We all own at least one jersey that we reach for whether to play sports or simply for eating out! Due to its lightweight and fast sweat-wicking material that beats humidity and heat, jersey shirt easily becomes the top choice of not only athletes and sports players but practically everyone. Not to mention its stretchability and flexibility that gives room for plenty of movement. The fluidity of jersey makes it fit the body nicely, making it a great choice for comfy everyday wear. 

In sports, wearing jerseys goes beyond just indicating you belong in the same team. It also displays sportsmanship and reflects healthy competition. Even better, it can induce a psychological effect that makes a leisure team sport feels like an actual competition – and that is far from being bad! In fact, this will make you more motivated to perform better in any sports. 

Planning to get one for everyone in the team, but has no clue where to begin? Well, deciding on the jersey’s printing method is a good first step. Below are several you would want to go over and eventually figure out the best one!

 

Silkscreen/Screen printing

Silkscreen or screen printing is a process that transfers a design onto a fabric layer through a screen (like a mesh). Following a particular design, a screen is cut out to create a big stencil of it. To print, a shirt is placed on a pallet. The said screen is then pressed over it to let the ink transfer onto the shirt. Optimum cost efficiency can be achieved via silkscreen printing for t-shirt printing of 50pcs and above with the same design and a few numbers of colors in the artwork. The cost of making the printing mold is divided by the total number of t-shirts; therefore, the more you print, the lesser it will cost you. This highly economical method is the best option for when you are printing a large batch with only one or very few designs. Silkscreen printing is also the popular choice for large artwork i.e. A4 size and above. This printing method is very economical for large quantities. It creates durable designs and generally runs in high speed with less number of designs so you can expect shorter lead time by opting for this method. Silkscreen printing is an excellent solution for class t-shirt, workman uniform and event t-shirt due to its vibrant finishing and durability. If you are looking to work on large orders, you would want to consider screen printing.

  One particular thing you ought to remember with screen printing is that it requires extra care to maintain the design in the long run. You have to wash the shirt inside out in cold water and hang dry or dry on low. Otherwise, the print will eventually fade or crack (surely you have come across this before). This printing method produces a bright fabric with a softer feel to touch. If you have come across shirts with inks coming off and you notice you can sort of peel off the cracking designs, that is most likely screen printing. To prevent this, it is advisable that you wash it inside out and in cold water. It is highly cost-effective if you are printing a large batch, so if that is exactly what you were looking for, this option would give you the best deal.

 

Embroidery

This technique creates the toughest and most durable printed design of all. Embroidery requires a digitizing process where your design is converted into a format that is recognized by the machine. Then, the embroidery will directly be stitched on your apparel. This digitizing process is independent of the total number of colors in your artwork. While you can insert as many colors as you want, a design with gradient tones may not work best since it essentially is created through the stitching. Embroidery is the highly-rated method for corporate t-shirt and uniform as it portrays a professional image with its elegant finishing.

While this method will look good on any fabric, it is not necessarily the best for all. Due to the stitches, it might carry a bit of weight that will drape the fabric. Especially for a jersey, the single-knitted fabric might be too slinky for embroidery. You have to create a simpler design that is easily recognizable by the machine. It is also recommended that you use only solid colors and not include a gradient tone on your design as it might be difficult to translate into embroidery stitches.

 

Heat transfer / Vinyl Printing

Longevity is a matter of certainty with this method. Offering high quality and lasting results with end design that will not fade or crack, heat transfer or vinyl printing uses a combination of heat and heavy pressure to apply the vinyl to garments. A machine is used to shape and cut the vinyl until it transforms into designs. The main process includes pressing cut out vinyl stickers of a certain design onto fabrics through heat-press. This method allows you to print on-off slogans or small multi-color graphics designs in large amounts.

The good thing is that the sticker is printed and shaped individually which makes this printing method excellent for ordering multiple distinct designs. Due to the personalized stickers, this method is commonly used for jersey printing as different names and numbers can be placed on different parts of a jersey. It would also be a feasible option if you are ordering in small quantities. Heat transfer printing is best for sportswear printing and designs with shadows and gradient tones. Expectedly, it operates at a slower speed compared to certain methods as each shirt needs its own setup. If you plan to print a large batch, this method can be a bit time-consuming and cost-ineffective. It is still one of the preferred methods due to the quality of finished products, so if you could find a supplier that offers a low price for vinyl printing, that would certainly be a major bargain.

 

Direct-to-garment (DTG)

Differing from previous methods, Direct-to-garment printing (DTG) incorporates the latest technology of apparel printing in Singapore where the inks are directly printed onto the fabric. It resembles using a printer, except instead of paper it prints on textiles using special inkjet technology. It can support the most detailed design with as many colors as you want. DTG uses special water-based inks that are absorbed by the fibers of the garment. With this technique, you can print full-colored designs without any loss of details. The design is printed horizontally and layered starting from the base (normally the white ink) followed with colored inks to form the desired design. You can also opt for no base color to let the inks react directly with the fabric. This will create a more vintage look of the design. 

You can insert maximum details in your design and there are extensive color options as well. This technique is particularly recommended for small batches. While DTG printing will certainly produce among products with the better finishing in comparison to other methods listed here, it might still not work best on the fabric of jersey, especially if it is not made up of a certain percentage of cotton. However, if you are all about the ‘Going Green’ life, you would love this method. It is environmentally friendly as it utilizes water-based inks. There will be no wastage as the process does not include paper or any other disposable medium. 

 

Sublimation (all-over printing)

Another amazing method that can possibly make the design last longer than the shirt! The process begins with an image or design printed on a special sheet. This method uses heat sensitive inks that turn into gas upon being heated up which will be infused directly into fabrics. In other words, the inks are heat-compressed on the fabric to form the design. This particular method presses a full seam-to-seam design onto a piece of fabric. The fabric will then be cut out accordingly to be made into a shirt, pretty much like creating a shirt from scratch. 

Although it is constantly compared to screen printing, sublimation printing allows the inks to permeate the fibers of the material while screen printing places them on top of the fabric layer. Through sublimation, the inks remain as parts of the fabric permanently, ensuring the longevity of the design. Even after a long time, the design will have very little if any crack and fade at all. Keep in mind that this method is best used on polyester or other synthetic fabrics. 

 

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The verdict:

While all printing techniques will give great results, not all are suitable for the fabric you are working with. Methods like embroidery, vinyl printing, and direct-to-garment printing would never crack or fade under different circumstances and thus require very little maintenance. On the other hand, screen printing requires higher maintenance to ensure the longevity of the designs but it is highly cost-effective and will give you a good feel to touch. Sublimation gives you a high-quality detailed print and is the best choice if you are eco-conscious. 

Undoubtedly, embroidery creates the best and toughest design on fabric, but you often, you would be left with a limited range of colors as you can hardly work gradient tone with it. DTG printing offers maximum detailing in its design, but it is not cost effective for large batches and more suited for cotton fabrics. Furthermore, you can get similar end results with vinyl printing and sublimation. Above all, vinyl printing allows individualized words and numbers in the design, so there’s the answer you are looking for. Custom Print is the expert of jersey printing Singapore locals can heavily rely on so just leave us a message or call us directly!