Why Dye Sublimation Is Ideal for On-Demand Sportswear Printing

Custom sportswear printing has surged in recent years as more consumers look to personalize their attire for daily fitness, yoga, and outdoor activities. These custom sportswear items range from sponsor running shirts, individualized gym shorts, and team-branded yoga leggings, to personalized sports bras, with designs in various styles, including African and animal print activewear.

Apparel manufacturers and sports brands aiming for agility in production and tailored offerings increasingly turn to sportswear print on demand to serve niche markets. So, what is the best printing method for sportswear? And why do apparel manufacturers choose dye-sublimation? Next, let's find out.

What Is the Best Printing Method for Sportswear?

When discussing activewear printing techniques, it's important to understand the textiles commonly used in athletic apparel. Today's consumers prioritize fabrics that offer comfort, flexibility, and moisture-wicking properties across various types of sportswear.

1. Common Sportswear Fabrics

Currently, polyester is the most widely used material in sportswear due to its durability, abrasion resistance, and lightweight nature, proving highly suited for sports environments.

AC (Air Conditioning or Advanced Cooling) fabric is becoming increasingly popular, with brands incorporating specialized polyester variants to enhance moisture absorption and breathability. Some prominent examples include:

● Nike Dri-FIT: A moisture-wicking technology that absorbs and quickly evaporates sweat, keeping athletes dry and comfortable.

● Adidas Climalite and Climachill: Microporous polyester fibers that effectively wick moisture and provide enhanced ventilation.

● Puma DryCELL: A fabric designed to wick away sweat, helping athletes stay dry throughout their activities.

Apart from enhanced polyester variants, other common fabrics used in sportswear include:

● Polyester and Elastane (Spandex, Lycra) Blends

Purpose: Polyester is often blended with a small percentage of elastane or Lycra to increase the stretch and flexibility of the fabric. This blend enhances the comfort and fit of sportswear, providing excellent support for activities that require a wide range of motion.

Features: These blends are not only lightweight but also provide moderate stretch, allowing athletes to move freely during intense physical activities.

● Mesh Polyester

Purpose: Major brands often use mesh polyester in high-heat areas, such as the back or underarm sections of sportswear, to enhance ventilation and promote faster cooling.

Features: Mesh polyester fabrics increase breathability and moisture-wicking capabilities, making them well-suited for high-intensity sports environments.

2. Sportswear Printing Techniques

There are four commonly used printing methods for sportswear:

● Screen Printing: Widely used for large-scale production, suitable for simple single-color or multicolor designs, like team logos and emblems.

Advantages: Highly durable, vibrant colors, and cost-effective.

Limitations: Not ideal for high-resolution designs and has limited breathability.

● Heat Transfer Printing: Suited for all colors of cotton fabrics, including dark and black jerseys.

Advantages: Maintains clear images on any fabric color, works well for intricate designs and is ideal for small orders or personalized items, perfect for print-on-demand.

Limitations: Creates a thicker print layer, reducing breathability.

● DTF (Direct-to-Film) Printing: Widely used for high-resolution, personalized designs on various fabrics, not limited to polyester; it works on cotton, nylon, polyester blends, and more.

Advantages: Enables direct color printing on dark or light fabrics, suitable for complex designs.

Limitations: Has a stiffer feel and involves multiple steps, making it less practical for large-scale production.

● Dye Sublimation Printing: Best for white or light-colored polyester and blended fabrics. The dye penetrates the fibers, producing vibrant, long-lasting colors.

Advantages: Full, durable color with excellent wash resistance, and high breathability.

Limitations: Not suitable for dark fabrics, as the dye doesn't show up well on dark backgrounds.

Comparing these four methods, dye sublimation stands out as the optimal choice for apparel manufacturers considering cost, production speed, and print quality.

Custom sportswear orders are typically produced in small batches, requiring quick turnaround times and agile market responsiveness. This is especially important for online activewear customizations, seasonal personalized products, and custom apparel for sports events, where screen printing is less suitable due to lengthy setup processes.

In contrast, dye sublimation printing supports on-demand, small-batch production without requiring large volumes, reducing finished or semi-finished inventory pressure and minimizing storage and management costs.

3. Dye Sublimation Printing Process

Dye sublimation is relatively simple, with minimal prep work, enabling rapid response to custom orders. The main steps are:

● Design Creation: Use professional design software to create CMYK-mode designs to ensure color accuracy in printing. This process accommodates various custom patterns, colors, and text, ideal for diverse, small-batch orders.

● Dye-Sub Printing: Using a dedicated dye sublimation printer and ink, the design is printed on special sublimation transfer paper.

● Heat Transfer: Place the transfer paper onto the fabric and load it into a heat press, heating to around 180 to 200 degrees Celsius with high pressure for 30 to 60 seconds.

● Post-Processing (Optional): To enhance durability or color stability, optional post-processing steps like rinsing or drying may be applied.

After printing, the fabric is cut according to the design into panels of the required shape and size. These cut pieces are then sewn together to form the final garment.

Compared to DTF and heat transfer, dye sublimation ink penetrates the polyester fabric fibers, resulting in more vivid, durable colors that resist fading and cracking.

Unlike methods that leave an additional layer on the surface, dye sublimation maintains the fabric's softness and breathability. It is particularly suited for lightweight, breathable polyester sportswear, such as soccer jerseys, basketball sportswear, yoga and fitness wear, cycling apparel, and swimwear.

HPRT Dye Sublimation Printers

HPRT, an established Chinese manufacturer of digital textile printing machines, offers various high-quality fabric printers, including specialized dye-sub printers:

1. DA182T Plus: Entry-level industrial dye sublimation printer

2. DA186T Plus: High-performance dye sublimation printer

These digital textile printers perfectly meet the needs of polyester fabric printing, from small to large batch production. They support four-color and six-color modes, with a maximum media width of up to 1900mm and a production capacity of up to 1080 squre meters per hour. 

With exceptional print quality, high pattern accuracy, sharp resolution, and excellent colorfastness, HPRT's sublimation printing machines are extensively used across sportswear customization, fashion apparel, and personalized home decor industries.

With growing demand for personalized products, dye sublimation printing is becoming a vital player in the custom clothing printing industry. In today's competitive market, choosing HPRT dye sublimation printers provides a significant competitive advantage for your business.

Whether for small custom orders or large-scale production, HPRT offers optimized textile printing solutions designed to drive rapid business growth and enhance your brand's impact. Contact us today to learn more about our products and their specific applications.