Custom Ink Alternative for Construction Companies: No Minimum, No Setup Fees, Free Shipping

Custom Ink is one of the largest custom apparel platforms in the US. For one-time event tees with 25+ piece minimums, they work well. For construction companies with rolling crew needs, replacement pieces, and multiple design variants across the year, the minimum order economics and per-color setup fees become a real cost burden. Bear Grips Pro Shops solves both with no minimum and no setup fees.

How Custom Ink Pricing Works for Construction Orders

• Minimum order quantity: Typically 6 pieces minimum per design, sometimes higher for specific products.
• Per-color setup fees: Multi-color designs accumulate setup costs that hit small orders hard.
• Per-piece pricing: Decreases as quantity increases (tiered bulk discounts).
• Shipping: Standard shipping is included but expedited shipping costs extra.
• Turnaround: 1-2 weeks standard, expedited available for additional fees.

For 100+ piece orders of a single simple design, Custom Ink can be cost-competitive with print on demand. For 5-10 piece orders, the minimum and setup costs push the per-piece economics meaningfully higher than print on demand.

How Bear Grips Pro Shops Pricing Compares

• Minimum order quantity: 1 piece.
• Per-color setup fees: $0.
• Per-piece pricing: Flat across all quantities. A 1-piece order pays the same per-piece price as a 100-piece order.
• Shipping: Free US shipping included in the per-piece price.
• Turnaround: About one week, consistent across order sizes.

The flat pricing model rewards rolling small orders. For a construction company that orders new-hire kits monthly, replacement pieces quarterly, and event apparel every project, the flat model averages out cheaper than the tiered model with minimums and setup fees.

Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.

When Custom Ink Still Wins for Construction Orders

• One-time large event apparel runs: 200+ pieces of a single design for a corporate event or trade show.
• Simple single-color designs: Where setup fees do not stack across multiple colors.
• Companies with no ongoing apparel program: One-and-done order with no rolling needs.
• Specific product preferences: Custom Ink has some specialty products (specific brand exclusives, certain blank styles) that the Pro Shops catalog does not carry.

For construction companies that fit these scenarios, Custom Ink remains a competitive option. For the typical mid-size GC running a rolling apparel program, the cost advantages of Pro Shops outweigh.

Migrating From Custom Ink to Pro Shops

1. Sign up at shops.beargrips.com/for/general-contractor.
2. Upload the company logo (the same logo file used at Custom Ink).
3. Configure the products on Pro Shops to match the apparel previously ordered from Custom Ink.
4. Order a single sample piece to compare quality and decoration directly.
5. If the sample matches expectations, transition the apparel program. The shop link replaces the Custom Ink ordering channel.

For Done-For-You VIP customers, a shop advisor handles the full migration including catalog setup, design matching, and color verification against the prior Custom Ink orders.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the apparel quality the same between Custom Ink and Bear Grips Pro Shops?

The blanks are largely the same. Both vendors source from major commercial blank manufacturers (Bella+Canvas, Next Level, Gildan, Champion, Sport-Tek, etc.). Print and embroidery quality is comparable. The differences are minimum order, setup fees, and turnaround, not finished quality.

Can I order the same Bella+Canvas or Next Level shirt I bought from Custom Ink?

Yes, most likely. The Pro Shops catalog includes Bella+Canvas, Next Level, Sport-Tek, Champion, Gildan, and other major commercial blank manufacturers. The specific style numbers may differ, but the brand-equivalent shirt is almost always available.

What is the realistic cost savings on a typical construction apparel order?

For a 5-10 piece order with a 2-color logo, savings typically run 20-40% versus Custom Ink (which hits minimums and setup fees on small orders). For 50-100 piece orders, savings narrow to 5-15%. For 500+ piece orders, the gap closes meaningfully or reverses for Custom Ink.

Does Pro Shops handle the same kind of bulk corporate orders as Custom Ink?

Yes. The Pro Shops platform handles orders into the thousands of pieces per design. The difference is that Pro Shops does not require minimums to access the same per-piece pricing. A 10-piece order and a 1,000-piece order pay the same per-piece base.