Eleven days to your 5K run, 200 tees needed, three teammates yelling at you in Slack. This is the comparison you actually need.
The pricing gap is real
For an identical 200-tee order (Bella+Canvas 3001, 1-colour front print, shipped to Chicago, standard turnaround):
- Custom Ink: $16.40/tee ($3,280 total)
- RushOrderTees: $13.40/tee ($2,680 total)
- Difference: $600
That $600 is what you pay for Custom Ink’s design review team, phone support line, and the group-order management tool that’s smoother than anything else on the market.
For a corporate event with a $10,000 total budget: $600 is noise. For a charity run with a $3,500 t-shirt budget: $600 is 17% of budget.
Pricing at quantity
| Quantity | Custom Ink (1-colour screen) | RushOrderTees (1-colour screen) | Custom Ink premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | $18.90 | $14.20 | +33% |
| 50 | $16.20 | $11.80 | +37% |
| 100 | $14.20 | $10.40 | +37% |
| 200 | $13.40 | $9.80 | +37% |
| 500 | $11.80 | $8.60 | +37% |
| 1,000 | $9.90 | $7.40 | +34% |
The premium is remarkably consistent across volumes. RushOrderTees doesn’t close the gap at scale the way some printers do.
When Custom Ink is the right call
Custom Ink wins when:
- Someone needs to be accountable. Their phone line is staffed by people who know the product. If your boss is the one asking “are the shirts confirmed?”, Custom Ink’s human being is worth the premium.
- Complex artwork. Multi-location prints (front + back + sleeve) handled by their art review team reduce surprise upcharges.
- Group ordering matters. The design-share-and-size-collect flow is genuinely the best in class.
When RushOrderTees wins
RushOrderTees wins when:
- Budget is the constraint. The saving is material at every quantity band.
- Deadline is tight. 5-day production with a transparent rush surcharge (25% for sub-7-day). Custom Ink is comparable on timeline but costs more.
- You can manage the process yourself. The group-order tool is functional; it just requires more co-ordination from you.
Related reading
- Custom Ink review — full deep-dive
- Event tees under 100 units — the use-case guide for deadline-pressured buyers
- Hidden fees in t-shirt printing — what to check before you commit
- Decision wizard — 60 seconds to a personalised recommendation