Screen Print vs DTF – Break Even Analysis & Calculator

A Real-World Case Study (8” x 8” Front Print, 250 Units)

“Costs updated November 2025 based on average U.S. shop data, ColDesi printers, ink/film, and real customer benchmarks. You exact DTF vs. Screen Printing costs may vary by supplier, region, and efficiency.”

Imagine this: A customer walks in (or emails) with a killer 4-color, full-detailed design and wants 250 shirts… by next week.

Do you fire up the manual press, burn screens, and block out 7+ hours of production — or do you hit “print” on your DTF system and have the transfers rolling in under 30 minutes, with finished shirts flying out the door in less than 4 hours total?

For years, the answer was “it depends” — loaded with vague rules of thumb, outdated numbers, and a lot of guessing.

Not anymore.

We took a standard 8×8″ front-print job (250 cotton tees, single-operator shop, $250k–$750k revenue range) and ran the exact numbers side-by-side in November 2025 — using today’s actual consumable prices, current ink/film costs, and real production speeds from one of the most popular DTF brands on the market (yes, we’re talking about our ColDesi 24H5E).

Counting the Costs Accurately, Calculate for Your Situation.

This case study is designed to work on a real-world project, using numbers that should accurately represent the costs of a t-shirt customization business using DTF or Screen Printing.

And further, give you the power to alter the numbers and calculate specific costs based on your exact job scenarios using our DTF vs Screen Printing Calculator.

Each business is unique with different labor costs, print speeds, and general material costs. This calculator and case study will allow business owners the ability to study and determine workflows for their business and future equipment investment opportunities.

Screen Printing vs. DTF in 2025:
Which Actually Makes You More Money on a 250-Shirt Order?

(A Real-World Cost Battle + Free Interactive Calculator)

Screen Printing vs DTF Cost Calculator

Compare total cost, cost per shirt, and labor time for a single 8×8 print job.

Job & Cost Inputs

Job basics

Quantity (shirts)

Screen print colors

Screen printing

Screen prep cost per screen ($)

Setup time (hours)

Cleanup time (hours)

Print speed (shirts/hour)

Ink cost per shirt ($)

Misc cost per job ($)

DTF

DTF consumables per print ($)

Print speed (transfers/hour)

Setup time (hours)

Press time per shirt (seconds)

Cleanup time (hours)

Misc cost per job ($)

Labor

Labor rate ($/hour)

Results & Comparison

Screen Printing

Total cost $0.00

Cost per shirt $0.00

Labor hours 0.0 h

Estimated job time 0.0 h

DTF

Total cost $0.00

Cost per shirt $0.00

Labor hours 0.0 h

Estimated job time 0.0 h

Cost break-even quantity will be shown here.

Time break-even quantity will be shown here.

Choose your DTF printer

The DTF vs Screen Print Cost Case Study Setup:

(Same for Both Methods)

Quantity: 250 garments
Garment type: Cotton T-shirts
Print size: 8×8 inches, front only
Labor rate: $16/hr
Shop type: Single operator
No garment cost included
(Labor and prints only)

PART 1: Screen Printing Cost Breakdown

Since many screen printers recycle their screens, we will base the costs on reclaiming screens.

Prep costs include:

Emulsion
Ink Removers / degreaser
Emulsion remover
Stain removers (when applicable)
Tape and blocking materials
Wear / Tear on screen itself (tension, damaged frames, warps, stains)

Setup time:

Ink usage and cost:

Printing Labor:

Cleanup:

Total labor hours:

Miscellaneous supplies:

These are supplies that you might use once or reuse them many times. Screen printing relies on various supplies for production and should be considered in print runs.

Total Cost (Screen Printing 250 shirts):

PART 2: DTF Cost Breakdown

DTF printing is generally simpler to calculate as there are many less steps and supplies to keep on hand. The costliest supplies will be your ink, DTF film and adhesive powder. We will be focusing on this and comparing it to the ColDesi 24h5E. This is currently the fastest model of Direct to Film printing.

Consumables:

Printing Speed:

For printing its important to recognize that there is a small set up time for printing. The assumption is that your staff will do a nozzle check and a test print. These take a short amount of time, but you also have to include that for accuracy.

Heat Pressing:

Heat pressing garments is quick and easy. It does not require much finesse, so it’s fair to consider your shop will be using an efficient heat press set up. Using a quality heat press is one of the most important steps to efficient direct-to-direct-to-film printing, while also creating long-lasting prints.

Cleanup:

Miscellaneous Overhead:

Total Cost (DTF Printing 250 shirts):

Labor Time: 1.0 + 2.5 + 0.5 = 4 hours
Labor Cost: 4 hours × $16 = $64
Consumables: $100
Supplies/power: $10
Total: $174
Cost per shirt: ~$0.70

PART 3: The Verdict: 2025 DTF vs. Screen Printing Case Study

At 250 shirts: DTF wins on costs by a thin margin.

This is essentially a tie as each print shop’s exact operating methods and costs will vary.

Screen printing: ~$0.80/shirt

DTF: ~$0.70/shirt

The Biggest Winner = Time

Time Screen Printing: 7 hours

Time DTF Printing: 3.58 hours

The overall cost is similar considering labor and supplies, yet orders can move through the production system faster. There are numerous benefits to faster production that create big wins for t-shirt production facilities.

When it comes to big differences, screen printing gains efficiency at scale; DTF stays linear. As you move to low-color high-quantity jobs, you will see the cost of screen printing is reduced.

Many expert hybrid shops have mentioned the following examples for when they choose DTF over Screen Printing

Both screen printing and DTF offer benefits to t-shirt customization businesses that want to stay competitive. Some have found that converting completely to direct to film printing is better for their business. While this is true, many choose a hybrid operation where they still maintain screen printing. The exact formula for each business depends on profitability and labor for various jobs, along with other considerations.

Want to Find Your Break-Even Point?

Use our DTF vs Screen Printing Calculator to determine:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – DTF vs. Screen Printing

At what quantity does screen printing become cheaper than DTF?

This isn’t an exact number as it depends on the number of colors and the speed of your DTF printer. If you have a 4 color design and you are printing with a high-speed printer, the break-even point cost comes around 800 shirts. Alternatively, if you had just a 1 color design, the break even point would be closer to 500 shirts.

Does the number of colors always matter with DTF, or only with screen printing?

The number of colors for direct to film designs has little effect on the cost or output speed. When comparing to screen printing, the number of colors is very important as it dictates hard costs and labor.

How does labor affect the cost difference?

Labor is the largest cost for screen printing. The ink and screens are a minimal cost, especially when printing hundreds of garments. Set up, teardown and cleaning in screen printing creates hours of labor that are not in production, which is where the true cost to print is realized.

How much does artwork complexity change the cost?

Artwork complexity is a labor cost in t-shirt printing and design. A complex piece of art could require hours of work to set up for screen printing. Each color needs to be separated into its own layer.

Thought also needs to be put into reducing the number of colors for screen printing. If a customer brings a design that is very color rich, it would increase the cost to print. Thus, you will find screen printer artists taking time to reduce colors and simplify art. When direct-to-film printing, this is less a worry as the number of colors has no effect on print speeds or production.

What about durability — does one method last longer and therefore justify a higher cost?

Studies and user experience has shown that DTF prints can be equally as durable to screen printed shirts. This information can be seen as incorrect to inexperienced users as they might not be printing with the correct methods. Screen printing and DTF both require proper methods to create long-lasting prints. If any of these methods are not followed, you will have prints that fail quickly regardless of the technology.

Does DTF reduce spoilage or misprints compared to screen printing?

Misprints and spoilage can happen in both styles of printing for various reasons, it’s inevitable in the printing business. The costliest part of spoilage in printing is the cost of the garment. Since DTF printing is first applied to a film, it is easy to quality control prints before they are applied to apparel. Also, since there are less steps involved in DTF, you can notice and resolve issues immediately, reducing the labor to handle mistakes in the process.

How should a shop factor in equipment investment when comparing costs?

The cost of all equipment in a printing shop is important. Many businesses will create a simple return on investment calculation. How much will they spend on equipment, vs. the potential revenue and profit. Printing equipment can be a large investment for some businesses so its important to purchase the right size printer for production needs and ROI.

Does DTF help smaller shops take in more rush jobs or low-MOQ orders?

Yes, DTF can be profitable even in very small runs. This is one of the largest benefits to this type of digital printing. Screen printing can be challenging to achieve profitability in jobs under 48 or even up to 144 pieces.

Are there jobs where DTF is absolutely the wrong choice?

DTF printing is not designed for specialty type of prints at its current technological state. These would include fluorescent colors, glow in the dark, color changing, glitter and other effects sometimes requested on apparel. Otherwise cost per print, labor, durability, versatility and many other reasons can justify DTF as a replacement for screen printing.

What about hybrid jobs — like screen printing plus DTF? When does that make sense?

It can make sense to have apparel that is a hybrid of DTF and screen printing. Some examples would be a single-color design on the back and a name drop on the front. The variable data capabilities of DTF allow for easy production of name drops. Another example could be specialty locations. This could mean printing DTF on the front of the garment, while screening the shoulder.

For more information or to speak with a Pro, call 877-297-4123 or fill out the form below.

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