Sublimation vs. Screen Printing: Which is Best for Custom Jerseys?

Sublimation and screen printing both put a design on a jersey, but they do it in very different ways. The method you pick changes how the jersey looks, feels and holds up over a season.

The basic difference

Sublimation dyes the design into the fabric. Heat turns the ink into a gas that bonds with polyester fibres, so the design becomes part of the material rather than a layer on top.

Screen printing pushes ink through a mesh screen onto the surface of the fabric. Each colour needs its own screen, and the ink sits on top of the material once it cures.

Durability

Because sublimated ink is inside the fibres, there's nothing to crack, peel or flake off. The design survives repeated washing and the rough handling a team jersey gets.

Screen-printed ink is a surface layer. With heavy use and lots of washing, it can crack, fade or start to lift, especially on stretchy areas like shoulders and elbows.

Colours and design freedom

Sublimation prints the whole garment in one go, so you can use any number of colours, gradients, patterns and fine detail. Sponsor logos, names and numbers are part of the same print and don't add cost.

Screen printing gets more expensive and more complicated with every colour, because each one needs a separate screen and pass. It works best for simple designs with a few solid colours. Gradients and photo-style detail are hard to do well.

Fabric, feel and breathability

Sublimation needs polyester or a high-polyester blend, and it works on light base fabric. That suits team sports, since most performance jerseys are polyester anyway.

Screen printing works on cotton, blends and synthetics, so it's more flexible on fabric. The trade-off is that large printed areas sit on top of the material and can feel heavier and breathe less. Sublimated areas feel the same as the rest of the jersey, so moisture-wicking fabric keeps doing its job.

Cost and timing

Screen printing has setup costs for each screen, so it can be cheap per piece for large runs of a simple design and expensive for small orders or many colours.

Sublimation has no per-colour setup, so a one-off jersey costs the same to decorate as a full roster. That makes it a good fit for small teams, mid-season additions and reorders.

At Jersied we sublimate. Your first mockup is free, and every order gets a digital proof of every jersey, name and number; changes are free until you approve it. Production takes 4-6 weeks after proof approval, plus 5-7 business days for shipping depending on location. Rush production takes 3-4 weeks and adds 25% to the whole order, so order early for tournaments and season start.

Which to choose

• Pick sublimation if you want detailed or multi-colour designs, sponsor logos, names and numbers without extra charges, and jerseys that keep their look all season.
• Screen printing can make sense for a simple one- or two-colour design on cotton shirts, such as fan or practice tees, in large quantities.

If you'd like a more traditional look on top of a sublimated jersey, an embroidered finish is also available at a higher price. See the pricing page for details.