Price a DTF transfer from the cost of a complete accepted job, not from ink and film alone. Record materials, preparation, production, inspection, cleanup and rejected output; then distinguish job costs from your business's fixed costs. Use actual supplier quotes and your own measured labor. This worksheet provides a method, not a market price or a profit guarantee.
Start with consumable cost
To price a DTF job, start with the cost of the consumables — film, powder, and ink per print — then add time, equipment wear, and a margin. For small runs, the setup and cleanup time is a larger share of the cost than it is for big batches, so it is worth including it in the base price.
Add a minimum order value
Keep a simple sheet with your per-print cost and a minimum order value. That gives you a floor that protects you on small jobs while leaving room to give a better price on volume.
Define what the quote includes
A printed transfer and a finished garment are different deliverables. State whether the quote covers artwork preparation, the transfer only, garment supply, pressing, packing, delivery or a revision. Use the same definition when comparing quotes or measuring a job's result.
For each material, use a consistent unit. Record film area or length actually consumed, measured ink usage where available, powder usage, packaging and any garment supplied. If a value is estimated, label it as an estimate and replace it when a measured result becomes available. Do not present a supplier's headline capacity as your measured consumption.
A job-cost worksheet you can fill in
- Materials: quantity actually consumed × your current unit cost. Include test prints and rejects in consumed material; do not count the same waste a second time as a separate allowance.
- Labor: documented preparation, production, inspection and cleanup time × the labor rate you have chosen. Include your own working time even when you have not paid a separate employee.
- Other job-specific costs: record only costs that apply to the defined deliverable, such as packing or an applicable transaction fee. Keep the basis visible.
- Accepted quantity: count saleable units, not every piece printed. Divide the complete recorded job cost by accepted units for an observed cost per accepted unit. With zero accepted units, record the failed job; do not divide by zero.
Separate a pricing decision from a break-even estimate
Choose a selling price only after you understand the deliverable, your recorded cost and the business expenses it must support. For a simple single-product estimate, break-even units = fixed costs for a period ÷ (selling price per unit − variable cost per unit). The difference in the denominator must be positive, and all figures must use the same period and unit.
Do not include the same fixed expense in both unit variable cost and the fixed-cost total. A mixed product range, discounts, fees or changing labor can make a single-product estimate insufficient. Have a qualified adviser review tax and accounting treatment; this article does not prescribe a tax rule or promise a payback period.
Budget for equipment separately from consumables
For startup planning, list one-time equipment and setup purchases separately from recurring operating expenses. Include the stages your existing equipment does not cover. The ZERNIQ bundle includes the printer, ink set, film, adhesive powder and cleaning solution. Count those included supplies in the starting purchase without also charging for the same initial quantities twice; replacement consumables remain operating expenses.
Keep a dated supplier quote and an actual-job record alongside the worksheet. Revisit the quote when material cost, accepted yield or the job scope changes. A minimum order charge can cover genuine setup effort, but its value should come from your costs and commercial decision rather than a made-up industry average.
Sources and scope
The SBA reference supports the distinction between fixed and variable costs and the break-even method used in this article. It does not establish actual ZERNIQ equipment costs, selling prices, production capacity or profitability.
U.S. Small Business Administration — Break-even point
Next step
Map the complete small-batch production workflow