Should I charge a setup or digitizing fee?

Yes — commonly $40–$100 for digitizing an embroidery file and $20–$35 per screen per color for printing. It's real labour that happens before a single garment runs, and shops that 'waive setup' on small orders are simply paying to produce them.

How does quantity affect per-piece price?

Heavily, and it should be on the invoice as tiered pricing — 12, 24, 48, 72, 144. Setup is fixed no matter the run length, so a 12-piece order carries far more setup per shirt. Show the tiers and the reorder gets bigger on its own.

What about customer-supplied garments?

Accept them with a written spoilage clause — commonly you're not liable for garments damaged in production, and the customer supplies 2–5% extra. A misprinted shirt you bought costs you wholesale; a misprinted shirt the customer bought costs you the relationship if the terms are silent.

How much deposit should an apparel shop take?

50% before art is released or garments are ordered, balance before the order ships or is picked up. Custom-printed goods have zero resale value — a cancelled order of 72 shirts with a company logo is inventory you can only throw away.

Embroidery and Screen Printing Invoice Template

Essential line items on an embroidery and screen printing invoice

A professional custom apparel, screen printing, and embroidery invoice serves as an official production job ticket, an art proof agreement, and a customer deposit receipt:

Apparel Shop Header: Shop name, logo, physical facility address, phone, email, state reseller permit number, and commercial liability insurance details.
Client & Job Order Metadata: Client business/event name, contact person, PO number, job order number, required in-hands delivery date, and proof approval date.
One-Time Setup & Pre-Press Fees: Embroidery vector DST file digitizing fee ($45–$85 flat), screen mesh burning & film output fee ($25–$35 per color/location), and graphic design vector artwork recreation ($50–$75/hr).
Blank Garment Sourcing: Apparel brand, style number, fabric color, and size breakdown (XS–XL base price, $2.00–$4.00 2XL–4XL size surcharges).
Embroidery Production Pricing: Billed per piece based on total stitch count (e.g. 7,500-stitch left-chest logo @ $4.50–$6.50/pc) plus metallic/3D puff embroidery surcharges.
Screen Printing Production Pricing: Billed per piece based on color count and order quantity tiers (e.g. 3-color front print @ 72-piece tier) plus flash-cure dark garment under-base surcharges.
Finishing Services & Spoilage Disclaimer: Individual folding & poly-bagging ($0.50–$0.85/pc), custom woven neck-label sewing, customer-supplied goods 3% spoilage liability clause, and 50% upfront deposit terms.

Free Custom Apparel Text Template

Copy and paste the template below to build professional screen printing and embroidery invoices:

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          CUSTOM APPAREL, EMBROIDERY & SCREEN PRINTING INVOICE
================================================================================
APPAREL SHOP INFO:                         INVOICE & ORDER DETAILS:
[Your Custom Apparel Shop Name]            Invoice Number: APP-2026-0814
[State Reseller License #]                 Order Date: August 3, 2026
[Phone & Billing Email Address]            In-Hands Delivery Date: August 17, 2026
                                           Payment Terms: 50% Down / Balance Prior to Ship

CLIENT & JOB DETAILS:                      ART PROOF SPECIFICATIONS:
Client Name: [Company / Event Name]        Art Status: Approved 08/04/2026
Billing Address: [100 Commerce Way]        Embroidery Design: 8,500 Stitch Chest Logo
Job Name: "2026 Staff Uniform Order"       Screen Print Design: 2-Color Full Back Print

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LINE ITEM DESCRIPTION & PRODUCTION SPECIFICATIONS              AMOUNT
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1. Embroidery DST File Vector Digitizing Setup Fee (1-Time)      $65.00
2. Screen Mesh Burning & Film Prep (2 Colors @ $25.00/screen)   $50.00
3. Bella+Canvas 3001 Unisex Tees (72 Pcs - Black - Sizes S–XL)   $432.00
   - Rate: $6.00 per Blank Shirt
4. 2-Color Screen Printing Full Back (72 Pcs @ $2.75/pc)        $198.00
   - Includes Flash-Cure White Under-Base for Dark Fabric
5. Port Authority Polo Shirts (24 Pcs - Navy - Sizes S–XL)       $384.00
6. Left Chest 8,500-Stitch Custom Embroidery (24 Pcs @ $5.50/pc) $132.00
7. Individual Poly-Bagging & Size Labeling (96 Total Pcs @ $0.60) $57.60
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUBTOTAL PROJECT COST:                                         $1,318.60
State & Local Apparel Sales Tax:                                $79.10
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REVISED TOTAL PROJECT COST:                                    $1,397.70
Less: 50% Mandatory Production Deposit Received:              -$698.85
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TOTAL REMAINING BALANCE DUE BEFORE PICKUP / SHIPPING:          $698.85
================================================================================

CUSTOMER-SUPPLIED GOODS & SPOILAGE LIABILITY NOTICE:
50% deposit required before ordering garments or running art. Balance due at pickup.
Customer-Supplied Goods: 3% industry spoilage allowance applies; shop not liable for misprints on customer-provided items.
================================================================================

Apparel pricing math: Embroidery stitch counts vs. screen print color tiers

Custom decorator invoicing requires separating fixed setup costs from per-piece volume tiers:

Embroidery Stitch Count Pricing ($0.65–$1.20 per 1,000 stitches): Logos are priced by total stitch count. A standard 7,000-stitch left chest logo costs $4.50–$6.50/pc on a 24-piece order. High-density jacket backs (40,000+ stitches) run $25.00–$40.00/pc.
Screen Printing Quantity Tiers: Setup costs (films and screens) are fixed. Printing 12 shirts spreads a $50 screen fee at $4.16/pc; running 144 shirts drops setup to $0.34/pc.
- 12–23 Pcs: $4.50–$6.50/pc per location (High per-piece setup allocation).
- 72–143 Pcs: $2.25–$3.50/pc per location (Standard production volume).
Specialty Inks & 3D Puff Surcharges: Metallic foil, discharge inks, water-based soft hand inks, and 3D foam puff embroidery add $0.75–$2.00 per piece.

Customer-supplied goods spoilage clauses and 50% deposit rules

Protect custom decorator profit margins from costly garment ruined disputes:

Mandatory 50% Upfront Production Deposit: Custom decorated apparel has zero resale value once branded with a company logo. Never purchase blank inventory or burn screens without receiving a 50% non-refundable deposit.
Customer-Supplied Garment Spoilage Disclaimer (2%–5% Allowance): When printing on client-provided blanks, include a written spoilage clause stating that 2%–5% production misprints can occur on automatic presses, and the shop is not liable to replace expensive customer garments.

Pre-shipment final payment collection

Digital Photo Approval: Send high-res photos of the first production strike-off or embroidered sample before running the full press order.
Balance Payment Before Release: Require payment of the remaining 50% balance via credit card, ACH, or check before shipping or handing over box orders at pickup.

If you produce promotional or printed goods, explore our free embroidery and screen printing invoice template.