# is a 2% margin of error is standard practice?



## skanes (Feb 6, 2007)

i was recently informed by a screenprinter that they are not required to reprint items of an order (in the case of errors, misprints, etc), provided the misprinted/error margin is not greater than 2% of the agreed upon order amount.

i was also told that this is an 'industry standard'...

i'm still quite new to the t-shirt business and have not heard of this before. can anyone out there confirm this, or am i getting 'lip service' so that they don't have to set up, register and print such a small percentage of shirts (in this case, happens to be 1 shirt)?


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

I don't know whether it's truly an industry standard or not (if it is, it shouldn't be), but I've heard much the same claim from several sources.


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## skanes (Feb 6, 2007)

so, bearing that in mind, it's more of a 'company policy' then?


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## perrolocodesigns (Oct 24, 2006)

I believe this to be the industry standard. That being said, when I misprint a garment on a contract order, I usually deduct the estimated cost of the misprinted garment from my bill. (ie 2 white Hanes Beefy T would mean a $3.00 credit on the bill)

When I print a retail order I will order 1 extra of each size so I have a margin of error. I do this when I feel there is a good chance of poor registration or other complications. 

Mistakes happen and I don't feel it's reasonable to ask your printer to re-set the job to print one piece, if they acknowledge the mistake and compensate you for the garment you can't sell.

I would reccomend that you discuss these type of concerns with your printer before placing the order. That way you know what to expect, and can adjust your amounts to accommodate potential misprints if neccessary.


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## skanes (Feb 6, 2007)

that's good information...thanks, ken.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Here are some more good things to look for in a printer: http://www.t-shirtforums.com/screen-printing/t9907.html


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

I always order an extra shirt or 2 in each size, and print them with the order. If I don't have any mistakes, the customer just gets a few freebies. If I do make a mistake, I scrap them and the customer still gets what they ordered. If I find out later that there was a mistake that I didn't notice, then I would just refund the customer the price of the mistakes.

I would be ticked off if I ordered 100 shirts and only got 98 good ones.


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## mystysue (Aug 27, 2006)

Rusty.. i agree 100%... I too would be ticked off if i paid for more then i got.. Heck.. i sure wouldnt be in the sign business long.. if i put a margin for error in my production and the customer had to pay for bad product..


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## captainzoli (Jun 19, 2007)

Yea, whether one would call it an industry standard or not, if I were the customer, I certainly wouldn't want to pay for any bad product, so as a printer, I try to make sure that if there are mistakes, the customer never knows about them and the product they get is a flawless as possible. It isn't always possible, but we do our best, and of course make it right if it does get past us and to the customer.


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## Vonburgo (Jul 12, 2008)

I'm just starting out and at this level, customer service is a must if you want to keep your business. A man of his word should deliver what he said he would.


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## lancelot (Jun 1, 2007)

I can remember hearing this years ago (I did think it was 1%) although it is a reasonable mechinism to highlight force majeure, It is, I am afraid, an old wives tale. 
You try telling this to a client or angency you are contracting for.
Over the years I have discovered it does not matter how proficent you are you will still get marks on garments (inky fingers mainly).
As rusty stated, I always order extra shirts and sell them back to the client for cost, or if the client is supplying them ,I tell them to order extra, they always understand.
People always under order anyway due to the percieved cost of getting extra shirts.
As I have said before you have to give your client's realistic expectations and educate them on the process.


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## TeddyRocky (Mar 23, 2007)

Vonburgo said:


> I'm just starting out and at this level, customer service is a must if you want to keep your business. A man of his word should deliver what he said he would.


Whether it be Industry Standard, or a Company Policy, misprints, mistakes, and defects will occur.

This is not to say "If I screw up 2% of your shirts, you will pay for it." It is rather saying, "If you having an event of 200 people, I may make a mistake of 2%, so if you need a full order of 200 pieces, please order more just in case."

2% seems to be the number most companies use. I've seen between 2% - 4%.


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## tshirtsep (Feb 15, 2007)

skanes said:


> i was recently informed by a screenprinter that they are not required to reprint items of an order (in the case of errors, misprints, etc), provided the misprinted/error margin is not greater than 2% of the agreed upon order amount.
> 
> i was also told that this is an 'industry standard'...
> 
> i'm still quite new to the t-shirt business and have not heard of this before. can anyone out there confirm this, or am i getting 'lip service' so that they don't have to set up, register and print such a small percentage of shirts (in this case, happens to be 1 shirt)?



I bet you would win in small claims if you sued them for that 2%, but that would obviously cost you more than reprinting a few more shirts.

Just tell them you'll use another screenprinter.


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## nwcreativeguy (May 28, 2009)

If a customer provides the garmets to one design to print with multiple color shirts, each color shirt different inks and two locations front and back, what is the, margin of error? if each color shirts are 2 to 5 shirts?


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## jmlampert23 (Nov 7, 2008)

it is kinda an unwritten thing. i mean you try to not screw up but it happens. expecially when you do a huge order


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## veedub3 (Mar 29, 2007)

I always make sure the customer gets what they order. Mistakes happen and I mess up a lot when I am rushing. Yesterday while printing a large order I messed up three shirts because someone dropped ink and did not wipe it up and I placed shirts in wet ink and it soiled the back of three shirts. The customer never new this and still received the correct amount of shirts. I always order a few extra shirts because of this. But if I did not have the correct amount of shirts on hand to print and was not able to deliver the correct amount I would pick up the phone and notify the client immediately and try to rectify it as quickly as possible. But I would never give the client an excuse about industry standard. 

Katrina

What if the client ordered 60 shirts and needed 60 shirts but you only gave them 58. That would suck big time because two people would be without a shirt. do you think that client would return to your shop?


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## auggieboy (Mar 22, 2008)

I think the 2% is an industry standard for contract printing. Meaning if the customer supplies the shirt they need to order 2% more on large orders. 400 shirts would be 408 about 2 more shirts per size. If they print fine then it's all good if not then the client is refunded for the error.
If it's not contract work then it's up to the printer to cover the 2% margin by ordering the extra shirts.
For retail (non-contract work if a customer orders 400 shirts they get 400 shirts)


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## mrvixx (Jan 13, 2009)

He is telling you to order 2% more than you actually wanted in case there are any mistakes. it does not mean that you will be shorted 2%. If a customer orders 100 shirts from me he will get 100 good looking shirts. My responsibility is to give him what he ordered. If i mess up 2 shirts I do not give them 98 good ones and 2 crappy ones.


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## Greatzky (Jan 28, 2009)

I normally try to buy a few extra blanks just in case there is a mess up during printing. In the event that there is a mess-up and I don't have that specific shirt I'll usually contact them and let them know that I messed-up a shirt, but will throw in 2-3 more of a different color/type for them to make up for it.
I've never had a complaint as they are usually going to give it away or sell it and most people love getting more shirts than they originally paid for.

-Scott Lewis
Silk Screen Expressions


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