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Bulk custom t-shirt companies, compared
A neutral, facts-only comparison of well-known custom-apparel providers on the criteria bulk buyers actually weigh: order quantity policy, decoration methods, proof policy, and turnaround. Every figure is drawn from each vendor's own public pages.
How to compare bulk apparel providers
“Which custom t-shirt company should we use?” usually comes down to a handful of concrete criteria, not a gut feeling. The table below lines up 5 widely known providers, plus us, on those criteria: with no scores, no rankings, and no opinions. Each non-us cell is a fact pulled from that company's own public pages, footnoted with the source and the date we checked it. Where a company doesn't state something on the pages we checked, we say so rather than guess.
Use it as a starting framework, then confirm the specifics with each vendor for your exact order: policies change, and the pages here were read on the dates footnoted below.
| Provider | Free mockup before payment | Shipping included in price | Payment terms | Decoration methods | Human proof before print | Published turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your Merch Factory(that's us) | Yes: a free mockup with every quote, before any payment | Yes: per-unit prices are delivered, standard US shipping to one address included | 50% deposit at mockup approval, balance before shipping. Schools, districts, and universities: net 30 on an approved PO, no deposit. 3% off to pay in full at approval | Screen printing, embroidery, and digital printing | Yes: a human lays out and checks every mockup, and nothing is produced until you approve it | Quote by the next business morning, usually same day; production about two weeks from an approved mockup |
| Custom Ink | Check their site[3] | "Free Shipping!" stated in the page header[3] | Not stated on the pages we checked[2] | Digital printing, screen printing, embroidery, laser engraving, debossing[1] | Not stated on the pages we checked[1] | Standard delivery estimated in two weeks; Rush (one week, +15%) and Super Rush (three business days, +30%) available[2] |
| RushOrderTees | Check their site[7] | "Free shipping on every order, with rush options available if you need it fast."[7] | Not stated on the pages we checked[5] | Printed and embroidered apparel (printing and embroidery)[4] | For orders of 16 or more, customers choose at checkout to receive a design proof or auto-approve the design[5] | Rush Delivery can print and deliver custom t-shirts in under 24 hours[6] |
| UberPrints | Check their site[9] | Check their site[9] | Accepts institutional checks and purchase orders from schools, businesses, and other organizations[8] | Digital printing, screen printing, embroidery[8] | Not stated on the pages we checked[8] | Screen printed or embroidered orders ship within no more than 5 business days; digitally printed orders ship within 1–3 business days[8] |
| Bolt Printing | Check their site[10] | "Bolt Printing keeps pricing straightforward with free standard shipping, no setup fees, and transparent quotes."[10] | Check their site[10] | "custom embroidery, screen printing, or digital printing"[11] | "Every Bolt Printing order is backed by expert artwork review, responsive customer support, clear proof approval"[10] | Check their site[10] |
| Swag.com | Check their site[12] | Check their site[12] | Check their site[12] | Check their site[12] | Check their site[12] | Check their site[12] |
Information for each provider is taken from that provider's own public pages as of the accessed date footnoted below, and may have changed since, confirm the current details with the provider. This is a facts-only comparison: no scores, no rankings, no endorsements.
Sources
- [1] https://www.customink.com/help_center/minimum-order , accessed 2026-07-18
- [2] https://www.customink.com/help_center/delivery-options , accessed 2026-07-18
- [3] https://www.customink.com/pricing , accessed 2026-09-03
- [4] https://www.rushordertees.com/help-center/minimum-orders/ , accessed 2026-07-18
- [5] https://www.rushordertees.com/help-center/order-process/ , accessed 2026-07-18
- [6] https://www.rushordertees.com/services/rush-delivery/ , accessed 2026-07-18
- [7] https://www.rushordertees.com/ , accessed 2026-09-03
- [8] https://www.uberprints.com/help/faq , accessed 2026-07-18
- [9] https://www.uberprints.com/ , accessed 2026-09-03
- [10] https://www.boltprinting.com/mc/lowest-internet-prices , accessed 2026-09-03
- [11] https://www.boltprinting.com/ , accessed 2026-09-03
- [12] https://swag.com/faq , accessed 2026-09-03
What each criterion means
- Order quantity policy
- The smallest order a vendor will take. Some have no minimum on printed items but require a minimum for embroidery; ours is a flat 50 units per item. A low minimum matters if your run is small; delivered per-unit price matters more once you're ordering in bulk.
- Decoration methods
- Screen printing, embroidery, and digital/DTG each suit different designs and quantities. Confirm a vendor offers the method your artwork needs at your quantity.
- Mockup / proof policy
- Whether, and when, you see a digital proof before production. A free proof on every order lets you approve exactly what will be printed.
- Published turnaround
- How long from order to in-hand, and what rush options cost. Compare the standard timeline, not just the fastest rush add-on.
- PO / Net-30 support
- Whether a vendor accepts purchase orders and offers net terms, the difference between an easy and an impossible order for a school, district, or procurement team.
Want a blank version to fill in for the vendors you're weighing? Every approval packet includes a vendor-comparison criteria sheet, and our custom t-shirt pricing shows our delivered per-unit ranges. New to bulk ordering? Start with bulk custom t-shirts.
Comparing quotes? Get ours.
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