Why do we have a minimum order for screen printing?

Many people are not aware of what goes into printing a shirt.  After the design process, our graphic art team has to create spot color separations for each color used in the design.  For each ink color a separate screen is created.  (more detail?)  Those screens are then loaded into the press and micro-adjusted until they line up to produce the desired print.  We do several test prints before we begin printing on the garments for the project.  Although this can be a time-consuming process, it is vital in order to produce the quality prints our customers have grown accustomed to.  We do not charge separate “set up” fees for this process, but because of the labor and time involved before printing even begins, it is necessary for us to request a minimum number of shirts based on the number of ink colors to ensure that we can continue to offer affordable prices for all of our customers.

Currently the minimum amount for a 1 color imprint is 12 shirts, but for a multicolor imprint the minimum is 24 pieces.