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DESIGN GUIDE
Sublimation Printing, Explained by a Factory That Does It Daily
Sublimation printing turns dye into gas that bonds permanently with polyester fabric — so the design becomes part of the cloth instead of a layer on top. That’s why sublimated jerseys never peel, crack or fade, stay fully breathable, and cost the same whether your design is one colour or fifty. It’s the only method we use at Xipid.
What is sublimation printing?
Your design is printed in reverse onto transfer paper with special dyes, then pressed against polyester fabric at around 200°C. The heat turns the solid dye directly into gas — that's the 'sublimation' — which penetrates the polyester fibres and bonds inside them as it cools. Nothing sits on the surface: run your hand over a sublimated print and you feel only fabric. Because the dye lives inside the fibre, the print's lifespan equals the garment's lifespan. And because the whole panel is printed before stitching, designs can cover every centimetre — seam to seam, collar to hem — which is why tournament kits look the way they do.
Designer's tip: complexity is free with sublimation — a gradient costs the same as a plain kit. Spend your restraint, not your budget.
Sublimation vs screen printing vs DTF — which is better for jerseys?
| Order Size | What happens to price | Practical move | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Feel |
Zero — dye is inside the fabric |
Ink layer you can feel |
Plastic film layer |
|
Durability |
Never peels, cracks or fades |
Cracks over time on stretch fabric |
Peels at edges with washing |
|
Breathability |
Unchanged — fabric stays open |
Blocked where printed |
Blocked where printed |
|
Colours |
Unlimited, gradients free |
Priced per colour |
Full colour, but layered |
|
Coverage |
Full garment, seam to seam |
Placement prints only |
Placement prints only |
|
Best for |
Sports jerseys & teamwear |
Cotton tees, big one-colour runs |
Small logo jobs on cotton |
For polyester sportswear there is no real contest — which is why every serious jersey manufacturer, including us, is a sublimation factory. Screen printing still wins for simple designs on cotton; that's a different garment and a different job.
What can't sublimation do?
Honesty corner: sublimation needs polyester (it won't bond with cotton) and works on white or light base fabric — the process adds dye, so it can't print light colours onto an already-dark garment. Neither limits jerseys in practice, because the entire garment is printed from white base fabric, dark colours included. It does mean sublimation isn't the tool for your black cotton band t-shirt.
Why does this matter when you order a jersey?
Three practical consequences. Design ambition is free — a nine-colour gradient costs the same as a plain kit, so never simplify a design to save money. No minimums make sense — there are no screens to set up, so one jersey is as economical to print as a hundred, which is why we have no MOQ. Wash-proof means season-proof — a kit ordered for this tournament still looks new at the next one. See how that plays out in caring for sublimated jerseys.
Like one of these directions?
Send it to us — free mockup of your version in 24 hours, no minimum order.
Real designs from our factory
Every design below is original Xipid work — designed in-house and printed in our own Tirupur facility. Use them as starting points; we'll adapt any of them to your colours.
All designs © Xipid Sports. We never copy club kits or brand designs — and we'll make sure yours is one of a kind too.
More to explore
Jersey fabrics explained
Polyester types, GSM and what to pick per sport.
How to wash sublimated jerseys
Make the print outlive the season.
Get your jersey made
Custom jerseys, free 24h mockup, no minimum order.