If you've ever compared quotes for team jerseys, you've probably seen two very different printing methods on offer. Here's the honest breakdown of dye sublimation versus traditional screen printing - no hard feelings, screen printing, but sublimation wins this one for team sportswear.
Round 1: How the design actually gets onto the shirt
Screen printing pushes ink through a stencil onto the surface of the fabric, layer by layer. Dye sublimation turns ink into a gas that bonds directly with the polyester fibres, becoming part of the fabric rather than sitting on top of it. One is a coating, the other is a merger.
Round 2: Durability
Because screen-printed designs sit on the surface, they can crack, peel, or fade with repeated washing and wear - exactly what you don't want from a garment that gets thrown in a kit bag after every training session. Sublimated designs won't crack or peel, because there's no separate layer to lose in the first place.
Round 3: Colours and detail
Screen printing works in solid, separate colours - every extra colour typically means extra cost and extra screens. Sublimation allows unlimited colours, gradients, and photo-level detail in a single print run, which is why it's the go-to for busy, multi-colour team designs, sponsor logos and player numbers.
Round 4: Feel
A heavy screen-printed design can feel stiff or add extra weight to the fabric, especially over large print areas. Sublimated designs add zero extra weight or texture - the shirt feels exactly the same whether it's printed edge-to-edge or barely printed at all.
Round 5: Where screen printing still wins
To be fair, screen printing can still make sense for small, low-quantity runs of simple single-colour designs on cotton tees - it's just not built for full-colour, full-coverage sports jerseys the way sublimation is.
The verdict
For team jerseys that need to survive a full season of matches, training and washing - full dye sublimation is the clear winner. It's exactly why every jersey we produce uses sublimation printing as standard.
Ready to see it for yourself? Browse our full sportswear range or get a free design mockup for your club.