Your blanks or the printer's?
The tradeoffs of supplying your own garments to a print shop (cost, substitutions, misprints) and the questions to ask before you ship a box of blanks.
Updated Oct 29, 2026 · Prices and listings pulled live from the Blankdex index
A long-running r/streetwearstartup thread argues you should never let your print shop buy your blanks [source]. The underlying worries are fair: printer markup on garments, substitutions when a style is out of stock, and who pays when a piece is misprinted. But supplying your own isn't free either.
| You supply blanks | Printer supplies blanks | |
|---|---|---|
| Blank cost | You pay the price you found, and can shop around. | Usually includes the shop's markup or handling. |
| Exact style | You get the exact style, color and size split you bought. | Ask what happens if it's out of stock: will they substitute? |
| Misprints | Often your loss: many shops won't replace customer-supplied garments. Order spares. | Often the shop's problem to reprint. Confirm it in writing. |
| Logistics | You pay to ship blanks to the shop and handle counts and shortages. | One order, one invoice. |
| Shop acceptance | Some shops charge more or refuse customer-supplied garments. | Always accepted. |
Questions to ask the shop
- Do you accept customer-supplied garments, and is the print price different?
- What's your misprint policy for supplied garments? How many spares should I send?
- If you supply the blanks, what's the per-piece garment price, and will you substitute without asking?
- Can you remove tags, add neck prints or sew in labels? (9 shops in our directory list label services.)
Then run both options through the margin calculator: it shows landed cost for both side by side, including spares, blank freight and defects.
Sources
- r/streetwearstartup: Why you should never let your print shop buy blanks
- r/streetwearstartup: Blank tees + own label, brand it at the factory?
- Blank specs, prices and printer listings: the Blankdex index, each with its own source link and check date.
Reddit threads are cited as evidence that a question comes up often, not as proof of any claim.
Margin
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Buying
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Decoration
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