Custom Ink is the default choice for many teachers ordering custom apparel, but the minimum order requirement creates real problems. Teachers want a few shirts, not a batch of 24. A grade-level team of four wants four matching shirts in different sizes, not a forced 12-piece minimum. Here is how Bear Grips Pro Shops handles the same use cases without the minimum order constraint and what to consider before picking your platform.
| Use Case | Custom Ink Requirement | Bear Grips Pro Shops Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Single teacher orders one shirt for herself | Forces minimum (6 to 24 pieces depending on style) | 1 piece minimum |
| Grade-level team of 4 teachers wants matching shirts | Forces 4 to 20 extra pieces | 4 pieces, exactly what you need |
| Specialist teacher wants 2 shirts in different colors | Forces 4 to 22 extra pieces | 2 pieces, the colors you want |
| Whole-school staff order of 80 pieces | Standard process | Standard process |
For larger orders (50+ matching pieces), both platforms work. For smaller orders (1 to 24 pieces), Bear Grips Pro Shops avoids the forced overage that Custom Ink requires.
The per-piece cost comparison depends on order size:
| Order Size | Custom Ink Lead Time | Bear Grips Pro Shops Lead Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 pieces | 1 to 2 weeks (standard) | About 1 week |
| 12-24 pieces | 2 to 3 weeks (standard) | About 1 week |
| 50-100 pieces | 2 to 3 weeks (standard) | About 1 week |
| Rush options | Available at extra cost | Standard timeline only |
For most teacher use cases, the about-1-week timeline from Bear Grips Pro Shops is faster than Custom Ink's standard timeline regardless of order size.
Custom Ink remains the better choice for:
For everything else (single teacher orders, small team orders, ongoing shop with refreshed designs), Bear Grips Pro Shops is built for the use cases that Custom Ink's minimum order requirement makes harder.
Single-teacher orders, small-team orders, ongoing shops. No minimum, no batch coordination, ships in about a week.
Start FreeYes. Upload your existing design file and apply it to any product in the Bear Grips Pro Shops catalog. The design works identically across platforms.
The Done-For-You VIP plan ($109/mo) includes a personal shop advisor accessible via call, text, or email. The free plan and Self-Service VIP plan are self-service. Most teachers find self-service sufficient for their use cases.
Both platforms use industry-standard apparel brands (Bella+Canvas, Sport-Tek, Champion, Gildan). The quality difference comes down to specific garment choices, not platform. The 63-product catalog at Bear Grips Pro Shops covers most of what Custom Ink offers.
Yes. The Self-Service VIP and Done-For-You VIP plans both support an ongoing branded shop with multiple products. Bear Grips Pro Shops is built specifically for the ongoing-shop use case, which Custom Ink supports but is not primarily designed for.
Bear Grips Pro Shops