San Antonio, Texas
Answers before you ask.
Minimums, pricing, turnaround, artwork, and what happens to your merch after it's printed. If we missed something, just send us a note.
- 36 piecesMinimum per design, printing and embroidery
- 14 daysStandard production, after art approval
- 50+Minimum to set up storage and fulfillment
- Same dayTypical quote response time
Ordering
Minimums and getting started.
What is your minimum order?
36 pieces per design, for both screen printing and embroidery.
That minimum exists because we're built for brands, teams, and businesses running real merch programs — not one-off orders. It lets us give every job proper artwork review, blank recommendations, and quality control instead of rushing volume through the door.
You can mix sizes and garment colors within that 36. Different designs count separately.
Can I mix shirt styles and colors in one order?
Yes, within reason. Sizes mix freely. Garment colors usually mix fine, though drastically different colors can require ink adjustments that affect pricing.
Mixing garment styles — tees and hoodies in the same run, for example — is normally fine, but tell us up front so we quote it correctly.
Do you print for individuals, or only businesses?
Anyone who hits the 36-piece minimum. In practice that means we work mostly with brands, athletes, gyms, race organizers, schools, nonprofits, and companies ordering team apparel.
If you need fewer than 36 pieces, we're not the right shop — and we'd rather tell you now than after a quote.
How do I get a quote?
Use the project form and tell us the quantity, garment, decoration method, and your deadline. Attach your artwork if you have it.
We typically respond the same day with a recommendation and pricing.
Do you supply the garments, or can I send my own?
We supply blanks and we'll recommend what actually fits the project, budget, and audience — from standard tees to premium retail blanks and performance gear.
We can decorate customer-supplied garments in some cases, but it's evaluated per job. Some fabrics don't take ink or stitching well, and we can't guarantee results or replace goods we didn't source.
Pricing & timing
What it costs and how long it takes.
How much does custom screen printing cost?
Most orders land between $9 and $29 per piece, decorated. Where you fall depends on four things:
- Quantity — price per piece drops as volume goes up
- Number of ink colors — each color is a separate screen and pass
- Print locations — front only is cheaper than front, back, and sleeve
- The blank — a basic tee and a premium retail blank are very different starting points
Specialty inks — puff, discharge, foil, metallics, high density — carry a premium. Send us the details and we'll give you a real number, not a range.
How much does embroidery cost?
Embroidery is priced by stitch count, not ink colors. A small left-chest logo is inexpensive; a large back design with heavy fill costs more because it takes longer on the machine.
First-time logos need digitizing — converting your artwork into a stitch file. That's a one-time fee of about $17, and we keep the file on hand for reorders at no additional charge.
What's your turnaround time?
Standard production is 14 business days from approved artwork — not from when you first reach out. The clock starts once art is signed off and garments are in house.
Rush service is available in under 5 business days depending on our current schedule and the decoration method. Ask early; rush capacity is limited.
Are you the cheapest shop in San Antonio?
No, and we'd rather say so now than after a quote.
What you get instead is real guidance before production starts, decoration methods most shops don't run, blanks we'd actually wear ourselves, and somewhere to store and ship your merch once it's made. If lowest price per shirt is the deciding factor, there are shops in town that will beat us.
Do you charge setup fees?
Screen printing includes screen setup per color in the quoted price. Embroidery includes a one-time digitizing fee for new logos.
Reorders of the same design cost less, because the screens and stitch files already exist. Tell us it's a reorder and reference the original job.
Artwork
Files, formats, and design help.
What file formats do you need?
Vector is always best — AI, EPS, or PDF with fonts outlined. Vector scales to any size without losing quality and separates cleanly for printing.
We can also work with PSD files with live layers, or high-resolution PNG at 300 DPI at final print size with a transparent background.
What doesn't work: screenshots, images pulled off a website, logos lifted from social media, or anything under 300 DPI. We'll tell you honestly if a file won't hold up.
Can you fix or redraw my artwork?
Yes. We can vectorize a low-resolution logo, clean up messy files, and adjust artwork so it prints or stitches properly. Art time is quoted per job.
Every job gets a pre-production artwork review either way — we'll flag problems before they become 200 bad shirts.
How should I send my files?
Upload them directly with the project form, or email them to us. Any file size is fine through the form.
Please don't text artwork — carriers compress images heavily and we'll end up asking for the real file anyway.
Will I see a proof before you print?
Yes. Nothing goes to press without your approval. You'll see placement, sizing, and color before production starts, and the production clock begins after you sign off.
Decoration
What we can actually make.
Screen printing or embroidery — which should I choose?
Screen printing for tees, hoodies, and anything with large, colorful, or detailed artwork. Better for big designs and lower cost at volume.
Embroidery for hats, polos, jackets, and workwear. More durable, reads as more premium, and better suited to logos than to large illustrations.
Plenty of programs use both — embroidered polos for staff, printed tees for events. Tell us the use case and we'll recommend.
What specialty techniques do you offer?
More than most shops in San Antonio run:
- Printing — puff ink, high density, discharge, glitter, foil, metallics, soft-hand water-based
- Embroidery — 3D puff, applique, chenille, leather patches
- Finishing — tagless printing, custom woven neck labels, relabeling
If you've seen it on a retail tag, there's a good chance we can run it.
What does "approved decorator" mean?
CPM is an approved decorator for lululemon, The North Face, AS Colour, and Original Favorites.
Those approvals aren't handed out. They mean our production process, handling, and quality control have been vetted by brands that don't accept a bad print. It also means we can decorate their blanks legitimately — something most shops can't offer.
Can you put my own brand tags in the garments?
Yes — this is our bespoke and private label work. We remove manufacturer tags, print tagless labels, and sew in custom woven neck tags so blanks become your brand.
See Private Label & Bespoke Services for the full rundown.
After it's printed
Storage, packing, and shipping.
Do you store merch after you print it?
Yes, and it's one of the main reasons clients stay with us.
Print a run, leave it with us, and we'll store it, pack it, and ship it out as orders come in — at rates that make holding inventory here cheaper than holding it yourself. No storage unit, no boxes in your garage, no packing on weekends.
Minimum to set up storage and fulfillment is 50+ pieces.
Can you ship directly to my customers?
Yes. We handle pick and pack, direct-to-customer shipping, preorder drop fulfillment, and ongoing ecommerce orders out of our San Antonio facility.
We've fulfilled over 100,000 orders. See Merch Fulfillment for details.
Can you run an online store for my team or company?
Yes. We build branded online stores for teams, gyms, events, schools, and companies — we set up the store, produce the merch, and ship every order.
You carry no inventory risk and don't touch fulfillment. See Web Store Management.
Do you prep goods for a 3PL or retail account?
Yes — folding, poly bagging, labeling, carton packing, and case counts to spec. Tell us the requirements up front so we build them into production instead of reworking after.
Working with us
Where we are and how we operate.
Where are you located? Can I visit?
Our shop is at 13330 Western Oak Dr, STE 4, Helotes, TX 78023, on the northwest side of San Antonio.
We're appointment only. That keeps production moving and means you get real time with us when you come by instead of standing at a counter. Reach out and we'll set something up.
Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Do you ship outside San Antonio?
Anywhere in the US. We're San Antonio based and produce everything here, but a large share of our work ships out of state — to brands, athletes, and merch programs all over the country.
How long have you been in business?
Since 2016. We started because we needed shirts for a triathlon and ran out of time to order them, so we bought a vinyl cutter and an iron and made them ourselves.
That turned into a press, and the press turned into a 10,000 square foot shop. Over 500,000 shirts printed and 10 million stitches sewn since. More on the About page.
What's the best way to reach you?
The project form is fastest — it collects everything we need to quote, so we can skip a round of back-and-forth.
You can also email us at customprintedmaterials@gmail.com. We usually reply the same day.
Do you also do signs and banners?
Yes — vinyl banners, feather flags, yard signs, trade show displays, and event tents. See Signs & Banners for pricing and ordering.
Still have a question?
Ask us directly.
Tell us what you're building — quantity, garment, and deadline — and we'll come back with a recommendation and a quote, usually the same day.