Start a small print shop

01Minimal starter gear, with real prices

These are the basics for printing plastisol on T-shirts by hand. Prices come from retailer and supplier pages checked on October 21, 2026. They change often, and shipping and tax are extra. Where we couldn’t find a current listed price, we say “varies” instead of guessing. Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the bottom of the page.

What to buy first, and what can wait

• Buy first: a 1-color press, a few screens, emulsion, a way to expose, a way to cure, one squeegee, black and white ink, cleanup supplies and safety gear.
• Spend on curing before upgrades. The press puts ink on the shirt; the cure decides whether the print survives the wash.
• Wait on: a 4-color press, a conveyor dryer and specialty inks until real orders need them.
• Check your power before buying a flash or dryer. Some flashes and dryers need 240V or their own circuit, so read the listing.

02Free tools that help

All free, right here on this site.

03Pricing basics

No price recommendations here, on purpose: your costs aren’t anyone else’s. What matters is knowing yours before you quote.

• Blank cost. What you pay per shirt, plus shipping, plus a couple of spares in case of misprints.
• Ink and screens per job. Every color in every print location is its own screen, and each one uses emulsion, tape, cleanup chemicals and time.
• Your time. Art, screens, setup, printing, curing, cleanup, folding and delivery all count. The Press Time Estimator helps you see how long a job really takes.
• Set a minimum order. Setup takes the same work for 6 shirts or 60, so a minimum keeps small jobs from costing you money. Many shops use a minimum, a per-screen fee, or both [46].
• Don’t underprice. A price that only covers the shirts means you’re printing for free, and raising prices later with the same customers can be awkward. Price for your real costs from the first job.
• Put it in writing. Quantity, sizes, colors, print locations, price, deposit and date, agreed before you order blanks.

04Finding your first customers

First orders usually come from people who already know you. Be honest about what you can do well right now, and say no to jobs you can’t do yet.

• Friends and family. Good for practice, but quote them properly too. It’s how you learn your real costs.
• Local teams. Rec leagues, youth teams, run clubs and gyms often need simple shirts.
• Schools. Clubs, class shirts and events. Ask who approves orders; some schools have vendor rules.
• Small businesses. Staff shirts for cafes, shops, salons and trades.
• Churches and clubs. Volunteer shirts, events and fundraisers.
• Events. Fun runs, reunions, fairs and community days.

How to look reliable

• Show real samples. Print on the blanks you’ll actually sell, wash-test them, and show those, not just mockups.
• Be clear on turnaround. Count from approved art and payment, include the time to get blanks, and only promise dates you can hit.
• Only print art you have the rights to. Team logos, brands and characters usually belong to someone else.
• Check your local rules for running a small business from home and for sales tax.

05Common beginner mistakes

The full list is in Beginner mistakes. These five cost a new side business the most:

1. Calling a print cured because it’s dry. Only a wash test proves cure. Cure at the time and temperature on your ink’s tech data sheet (TDS), use a probe or strips to see what your heat is doing, and don’t trust an IR temp gun to prove it [39, 40].
2. Skipping the exposure test. Exposure changes with mesh count, mesh color and emulsion [44]. Test each mesh count with the Exposure Calculator.
3. Too much squeegee pressure. It smears and blurs prints. Use the lightest pressure that clears the ink in one stroke [43].
4. No off-contact. Start at 1/16–1/8 inch on a manual press, then raise it until the screen snaps away cleanly behind the squeegee [42].
5. Quoting without counting screens. Every color in every location is its own screen, and each flash slows the press. Count them before you price a job.