Minimums have a bad reputation because they are usually inherited rather than calculated. "We don't go below 24" is a habit. The question worth answering is: below what point does this job cost more to handle than it earns?
The admin floor nobody costs
Every order, however small, consumes: a quote, an artwork check, a proof, an approval chase, an order entry, a production slot, a pack, a dispatch, an invoice, and sometimes a payment chase. In most shops that is 30 to 60 minutes of non-production time. At a £35 loaded hourly rate, that is £17 to £35 of cost before anyone touches a garment.
That is your true floor, and it applies to every method including the ones with no setup.
Calculating your minimum
- Take your admin floor per order, measured not guessed.
- Add the setup cost for the method in question.
- Divide by the share of revenue you are willing to have those two consume, say 25 percent.
For screen print with a £54 three-screen setup and a £25 admin floor: (54 + 25) / 0.25 = a £316 minimum order value. For DTG with no setup: 25 / 0.25 = £100.
Those numbers will feel high the first time you calculate them. That reaction is the useful part.
Why value beats quantity
| Order | Quantity | Value | 24-piece MOQ | £250 MOV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap tees, one colour | 24 | £180 | Accepted | Declined |
| Embroidered jackets | 8 | £460 | Declined | Accepted |
| Full-colour hoodies | 15 | £520 | Declined | Accepted |
A quantity minimum accepts the worst job on this list and rejects the two best. Value minimums fail far less often.
Softening the floor
- Offer a lower-setup method. The small order you cannot take in screen print is often a good DTF or DTG job.
- Charge a small-order fee instead of refusing. A £30 handling fee converts an unprofitable job into an acceptable one, and customers understand it.
- Waive it for reorders. Repeat art with existing screens genuinely costs less, so a lower floor there is honest rather than arbitrary.
- Keep it out of the way for account customers. Someone spending £2,000 a month can have their twelve-piece job.
Publish it
An unpublished minimum gets argued about on every enquiry. A published one filters before it reaches you and makes the exceptions feel like favours. Put it on your quote template, your stores and your enquiry form.
Printer's Friend can hold a per-method minimum on your price matrix so a quote that falls under it flags before it goes out, and your affiliate stores can enforce their own floor at checkout. See also pricing so you win the job.