Custom manufacturing
Sublimated Polo Shirt Manufacturer — All-Over Print
Sublimation is not printing, it is dyeing. The design is transferred as a gas that bonds into the polyester fibres, so there is no ink layer sitting on the surface to crack, peel or fade — and there is no colour limit, because there is no screen. That is why it dominates team kit and corporate sportswear. The trade-off is absolute: sublimation only works on polyester. On cotton the dye has no affinity for the fibre and washes straight out. If a design needs all-over print, the fabric must be polyester, full stop.
500 pcsMinimum order
7–10 daysSampling
180,000 pcs / monthMonthly capacity
Fabric weight and construction options
| Weight / type | Material | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| 140–160 gsm | 100% polyester interlock | Light team polos, training kits |
| 160–180 gsm | Polyester pique | Sublimated polo with a more traditional hand-feel |
| 180–200 gsm | Polyester birdseye | Structured technical polo for club and corporate sport |
| Poly-spandex | With 5–10% elastane | Stretch polos where movement matters |
Available decoration methods
| Method | Specification | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Sublimation | Unlimited colours, all-over | The defining method — print cost does not rise with colour count |
| Full-bleed placement | Body, sleeve, collar, placket | Patterns can run across seams when panels are cut from printed fabric |
| Embroidery | Applied after sublimation | Common over a printed body for club crests; adds dimension |
| Silicone / heat transfer | Applied after | For names, numbers and sponsor marks on kit |
| Contrast panels | Cut-and-sew | Panelled construction where the design calls for it |
Specifications we manufacture to
- Fabric
- 100% polyester interlock, pique or birdseye (required for sublimation)
- Weight range
- 140 – 200 gsm
- Colour
- Unlimited — no per-colour cost, no screens
- Collar
- Self-fabric or contrast; can also be sublimated
- Placket
- 2 or 3 button, self or contrast
- Print durability
- Bonded into the fibre — no cracking, no fading, no ink layer
- MOQ
- 500 pcs per design (designs can be mixed within the order, ask us)
- Sampling
- 7–10 days
Decoration methods for this product
Related product categories
Frequently asked questions
Can you sublimate onto cotton?
No — and be careful with anyone who says they can. Sublimation dye turns to gas and bonds into polyester fibres; cotton has no affinity for it, so the print washes out. Some suppliers offer a cotton-look polyester that mimics cotton, which is a legitimate workaround, but a genuine cotton polo cannot be sublimated.
Is sublimation cheaper than screen printing?
For multi-colour all-over designs, dramatically. There are no screens and no per-colour charge, so a 12-colour design costs the same to print as a 2-colour one. For a simple single-colour logo, screen printing is usually cheaper. The crossover point is roughly four colours or any all-over pattern.
Will the print crack or peel?
Not through washing, because there is no print layer to crack — the dye is inside the fibre. The failure mode to watch is abrasion: an aggressive surface (like Velcro on a kit bag) can scuff the fibre itself. For normal wear and laundering, sublimated colour outlasts every applied method.
How does sublimation handle gradients and photos?
Perfectly. Because there are no screens and no half-tone dots in the traditional sense, smooth gradients, photographic images and complex patterns reproduce cleanly. This is why it is the standard for club kit with photographic or multi-tone crests.