Materials, setup, finishing and freight — what's actually in a label price, and why factory-direct pricing looks so different from a local print shop.
Quick answer: A custom label price breaks down into five stacked costs — materials, setup/digitizing, production, finishing, and freight — with setup being the fixed cost that makes small orders cost more per unit than large ones.
A label price is not one number — it is five stacked costs, and knowing them helps you understand every quote you get.
Setup is the cost most first-time buyers do not see coming — and it is also the reason unit price drops sharply as quantity rises.
| Label type | 500-piece price | Per unit |
|---|---|---|
| Woven clothing label | from $45 | $0.09 |
| Printed care label | from $35 | $0.07 |
| Custom hang tag | from $59 | $0.12 |
| Booklet hang tag (300pc) | from $99 | $0.33 |
| Woven or embroidered patch (100pc) | from $69 | $0.69 |
| RFID hang tag (1,000pc) | custom quote | varies |
These are baseline prices for a single-colour design at standard finish. Multi-colour, foil, embossing and die-cutting are quoted as add-ons — see the next section.
The same specification priced two ways, using 500 laminated hang tags as the example:
| Local print shop | Factory-direct (SellerLoop) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (500 tags) | $200–400 | from $59 |
| Design proof | Often paid | Free |
| Finishes (foil, die-cut) | Expensive add-ons | Low flat add-ons |
| Minimum order | 250–500 | 250–500 |
| Delivery | 1–2 weeks local | 10–15 days worldwide |
The gap exists because a local print shop is itself a middleman buying from a wholesale printer and marking it up. Going factory-direct removes that layer — the trade-off is a longer delivery window instead of same-week pickup.
Setup cost (digitising, loom threading, plate-making) is fixed per order regardless of quantity. Spread across more pieces, that fixed cost per unit falls sharply — most of the drop happens between 250 and 1,000 pieces.
Not with us — setup, digitising and the design proof are included in the quoted price. Ask any supplier directly whether their quote is truly all-inclusive before you pay.
Per order, as a flat add-on (typically $20–30), not per piece. This means finishes become cheaper per-unit the larger your order is.
Order the $29 sample pack. It's a fraction of even a 250-piece minimum order and the fee is credited toward your first bulk order.
Send your specs and we reply with an exact price within 24 hours. MOQ from 250.