What’s a Color Wash and How Can It Save You Money on Custom Screen Print Transfers?

Written By Jody Mazade

If you’re a heat printer or apparel decorator ordering custom screen printed transfers, there’s one simple tool that can give you more creative flexibility and lower your cost per sheet. It’s called a color wash.

And no, it’s not a design effect - it’s a smart production strategy that lets you get more colorways out of a single order.

So, What Is a Color Wash?

A color wash allows you to print the exact same design in multiple colorways, without placing separate orders for each version. As long as the artwork remains the same (no resizing or changes to layout), we can swap out the ink colors across the same set of screens.

Each color change is just $15 per screen, and you can group all those color variations into one larger order, unlocking volume price breaks.

Two of the same folded shirt, one with a pink puff transfer application and one with a green puff transfer application, demonstrating a color wash.

Why It’s a Game-Changer for Apparel Decorators

➤ Lower Cost per Sheet – Bigger order = better pricing
➤ More Creative Freedom – Offer your customers multiple looks
➤ Simple & Affordable – Just $15 per screen/color change
➤ No Extra Setup Fees – Because the art stays the same

Real Example: How Much Can a Color Wash Save You?

Let’s say you want to order 288 Small Gang Sheets (10.5" x 12") in three different colorways.

Scenario A: Three Separate Orders (96 Sheets Each)

➤ Price per sheet: $2.11
➤ Total per order: $202.56
➤ Total for all three orders: $607.68

Scenario B: One Order with Color Washes

➤ Price per sheet (288 quantity): $1.21
➤ Total for sheets: $348.48
➤ Color wash fees: $30 (2 changes @ $15 each)
➤ Grand total: $378.48

You save: $229.20

The Bottom Line

A color wash gives you more product variety for your customers - and keeps more profit in your pocket.

Whether you're prepping for a retail drop, school spiritwear, or just testing out color options for a new design, a color wash gives you all the benefits of flexibility without the high cost of separate orders.

Ready to Try a Color Wash?

Have a project in mind? Need help planning your colorways? Contact our team or start your order here and let’s make it happen.

Jody Mazade

Jody is the Marketing Director for Howard Custom Transfers, a leading custom heat transfer manufacturer. In her current role, she uses a multi-channel approach to content creation and digital marketing. With over a decade of experience in the custom apparel industry, Jody helps educate customers by publishing relevant social media, website, email, and video content.

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