What Is Contract Screen Printing? How to Wholesale Print for Other Shops
Not every clothing brand owns a print shop, and not every print shop wants to. That is exactly where contract screen printing comes in. Contract printing lets you focus on what you do best, designing, selling, and building your brand, while a production shop like Arnold Prints® handles the ink, the presses, and the packing. If you have ever wondered how apparel brands scale without buying a warehouse full of equipment, this is the answer. Here is everything you need to know about contract screen printing and how to wholesale-print the smart way.
What Is Contract Screen Printing?
Contract screen printing is a business-to-business arrangement where a production shop prints garments on behalf of another company. You supply the artwork (and sometimes the garments); we handle the screens, the printing, the curing, the quality control, and the fulfillment. You never touch a squeegee. It is "wholesale printing" in the sense that you are buying production capacity at trade pricing so you can resell finished goods under your own brand. Because we run M&R automatic presses, we can hold consistent quality across large runs, which is exactly what a growing brand needs.
Who Uses Contract Printing?
Contract printing is a fit for a wide range of businesses:
- Clothing brands and streetwear labels that sell their own line but do not want to own equipment.
- Small print shops needing overflow capacity when a big order lands or their own press is down.
- Design studios and agencies offering branded merch to clients without becoming manufacturers.
- Promotional product distributors who need a reliable, white-label production partner.
- Embroiderers and DTF shops who want to add screen printing to their menu without buying a press.
If any of those sound like you, contract printing lets you say yes to more jobs and keep more margin.
How Contract Screen Printing Works
The process is straightforward once your account is set up:
- Set up a contract account. We establish trade pricing, turnaround expectations, and terms up front so every order runs smoothly.
- Submit your purchase order. You send garments (or order blanks through us), print-ready artwork, quantities, sizes, and your due date.
- We prep and print. Our art team confirms your files are press-ready, we burn screens, and we print and cure on our automatic presses.
- We quality-check and ship. Every order is inspected, folded, and shipped, either back to you or blind-shipped straight to your customer.
Because your files feed straight to our presses, having clean art matters. Review our guide on how to prepare your artwork for screen printing so your POs move through production without delays.
Contract Printing vs Retail Printing: What's Different?
| Contract / Wholesale | Retail Order | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you are | A brand, shop, or reseller | An end customer |
| Pricing | Trade pricing for resale | Standard retail pricing |
| Branding | Blind-shipped under your name | Shipped to you directly |
| Volume | Ongoing, repeat production | One-off or occasional |
| Artwork | You supply print-ready files | We can design for you |
The Benefits of Contract Screen Printing
Why do so many brands and shops choose to outsource production? Because the upside is hard to beat:
- No equipment investment. Automatic presses, dryers, screens, and a print shop's worth of space cost tens of thousands of dollars. Contract printing skips all of it.
- Scale on demand. A single big order will not break you. You get production-level capacity the moment you need it and nothing when you do not.
- Protect your margins. Trade pricing means you keep the spread between what we charge and what you sell for.
- Focus on growth. Your time goes into design, marketing, and sales instead of pulling squeegees and cleaning screens.
- Consistent quality. Because we print on automatic presses with tight quality control, your customers get the same result every single run.
Why Partner With a Local Florida Shop?
Working with a South Florida production partner has real advantages over a faceless out-of-state vendor. You get faster turnaround, a real person to call, and the ability to drop by or ship locally, all while still reaching customers nationwide through our fast worldwide shipping. With 14+ years as an industry leader in Palm Beach County, we treat your brand's reputation like our own, because when your shirts look great, we both win. If you also handle full-color or short-run work, ask about pairing screen printing with our DTF transfer services to cover every job type.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to supply my own garments?
You can supply your own blanks, or you can order garments through us at trade pricing. Many contract clients let us source the shirts so they only manage one relationship.
Can you blind-ship to my customers?
Yes. We can ship finished orders with your branding and no Arnold Prints® marketing inside, so it looks like it came straight from your shop.
Is there a minimum order for contract printing?
Contract pricing works best on production-level quantities. Reach out with your typical order sizes and we will build pricing that fits your volume.
How fast is turnaround?
Turnaround depends on quantity and current schedule, but our automatic presses let us move large runs quickly. We set clear timelines when your account is established.
Ready to scale your brand without buying a single press? Let Arnold Prints® be your production partner. We are based in Westlake, FL, serve all of Palm Beach County, and ship fast worldwide. GET A QUOTE, learn more on our contract printing page, or apply to our wholesale partner program. Call 561-323-7573 or email sales@arnoldprints.com to set up your contract account today.
