Question 1

What is a 'True Shop Hourly Burden' in custom apparel decorating?

Accepted Answer

Your True Shop Hourly Burden is the exact dollar amount it costs to keep your shop doors open and your machines running for one billable hour of production. It includes your lease, electricity, compressor power, software, worker wages, payroll taxes, and non-billable setup downtime. Without knowing this number, shops often price jobs below their actual operating cost and lose money on high-volume runs.

Question 2

Why should I use an efficiency realization rate (like 70%–75%)?

Accepted Answer

In a real screen printing, embroidery, or DTF shop, press operators cannot print 100% of every working hour. Time is required for ink mixing, burning screens, hooping garments, color changes, and machine maintenance. A 75% efficiency rate realistically models 6 hours of true printing throughput in an 8-hour workday, preventing you from underestimating your hourly burden.

Question 3

How does The Print Life software use my True Shop Hourly Rate?

Accepted Answer

The Print Life has a built-in True Shop Hourly Rate engine. Once you input your monthly overhead bills, the software automatically injects your calculated hourly rate into all Screen Printing, Embroidery, and DTF matrix calculations. Every quote dynamically ensures you recover your full hourly burden plus your desired net profit margin.

Question 4

What profit margin should a custom apparel shop aim for?

Accepted Answer

Healthy apparel decorating shops typically target a gross profit margin between 35% and 55% on decorated garments, and a net profit margin of 20% to 35% after all labor and fixed overhead costs are fully covered.

Question 5

How does this calculator differ from simple markup formulas?

Accepted Answer

Simple markup formulas only mark up the garment blank and ink cost. They completely ignore the fact that your shop still pays rent, equipment leases, and worker wages while a 5-color job is being set up. This calculator factors time-based burden, so complex jobs requiring heavy press setup time are priced profitably.

Colors	12pcs	24pcs	48pcs	72pcs	144pcs	288pcs	500pcs	1000pcs	2500pcs
1 Color	$2.89	$1.59	$0.94	$0.73	$0.50Auto	$0.50Auto	$0.50Auto	$0.50Auto	$0.50Auto
2 Colors	$5.79	$3.19	$1.89	$1.45	$0.75Auto	$0.55Auto	$0.50Auto	$0.50Auto	$0.50Auto
3 Colors	$8.68	$4.78	$2.83	$2.18	$1.13Auto	$0.82Auto	$0.69Auto	$0.60Auto	$0.55Auto
4 Colors	$11.57	$6.37	$3.77	$2.91	$1.51Auto	$1.10Auto	$0.92Auto	$0.80Auto	$0.73Auto
5 Colors	$14.46	$7.96	$4.72	$3.63	$1.88Auto	$1.37Auto	$1.15Auto	$1.01Auto	$0.92Auto
6 Colors	$17.36	$9.56	$5.66	$4.36	$2.26Auto	$1.65Auto	$1.38Auto	$1.21Auto	$1.10Auto

Screen Printing, DTF & Embroidery
True Shop Hourly Rate Calculator

1. Monthly Fixed Overhead

2. Staffing & Machine Capacity

Apply This Hourly Rate To:

Live Screen Printing Pricing Matrix
Generated From Your $63.30/hr Shop Rate

Matrix Press & Action Times

Interactive Screen Printing Pricing Grid

72 Shirts • 2 Spot Colors

How Print Shop Hourly Burden Works

Screen Printing, DTF & Embroidery True Shop Hourly Rate Calculator