Archives July 2026

Anyone shopping for custom team jerseys eventually runs into two competing production methods: sublimation and screen printing. The names sound technical, but the difference matters a lot once a jersey has been through fifteen wash cycles and a full season of sliding on turf. Picking the wrong method for the design you want can mean cracked lettering, faded numbers, or a print that never looked quite right in the first place.

How sublimation printing actually works

Sublimation uses heat to turn dye into a gas that bonds directly with polyester fibers, rather than sitting as a layer on top of the fabric. Because the ink becomes part of the fabric itself, there is no texture to feel when you run a hand over the design, and the print cannot peel, crack, or flake with wear. This makes sublimation the default choice for full-jersey designs with gradients, camouflage patterns, or all-over graphics, since the process can cover the entire garment in unlimited colors without adding cost per color the way screen printing does.

The tradeoff is that sublimation only works on polyester or polyester-heavy fabric blends, and it will not produce true whites on colored fabric since the base color always shows through. Our overview of polyester blends and how they perform explains why most modern soccer jerseys are built on synthetic fabric in the first place, which happens to be exactly what sublimation needs to work well.

How screen printing compares

Screen printing pushes ink through a mesh stencil onto the surface of the fabric, building up a layer that sits on top rather than merging with the fibers. It handles cotton and blended fabrics that sublimation cannot touch, and it produces genuinely opaque colors, including solid white, on any base fabric color. For simple designs like a single-color team crest or a bold number on a dark jersey, screen printing is often cheaper per unit, especially for large orders where the setup cost is spread across many identical garments.

Durability is where opinions split. A well-executed screen print on quality ink can last for years, but the print layer can eventually crack along stress points like the number on the back or the crest over the chest, particularly if the jersey is tumble-dried instead of hung to dry. Because the ink sits on the surface, it is also more prone to fading from repeated abrasion, such as a goalkeeper diving on turf repeatedly.

Cost and turnaround differences

• Screen printing has per-color setup costs, making single-color designs cheap in bulk but multi-color designs expensive
• Sublimation has minimal per-color cost since it is a photographic-style process, better suited to complex or full-color kits
• Screen printing can be applied to smaller batches or even single garments without much extra cost
• Sublimation generally requires printing on white or light polyester fabric before cutting and sewing, which affects lead times for custom colorways

Which one should you choose

If a team wants a jersey with an intricate all-over pattern, gradient colors, or sponsor logos scattered across the fabric, sublimation is the clear winner and will hold up through years of washing. If the design is a simple crest and number on a stock-colored jersey, and the budget favors doing one large order rather than reordering individual sizes over time, screen printing remains a reasonable and often cheaper option. Either way, how the jersey is washed afterward matters just as much as how it was printed; see our guide on washing custom sports jerseys without fading the print for care steps that extend either method’s lifespan considerably.

Textile researchers at university programs focused on apparel manufacturing, such as the public resources published by North Carolina State University’s Wilson College of Textiles, offer deeper technical detail for anyone curious about the chemistry behind dye sublimation and pigment printing on synthetic fibers.

Testing before a full team commits

Suppliers who offer both methods will often produce a single sample jersey before running a full team order, and it is worth paying the small extra cost for this step rather than trusting a digital mockup alone. Screen colors on a monitor rarely match printed fabric exactly, and the way light reflects off a matte sublimated surface versus a slightly raised screen-printed layer can change how bold or muted a design looks in person. Holding a physical sample also lets you check how the print feels against skin, since some heavier screen-printed layers can feel stiff or slightly abrasive on the inside of a jersey until they soften with a few washes.

It is also worth asking a supplier directly which method they specialize in, since a shop set up primarily for sublimation may not produce their best screen-printing work, and vice versa. Print quality varies more by a shop’s equipment and experience than by the method itself, so a strong recommendation from another team that ordered a similar design is often more useful than any general rule about which technique is objectively better.

In practice, most modern soccer clubs lean toward sublimation for their primary kits because full-color crests, sponsor logos, and gradient patterns have become the visual standard in the sport, while screen printing still holds a place for training jerseys, fan merchandise, and simpler single-color designs where cost per unit matters more than photographic detail.

Every coach who has handed out a box of freshly printed jerseys knows the sinking feeling of watching a ten-year-old drown in a size that was supposed to be “youth medium.” Jersey sizing is one of the most inconsistent corners of the apparel world, and soccer kits are no exception. Unlike a t-shirt you can try on at a mall, a custom jersey is usually ordered weeks in advance, sight unseen, and printed with a name and number that makes returns awkward at best.

Why soccer jersey sizes vary so much between brands

Chest width, body length, and sleeve cut are not standardized across manufacturers the way they are in, say, dress shirts. A youth large from one supplier can fit closer to an adult small from another. Athletic-cut jerseys, which are common in soccer because they reduce drag and fabric bunching, run noticeably tighter through the torso than a relaxed casual tee in the same labeled size. That is why relying on the size printed on a previous jersey from a different brand almost always leads to disappointment.

Reading a size chart the right way

A size chart based on body measurements, not just age or “small/medium/large” labels, is the only reliable way to order in bulk. Look for three numbers: chest circumference, body length from shoulder to hem, and sleeve length. Measure the player, not an old jersey, since fabric stretch and shrinkage after washing can distort a garment’s true dimensions over time.

• Youth 6-8: chest roughly 26-28 inches, body length around 19-20 inches
• Youth 10-12: chest roughly 30-32 inches, body length around 22-23 inches
• Adult small: chest roughly 34-36 inches, body length around 26-27 inches
• Adult large: chest roughly 40-42 inches, body length around 29-30 inches

These figures are general reference points rather than fixed rules, which is exactly why cross-checking against the specific supplier’s own chart matters before placing a team order. For a step-by-step method on taking those measurements yourself, our guide on how to measure yourself for a jersey walks through the process with a soft tape measure and no fitting room required.

Ordering for a whole roster

Teams rarely order one jersey at a time. When a roster of eighteen players needs kits before the first match, the safest approach is to collect individual measurements on a shared spreadsheet rather than asking parents to guess a size category. Kids grow unevenly, and a nine-year-old goalkeeper might already need a size meant for an eleven-year-old midfielder. Building in a little room at the shoulders and hem gives a season’s worth of growth without the jersey looking baggy on day one.

Fabric choice also affects how a jersey fits once it is on the field. A jersey made from a heavier polyester blend holds its shape better through a season of sliding tackles and machine washing, while thinner mesh panels can stretch out faster if sized too tight to begin with. Our breakdown of polyester blends used in soccer jerseys covers which fabric weights hold up best for different age groups and playing conditions.

Common sizing mistakes to avoid

The single biggest mistake is sizing up “to be safe” across an entire order. A jersey that is too large flaps in the wind, catches on opposing players’ hands during a tackle, and looks sloppy in team photos. The second most common mistake is ignoring sleeve length on goalkeeper jerseys, which are often cut longer than field player jerseys and need their own measurement pass. Finally, teams that print names and numbers before confirming final sizes sometimes end up paying twice when a swap is needed, since customized garments are rarely eligible for standard returns.

When in doubt, order a sample

For any team ordering more than a handful of jerseys, requesting one unprinted sample in a middling size before committing to a full order removes most of the guesswork. Try it on the player with the most average build on the roster, check how it moves through a few sprints and stretches, and only then finalize sizes for the rest of the team. The Consumer Product Safety Commission also maintains general guidance on children’s apparel sizing and labeling that is worth skimming if you are ordering youth kits in bulk for the first time, available through their children’s products business guidance.

Getting sizing right the first time saves money, avoids awkward reprint requests mid-season, and means every player steps onto the pitch wearing a kit that actually looks and feels like it belongs to them.