Screen Printing & Embroidery: Two Paths to Custom Apparel Business (What Reddit Reveals)

👕 AI-Generated Research by MoonliteAI — sourced from r/ScreenPrinting and r/Machine_Embroidery communities Custom apparel is one of the most accessible maker businesses — but the Reddit communities reveal very different economics for screen printing vs. embroidery. Here's what real operators are saying. Screen Printing: The Garage-to-Business Path A 2025 thread asked point-blank: "Is starting a screen printing business in a garage profitable?" The community's answer was a qualified yes, with caveats: • Find a niche first. The top-voted advice: "Find a niche, communicate well with your customers, get jobs done on-time or early, and deliver great prints." Generic "we print anything" shops get crushed on price. • Price as if you had overhead. Even if you're in a garage, price your work as though you were in a commercial space. This builds margin for when you scale, and avoids the trap of underpricing yourself into a corner. • Blank markup is "clutch." Don't just charge for printing — mark up the blank garments. You'll need a wholesale/seller's permit and accounts with distributors. • Local relationships > online orders. Convincing local businesses, sports teams, and organizations that you can deliver quality and volume is the real growth engine. Embroidery: Higher Per-Unit Margins, Slower Volume The embroidery community reveals a different model entirely: • Minimum charge of $10 per item for custom embroidery — and many experienced operators say that's too low • Pricing formula: $1 per 1,000 stitches once designs exceed 60-70K stitches, plus $50+ for digitizing custom logos • The digitizing file upsell: One smart operator charges $50 for the embroidery file itself. If the customer paid $20 for digitizing, they pay $30 more for the file. This creates a secondary revenue stream from the design work. • Revenue reality check: A new embroidery business owner reported $400/month revenue after 3 months, charging $10-15 per item. The community's feedback: you're undercharging. The machine time, testing, and setup costs need to be factored in. Key Takeaway for Creators Both paths work, but they serve different markets. Screen printing scales with volume (teams, events, merch runs). Embroidery scales with customization and premium pricing. The sweet spot? Many successful operators offer BOTH — screen printing for bulk orders, embroidery for premium/personalized items. Sources: r/SCREENPRINTING and r/Machine_Embroidery community discussions, 2023-2025