Band Merch in Small Batches: T-shirts, Stickers, Badges

Band merch doesn't have to be ordered in batches of 500 any more: T-shirts with DTF transfer are cost-effective from as few as 20–30 pcs, kiss-cut stickers from 100 pcs, while screen printing starts paying off from roughly 50–100 pcs in one colour. For 30–50 shirts, one print location costs roughly 4–7 EUR per piece on top of the shirt price (excl. VAT), and you can combine the whole set — shirts, stickers, small gifts — into a single order with one artwork file. Our own printing (stickers, posters, business cards) takes 1–3 business days, while apparel and promotional products with printing usually take 6–10 business days.

What's actually worth putting on the merch table

In concert practice, three things sell: a T-shirt, a hoodie and something cheap for 2–5 EUR that people grab even when they're out of cash. That's why a typical first merch set looks like this:

• T-shirts 30–50 pcs, 2–3 sizes (M, L, XL) plus a few S and XXL;
• hoodies 10–20 pcs — the pricier but most profitable item;
• stickers 200–500 pcs as a bonus with a purchase or sold for 1–2 EUR each;
• one small item — a tote bag with a drawstring, a keyring, or a poster with the album cover.

If you play festivals, posters in A3–A2 format are also worth considering — great for selling with the band's signatures.

T-shirts and hoodies: which printing method to choose

DTF transfer — for small runs

DTF is a full-colour heat transfer: ideal when the design has gradients, a photo or lots of colours, and the run is 1–50 pcs. There's no screen-making fee, so even 10 shirts with a complex graphic make sense. DTF holds up well on black cotton shirts if washed inside-out at up to 40 °C.

Screen printing — from 50–100 pcs

Screen printing needs a separate screen for each colour, so there's a one-off setup fee. From 100+ shirts with a 1–2 colour logo, the price per piece becomes lower than DTF, and the print is thinner and more wash-resistant.

Embroidery — for caps and hoodies

Embroidery up to 90×90 mm works well on caps and on the chest area of hoodies. It's not suited to small text or thin letters — the practical minimum letter height is around 5 mm.

Standard print locations we use: left chest 110×90 mm, front and back up to 280×210 mm, sleeve 80×60 mm. Most bands order a full-size back print plus a small logo on the chest — that's two print locations, so the price roughly doubles. More on the methods here: apparel printing; you can browse models in the T-shirts and hoodies categories.

Rough prices at 30, 50 and 100 pcs

The table below shows indicative prices per piece, excl. VAT, for one print location with ready vector artwork. The exact price depends on the model, colour, size and print area.

For screen printing, also budget for a one-off setup fee per colour; DTF has no such fee.

Stickers and badges

Stickers are the cheapest merch item: we print on paper, PP film, vinyl, transparent and metallised film, in sheets or rolls, with contour cutting to any shape. For bands, 50×50 mm or 70×70 mm kiss-cut vinyl stickers work best — they survive rain on a guitar case or instrument cabinet. We accept orders from 100 pcs; see shapes and materials in the stickers section.

We don't manufacture pin-back button badges in-house. Two practical alternatives: round kiss-cut stickers with a frame that visually resemble a badge (3–5 times cheaper), or keyrings from our catalogue with engraving or pad printing. If you specifically need classic pin badges, get in touch — we'll discuss a solution by arrangement.

Examples from our catalogue

A few examples from our catalogue with prices excl. printing:

• Urban 280 g/m² men's hoodie – Cotton, polyester, 36 colour options, price from 11.61 EUR/pc at 1 pc,
• Star 200 g/m² men's short-sleeve polo shirt – Cotton, 34 colour options, price from 5.81 EUR/pc at 1 pc,
• Star 200 g/m² women's short-sleeve polo shirt – Cotton, 34 colour options, price from 5.81 EUR/pc at 1 pc,
• Calgary 200 g/m2 men's short-sleeve polo shirt – 17 colour options, price from 11.78 EUR/pc at 1 pc,

Files, artwork and turnaround times

The best option is vector artwork (.ai, .eps, .pdf, .svg) in CMYK colours; raster images need 300 dpi at actual size. If you only have a JPG from social media, let us know — we'll assess whether the quality is sufficient or whether the logo needs redrawing.

Within one business day of your request, we send a quote online and as a PDF with product photos, prices, print location, setup fee and turnaround time for each item; on request, we also add a 3D preview with your logo. The artwork must be approved by email, and only then do we start production. Stickers, posters and cards — 1–3 business days; apparel and printed promotional products — usually 6–10 business days (production 4–7 days + delivery 2–3 days). If your concert is coming up sooner, let us know right away — we handle urgent jobs by arrangement.

Frequently asked questions

What's the smallest quantity I can order?

For T-shirts and hoodies with DTF, we work from as little as 1 piece; for stickers, from 100 pcs. Realistically, for a merch table, a run of 30–100 pcs already gives a good price per piece, and at 100 pcs, the printing cost per shirt drops by roughly 20–30%.

Can I mix sizes and colours in one order?

Yes. One design, different sizes and even two shirt colours don't change the printing price, as long as the print itself is identical. If you need different design versions for light and dark shirts, those are technically two separate artwork files.

How long does DTF printing last on a shirt?

Washed inside-out at up to 40 °C and without a tumble dryer, the print survives dozens of washes. Screen printing is slightly more durable and feels thinner to the touch, but requires a setup fee per colour.

Do you make metal pin badges?

Not in-house. We offer round kiss-cut stickers or keyrings from our catalogue with engraving; if you specifically need pin badges, get in touch and we'll look for a solution by arrangement.

How much does artwork preparation cost?

If you send us ready vector artwork, we prepare the layout within the print area free of charge. Redrawing a logo from a low-quality image is a separate job, which we'll note in the quote.

Can I order a test sample before the full run?

Yes, for DTF and digital printing we can make a single sample at the per-piece price plus a surcharge. For screen printing, a sample means making the screens, so it's only cost-effective once the full run is confirmed.

Send us your design or just a description of what you'd like at info@attaprint.lv, call, or message us on WhatsApp +371 25776699 — we'll prepare a quote with prices, print locations and turnaround times within one business day.