Sublimation Printing Explained: When It Works Best

Sublimation is the method behind almost every professional sports jersey you have worn. Under heat and pressure, solid dye turns directly into gas, bonds with polyester fibres, and returns to solid inside the fabric. There is no ink layer left on the surface at all.

What that means in practice

• Zero hand feel. Run your fingers over the print and you feel only fabric.
• It cannot crack or peel. There is nothing sitting on top to crack. The colour fades only as the fabric itself fades.
• Full coverage is easy. Because we print the fabric before cutting and stitching, patterns can run edge to edge, across seams, with no blank border.
• Breathability is untouched. Nothing blocks the weave, which is why it suits sportswear in a hot climate.

The two hard limits

Sublimation only works on polyester (or polyester-coated surfaces). On cotton, the dye has nothing to bond with and washes out.

It also only works on light fabrics. The dye is transparent, so it cannot print white or light colours onto a dark garment — the fabric colour always shows through.

Where we use it most

• Football, cricket and running jerseys with all-over patterns
• Team kits where names and numbers must last a full season
• Printed fabric by the metre for dresses, skirts and scarves
• Any design that needs to run right to the edge of the garment

What to send us

Because the fabric is printed before the garment is made, sublimation needs artwork set up to the pattern pieces. Send vector files where you can, tell us the sizes you need, and we will handle the layout and produce a mockup before anything is printed.