What Is Contract Screen Printing? A Guide for Resellers

Tyler Vingino

Mar 7

5 min read

Updated: Mar 7

If you're in the business of selling custom apparel, promotional products, or branded merchandise — but you don't own a press, a heat tunnel, or a screen room — contract screen printing was built for you.

At Nu World Graphics, a significant portion of what we do is contract work. We print for other businesses, decorators, promotional product distributors, and resellers who supply the goods and the customers — and we handle all the production. No one needs to know we're involved. That's the whole point.

This guide breaks down exactly how contract printing works, who it's for, and how to use it to grow your business without ever touching a squeegee.

What Is Contract Screen Printing?

Contract screen printing is when a decorator or reseller outsources the actual printing to a production shop — like us — while maintaining full control of their customer relationship.

You bring the order. You supply the garments or we source them for you. You provide the artwork. We print it. You pick it up, ship it to your customer, and invoice however you choose. Your customer never knows who did the printing. Your brand stays front and center.

It's a fulfillment partnership. We're your production team behind the scenes.

Who Uses Contract Printing?

Contract printing is the backbone of the decorated apparel industry. Here's who relies on it most:

Promotional Product Distributors If you sell pens, bags, drinkware, and apparel under a promo distributor model, you already know you don't produce anything yourself — you source and sell. Contract screen printing works the same way. We become your apparel decoration vendor, you mark up and resell.

Graphic Designers and Marketing Agencies Many agencies offer branded merchandise to their clients but have no production capability. Contract printing lets you offer screen printed apparel as a service without owning any equipment or hiring production staff.

Embroidery Shops Expanding Into Screen Print If your shop does embroidery but not screen printing, you don't have to turn away those jobs. Send them to us. We print, you deliver, you keep the margin.

Screen Printers at Capacity Already running a press? If you're booked out or your shop can't handle a rush, contract printing lets you overflow work to us without losing the customer.

Clothing Brand Startups Building a brand from scratch? Contract printing means you don't need to invest in equipment before you've proven demand. Place your order, receive your product, sell it.

Event Companies and Coordinators Event planners, concert promoters, and sports coordinators regularly need high volumes of printed apparel fast. Contract printing lets you offer it as part of your package without owning a single press.

How the Process Works

Working with Nu World Graphics as a contract print partner is straightforward:

Step 1 — Send Us Your Order Details Tell us the quantity, garment color and style, print locations, and color count. If you're supplying the blanks yourself, let us know what's coming. If you need us to source them, we can do that too.

Step 2 — Provide Print-Ready Artwork Submit your files in vector format (.AI, .EPS, .PDF) for the best results. If the artwork needs prep work, we can handle that — just let us know upfront.

Step 3 — Approve the Quote We'll send a contract pricing quote based on quantity, color count, and garment type. Contract pricing is different from retail — you're getting wholesale production rates so you have room to mark up and profit.

Step 4 — Production We burn the screens, mix the inks, and run your order through the press. Standard turnaround is typically 7–10 business days depending on order size and complexity. Rush options are available.

Step 5 — Pick Up or Ship You pick up from our Las Vegas facility, or we ship directly to you. Everything is bagged, counted, and ready for delivery to your customer. No NWG branding on the packaging — it's your order to deliver.

What Are the Benefits of Contract Printing for Resellers?

No equipment investment. A professional screen printing setup — press, dryer, exposure unit, screens, inks — can cost $50,000 or more to set up properly. Contract printing gives you access to that infrastructure without the capital outlay.

No production staff. Running a press requires trained operators. With contract printing, you skip labor, training, and all the HR that comes with it.

Scale up or down instantly. Get a big order this month? We handle it. Slow month? No overhead sitting idle. Your production scales with your sales.

Faster turnaround than doing it yourself. Because production is all we do, we're faster and more consistent than a small in-house setup. Your customers get better product, faster.

More time to sell. Instead of running a press, you're out selling. That's where your time is most valuable.

Profit margin is yours to set. We give you wholesale pricing. You charge your customer whatever your market supports. The spread is your profit.

What Does Contract Pricing Look Like?

Contract pricing is structured differently from walk-in retail. You're coming to us with volume and consistency, so you get production-level rates.

As a general example — a standard one-color front print on a basic 50/50 tee at 72 pieces might run you well under $5 per print in contract pricing. You turn around and sell those to your customer at $12–$15 per print. That margin is yours.

Every job is quoted based on specifics — quantity, color count, print locations, garment type, and whether you're supplying blanks or we are. Reach out and we'll build a quote around your actual order.

Why Partner With Nu World Graphics for Contract Work?

We've been in production since 1998. We know how to run a tight shop, hit deadlines, and produce consistent quality across a full run. For contract partners, consistency matters most — your reputation with your customer depends on what comes off our press.

Here's what we offer contract partners specifically:

Blind shipping available — no NWG branding, your labels if needed
Wholesale production pricing with room for you to build your margin
Vector artwork support — we'll flag file issues before they become production problems
Flexible minimums — we work with you on quantities that make sense for your jobs
Las Vegas based — local pickup available, fast shipping regionally