No Minimum Screen Printing: How to Order Custom Shirts Without a Bulk Requirement

Search "no minimum screen printing" and you will find shops advertising a lowered minimum of 12 pieces instead of 48, or a rush fee to waive it entirely. That is still a minimum, just a smaller one. A true no-minimum model does not exist inside traditional screen printing, because the screen setup cost has to be spread across at least a handful of shirts to make financial sense for the printer. The way around that is a different production method entirely: print on demand, where each shirt is printed as it is ordered and there is nothing to spread a setup cost across in the first place.

Why Screen Printing Almost Always Has a Minimum

A screen printer burns a physical screen for every color in your design before the first shirt runs. That screen costs the shop time and material whether you order 1 shirt or 100. To keep the price reasonable per shirt, shops set a floor: usually 12-24 pieces for a single design, sometimes higher for multi-color jobs. Ask for less than the minimum and you will either get turned away or charged a setup fee that makes a small order expensive per piece.

What Actually Removes the Minimum

Print on demand removes the screen entirely. Instead of pre-printing a batch, each order triggers one print. There is no screen to amortize, so the price per shirt does not change whether it is the first order or the thousandth. That is the structural reason Bear Grips Pro Shops can offer a true 1-piece minimum across a 63-product catalog, from Airlume cotton tees at $19.88 VIP base up through hoodies, polos, joggers, and leggings.

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

Wholesale Screen Printing vs No-Minimum Ordering

	Wholesale screen printing	No-minimum POD (Bear Grips Pro Shops)
Smallest order	12-48 pieces typical	1 piece
Setup fee	$15-$40 per color	None
Inventory held	Whatever you order upfront	None
Reorder flexibility	New minimum, new setup fee	Order any quantity anytime
Best for	Large identical-quantity event orders	Ongoing shops, variable sizes, testing designs

Who Actually Needs a No-Minimum Order

• A new small business testing a first design before committing budget to a bulk run.
• A shop selling to customers directly, where every order is a different size and quantity.
• A team or gym that needs to restock one size after the original order sold through unevenly.
• Anyone without $300-$800 sitting around to front a 24-piece screen print order before a single sale happens.

Setting Up a True No-Minimum Shop

Sign up for the free plan (3 live products, no cost) or Self-Service VIP at $59/mo for 200 products and the lowest base prices. Upload your logo or design, list your products, set your own retail price, and open the shop. Every order from one shirt up ships free to the customer with no setup step required on your end. Start at the Bear Grips Pro Shops homepage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there really no minimum order?

Correct. Bear Grips Pro Shops has no minimum order quantity on any catalog product. Order one shirt or a hundred at the same per-piece price.

Why do most screen print shops require 12 or more pieces?

Because they burn a physical screen per color before printing starts, and that setup cost only makes financial sense spread across a batch. Ordering fewer pieces than the minimum usually means a setup fee or a flat refusal.

Can I order a no-minimum polo instead of a t-shirt?

Yes. The no-minimum model applies across the full catalog, including polos, hoodies, joggers, tanks, and hats, not just t-shirts.

Does a smaller order cost more per piece?

No. The per-piece price is the same whether you order 1 or 100, since nothing is batched or pre-printed.