Most quote requests we get for team shirts start with one line: "How much for shirts for our team?" It's a fair question. It's also one we can't answer yet.
A real number depends on a handful of details, and every one we have to chase down adds another round of emails. So here's the list we wish every coach, captain and team parent sent with their first message. Send us these and we can usually put together a full quote without the back-and-forth.
Quick background if you're new to us. We're XUSI, an Indigenous-owned clothing and screen printing shop in Saskatoon on Treaty 6 territory, started by two brothers in 2020. Along with our own clothing line, we print custom team shirts in Saskatoon for teams, schools, clubs and organizations.
The quick checklist for custom team shirts in Saskatoon
Copy this into your email and fill in the blanks. Rough answers are fine. "Around 20, maybe 25" is a lot more useful to us than nothing.
- Quantity. How many shirts in total. Our minimum is 10 garments.
- Garment. Tee, long sleeve, hoodie, and a brand if you have a preference.
- Garment colour. One colour for the whole team, or a mix.
- Ink colours. How many colours are in the design (up to 4).
- Print locations. Front, back, sleeve, or some combination.
- Artwork. Your logo or design file, or a sketch if you need design help.
- Sizes. A size breakdown, even an estimate.
- Deadline. The date you actually need them in hand.
- Pickup or shipping. Local pickup in Saskatoon, or shipped somewhere in Canada.
That's it. Nine lines. Here's why each one matters.
Quantity, and why 10 is our floor
Screen printing has setup work before the first shirt ever hits the press. Each colour in your design needs its own screen, and that screen has to be prepped, lined up and tested. That's why we have a 10 garment minimum.
Above 10, more shirts usually means a lower cost per print, because the setup gets spread across more garments. If you're on the fence between ordering for just the players or for players plus coaches, parents and a few spares, ask us to quote both. Seeing the two numbers side by side makes the decision easy.
One honest tip: order a couple of extras. Someone always joins late, and adding two shirts later means another setup.
Picking the garment
We print on Gildan, ALSTYLE, Independent and Bella+Canvas, and we can bring in other brands on request. Gildan and Bella+Canvas both sell blank apparel made for custom printing, and Bella+Canvas lists youth, toddler and infant sizes on its site, which helps if your team includes kids (see Sources below).
You don't need to know style numbers. Just tell us what the shirts are for. Game-day warmups, a tournament giveaway and a shirt people will wear for years are three different jobs, and we'll suggest options that fit your budget. If you want to compare blanks yourself first, our guide to the best blank t-shirts for screen printing covers it.
Also tell us the garment colour. Team colours are the usual answer, but keep in mind how your ink will sit on it. A dark navy logo on a black shirt looks great on screen and disappears in the gym.
Colours and print locations
We print up to 4 colours per design. Each ink colour is its own screen, so the number of colours affects the setup and the price.
A lot of strong team logos work in one or two colours. If your logo has gradients or ten shades of blue, we can help simplify it into something that prints clean. Design help is included, so you don't need to pay a designer before talking to us.
Then there's placement. Common setups for team shirts:
- Team logo on the front, nothing else. Simple and cheapest.
- Logo on the front, team name or sponsor on the back.
- Small chest logo on the front, bigger design on the back.
- Add a sleeve print for a year, a tournament name or a small mark.
Every location is a separate print, so each one adds to the cost. Tell us every spot you want printed so the quote reflects the shirt you're actually picturing.
Artwork: what to send
The best file is a vector file (like .AI, .EPS, .SVG or a vector PDF). If you only have a PNG or a JPG, send it anyway. If it came from a phone photo of last year's shirt, send that too, and let us know.
We'd rather see something rough early than wait a week for a perfect file. We'll tell you if it needs rework before it goes to screen. For the full technical rundown, read our post on screen printing artwork requirements.
One thing to check before you send a logo: make sure your team or league is okay with it being printed. If it belongs to a school, a league or a sponsor, get their sign-off first.
Sizes and the deadline
Collecting sizes is where most team orders stall. Here's what helps:
- Use one sheet or form, and set a firm cutoff date for size requests.
- Put the size chart in front of people before they choose. Our size guide is a good starting point.
- Ask about youth sizes if you have younger players. Not every garment comes in youth, so tell us early.
- If you can't get final sizes yet, send your best guess for the quote and update it before we print.
For the deadline, give us the date you need the shirts, not the date of the game. If the first game is Saturday, you probably want the shirts by Thursday.
Timing depends on the size of the order and the time of year, and we confirm it in your quote. Late summer and the lead-up to fall sports tend to fill up, so earlier is always better.
Pickup or shipping
If you're in Saskatoon, you can pick up locally. We also ship across Canada, which works well for teams in smaller communities or for tournaments out of town. Just tell us which one you need and the delivery address if it's shipping, so we can factor it into your timing.
How our pricing works
Our pricing is simple once you see the pieces:
- Print cost: based on quantity and the number of colours.
- Garment cost: the blank shirt, priced on top of the print.
- Minimum: 10 garments.
So a shirt with a front print and a back print has two prints, plus the garment. The brand and style you pick for the garment will move the total more than most people expect, which is why we ask about it up front.
You'll get a full quote before anything is printed. No surprises after the fact. If you want to understand what drives the number in more detail, we wrote a whole piece on screen printing cost per shirt.
Mistakes that slow quotes down
None of these are a big deal on their own. Stack three of them and you've lost a week.
- No quantity at all. We can't price without at least a range.
- "Whatever's cheapest" for the garment, then a surprise when the shirt feels thin. Tell us how the shirt will be used instead.
- Forgetting the back print until after the quote. It changes the price.
- Artwork that shows up last. The design shapes the colour count, which shapes the price.
- A deadline that's really the event date. Leave room for pickup and handing shirts out.
- Too many decision-makers. Pick one contact person who can approve the proof and the quote.
A proof sent to a group chat of twelve parents can sit for days.
Ready to get a quote?
Pull together the nine answers above and send them our way through our screen printing page. We've printed for groups like the University of Saskatchewan, SIIT and a local drum group here in Saskatoon. If you're also thinking about hoodies for the colder months, have a look at our post on custom hoodies for schools, teams and clubs.
Questions people ask
What's the minimum order for team shirts?
10 garments. You can mix sizes within that.
Can we mix tees and hoodies in one order?
Ask us. The garments are priced separately, so tell us how many of each and we'll quote it that way.
Do you help with the design?
Yes, design help is included. Send us what you have, even if it's a sketch.
How fast can you print?
It depends on the order size and the time of year. We confirm timing in your quote, so send your deadline with your first message.
Sources
Written by XUSI, an Indigenous-owned clothing and screen printing brand from Saskatoon on Treaty 6 territory. Our story · What the words mean