Why our minimum order is 5 pieces

Our minimum order is 5 pieces because every order carries the same fixed work, whether it is one shirt or fifty, and five is the point where that work stops dominating the price. If you are weighing custom shirts with no minimum vs a minimum order, the real trade-off is flexibility against price per piece.

The minimum is also looser than it sounds. It applies to the whole order, not to each item, so five pieces can be any mix of sizes, colours and garments.

What does an order involve before anything is printed?

Before a single shirt is pressed, the same steps happen on every order:

• Your logo file is checked and prepared for print.
• We send a digital proof, and you approve it before anything is printed.
• The DTF transfers are printed and the garments are pressed.
• The order is checked, packed and handed over.

Most of that work doesn't get smaller when the order does. A proof for one shirt takes as long as a proof for fifty.

How fixed work changes the price per shirt

Here is a worked example with a made-up figure, not our actual costs. Say the fixed work behind any order is worth $50.

At one piece, the fixed work costs more than the shirt. At five, it is a reasonable share. By 25, it barely registers.

Every printer deals with this. The only question is where they put it: in a minimum order, a setup fee, or a higher price per piece.

So how do no-minimum printers handle it?

They build it into the price. Vistaprint, for example, had no minimum on DTG or heat-transfer shirts when we checked on Sept 14, 2026. A Gildan Ultra Cotton tee ranged from $12.49 to $24.49 CAD each depending on quantity, and a District tee printed front and back ranged from $20.99 to $37.49. Those prices will move, so check the current ones before you compare.

Our heavy cotton tee is $20 each at 5 pieces, and $32 each with a front and back print at 5 pieces. Those are both starting prices, plus HST.

Neither approach is wrong. A no-minimum shop spreads its fixed work across a price range that falls as you order more. We set a floor of five and keep the per-piece price flat within each tier.

What our tiers look like

Pricing is per piece and includes the garment plus one DTF logo. The tier is based on the total number of pieces in the order.

• Tee: $20 (5+), $18 (10+), $16 (25+), $14.50 (50+), $13 (100+)
• Long sleeve: $25, $22.50, $20.50, $18.50, $17
• Hoodie: $40, $36, $33, $30, $28
• Trucker hat: $25, $22, $19.50, $17.50, $16

A big back logo adds $12 per piece on garments. Hats take one logo, on the front panel.

A worked example of a mixed order

Say a small crew orders 6 tees and 4 hoodies. That is 10 pieces, so everything prices at the 10+ tier.

• 6 tees at $18 = $108
• 4 hoodies at $36 = $144
• Subtotal: $252
• HST at 13%: $32.76
• Total: $284.76

Ordered separately, the 6 tees would sit at the 5+ tier and the 4 hoodies wouldn't meet the minimum on their own. Combining them into one order clears the minimum and moves everything down a tier.

When is no-minimum printing the better choice?

Honestly, sometimes it is. If you need one shirt as a gift, a single sample to see how a design looks, or two shirts for a one-off event, a no-minimum printer is the sensible option. Paying for five when you need one is not a good deal at any price.

A minimum starts to make sense when you are dressing a team, a crew or a staff: anything where five or more people need the same thing. That is the work we are set up for. If you want to see how the numbers compare for staff shirts specifically, we broke that down in what custom staff t-shirts cost in Ontario.

Why not just add a setup fee instead?

A setup fee does the same job as a minimum, but it makes small orders look cheap up front and expensive at checkout. A minimum is easier to read. You see the per-piece price, you see the tier, and the total is the per-piece price times the pieces, plus HST.

Where Papaya fits

We print DTF on tees, long sleeves, hoodies and trucker hats, with a digital proof approved before anything is printed. Orders start at 5 pieces, mixed however you need, at published prices that don't move. See our custom apparel page for garments, colours and placements, order on the shop, or ask us about a larger order.

Common questions

Can I mix sizes and colours to reach the 5-piece minimum?

Yes. The minimum applies to the whole order, so five pieces can be any mix of sizes, colours and garments, including tees, long sleeves, hoodies and hats together.

Is the price tier based on each item or the whole order?

The whole order. The tier is set by the total number of pieces, so combining tees and hoodies in one order can move every item down to a lower per-piece price.

Are custom shirts with no minimum always cheaper for small orders?

Not always, but for one or two shirts they are usually the practical choice. Once you need five or more of the same design, compare the per-piece price at your quantity, including HST and any back print.