Edge-to-edge, all-over print on polyester. Sublimation doesn't sit on top of the fabric. It bonds dye into the fibers themselves, leaving a print that's permanent, fade-resistant, and has zero hand. The performance-apparel standard for sport, athleisure, and corporate uniform programs.
Sublimation prints your art onto special transfer paper with disperse dyes, then heat-presses it onto polyester at 400°F. At that temperature the dye sublimates (turns directly from solid to gas, skipping liquid) and bonds with the polymer chains in the fabric. The "print" becomes part of the fabric.
Art prepared at full garment size: often pattern-mapped so the print continues across panels and seams without breaks.
Disperse-dye inks print onto sublimation transfer paper at the exact size of the garment panel.
Paper meets fabric in a flat heat press. Disperse dye sublimates into gas and bonds permanently with the polyester polymer.
For all-over jerseys, panels are printed flat first, then cut and sewn. The print runs edge-to-edge, including across seams.
Sublimation is the only method that can do true edge-to-edge full-color print with zero hand. It only works on polyester though. That's the catch.
Quick-scan specs so you can size up a project before requesting a quote.
The questions we hear most from teams building uniform programs.
No, and any shop that says yes is fudging. Sublimation chemistry only bonds with polymer (polyester). On cotton, the dye washes right out within a few cycles. For cotton or cotton-blend garments with full-color art, use DTF Transfers: same visual result, completely different chemistry.
Sublimation is a dye process: it adds color to the fabric, but can't remove or override what's already there. On a black shirt, your design wouldn't show. On a navy shirt, all your "white" areas would still be navy. Sublimation works on white or very light colored polyester only. If you need a dark base, switch to screen printing or DTF.
Two paths: (1) Print on flat panels, then cut and sew them into a finished jersey, the print runs edge-to-edge with no border. Slow, full-control, true all-over. (2) Take an existing white poly garment and press a logo or chest design onto it, fast, good for budget-conscious projects, no all-over capability. We'll quote both.
Effectively no. The dye is part of the polymer at the molecular level. It can't peel, crack, or wash out. Color stays vibrant for the life of the garment. UV exposure over years can dim some colors slightly; everyday washing won't.
Yes, with a small color-test step. Sublimation prints in CMYK so we calibrate against the target Pantone using a sample swatch on your actual fabric. There's a one-time fee for the color test on a new color match; subsequent reorders use the proven recipe at no charge.
You can't feel it. Run your hand across a sublimated jersey and the print zone feels identical to the unprinted zone. Screen printing leaves a tactile layer of ink on top; DTF leaves a thin flexible layer; sublimation leaves nothing, the fibers themselves are colored. That's why athletes prefer it for moisture-wicking performance gear.
Minimum is 24 pieces because the setup is meaningful. There's no real maximum: we run sublimation jobs from 24-piece team kits to 5,000+ piece corporate uniform programs. Per-piece cost drops sharply through 100, then plateaus.
Pick your garment style in the catalog and send the job through. We'll price it and respond within one business day.
Start a sublimation quote