Custom Ink Alternative For Student Organizations

Custom Ink is the default print vendor most student organizations have used for the last decade, but the model is built around bulk orders with size collection done by the chapter officer. For orgs that want individual member ordering with no minimum and no chapter inventory risk, Bear Grips Pro Shops is the alternative. Below is the side-by-side comparison on minimums, ordering, shipping, and the time cost on the chapter advisor or officer.

Minimum Order: 6 vs 1

Custom Ink requires a minimum order, typically 6 shirts on most products. Bear Grips Pro Shops has no minimum on any product in the catalog. One shirt or one hundred, same per-unit price. For small orgs or one-off officer pieces, the difference matters.

Size Collection: Spreadsheet vs Direct

Custom Ink's model requires the chapter officer to:

• Collect sizes in a Google Form or spreadsheet.
• Compile the order.
• Place one bulk order on Custom Ink.
• Receive shirts to one address.
• Distribute manually to each member.

Pro Shops' model lets each member visit the org's branded shop, pick their size, pay direct, and have the shirt ship to their own address. The officer does not collect sizes, does not place a single order, does not distribute shirts.

Shipping: One Address vs Member Address

Custom Ink ships bulk orders to one address (typically the chapter advisor or officer's address). The chapter then handles distribution. Pro Shops ships every shirt directly to the member who ordered it. The chapter is never the middleman.

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

Cost Comparison: 50-Shirt Run

Line	Custom Ink (typical)	Pro Shops (VIP)
Per-shirt base (cotton tee)	$15 to $18	$19.88
Setup fee	$30 to $50	$0
Shipping	$15 to $40 bulk	Free, direct to member
Officer time (hrs)	8 to 15	0.5 (launch the product)
Inventory risk	High (chapter pays up front)	None (member pays at checkout)

On a small run, Custom Ink looks marginally cheaper per shirt before time cost. Factor in officer hours and the inventory risk and Pro Shops typically nets out ahead for any run smaller than 100 shirts.

When Custom Ink Still Wins

One scenario where Custom Ink remains the pick: a one-time event shirt where the org has confirmed signups with sizes already collected, wants the cheapest possible per-shirt price on a 100+ unit order, and the chapter is willing to absorb the upfront cost and distribution work. Specifically for very large orgs running highly predictable single-event shirt drops.

When Pro Shops Wins

Every other scenario:

• Ongoing apparel program with multiple designs through the year.
• New members joining throughout the semester who want an org tee.
• Smaller orgs where bulk minimums don't fit.
• Officers who don't want to handle inventory.
• Fundraiser shirts where the chapter doesn't want to float costs.

See org merch overview for the full program design.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pro Shops the same as Printful or Printify?

The model is similar (print-on-demand, no minimum) but Pro Shops is built specifically for groups: branded org shops, member-facing ordering URLs, chapter markup tracking, affiliate program, and US printing with about one-week delivery.

Can we switch mid-year?

Yes. Most orgs running their identity tee on Custom Ink open a Pro Shops store for the next design launch, run both for a semester, and consolidate.

Do we lose anything by switching?

You lose the bulk-pre-order model. For some chapters that's a feature (skip the spreadsheet). For chapters who prefer to run one big order per semester, the new model takes some adjustment but most prefer the individual ordering once they've done it.

Are the print quality and fabric the same?

Pro Shops uses premium blanks (Bear Grips, Bella+Canvas, Next Level, Champion, Gildan, Sport-Tek) and US-based printing. Quality is comparable to or better than typical Custom Ink runs.