A San Francisco live-printing budget is built from five lines: crew, press time, garments, setup and teardown, and travel. Most events land between $5,000 and $15,000 all-in. The gear drives up the I-5 from La Habra, so travel is one line for the truck and the crew's lodging, and most of the number is people and garments.
What your quote includes
| Included | What it means |
|---|---|
| Crew | Printers who run the presses and keep a San Francisco line moving, from a Moscone aisle to a SOMA launch. |
| Equipment | Presses, heat presses, flash dryers, ink and tables, trucked up from La Habra and built on site. You supply the room and the power. |
| Garments | Blanks in a full XS–4XL run, sized to your headcount so nobody in line misses out. |
| Setup & teardown | Load-in before doors, the station build, a test print, and strike when you're done. |
| Every print | The printing itself. No per-shirt charges added at the end. |
What moves the number
- Guests and hours: more pieces and a longer window mean more press time, more blanks and sometimes a second press.
- Garments: a basic tee against a heavyweight hoodie is the widest swing on most quotes.
- Stations: a hat bar or embroidery beside the shirt press adds crew and gear.
- Travel: one line for the drive up the I-5 and the crew's lodging. Moscone show weeks push hotel prices up, so booking early helps.
Show-floor costs: at Moscone Center, we work inside the venue's rules; send us the exhibitor manual and we'll point out anything that belongs on your show order.
Every San Francisco quote is itemized, so you see crew, presses, blanks and travel separately and can move any of them. If the total needs to come down, garments and run hours are the levers that matter. A shorter window on a Moscone show day or a simpler blank changes the number more than trimming the guest list. Send your date and headcount and we'll price the room you actually have.