Promotional product prices and quantity: why the unit price drops
We explain how quantity tiers affect the price per piece — with specific figures from the Atta Print price list for stickers, catalogues, posters and clothing printing.
Promotional product prices are directly affected by quantity: with screen printing, a batch of 10 T-shirts means one printed T-shirt costs around 7.00 EUR, while a batch of 250 pieces brings it down to around 1.64 EUR per piece — more than four times cheaper. The reason isn't goodwill discounting, but arithmetic: one-off setup costs (artwork, screens, cutting file, machine setup) are spread across all the pieces, and the production process itself runs faster for larger batches. All prices in this article are excl. VAT and indicative — the final amount depends on the material, number of colours and number of print positions.
What the price per piece consists of
Any print job has two cost components:
- Fixed costs — artwork checking, file preparation, screen making for screen printing, creating an embroidery program, machine setup and colour calibration. These are the same whether you order 10 or 500 pieces.
- Variable costs — paper, vinyl film, ink, the garment itself, machine running time per unit.
The larger the quantity, the smaller the share of the fixed cost per piece. That's why our price list has quantity tiers — the price doesn't fall evenly, but jumps to a lower level once a certain quantity is reached.
Quantity tiers in our price list
These are the indicative tiers for our most popular products (EUR excl. VAT, price per unit):
| Product | 1 pc/m² | From 10–20 | From 50 | From 100 | From 250 | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A4 catalogue, 8 pages, 170 g | 3.50 | 3.50 | 2.90 | 2.40 | 1.90 | 15.00 |
| A5 catalogue, 8 pages, 170 g | 2.20 | 2.20 | 1.80 | 1.50 | 1.20 | 15.00 |
| A2 poster, 200 g | 6.00 | 4.50 (from 10) | 3.20 | — | — | 0.00 |
| A1 poster, 200 g | 9.00 | 7.00 (from 10) | 5.50 | — | — | 0.00 |
| Screen printing, 1 colour, 1 position | 3.50 | 3.50 | 2.50 | 1.90 | 1.50 | 35.00 |
| DTF transfer up to A4 | 6.00 | 5.00 (from 20) | 4.20 | — | — | 0.00 |
| Embroidery up to 10,000 stitches | 5.50 | 4.50 (from 20) | 4.00 | — | — | 25.00 |
You can view the full product range and formats in the printing services section.
Setup changes the picture: the real bill
The unit price in the price list isn't yet the final price per piece. If a job has a setup fee, it needs to be added and divided out. Example with single-colour screen printing (setup fee 35.00 EUR):
| Quantity | Printing total | + setup | Total | Actual price/pc |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 pcs | 35.00 | 35.00 | 70.00 | 7.00 |
| 50 pcs | 125.00 | 35.00 | 160.00 | 3.20 |
| 100 pcs | 190.00 | 35.00 | 225.00 | 2.25 |
| 250 pcs | 375.00 | 35.00 | 410.00 | 1.64 |
The same applies to the A4 catalogue, 8 pages (setup fee 15.00 EUR): 25 pieces come to around 4.10 EUR/pc, 50 pieces — 3.20 EUR/pc, 100 pieces — 2.55 EUR/pc, while 250 pieces already come to around 1.96 EUR/pc.
When to choose DTF instead of screen printing
DTF transfer has no setup fee, so for small quantities it's usually more cost-effective: printing 15 T-shirts with DTF works out at 6.00 EUR/pc (total 90.00 EUR), while with screen printing it's 3.50 + setup, i.e. around 5.83 EUR/pc. At 100 pieces, the ratio flips: screen printing 2.25 EUR/pc versus DTF 4.20 EUR/pc. For T-shirts and polo shirts from our catalogue, we always calculate both options to pick the more cost-effective one. More on methods in the clothing printing section.
Stickers: tiers by square metre
Sticker printing is calculated based on the printed material's area, so the tiers are in m², not pieces:
| Quantity | Matte or glossy vinyl film | Contour cutting |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 5 m² | 24.00 EUR/m² | 8.00 EUR/m² |
| From 5 m² | 22.00 EUR/m² | 8.00 EUR/m² |
| From 20 m² | 19.00 EUR/m² | 8.00 EUR/m² |
In practice, this means: if you fit more small stickers on one sheet, the area is used more efficiently and the price per sticker drops twofold — both due to the area tier and because less material ends up as waste cuttings. See formats and materials in the stickers section.
The logic is similar for business cards: a set of 90x55 mm, 300 g, 100 pieces costs 25.00 EUR, but from 3 sets — 22.00 EUR per set. Three sets (300 pcs) come to 66.00 EUR, i.e. 0.22 EUR per card versus 0.25 EUR for the smaller order.
When it's not worth ordering more
A larger quantity isn't automatically the right decision. It's not worth moving to the next tier if:
- the material carries a date, event name or price that will change;
- the product doesn't store well (printed materials in a damp room, stickers with adhesive that has a shelf life);
- contact details or the team lineup may change within the next year.
Solution: print a neutral design in a large batch and add the variable information separately — for example, stickers or insert slips in a small quantity.
How to plan your order
Combine your annual needs into one job — if you know you'll need A2 posters for three events, a batch of 50 pieces costs 3.20 EUR/pc versus 6.00 EUR per piece ordered separately. Likewise, it's cost-effective to combine the same print design across different products from one file and the same number of colours, since setup happens only once. You can start choosing promotional products with your logo in the promotional products catalogue.
The production time for stickers, banners and posters is usually 2–5 business days, while for promotional products with printing it's 5–10 business days after artwork approval. A larger quantity doesn't always mean a longer wait — the timeline is usually determined more by the printing technology and material availability. Urgent jobs can be arranged by separate agreement.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum order quantity?
No. We also work with 1 piece — for example, one A1 poster costs around 9.00 EUR, one DTF-printed T-shirt from 6.00 EUR. You just need to expect the price per piece to be at the highest tier.
How many pieces are needed for the price to change significantly?
It depends on the product. For posters, the first tier starts from as few as 10 pieces; for catalogues and screen printing — from 50; for embroidery and DTF — from 20. The biggest jump is usually between a single piece and the first tier.
Does the setup fee need to be paid again?
If you reorder the same design and the same printing method, screens and the embroidery program usually don't need to be prepared again. We agree on this during the ordering process.
Do two different designs in one order count together?
Material quantity is added together, but setup for each design is separate. For stickers, two designs totalling 20 m² get the 19.00 EUR/m² price; for screen printing, two designs mean two setup fees.
What files need to be submitted?
Vector graphics in .ai, .eps or .pdf format, in CMYK colour space, with fonts converted to outlines. A file prepared this way doesn't incur additional artwork costs.
Send us the product, quantity and approximate deadline at info@attaprint.lv or message us on WhatsApp at +371 25776699 — we'll prepare a quote with all quantity tiers within one business day. Project manager Madara will help you choose the quantity at which the price per piece works best for you.
FAQ
Is there a minimum order quantity?
No. We also work with 1 piece — for example, one A1 poster costs 9.00 EUR, one DTF-printed T-shirt 6.00 EUR excl. VAT. You just need to expect the price per piece to be at the highest tier.
How many pieces are needed for the price to change significantly?
It depends on the product. For posters, the first tier starts from 10 pieces; for catalogues and screen printing — from 50; for embroidery and DTF transfer — from 20. The biggest price jump is usually between a single piece and the first tier.
Does the setup fee need to be paid again?
If you reorder the same design and the same printing method, screens and the embroidery program usually don't need to be prepared again. We agree on this during the ordering process.
Do two different designs in one order count together?
Material quantity is added together, but setup for each design is separate. For stickers, two designs totalling 20 m² get the 19.00 EUR/m² price, while for screen printing, two designs mean two setup fees.
What files need to be submitted for printing?
Vector graphics in .ai, .eps or .pdf format, in CMYK colour space, with fonts converted to outlines. A file prepared this way doesn't incur additional artwork costs.
