Pricing
Straight numbers, before you ever get on a call.
Most live printing companies hide pricing behind a discovery call. We would rather you arrive with the anchors and spend the call on your event instead.
| Line item | Anchor | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Staffed station, local | from ~$5,000 | A complete build for a Southern California event: equipment, operators, setup and teardown, and a per-guest product plan. |
| Staffing | $250 / hour | Trained print operators, billed across your event window including the setup hour and teardown. |
| Travel | $900 flat | Applies outside the Orange County / Los Angeles / San Diego core — including Las Vegas and nationwide programs. Local SoCal events pay no travel fee. |
| Garments & blanks | wholesale + handling | Bella+Canvas 3001 tees, Gildan fleece, Richardson 112 and Flexfit caps sourced at trade pricing — or press goods you supply. |
Five inputs decide your final quote.
Event hours
A two-hour cocktail window and an eight-hour trade-show day are different staffing math. Longer windows spread the fixed setup cost across more printed pieces.
Guest count
Throughput drives press count. One DTF press comfortably serves 250–400 guests over a few hours; larger crowds get parallel presses so the line never stalls.
Product choice
A single-tee menu is the leanest build. Hats with patch options, hoodies, or multi-product menus raise garment cost but noticeably raise perceived value.
Artwork scope
One locked design is cheapest. Guest-choice menus, name personalization, and multi-location prints add prep and per-piece time.
Location
OC, LA, and SD run without a travel line. Vegas and beyond add the flat $900 plus any venue-specific costs like union labor or drayage.
What is never extra
Producer planning time, art proofing, backup equipment, and the pre-event venue coordination. Those are baked into every Merch Troop quote.
For deeper budget math, read our cost breakdown or the guide to questions that expose hidden fees.
Get your number
Send the basics. Get a line-item quote back.
Date, city, guest count, product idea — that is enough for a producer to build real pricing.