# Profit margin for contract printers



## terzdesign (Mar 8, 2010)

I just want to share some insight into my own profit margins and see where others may be lying.

You can find my website at Terz Ink - Design and Screen Printing if you want to see my prices. 

Anyways, I made up this nifty little excel calculator that tells me what my profit margin will be on a given order. I can input the order info (any given qty and how many locations/colors need to be printed for a job, as well as the apparel price) and out spits what I should charge based off of my costs and what I set the markup. This info allows me to view changes to my profit margins as I change the inputs. It usually hovers around 35%, but can dip as low as 20% and rises to 42%, depending on the markup I put on the blanks. normal shirts are right around 39% or 40% whereas bandanas are only like 20% because I can't mark them up as much. Also, I no longer print in house only design.

I'm just curious to hear what others have to say about their margins. Are mine lower/higher than others? I've heard some people get them as high as 50% or more! that seems preposterous. How can the market handle that? Seems like you would be charging too much. What is too low?


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

So....you are outsourcing your printing to somebody else...correct? If so, your profit margins seem reasonable. I do my own printing and I'm usually around 50%...more or less....depending on quantity purchased. If I started outsourcing to a plastisol transfer supplier I would be in the 35-40% range which has kept me from doing so.....so far.  But...would love to hear where others are on this subject as well.


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## terzdesign (Mar 8, 2010)

treadhead said:


> So....you are outsourcing your printing to somebody else...correct? If so, your profit margins seem reasonable. I do my own printing and I'm usually around 50%...more or less....depending on quantity purchased. If I started outsourcing to a plastisol transfer supplier I would be in the 35-40% range which has kept me from doing so.....so far.  But...would love to hear where others are on this subject as well.


Not to a plasticol transfer place, but to a wholesale printer.


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