Screen Printing Business Plan (U.S., 2025 Guide)

Custom tees, school spirit wear, local events, church merch, summer camps — the demand is still there. What slows people down is not printing, it’s paperwork: landlords and lenders want to see that you can keep the press busy all year, not just when a tournament or festival hits. This guide shows you how to write that plan in SBA order, how to price like a shop (not a hobbyist), and how to map out the first customers so the math looks real.

Matching template: Screen Printing Service Business Plan – Instant Download

Why screen printing still works in 2025

The U.S. market didn’t stop buying printed apparel — it just got pickier. Schools and leagues want small, fast runs. Local businesses want brand-consistent polos and tees. Event planners want bundled orders (shirts + tote + maybe caps). None of those buyers want to manage a press, inks, and reclaim — they want a local shop that can turn ideas into shirts and invoice properly.

Lenders like this category because it’s easy to understand: you have equipment, you have labor, and you have a pipeline of repeat local buyers. If your plan shows “these are the four groups I serve in this city, here is my press and dryer, here is my 36-month revenue tied to jobs/month,” it looks like every other small production/service plan they approve.

Before you present a 2025 plan, confirm licensing and registrations against current guidance at SBA.gov and check current U.S. counts or demand patterns at Census.gov. That keeps your numbers from looking stale.

What to put in the plan (screen printing version)

Keep the SBA order — lenders already read in this order — just swap the language so it talks about print jobs, not generic “creative services.”

Executive summary. “Local screen printing service in {city/state} serving schools, teams, events, churches, and small businesses. We offer fast runs, artwork/setup, and add-on products. 36-month forecast tied to jobs/month and average order value.”

Products & services. Standard screen printing, 1–2 color quick jobs, multi-color/spot color, artwork and vector cleanup, color separations, add-on embroidery via partner, delivery/pickup. Calling these out shows upsell potential.

Market. List real buyer groups you can call: public/private schools, middle/high-school teams, local tournaments, fitness studios, realtors, churches, non-profits, small manufacturers doing promo gear. Name 4–6 — that makes it “local” in a lender’s head.

Operations. Press type (manual/automatic), dryer, pretreat station if DTG/hybrid, workflow (artwork → approval → screen prep → print → cure → QC → pack), staffing (owner-operator + part-time helper on bigger runs), and turnaround windows.

Financials. Jobs/month × average ticket × seasonality. Note that Q2–Q3 (sports/camps/events) can be higher, so lenders don’t panic at uneven months.

Don’t want to draft that from zero? Download the ready-made Screen Printing Service Business Plan and replace the city, buyer list, and equipment lines.

Pricing that lenders understand

Screen printing has to be written like a shop: setup + per-shirt cost + add-ons. If you just say “custom shirts,” it looks like side income. If you show the math, it looks like a real local service business.

1) Artwork / screen setup. Flat fee per design or per screen. This is what pays for your time, even on small runs.

2) Garment / blank. Your cost + markup, or client-supplied with a printing-only rate.

3) Print price by quantity. 12–24 shirts at one rate, 25–49 at a better rate, 50–100 at your best rate. Tiering proves you can win bigger jobs.

Example you can drop into the plan: “24 shirt order, 2-color front: $40 artwork/setup + $8.50/shirt printed = $244 total. 50 shirt order, same art: $40 setup + $6.75/shirt printed = $377.50.” Anyone reviewing can follow that.

Spell it out like this and you’ll naturally rank for things like “screen printing business plan,” “screen printing pricing 2025,” and “how to price screen printing in {city}” without stuffing a dozen links.

Where the first jobs usually come from

This is the part lenders love: buyers are easy to describe and they repeat.

• Schools and youth sports. Spirit wear, PE shirts, trip tees, band/choir, boosters.
• Events. 5Ks, charity walks, church conferences, community festivals, city recreation.
• Local businesses. Construction, HVAC, landscaping, real estate — they want uniform shirts.
• Repeat groups. Camps, seasonal leagues, faith groups that order every quarter.

Put those as actual bullets in the plan so the underwriter sees repeatable demand, not “maybe some online orders.”

Startup costs, money, and 36-month forecast

A believable 2025 screen printing plan for the U.S. almost always shows these buckets:

• Press (manual to start, or small auto if you already have volume)
• Conveyor dryer / curing setup
• Exposure / screens / reclaim
• Software and design tools
• Starter inks and inventory
• Shop / flex space and utilities
• Launch marketing (Google Business Profile, photos, lightweight site/landing page)

Then tie revenue to jobs/month: “15–20 jobs per month in the first year, average ticket $225–$375 depending on quantity and colors, with spikes during school and event seasons.” That is the kind of line a loan officer can skim and file.

For the fully drafted version with the sections pre-titled and the 36-month forecast laid out, use: Screen Printing Service Business Plan – Instant Download