Print on demand corporate clothing: when it beats bulk ordering

Somewhere in your building there's probably a storeroom full of branded shirts in the wrong sizes. Nobody planned it that way. It's simply what the traditional way of buying corporate clothing produces.

Our CTO, Nicholas Flemmer, recently set out why print on demand is how companies stop filling that storeroom, and also why it isn't the right answer for everything. This article walks through his argument for procurement, HR and marketing teams weighing up their next uniform or merchandise order.

How the bulk model creates waste

The usual way of buying branded clothing follows a familiar sequence:

1. Meet the supplier's minimum order quantity.
2. Guess the size split.
3. Store the boxes.
4. Hand out what fits.
5. When the logo changes or the campaign ends, write off what's left.

Every one of those steps ties up cash, space and admin time. As Nicholas puts it, the waste is built in from the start. It isn't a failure of planning. It comes with a model that makes you commit to quantities and sizes before you know who will actually need what.

What print on demand changes

Print on demand reverses the order. Nothing gets decorated until someone actually needs it.

A staff member, branch or franchisee orders through an online portal. The item is printed or embroidered for that specific order, and then it's shipped. There's no stockroom, no size guessing and no write off at year end.

For some organisations the difference can be substantial. It tends to matter most if you have:

• Many branches
• High staff turnover
• Regular new hires
• Lots of different roles that need different items

In those businesses, administration shifts from managing boxes to approving orders.

Why it's practical now

Until fairly recently, small runs simply didn't make economic sense for most decoration methods. The technology has changed that.

Digital printing and direct to film transfers make single items and short runs viable, because there are no screens or plates to set up for each design. Embroidery logos are now stored as digital stitch files that can be reused instantly on any order. And online ordering systems send requests straight through to production.

Where print on demand isn't the right answer

Nicholas is clear that print on demand has trade offs, and it's worth knowing them before you change how you buy.

The unit cost is usually higher. A large bulk run benefits from the efficiency of volume. Decorating items one order at a time gives that up.

Lead times are longer than pulling a shirt off a shelf. If someone needs a uniform tomorrow morning, stock on hand wins.

Some processes still need volume. Traditional screen printing, for example, still only makes economic sense in larger quantities.

So if your team wears one standard shirt, in predictable sizes, and new starters need it on their first day, a pure print on demand approach may not suit you.

The hybrid model most organisations should consider

For most organisations, the sensible answer is a hybrid.

Hold a small core stock of predictable, high volume items, such as standard shirts in the most common sizes.

Put the long tail on demand. That covers unusual sizes, role specific items and once off requests.

This keeps the speed of stock where it matters and removes the waste where it doesn't. The person who needs a shirt urgently in a common size still gets one off the shelf. The rarely ordered sizes and specialist items stop collecting dust in boxes.

There's a second benefit that procurement teams tend to appreciate. Every on demand order is recorded against a person, branch or cost centre. That gives you far better data than stock that quietly disappears from a storeroom, and better data makes your next core stock order easier to get right.

Deciding what goes where

A simple way to sort your range:

• Core stock: items most staff wear, in the sizes you reorder most often, that people need quickly.
• On demand: anything worn by a few roles, sizes at either end of the range, items tied to a single event or campaign, and anything likely to change when the brand does.

"But bulk is cheaper"

On the quote, it usually is. Nicholas doesn't dispute that.

The point is what the quote leaves out:

• The stock that's never used
• The storage space
• The time spent counting and distributing boxes
• The write off when the brand changes

When companies add those costs back in, he notes, the gap often narrows considerably, and sometimes disappears. The real saving is often not the unit price. It's the stock you never have to write off.

Your next step

Before you place your next bulk order, take Nicholas's advice and ask one question: how much of the last order is still sitting in a storeroom?

Go and look. Count what's left, note the sizes and items that never moved, and check whether any of it carries an old logo or campaign. That list is a ready made starting point for deciding what should be core stock and what should move to on demand.

When you have it, get in touch with us at The SA Promo Group. We'll talk through your range, your branches and your roles, and help you work out which approach fits each item.

Frequently asked questions

What is print on demand for corporate clothing?

Items are only printed or embroidered once someone orders them, usually through an online portal, and are then shipped to that person or branch. You don't hold decorated stock in a storeroom.

Is print on demand more expensive than bulk ordering?

Per item, usually yes, because you lose the efficiency of volume. Once you add back unused stock, storage, admin time and write offs when the brand changes, the gap often narrows considerably and sometimes disappears.

When is bulk stock still the better option?

When people need items immediately, such as a uniform for tomorrow morning, and for predictable high volume items in common sizes. Some processes, like traditional screen printing, also only make economic sense at volume.

What is a hybrid uniform model?

You keep a small core stock of predictable, high volume items in the most common sizes and put unusual sizes, role specific items and once off requests on demand.

Which decoration methods suit short runs?

Digital printing and direct to film transfers suit single items and short runs because they need no screens or plates. Embroidery also works, because logos are stored as digital stitch files that can be reused on any order.