Custom Jerseys: Screen Printing vs Sublimation

An important topic for any team concerned about looking fly on the Ultimate green is choosing a design for their gear and getting it put on their actual uniforms. There are technically three different methods for getting that custom design onto a jersey. In order from least to most expensive, options include, silk or screen printing, spot sublimation, and full sublimation. “But how do I choose?” you ask. Well, it’s simple, how much do you want to spend? Silk and screen printing are the cheapest options because of their limitations to design. These types of printing layer ink onto your fabric using stencils. Silk and screen printing also provide countless color and fabric combinations, as well as less stringent guidelines for your artwork. On that same note, they are not optimal for large detailed designs as the ink can add weight to the fabric and make it heavy.

A step up from just layering ink onto the fabric, sublimation printing is a technique that heat presses the dye into the fabric so that the image is permanently embedded into the fibers. At high temperatures, the solid dye converts into a gas without ever becoming a liquid. The same high temperature opens the pores of the polyester fabric and allows the gas to enter. When the temperature drops, the pores close and the gas reverts to a solid state and it’s now part of the fabric. Sublimation is an impressive and detailed way to customize your gear, with it you are able to incorporate any color, gradient, font or effect into your design.

There are two different options for sublimation on a jersey, full body sublimation and spot sublimation. Full body allows for maximum design space and incorporation of every square inch of your jersey. Many processes will sew a single side seam so that the design can wrap all the way around the jersey. Full sublimation is the best way to go when it comes to large multi-colored designs; however, this method is the priciest option. A typical full sublimation jersey runs from $60 to jerseys as expensive as $80. As a cheaper alternative to full sublimation, spot sublimation allows for a multi-colored logo without the extra costs incurred for multi-colored screen prints.

During the design process, it’s a good idea to touch base with an artist from the company you’re planning on ordering from. As long as you keep the colors of your apparel in mind and the art requirements set by the company, your result should be a fly looking jersey you can’t wait to rep!