Sublimation vs Embroidery: Which Is Right for Your Jersey?
Print the art. Stitch the crest.

“Sublimated” means the design is dyed in: heat and pressure turn printed dye into a gas that soaks into the polyester. The color ends up inside the fibers instead of in a top layer. Here’s how to spot a sublimated jersey by touch or by turning it inside out.

Standard sublimation needs polyester, which is why our baseball jerseys are 100% polyester knit. There’s no white sublimation ink, so even a black jersey starts as white fabric and the black is printed on. Names, numbers, and small logos are printed in the same run, like the eight DJ logos below.

For a crest or logo, yes: it’s raised and textured, with a slight thread sheen, and the decoration trade treats it as premium. For fades, print wins.

Your logo is first turned into a stitch file, a step called digitizing. Embroidery builds color thread by thread, so smooth fades and photo-style art usually get simplified into blocks of color. Tiny text is hard to stitch too. As a rough trade guide, keep stitched letters 4 to 6 mm (about 3/16 inch) tall or bigger.

On a light, stretchy jersey, embroiderers put a thin backing behind the stitches and keep the design fairly small so the fabric doesn’t pucker. We can stitch a logo, crest, name, or number on any of our jerseys, and your mockup shows which parts will stitch cleanly.

Tackle twill is the classic lettering on hockey and baseball jerseys. Letters or numbers are cut from polyester twill fabric and stitched down around the edges with a zigzag or satin stitch.

Only the edge gets stitched, so twill takes fewer stitches than embroidering the same number. That makes it the usual pick for big numbers, with embroidery for smaller marks.

Twill is a raised layer that resists stretch, so a big number stretches less than the jersey around it. We offer it too: mention it when you send your design. For a flat number, print it, like the jersey below, or browse our rave hockey jerseys.

A sublimated print has no ink layer on the surface, so there’s nothing to crack or peel. Lab tests on sublimation-printed polyester report good colorfastness to washing, rubbing, and sweat.

Two things can fade it: high heat and long hours of strong, direct sun. Heat can draw the dye back out of the fibers, so keep irons and hot dryers away from the print.

Raised embroidery stitches can catch on rough or sharp edges, and long stitches snag more easily. Washing the jersey inside out helps protect them.

An embroidered jersey is heavier and firmer only where it’s stitched: the thread and backing make that spot stretch less. The sublimated fabric keeps most of its soft feel and stretch, because nothing sits on top.

If you have sensitive skin, the back of a stitched design can feel rough. Some embroiderers add a soft cover layer behind it.

• Busy art, fades, or lots of logos: sublimation. We print every jersey this way.
• One raised crest or logo: embroidery. For a single jersey, ask for it under “Tell us about your design” on the custom jersey page; it costs extra and is quoted before you pay. For 10 or more pieces, pick Embroidery on the bulk quote form.
• Big classic names and numbers: tackle twill, or printed numbers for the lightest jersey.
• Both: print the busy parts and stitch one simple crest with some plain space around it, or add sewn twill numbers.

For a crew order, see the group rave outfits guide. Send us your idea, logo, reference image, or just the vibe.

1. Turn it inside out and wash it cold on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent.
2. No bleach, and no fabric softener: softener can coat wicking polyester and hold on to smells.
3. Hang it to dry, or tumble dry on the lowest heat.
4. Skip the iron. If you must, turn the jersey inside out, use the lowest setting and a pressing cloth, and keep the iron off stitched parts.
5. Don’t dry-clean it.
6. After the show, get it out of your bag and wash it soon, before the sweat starts to smell.
7. Sunscreen with avobenzone can leave orange marks after washing, especially in hard water. Pre-treat sunscreen spots before the wash.