Screen Printing Unit Business
स्क्रीन प्रिंटिंग व्यवसाय · स्क्रीन प्रिंटिंग व्यवसाय
Print logos and designs on T-shirts, bags, cards and packaging with manual screen printing equipment, as job work for local businesses.
Investment
₹3 lakh
Profit a month*
₹22,000
- Space
- 300 sq ft
- Staff
- 2 + you
*Operating profit before the loan instalment in year 2, at the assumed sales level. Change the assumptions in the calculator below.
Screen printing pushes ink through a prepared mesh screen onto fabric, paper, plastic or other surfaces, one colour at a time. A small unit prepares screens from the customer's design, prints the pieces by hand on a multi-station table and dries them. The equipment is cheap and the method is the most economical way to print a few hundred to a few thousand pieces. Typical work is T-shirts for events and companies, carry bags with shop names, wedding cards, stickers and uniforms. It is job work: income depends on a steady flow of orders and on output per day. The hard parts are irregular orders, tight deadlines, misprints on customers' goods and competition from digital printing on short runs.
Skills needed: Screen making, colour mixing and registration, learnt over a few months in a printing unit or a short course; basic design software.
Profit calculator
Change the numbers to match your town270 print/day: Print (per piece, one or two colours)
Total investment
₹2.96 lakh
Your own money
₹29,618
Subsidy
—
Bank loan
₹2.67 lakh
Mudra Kishore
A typical month in year 2
| Sales | ₹81,000 |
| Raw material & packing | −₹20,250 |
| Electricity | −₹2,460 |
| Salaries | −₹23,100 |
| Rent | −₹8,400 |
| Other running costs | −₹5,250 |
| Operating profit | ₹21,540 |
| Loan instalment (EMI) | −₹6,215 |
| You keep each month | ₹15,325 |
After the loan is repaid, the EMI becomes your income too. Your own salary is not counted as a cost: the profit is your income.
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Turn these numbers into a full project report: cost of project, means of finance, 5-year profit and loss, balance sheet, repayment schedule, DSCR and break-even.
Make my project reportInvestment breakdown
| Machinery & equipment | Price |
|---|---|
| Manual T-shirt screen printing machine, 6 colour 6 station | ₹55,000₹35,000–₹1.5 lakh |
| Screen printing dryer | ₹35,500 |
| Screen exposure unit | ₹20,000 |
| Screens, frames, squeegees and washing tray | ₹25,000 |
| Computer and printer for artwork positives | ₹50,000 |
| Work tables and drying racks | ₹20,000 |
| Heat press for transfersadd-on | ₹25,000 |
| Machinery & equipment (without add-ons) | ₹2,05,500 |
| Udyam and other registrations | ₹2,000 |
| Electrical work, water point and exhaust | ₹12,000 |
| Sample prints and a small catalogue | ₹8,000 |
| Working capital 20 days of raw material, 10 days of credit to buyers, 1 month of expenses | ₹68,680 |
| Total project cost | ₹2,96,180 |
Typical market prices as of October 2026, from supplier listings. Prices vary by brand, capacity and city; always get 2–3 quotes.
Cost and margin per unit
| Print (per piece, one or two colours) (per print) | ₹ |
|---|---|
| Ink, emulsion, chemicals and cleaning solvent | 3.00 |
| Material cost | 3.00 |
| Selling price | 12.00 |
| Margin before running costs | 9.00 (75%) |
The ₹12 charge is an assumption for simple one- or two-colour jobs on the customer's material; rates vary widely by item, colours and quantity. Check local job rates before relying on this.
Space, power and staff
300 sq ft
Rented shop · rent ≈ ₹8,000/month
Small-town rent. Needs ventilation, a wash area for screens and space to lay out printed pieces.
4 kW, single-phase
Bill ≈ ₹4,000/month at full capacity
2 staff + you
- 2 × Printers / helpers: ₹11,000
Licences and registrations
Shop and Establishment registration
if applicableWhen: When you rent premises or hire staff · Cost: Small fee; varies by state
Udyam registration
recommendedWhen: Before applying for a loan · Cost: Free
Apply only on udyamregistration.gov.in.
GST registration
if applicableWhen: When turnover crosses the registration limit, or corporate customers want tax invoices · Cost: Free
Printing job work has its own GST rates. Confirm with a CA.
Pollution control and safe disposal of ink waste
if applicableWhen: Before starting · Cost: Varies by state
Wash water contains ink and solvent. Ask your State Pollution Control Board what applies at your size and do not drain solvent into the sewer.
How it works
- Finalise the artwork and print a positive for each colour.
- Coat a screen with emulsion, expose it with the positive and wash out the design.
- Register the screens on the printing table.
- Print each piece colour by colour, flash-drying between colours.
- Cure, check for defects, fold and pack.
- Clean and reclaim screens.
Loan route
Mudra loan (Kishore)
Own money ₹29,618 · Loan ₹2.67 lakh · EMI ≈ ₹6,215
No collateral, no subsidy.
How Mudra worksPMEGP (new units)
Subsidy ₹44,427 (general, urban) to ₹1.04 lakh (special category, rural). EMI ≈ ₹5,179–₹4,143.
Own money 5–10%. Subsidy is held as a 3-year deposit, then adjusted against the loan.
How PMEGP worksAssumes 10.5% interest, 5 years including a 6-month moratorium. PMEGP was approved up to FY 2025-26. Check on the KVIC PMEGP portal that applications are open before you plan around the subsidy.
No collateral and no third-party guarantee (covered by the Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units).
Who buys and how to sell
Buyers
- Garment makers and uniform suppliers
- Event organisers, colleges, clubs and political campaigns
- Shops wanting printed carry bags
- Wedding card and invitation sellers
- Small manufacturers needing printed packaging or labels
Ways to sell
- Job work for garment and bag makers
- Direct orders through a shop counter and social media
- Tie-ups with gift and uniform shops
- Bulk orders before festivals, elections and college events
Season: Uneven. Peaks before festivals, the wedding season, college events and elections; quiet in between.
Competition: Other screen printers and, for small quantities, digital and DTF printers. Screen printing wins on cost for larger runs and on durable prints.
Risks and how to handle them
Misprints on goods the customer supplied
Get written approval of a printed sample, count goods on receipt and agree an allowed wastage.
Irregular orders leave staff idle
Build regular job work from two or three garment or bag makers.
Solvent fumes and skin contact
Ventilate well, use gloves and masks and prefer water-based inks where possible.
Late delivery for date-bound events
Take realistic deadlines and an advance, and keep spare screens ready.
Tips from the trade
- One steady job-work customer covers the rent; walk-in orders are the extra.
- Keep customers' screens labelled for repeat orders.
- Adding a heat press lets you take small multi-colour orders that are not worth a screen.
Questions people ask
Is screen printing better than digital printing?+
For a few hundred pieces or more in one or two colours, screen printing is usually cheaper and lasts longer. For a handful of pieces or photo-like designs, digital or transfer printing is more practical.
Can this be done from home?+
Yes, in a ventilated room with a wash area, but inks and solvents smell and stain, so a separate space is better.
How much investment is needed to start a screen printing unit business?+
About ₹2.96 lakh for a small unit: ₹2.06 lakh for machinery and equipment, ₹22,000 for set-up costs and ₹68,680 as working capital (stock, credit to buyers and one month of expenses). Prices as of October 2026.
How much profit can a screen printing unit business make per month?+
At 45% of capacity, sales are about ₹81,000 a month and operating profit about ₹21,540 before the loan instalment. After an EMI of about ₹6,215, the owner keeps about ₹15,325 a month until the loan is repaid. These are estimates; your prices, rent and sales decide the real figure.
Which machines are needed for screen printing unit?+
Manual T-shirt screen printing machine, 6 colour 6 station (₹35,000–₹1.5 lakh); Screen printing dryer (about ₹35,500).
Can I get a Mudra loan or PMEGP subsidy for screen printing unit?+
With a project cost of about ₹2.96 lakh, the bank loan of about ₹2.67 lakh falls under Mudra Kishore. Mudra has no subsidy. As a new unit you may instead apply under PMEGP, where the subsidy is 15–35% of the project cost (up to about ₹1.04 lakh here for a special-category applicant in a rural area). PMEGP was approved up to FY 2025-26. Check on the KVIC PMEGP portal that applications are open before you plan around the subsidy.
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Sources
- Bajaj Finserv: screen printing machine guide (March 2026)
- Aajjo: manual screen printer listing
- Aajjo: manual screen dryer listing
- Udyam Registration
Prices as of October 2026. Prices here come from online listings and published guides and have not yet been confirmed with local suppliers. Profit figures are estimates from the assumptions above, not a promise of income.
Spotted an outdated price? Tell us. Data for this page: HowIndiaEarns.