I’m trying to get a sense of how much teams pay for their Team Shirts. I know some students have to buy their own while other teams give each team member and mentor a freebie one. That part doesn’t matter, the cost of the shirt per individual is the goal. This can vary by the amount of shirts you are buying, the material, color or no color, etc. Again, that doesn’t matter as much but if you want to leave a reply with more specific details I won’t complain! As a community maybe we can start to see what others are paying for what and help us all shop more competitively for better pricing.
We are in the $14-$17 range for about 35 shirts last year. We had a full 4 color front and then B&W rear side with sponsor logos. The company we worked with also hosted a temporary store for a few weeks with our logo and we got a % of that as well back off the order so our final cost was a little less, but full price that was our range.
My answer varies quite a bit depending on factors. Every year, my team has a new themed shirt, designed by the students, lots of colors and fun. We have those made locally by a high quality company, and as such they tend to run about 20 to $25. Partially to save some money, and partially to train students in another skill, we have begun investing in a screen printing setup, where we will be making single color front and back prints on inexpensive shirts for our standard design each year. Including all of the equipment and ink, these shirts look like they’re coming out to less than $10 each.
Current exchange rate has our shirts for about $9.50 USD plus tax. One colour, design on the front and back. We use Primetime Custom who provide both shirt and the printing.
Example layout from an order I put in last year (it’s coloured logos here but we only print in black):
When you are done would you/your students be willing to write up a guide for the equipment you used and the process? This seems like a great idea for large teams or even a group of teams to share equipment and split the upfront costs on equipment and materials.
Thinking of those teams with a large concentration in urban areas like FIM where there might be 5 schools in 30 miles that could split it at one location or even regions really far apart if they coordinate well and start early. 4 or 5 teams could schedule it out to all share the equipment and shuttle the supplies from building to building when they are all set
The cost would really come down to individual screens for each image. The time involved is not horrible, but it would take a few days to finish them on the cheap. To do them right you will increase cost substantially.
I have this set up and have only really dabbled with it from screenprinting.com. It doesn’t include a way to set the ink and needs a lot to make it functional. The next step up would be a good place to start with their full kit, but the price jumps from $200 to $2000.
A new option that I’m investigating is xtool’s new laser engraving kit for screen printing. You would still need to get a laser, or their laser, and a heater to set the ink. But not having to wash the screens and deal with liquid emulsion mess is very appealing to me.
Screens should last for a while, but you won’t be using them for 5 years. Be prepared to spend a good amount on consumables and have a room just for this process, it’s a messy one.
For us, it depends on the shirt. We have two styles: a regular t-shirt for students and family members and a button down, collared short-sleeved work shirt for mentors. Each is navy blue with one color (white) print.
For many years, the t-shirts were about $5-$6 each and the mentor shirts were about $15. For the past two years, we have paid $11 for t-shirts and almost $30 for the mentor shirts.
We make our students pay a uniform fee of $45 and it gets them their 3 competition shirts and a pair of goggles, they’re also allowed to apply their fundraised money to their uniform costs.
Edit: Our competition tee shirts are MV Sports with 2 color front and back (yellow and maroon) and 3 color (red, white, blue) on the sleeve for the FIRST logo
General Team Shirt = $18 ← Single color text on back, team logo in full colors on front.
Game Specific Team Shirt = $20 ← Single color sponsor logos on back, game specific design on front in full color.
Team Polos = $35 ← Black polo with accent color(s) and logo on front in full color.
These prices are after COVID. Pre-COVID were way lower, approximately $5-10 lower.
We usually buy from CustomInk everything. Polos sometimes from other companies, but depends on the year.
