Custom heat transfer designs at Marie Gems now cost the same as ready-made ones. Both are priced by size and quantity, from $2.00 for one 4" transfer to $64.00 for twenty 12" transfers. The real differences are the artwork, your choices and returns: custom orders are non-returnable under the shop's refund policy.
I run Marie Gems, a DTF transfer shop in Wichita, Kansas, with sizes from 4" to 12", no minimum order and more than 500 orders shipped. I print every transfer myself, in house. I rewrote this post on October 1, 2026 because the custom upload price changed, and every number below comes from the live listings on that date.
Are custom heat transfer designs more expensive than ready-made ones?
No. A custom transfer costs exactly what a ready-made one costs at the same size and quantity. The Custom Ready-to-Press DTF Transfer has 20 variants (five sizes by four quantities), and every one matches the price on a ready-made design such as the I'm Fine, Everything's Festive Raccoon transfer. A custom 12" transfer is $4.00, the same as a ready-made 12" transfer.
Custom is priced by size only, the same way as everything else in the shop, so a custom upload carries no premium over a design from the shop.
What do ready-made and custom transfers cost by size and quantity?
Both routes use one price ladder: $2.00 to $4.00 for a single transfer, and $32.00 to $64.00 for twenty. This table is the same for a ready-made design and a custom upload.
| Size | 1 transfer | 5 transfers | 10 transfers | 20 transfers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4" | $2.00 | $9.00 | $17.00 | $32.00 |
| 6" | $2.50 | $11.25 | $21.25 | $40.00 |
| 8" | $3.00 | $13.50 | $25.50 | $48.00 |
| 10" | $3.50 | $15.75 | $29.75 | $56.00 |
| 12" | $4.00 | $18.00 | $34.00 | $64.00 |
Larger counts lower the price per transfer. At 12", one transfer is $4.00, five are $3.60 each, ten are $3.40 each and twenty are $3.20 each. At 4", twenty transfers come to $1.60 each. My guide to DTF transfer prices walks through those tiers in detail, including how much a 5-pack (10% off), 10-pack (15% off) and 20-pack (20% off) saves.
What does a real project cost on each route?
For matching shirts, a ready-made design and a custom upload cost the same to the cent. The one place the route changes the total is five different designs, where a ready-made bundle is $2.00 cheaper.
| Project | Size and count | Ready-made | Custom upload |
|---|---|---|---|
| One small chest design | 4" x 1 | $2.00 | $2.00 |
| One adult shirt front | 10" x 1 | $3.50 | $3.50 |
| Matching family set of 5 | 10" x 5 | $15.75 | $15.75 |
| Class of 10 youth shirts | 8" x 10 | $25.50 | $25.50 |
| Team or event of 20 | 12" x 20 | $64.00 | $64.00 |
| 5 different designs | 12" x 5 | $18.00 as a 5-pack bundle | $20.00 as five single transfers |
A bundle such as the Teacher Appreciation 5-Pack is five different 12x12 designs for $18.00, while five different 12" singles cost $4.00 each, or $20.00. Browse every DTF transfer bundle if variety is the goal, and see how bundles compare with packs of one design in the DTF transfer prices guide.
What is actually different between ready-made and custom transfers?
The price is the same, so the differences are the artwork, your choices, returns and processing.
| Ready-made design | Custom upload | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | By size and quantity, $2.00 to $64.00 | The same ladder, $2.00 to $64.00 |
| Artwork | A finished design already in the shop | Your own PNG, JPG or PDF |
| Choice | Browse by theme and see exactly what you are buying | Anything you own or have permission to print |
| Returns | Covered by the 7-day policy if unused and in the condition received | Non-returnable |
| Processing | Typically 1 to 2 business days after payment | No separate custom window is listed |
The processing row comes straight from the shipping policy, which lists one processing window for orders and no separate one for custom. If you have a deadline, message me before you order.
Can I return a custom heat transfer?
No. The refund policy lists custom products, such as special orders and personalized items, as non-returnable. If a custom transfer arrives damaged or is not what you ordered, contact me right away, because the policy asks you to inspect your order when it arrives and report a problem immediately.
Since you cannot send a custom transfer back, protect the order before you place it. Upload the highest-resolution version of your file, and use a PNG with a transparent background when you have one. The size guide says the size you choose is the maximum design dimension, so a 12" transfer is not necessarily a 12-by-12-inch square. If the design is new to you, order one at the size you want ($4.00 at 12") before you order twenty.
Should I pick a ready-made design or upload my own?
Pick ready-made when you want a design that already looks right, and upload your own when the artwork is yours. I use a three-step check I call Size, Count, Artwork: choose the size from the ladder, choose the count, then ask whether the design already exists in the shop.
- Ready-made: a teacher shirt, a Halloween design, a funny mom tee or a Christmas design you can see before you buy. Start in the DTF Transfers collection.
- Custom: a logo, a name, a photo or a drawing that does not exist in the shop. Start on the custom upload page. You must own the artwork or have permission to use it.
- Either: a single shirt or a matching set, since the price is identical.
Which route is better if I press shirts to sell?
At the transfer level the cost is the same, so choose by the design. At 12", twenty transfers of one design are $64.00, or $3.20 each, whether the design is mine or your customer's artwork. A design that keeps selling is easy to reorder from the shop, and a customer's own logo goes through the custom listing at the same price. Every custom order is final, so confirm the file with your customer before you upload it.
What do transfer prices leave out?
These prices cover the transfers only. You supply the blank shirt and a heat press. Every transfer presses at 320°F for 15 seconds with firm, even pressure and a cold peel, and my step-by-step guide to applying a DTF transfer covers the rest, along with the pressing guide.
What if I was thinking about a gang sheet instead?
Marie Gems does not sell gang sheets. It sells individual ready-to-press transfers, curated bundles and custom individual transfers. If you are weighing the two approaches, I wrote the full comparison in DTF gang sheets vs. individual transfers.
Ready to price your own project? Browse the DTF Transfers collection for ready-made designs, or open the custom transfer listing to upload your own. There is no minimum order on either. Questions first? The DTF transfer FAQ and the contact page are both a click away.