Look around you. The lettering on your keyboard, the markings on your car keys, the logo on a cosmetic bottle or a crisp measurement scale on a container: many of these details have been printed directly onto the surface.
That printed finish can look simple. The costing behind it is not always so straightforward.
If you are planning screen printing on bottles, jars or other packaging, your final price will depend on much more than the ink and the number of units. Tooling, screens, artwork, curing, handling, bottle shape and production volume all play a part.
This guide gives you a practical UK budgeting framework. It is not a fixed price list, because every bottle and every specification is different. Instead, it explains where your money goes, why unit prices fall with quantity and when pad printing may be the more economical choice.
What does screen printing on bottles usually cost?
As an early budgeting guide, you might expect:
- Small run: 100–500 bottles: approximately £0.80–£2.00 or more per bottle, plus setup and tooling
- Medium run: 1,000–5,000 bottles: approximately £0.20–£0.60 per bottle, plus setup and tooling
- High-volume run: 10,000+ bottles: approximately £0.10–£0.30 per bottle, depending on the design, machine and ink system
These figures assume a relatively straightforward one-colour print. More colours, larger print areas, difficult substrates and specialist durability requirements will increase the cost.
For a useful comparison, UK screen-printing price guides commonly show setup charges of around £20–£60 per design, with costs per item reducing significantly as quantity increases. Print & Packaging Solutions, for example, lists screen charges of £20 per colour, while a general UK screen-printing cost guide also highlights quantity, colour count and setup as key pricing factors.
Bottle printing adds another layer: the container has to be held, rotated and registered accurately.
What are you actually paying for?
A bottle-printing quotation usually combines several separate costs.
1. Tooling, jigs and fixtures
A bottle cannot simply lie flat under a screen. It needs to be held securely and positioned in exactly the same place for every print.
That is where a jig, also called a fixture, comes in. It is a specially made support that holds the bottle, jar or container during printing. For cylindrical packaging, it may also allow the bottle to rotate smoothly as the squeegee moves across the screen.
A simple custom jig may cost in the region of £100–£300, although complex multi-position or automated tooling can cost more. This is an industry-based budgeting range rather than a universal tariff.
The final cost depends on:
- Bottle diameter and height
- Whether the shape is round, oval, square or tapered
- How accurately the print must be positioned
- Whether one jig can handle several container sizes
- Whether the jig is manual, semi-automatic or fully automatic
If a suitable jig already exists, you may avoid a new tooling charge. If the bottle is unusual, wonky, curvy or beautifully awkward, expect more design and setup work.
The encouraging part is that tooling is normally a one-off cost. On a 200-piece pilot run, it can have a noticeable effect on the unit price. On 10,000 bottles, it becomes only a few pence per unit.
2. Screen making and artwork preparation
The screen carries the image that will be transferred to the bottle. It is made by coating mesh with a light-sensitive emulsion: a film that hardens when exposed to light: then exposing the artwork and washing away the unprinted areas.
Each colour normally requires its own screen.
Screen preparation can include:
- Checking and preparing your artwork
- Separating the design by colour
- Selecting the appropriate mesh
- Coating the mesh with emulsion
- Exposing the artwork
- Washing out the image
- Checking the screen for pinholes and accuracy
- Setting it up for registration on the machine
As a starting allowance, screen and artwork setup may be around £20–£60 per colour, depending on the supplier and complexity. A one-colour logo is therefore much simpler to cost than a detailed, multi-colour design.
For repeat orders, the screen may need cleaning, storage or remaking depending on the process and condition. It is worth asking whether screens are retained and whether repeat setup is charged separately.
3. Ink choice: 1K, 2K or UV
Ink is not simply a matter of choosing a colour. It must adhere to the substrate and survive the life your packaging is expected to have.
A substrate is the material being printed: PET, HDPE, PP, ABS, glass, aluminium or another surface.
1K inks
A 1K, or one-component, ink does not require a separate hardener. It is generally simpler to mix and use, with less process control required.
It can be a cost-effective choice where the application does not demand extreme chemical or abrasion resistance. However, suitability depends heavily on the plastic or glass and the intended use.
2K inks
A 2K, or two-component, ink is mixed with a hardener before printing. It usually offers stronger resistance to chemicals, rubbing, moisture and handling.
That can make it suitable for demanding packaging, cosmetics, industrial containers and glass applications. The trade-off is more preparation, a limited pot life after mixing and additional process control.
The ink itself may cost more, but the bigger cost impact often comes from handling, mixing, cleaning and waste.
UV-curable inks
UV inks cure when exposed to ultraviolet light. They can provide fast curing and high throughput, particularly on suitable automated equipment.
At lower volumes, UV printing may involve higher equipment and process requirements. At production volumes, however, rapid curing can improve speed and reduce waiting time between operations.
The right ink is not always the cheapest ink. A lower-cost system that fails adhesion testing, scratches during transport or reacts with the contents can become very expensive indeed.
At Inks & More, you can explore screen and pad printing ink options and ask for advice based on your substrate and application.
How does production volume change the unit price?
Screen printing has fixed and variable costs.
Fixed costs include:
- Artwork preparation
- Screen making
- Jig or fixture manufacture
- Machine setup
- Registration and test prints
Variable costs include:
- Ink
- Solvents and cleaning materials
- Operator time
- Machine running time
- Packing and handling
- Quality checks
- Allowance for rejects
The more bottles you print, the more effectively you spread those fixed costs.
Illustrative UK budget examples
Pilot run: 200 bottles, one colour
You might budget for:
- Screen and artwork setup: £20–£60
- Simple custom jig: £100–£300
- Printing: approximately £0.80–£2.00 or more per bottle
That could place the total somewhere around £280–£760 plus VAT, depending on the bottle, ink and production method.
Production run: 1,000 bottles, one colour
You might see:
- Screen and artwork setup: £20–£60
- Jig: £100–£300 if required
- Printing: approximately £0.20–£0.60 per bottle
The indicative total could therefore be around £320–£960 plus VAT.
High-volume run: 10,000 bottles, one colour
At this level, the setup and tooling are spread across many more units.
A typical early planning allowance might be:
- Screen and setup: £20–£60
- Jig: £100–£300 if required
- Printing: approximately £0.10–£0.30 per bottle
That gives an indicative total of approximately £1,120–£3,360 plus VAT.
These examples are deliberately broad. They are useful for planning, not a substitute for a production quote.
When is pad printing cheaper?
Screen printing is often the strongest choice for larger print areas, bold graphics and wrap-around designs. It lays down an attractive, vibrant ink deposit and can create a stunning finish on glass and plastic.
But it is not automatically the best option for every bottle.
Pad printing uses a flexible silicone pad to pick up an image from an etched plate, sometimes called a cliché, and transfer it onto the product. It is a little like the stamp pad you may have used as a child: only far more precise, repeatable and industrial.
Pad printing can be more economical when:
- The print area is small
- The bottle has ribs, shoulders or awkward contours
- You need fine text or detailed graphics
- The design sits in a difficult position
- You are running a short or medium production batch
- A full screen would be unnecessarily large for the image
Screen printing may offer better value when you need a large logo, a heavy opaque print or a broad band around the container.
The “horses for courses” answer matters here. The cheapest method is not just the one with the lowest setup charge. It is the method that produces the right result with the fewest production complications.
Inks & More specialises in pad printing services for plastics, glass, metal and components, including small and detailed items. We also supply Comec Italia pad printing machinery for businesses considering regular in-house production.
What other costs should you check?
Before comparing quotations, ask whether the price includes:
- Bottle or jar supply
- Artwork preparation
- Screens or clichés
- Jigs and tooling
- Ink mixing
- Pre-treatment or flame treatment for plastic
- Curing or drying
- Test prints and approval samples
- Quality inspection
- Packing and delivery
- VAT
- Allowance for rejects
Also confirm the specification in writing:
- Bottle material: glass, PET, HDPE, PP or another plastic
- Container dimensions and shape
- Print area
- Number of colours
- Ink system required
- Quantity per design
- Required durability
- Delivery date
A supplier may quote a low unit price but exclude tooling, samples or setup. Another may include more of the process in one transparent figure. Compare like with like.
Is screen printing on bottles worth it?
For the right job, absolutely.
Direct screen printing removes the need for a separate paper label and gives packaging a clean, premium appearance. It can work beautifully on clear, frosted and coloured glass, as well as a wide range of plastics and metals. It is especially effective when you want a durable, high-impact mark rather than a stickered finish.
The best route depends on your volume, container, design and performance requirements.
If you are weighing up screen printing, pad printing or investing in your own equipment, contact Inks & More for expert advice. Share your bottle dimensions, substrate, print area, artwork and expected quantity. We will help you understand the real cost drivers and identify the process that fits your project( without the hard sell.)