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The short answer
A custom T-shirt business in Nigeria can start without equipment by outsourcing printing to a local print shop, or with a heat press and transfer printing for more control and margin. Price each shirt from the blank, the print, packaging, a share of equipment and your time, then add margin; bulk orders for churches, schools, events and companies are usually where the volume is.
Two ways to start
In Nigeria "print on demand" usually means printing only when an order comes in, rather than holding stock in every size and design. You can do that in two ways.
| Outsource printing | Print yourself | |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | None; a local print shop prints for you | Heat press plus a transfer method |
| Start-up cost | Low: samples and marketing | Higher: press, printer or cutter, materials |
| Margin per shirt | Lower; the printer takes a share | Higher once volume is steady |
| Control over quality and timing | Depends on the printer | Yours |
| Best for | Testing designs and building a brand | Regular orders and quick turnarounds |
Many sellers start by outsourcing, learn what sells and how to handle sizes and complaints, then buy equipment once they have steady orders.
Printing methods in brief
- Screen printing
- Ink pushed through a mesh screen, one screen per colour. Very cheap per shirt on large runs, expensive to set up for a few pieces. Best for bulk orders with simple designs.
- Heat transfer vinyl (HTV)
- Designs cut from vinyl with a cutting plotter and pressed on. Durable and sharp for text and simple shapes; slow for multi-colour artwork.
- Sublimation
- Ink turns to gas and bonds with polyester fabric. Vivid full-colour prints that do not crack, but works only on polyester or high-polyester blends and light colours.
- DTF (direct to film)
- Design printed on film with adhesive powder, then heat-pressed. Works on cotton and dark shirts in full colour; increasingly used by small shops.
Costing a shirt
We found no official price list for blanks or printing in Nigeria, and prices change with the exchange rate because many blanks and inks are imported. The structure, though, is the same everywhere.
Worked example (example figures)
| Cost per shirt | Example |
|---|---|
| Blank cotton T-shirt | ₦3,500 |
| Print (DTF transfer, chest size) | ₦1,500 |
| Packaging (nylon, tag, sticker) | ₦300 |
| Equipment share (₦600,000 press and setup spread over 2,000 shirts) | ₦300 |
| Your labour (15 minutes at ₦2,000 an hour) | ₦500 |
| Total cost | ₦6,100 |
At a retail price of ₦10,000, your margin is ₦3,900 per shirt, or 39% of the price. For a bulk order of 100 event shirts you might quote ₦8,000 each, a margin of ₦1,900 per shirt and ₦190,000 on the order, while your blank cost may also fall with volume. Watch your cash on bulk jobs: a 50% deposit on that order is ₦400,000, but blanks and prints for 100 shirts cost ₦500,000, so you need ₦100,000 of your own money or credit from a supplier before you start.
Where the orders come from
- Events: weddings, birthdays, funerals and reunions, often with "aso ebi" style matching shirts.
- Churches and mosques: anniversaries, conventions, choir and youth groups.
- Schools: sports houses, graduations, end-of-year trips.
- Companies: staff shirts, launches, branded giveaways.
- Your own designs: slogans, city pride, faith, football, which sell online but need marketing.
Bulk buyers want samples, a firm delivery date and the right sizes. Send a size chart, collect sizes in one spreadsheet, and get the client to approve a mock-up in writing before printing; a misspelled name on 200 shirts is your loss otherwise.
Selling online
Post photos of real shirts on real people, not only mock-ups, and show the label and print close up. A simple online store helps when you sell your own designs: Bumpa's pricing page, as at October 2026, lists Starter at ₦15,000 a quarter and Pro at ₦30,000 a quarter, with naira and dollar payments accepted; compare options in our guide to online store options. If you take card payments by link, Paystack's published local fee is 1.5% plus ₦100, capped at ₦2,000 (October 2026), which is ₦250 on a ₦10,000 shirt.
Include a small care card with each shirt: wash inside out, cold water, no ironing directly on the print. It reduces complaints about cracking or fading and makes the brand look established. Set a clear returns rule too: exchanges for wrong sizes on ready-made designs, no returns on personalised shirts once the mock-up has been approved, and a reprint at your cost if the fault is yours.
Delivery can eat a small order's margin; set your policy before launch using our guide to delivery pricing for vendors.
Steps to start
- Choose a niche: events, faith groups, schools, corporate or your own brand, and consider registering a business name so corporate clients can pay you as a business.
- Order samples from two printers or suppliers and wash-test them several times.
- Build your cost sheet per shirt and set retail and bulk prices.
- Photograph samples and post them where your buyers are.
- Take deposits on every custom order and record sizes in writing.
- Buy equipment only when outsourcing costs or delays start limiting you.
Where Pryme fits
Pryme's invoicing helps you bill churches, schools and companies for bulk orders and track deposits, and bank-transfer checkout is free.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start a T-shirt printing business in Nigeria?
You can start with almost no equipment by outsourcing printing. Buying a heat press and a transfer method costs more; get current quotes from at least two suppliers, as prices move with the exchange rate.
What is the best printing method for a small T-shirt business?
DTF and heat transfer vinyl suit small runs on cotton; screen printing is cheapest for large runs with few colours; sublimation suits polyester shirts and full-colour designs.
How much should I sell a custom T-shirt for?
Add up the blank, print, packaging, equipment share and labour, then add your margin. Example only: a ₦6,100 cost sold at ₦10,000 gives a ₦3,900 margin.
Should I collect a deposit for bulk T-shirt orders?
Yes, it is common to take a deposit, often half, before buying blanks, and to get written approval of the design and size list before printing.
Sources
- Bumpa: Pricing · accessed Oct 2026
- Paystack: Pricing (Nigeria) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.