know what to expect from start to finish, our Custom Apparel Ordering Guide walks through the whole process — even if you’re ordering for just yourself.
What to Have Ready Before You Reach Out
Coming in prepared makes everything faster and smoother — for both of us. Here’s what helps:
— Print-ready artwork if you have it: vector files are best, and any raster image should be 300 DPI or higher — Garment preferences: sizes, colors, and brands you’re interested in (or an openness to our recommendations) — Decoration preference: embroidery, DTF, DTG, screen printing — or just tell us the look you’re going for and we’ll guide you — A rough budget: even a ballpark helps us point you in the right direction — An open mind: sometimes what you pictured isn’t the best fit for the method, the garment, or the price — and we’ll always tell you honestly
No artwork? No problem. We’ve built designs from scratch for clients at every level. But the more you bring to the table, the faster we can get moving.
Local vs. Online: When Does Each Make Sense?
I’ll be straight with you here, because I think you deserve a real answer rather than a sales pitch.
The big online platforms — Customink, Printful, and others — have real advantages. They have the bandwidth to handle massive orders quickly, and their customer service can be helpful when something goes wrong and you need a replacement or a refund.
But here’s what they can’t offer: you can’t walk into their shop. You can’t feel the shirt before you order it. You can’t watch it being made. And unless you’ve ordered from them before, you’re making a decision based on a photo on a screen.
Those platforms got big by starting small — and along the way, some of them forgot what brought them there.
Some customers want a relationship with the business they’re buying from. They want someone who will help them find solutions, take something off their plate, and actually care about how the final product turns out. If that’s you, local is almost always worth it.
If you genuinely don’t care about any of that and just need the absolute lowest price with no other considerations — then yes, there are online shops that will always undercut everyone. But I’d ask: is that really what we want for everything? Where’s the value in that?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum order at MC Print & Stitch? We have no shop minimum. We’ve produced as few as one custom shirt and as many as hundreds. Every order gets the same attention regardless of size.
How much does one custom T-shirt cost? It depends on the garment, the decoration method, and the complexity of your design. A single shirt will cost more per unit than a bulk order because the setup time and labor are the same regardless of quantity. The best way to get an accurate number is to reach out — we’re happy to give you a straight answer with no pressure.
How long does a small custom order take? Turnaround varies by method and complexity, but small orders often move faster than large ones. In some cases, like our one-shirt birthday order, we’ve delivered same-day. Reach out and we’ll give you a realistic timeline upfront.
Do I need to provide my own artwork? No. If you have print-ready artwork, great — that speeds things up. But if you have an idea, a rough sketch, or even just a concept, we can build from there. We’ve created designs from scratch for all kinds of clients.
What’s the difference between DTF and screen printing for small orders? Screen printing requires a screen to be burned for each color in your design, which makes it cost-effective at high quantities but expensive for small runs. DTF (Direct-to-Film) doesn’t have that setup requirement, making it a much better fit for one to a dozen pieces with complex or multi-color artwork.
Can you do custom embroidery on just one polo or hat? Yes. Embroidery is one of our most popular options for small quantities — especially for businesses, teams, and gifts. There’s no minimum, and a single embroidered polo or hat makes for a genuinely impressive finished product.
Do you ship, or is this pickup only? We’re a home-based shop in Staten Island serving NYC and New Jersey. Contact us directly to discuss your order and we’ll work out the details that make sense for your situation.
Why should I order locally instead of using an online custom shirt company? The big online platforms have advantages — scale, speed, and customer service for returns. But they can’t let you feel the garment before you order, watch your item being made, or build a real relationship with the person producing your gear. If that matters to you, local is worth it every time.
Still on the Fence? Here’s What I’d Say
We’re not pushy. We’re not trying to sell you anything you don’t need. Reaching out doesn’t cost a thing, and you might learn something in the process.
Tell us what you’re trying to accomplish. We’ll ask a few questions, walk you through the options, and let the pricing come naturally from there. We like to make this educational, even fun — and if we’re the right fit, great. If not, we’ll tell you that too.
The first step is just a conversation.
→ Get a Free Quote: mcprintandstitch.com/get-a-quote
📞 (929) 487-3382
📧 support@mcprintandstitch.com
📍 Staten Island, NY — Serving NYC & NJ