Custom Apparel With Low Minimums: What We Actually Require

Jake Hobbs

6 days ago

3 min read

Most shops say they have low minimums. Then the quote comes back and it turns out “low” means 24 pieces, one design, one color.

Here is where we actually stand on custom apparel low minimums, method by method, so you can plan your order before you ever ask for a price.

Custom apparel low minimums, by method

Overall order: none. We will do a single piece.
Leather patch hats: no minimum
Embroidery: no minimum
DTF full-color transfers: no minimum
Screen printing: 50 pieces
PVC patches: 50 pieces
Sewing patches onto items you supply: 12 pieces

The 50-piece numbers are not us being difficult. Screen printing burns a separate screen for every color in your design, and PVC patches need a custom mold. That setup costs the same whether you run 12 pieces or 500, so under 50 the math stops working for you, not just for us.

Everything else has no setup that scales like that. One hat is a real order. We build them every week.

Still deciding how to decorate? DTF vs. screen printing covers the print side, and leather patch vs. embroidery covers hats.

Hobbs Peak team setting up a booth with custom branded apparel at a West Georgia event — Setting up at a West Georgia event with our own branded gear.

What a small order actually costs

Ordering six instead of sixty changes the per-piece price. Setup, thread color changes and press time get spread across fewer items. That is the honest tradeoff, and it is worth it when:

You are testing a design before committing the whole crew
You need a handful for one event, or for a new hire
Buying 48 shirts would leave 30 sitting in a closet
You want a sample in hand before signing off on the run

We quote every decorated item individually, because the price depends on the item, the decoration method, the quantity per design, the sizes and shipping. There is no single published number that stays honest across every job. Our custom apparel pricing guide walks through what moves it.

How to keep a small order sharp

Order one first. Get a single piece made, put it on, check the fit and the stitch. Then order the rest.
Keep the art clean. Fewer colors and clean edges hold up better at small sizes and cost less to run. If your logo needs cleanup and vectorizing, that is a one-time $75 charge and the file is yours afterward.
Do not split one design across three garments. Ten hats with one design beats four hats, three polos and three hoodies at ten separate setups.
Give us lead time. Small does not mean instant. Tell us the date and we will tell you straight whether it is doable. Rush is available at plus 25 percent when the calendar allows.
Look at the bundle. Our Crew Packs pair hats and apparel at set pricing, built for exactly this size of order.

Custom embroidered Crossroads Elementary polos in gray and gold with name personalization — A small embroidery run: Crossroads Elementary polos with names added.

Why local matters on a small run

We are in Temple, Carroll County. Local pickup is free from the customer order box on our front porch at 1123 Lemon Rd, any day between 9am and 9pm. No shipping cost, no waiting on a truck, no 1-800 number to call about six hats.

We outfit churches, schools, ball teams, utility and construction crews, and small businesses across West Georgia. See the industries we work with, or look through recent projects.