Cost
How much does corporate merch printing cost?
Short version: local company events typically start around $5,000 for a staffed station, and the final number depends on headcount, hours, pieces, and location.
The starting point
A staffed live-printing station for a local Southern California company event generally starts around $5,000. That base covers the equipment, the setup and teardown, and a working crew for the block of time you book. It is the floor a single-station event tends to land near, not a per-piece price.
What moves the number
Four things push it up or down. Headcount and hours decide how many stations and operators we staff — operators are billed at $250 per hour, counting setup and teardown. Pieces matter because a premium-hoodie program costs more per unit than a basic-tee giveaway. Art prep is a one-time flat item, not a per-color fee. And location adds a $900 travel line for anything outside Orange County, LA, and San Diego.
Why it beats bulk pre-orders
Pre-ordering looks cheaper per shirt until you tally the unclaimed pieces and rush fees for the sizes you guessed wrong. Printing to demand means paying for what people actually take. For most events under a few hundred people, live printing lands close to — often below — a bulk run, with a much better experience.
Straight answers
Related questions
Can you give a ballpark before a full quote?
Yes — tell us rough headcount, hours, city, and the pieces you have in mind and we can give a realistic range on a quick call before building the itemized quote.
Does the $5,000 include the blanks?
The starting point covers the station, crew, and setup; blanks are priced by the piece on top, since a tee program and a hoodie program differ a lot. Your quote itemizes both.
Start a quote
Tell us about the event once.
Share the date, city, headcount, and the pieces you have in mind. We come back with a station plan, staffing, and a real number — not a fill-in-the-blank price sheet.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (562) 614-4800.