Sublimation vs Screen Printing for Team Uniforms: Which Should You Choose?

Choosing how your team uniforms are decorated affects how they look, how long they last and what they cost. The two most common methods are sublimation and screen printing. Both are excellent, but they suit different garments and designs. This guide explains how each works and when to choose which, so you can order with confidence.

What is sublimation printing?

Sublimation prints your design onto special paper, then uses heat and pressure to turn the ink into a gas that bonds directly into polyester fibers. The design becomes part of the fabric itself rather than sitting on top of it.

Because the ink is inside the fibers, a sublimated design cannot crack, peel or fade away, and the fabric stays as light and breathable as it was before printing. There is also no limit to the number of colors, so gradients, photos, patterns and all-over designs cost no more to print than a simple logo.

What is screen printing?

Screen printing pushes ink through a fine mesh screen onto the surface of the garment, one color at a time. It produces bold, solid, highly opaque colors and is a classic choice for t-shirts, hoodies and cotton garments.

Each color in the design needs its own screen, so screen printing is most efficient for designs with a small number of solid colors.

Sublimation vs screen printing at a glance

• Fabric: sublimation works on polyester and polyester-rich fabrics; screen printing works on cotton, blends and many synthetics.
• Colors: sublimation has no color limit; screen printing works best with a few solid colors.
• Coverage: sublimation can cover the whole garment, seam to seam; screen printing is used for set print areas such as the chest, back and sleeves.
• Feel: sublimation adds no weight or texture; screen printing leaves a thin layer of ink on the surface.
• Durability: sublimated designs will not crack or peel; good screen printing is durable but sits on the surface of the fabric.

When to choose sublimation

Sublimation is the best choice for most performance team uniforms, including basketball uniforms, soccer kits, flag football jerseys and motocross jerseys. These garments are made from polyester, players sweat in them, and teams usually want bold colors, stripes, sponsor logos, names and numbers. Sublimation handles all of that without adding weight.

When to choose screen printing

Screen printing is ideal for cotton and cotton-blend garments such as team t-shirts, hoodies and fan wear, especially when the design uses a few solid colors. It is a popular choice for spiritwear, events and merchandise.

What about names and numbers?

With sublimated uniforms, names and numbers can be printed straight into the fabric along with the rest of the design. For a traditional look, many teams choose heat transfer vinyl (HTV), appliqué or sublimated twill numbers instead. All of these can be combined with a sublimated jersey.

You don’t have to choose just one

Many orders combine methods. A team might wear sublimated game jerseys, embroidered polos for coaches and screen-printed hoodies for fans. At FJ Sportswear we offer 17 decoration methods, including sublimation, screen printing, embroidery, DTF and DTG, so we can recommend the best option for each item in your order. See all our printing methods.

Quick answer

For polyester team uniforms with colorful designs, choose sublimation. For cotton t-shirts and hoodies with simple, bold designs, choose screen printing. Not sure? Send us your design and we will recommend the right method in your free mockup.