How Print on Demand Works With No Minimum Order Requirement

April 17, 2026 6 min read By Cameron Wells

Quick Answer

Print on demand works one piece at a time because each order is printed only after it is placed.
There is no minimum order quantity and no setup fee per design or per color.
The per-piece price stays the same whether one customer orders or one hundred order.
This removes the biggest cost of traditional bulk ordering: guessing sizes and colors in advance.

Table of Contents

Why minimums existed in the first place
What no minimum means at checkout
What this unlocks for a new seller
When a seller might still want to order in bulk
Frequently Asked Questions

Traditional custom apparel printing works backward from what makes sense for a new seller. A screen printer wants 24 or 36 pieces minimum and charges a setup fee per color, which means a seller has to guess demand before a single sale happens. Print on demand flips that. Because nothing prints until a customer orders it, there is no reason to require a minimum. Here is how that actually works mechanically, not just as a marketing line.

Why minimums existed in the first place

Bulk printing methods have setup costs that only make sense to spread across many identical pieces. That setup cost is baked into the minimum order requirement. Print on demand uses production methods designed to run economically at a single-piece batch size, which removes the reason for a minimum entirely.

What no minimum means at checkout

Order size	Per-piece base price	Setup fee	Shipping
1 tee	$19.88	$0	Free
10 tees	$19.88	$0	Free
100 tees	$19.88	$0	Free

The base price shown is the same regardless of order volume. There is no bulk discount and no small-order penalty; the model is built around single-piece orders.

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

What this unlocks for a new seller

Test before committing: launch a design, see if anyone buys it, before spending anything on stock.
Every size and color, always available: a customer can order an XL in black and a small in gray on the same day without either running out.
Limited drops with zero risk: retire a design after a season or an event without leftover stock to sell off.

See our full product-by-product guide for how this plays out across the catalog, from tees to hoodies to hats.

When a seller might still want to order in bulk

No minimum does not mean bulk ordering is never useful. A gym handing out 40 free tees at an event, or a business that wants product on hand for an in-person pop-up, may still choose to order a batch ahead of time. The point is that it is a choice, not a requirement to get started.

Print One Piece at a Time

No minimum, no setup fee, no leftover inventory. Same per-piece price whether one order comes in or one hundred.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a setup fee for a new design?

No. There is no screen fee, no plate fee, and no per-color charge. The listed base price already includes production.

Can two different customers order two different colors on the same day?

Yes. Every order is independent, so customers pick their own size and color from what the seller has enabled.

Does ordering more pieces lower the price per piece?

No. The base price is flat regardless of quantity. There is no bulk discount because there is no bulk requirement either.

What is the tradeoff compared to bulk wholesale printing?

Wholesale can be cheaper per piece at very high volume, but it requires paying upfront and guessing demand. No minimum trades a lower ceiling price for zero risk.

Cameron WellsCustom Apparel and POD Industry Writer

Cameron has been writing about the custom apparel and print on demand industry for seven years, with a background in e-commerce operations. He covers platform comparisons, no-minimum vendors, and what is changing for small custom merch businesses.