How to Order Custom Screen Printing in Vancouver Without Being Forced to Buy 500 of Them

Let’s face it: trying to get custom shirts printed in Vancouver is usually a choice between two equally annoying things. Either you deal with a "Big Shop" that treats you like a nuisance because you don’t know what a Vector file is and you don't need 500 neon-yellow polyester jerseys for a corporate 5k run, or you use an automated online site that ships you a "shirt" that feels like fine sandpaper, with a pixelated digital print, and arrives three weeks late.

At Unimpressed Screen Printing, we’ve noticed that most big local shops have minimums so high you’d think they were printing currency, not cotton.

The "Big Shop" Minimum Struggle

Most shops in the lower mainland won't even pick up the phone unless you’re ordering enough shirts to clothe a small village. They want "scale." They want "volume." They want "cool buzzwords." They want you to pay for 100 shirts when you only have 12 friends (and let’s be honest, in Vancouver, having 12 friends who show up to things is a miracle in itself).

If you’re a local brand just starting out, or a café that doesn't want a lifetime supply of branded merch (with that old coffee pun business name you first chose, that wound up not being nearly as unique as you had originally thought), those 100+ item minimums are a death sentence for your budget.

No one will have thought of these before!

We Actually Like Small Orders (Sort Of)

While the big guys are busy chasing the Lululemons of the world, we’re over here in the trenches trying to help the actual humans of Vancouver.

Our business model is revolutionary—I mean, not really, but maybe it feels like it in this city: We have a 12–25 shirt minimum.

12 Shirts: For orders with 1 - 2 ink colours.

Perfect for that "we're totally a serious band" vibe.

25 Shirts: For orders with more ink colours.

Ideal for a local small business or a brand launch going for that "we're more serious than that band over there with the 12 shirts" vibe.

Real Vancouver Screen Printing, Not "Stickers"

We aren't just pressing plastic stickers onto shirts in a basement. We use actual Plastisol screen printing inks, and we do it in a grungy alley! It’s the real deal—durable, professional, and it won't peel off the first time you put it in your apartment's sketchy communal dryer.

And because we’re local, you don't have to deal with the soul-crushing mystery of international shipping. If you’re in Ontario, sure, we’ll ship it (provided Canada Post isn't having another meltdown). But if you’re here in/near Vancouver, you’re supporting a shop that understands that "small" doesn't mean "unimportant." I mean, it still might, but not necessarily!

The Bottom Line

If you want to spend three weeks’ rent on a mountain of shirts you don't need, go to the big guys. They have very nice receptionists to ignore the questions in your emails.

But if you want high-quality, professional screen printing in Vancouver for a small run that actually makes sense for your budget, reach out to us. We’ll get your 25 shirts done, you can sell them, and then we can make you more with your profits.