Team Uniform Stuff: Guide to Custom Sports Uniforms

In honor of the recent post on our namesake, Sports Uniform Stuff, I decided to write a brief overview of sublimated uniforms. So if the lingo of the custom team uniform world is still pretty foreign to you, hopefully this post can shed some light on the subject.



What is a Sublimated Uniform?


Tops Well... sublimation is still a fairly new trend in custom team uniforms. A "sublimated uniform" refers to a uni where the colors, numbers, emblems & names are dyed directly into the fabric. This is vastly different than traditional uniforms where decoration is generally screen printed, embroidered, tackle twilled, heat transferred, ect. Instead of different colors being different pieces of fabric sewn together(like side inserts, piping, ect), all of the colors are printed on one single piece of fabric. While this is still fairly new technology, in the last couple of years more than a few brands have jumped onto the "sublimation boat" so there are more choices than ever before.




What's so great about this stuff?

One of the big selling points is its longevity. Because everything is dyed into the fabric, your uniform colors, number, emblem, ect, will never peel, crack or fade with proper care. Also since nothing is actually attached to the jersey, they are often billed as being much lighter than traditional jerseys. Another benefit of sublimated uniforms is the design freedom that comes with the sublimation process. A sublimated uniform can give your team a truly unique style. Again, because everything is dyed directly onto the fabric you can generally use as many colors as you want for your emblem, and the little extras like names, numbers, and outlines don't generally raise the price of your jersey.


Of course, while you don't pay for the "extras" the base price of these uniforms is generally pretty high. Currently, you can expect to pay around one hundred dollars per player. Of course the price tag can be combated with the "they last longer" argument. Since your decoration shouldn't show any wear and tear (with proper care) you can usually get more than one season out of these uniforms.



With sublimated uniforms "the look" can sometimes trump quality & performance. You may run into certain fabric restrictions when looking into sublimated uniforms, so as always, try and keep in mind what will work best for your team.




So how does this crazy stuff work?

I won't get into the finite details, but basically it works by dying the colors into the fabric using special printers. First you get a mock up of your uniform, then a cut-out of your design is printed onto special paper with heat sensitive dye. The paper & uniform fabric are placed into a heat press. The front & back of the uniform are printed separately onto the fabric. Once the printing is done, your uniform is cut out, sewn together, and wala you have a sublimated uniform.


I've included a couple of pictures for your viewing pleasure, and of course if you have any questions, feel free to leave me a message and I'll do my very best to get you an answer.

So your team's uniform is all picked out, you have a great name, and narrowed your team colors down. What's next, how do you pick out the perfect art for your custom jersey? Well here a 5 tips to keep in mind that may help you create your brand new jerseys.

Tip #1 Legibility is a good thing
There are millions of fonts out there. So when deciding on a logo, keep in mind that you not only want a cool graphic, you want a font that looks great & is easy to read. There are a few fonts to avoid, particularly if you are using all capital letters in your team emblem. For example, many script, and "old english" style fonts look just plain bad in all caps. Also if your team name is very long, too many capital letters squished together may make your emblem cluttered and difficult to read.




Tip #2 Artwork
When choosing your artwork, don't forget the size and shape of your team's uniform. Regardless of your type of uni (be it professional, youth, inexpensive, sublimated, ect ), your team's logo will be one of its most prominent features. A team logo that looks great on one jersey, may not look good on another. For example, if the front of your jersey isn't very wide you may want to choose a vertical design. If you choose a wide design it will have to be much smaller to fit inside the allotted space, possibly making your team emblem hard to see.

Tip #3 Color

I recommend choosing an emblem color that contrasts with the color of your fabric- this will make the emblem stand out more. If you have your heart set on a particular color combination that doesn't contrast very much (like black and maroon). Then consider adding an outline. You'd be surprised how much simple thing like that can add to the look of your jersey.


Tip #4 Make it your own


Part of vector artwork's beauty is its flexibility. So if you don't like the font, or you rather use an eagle mascot instead of the bulldog, just ask. As long as the art department you are using has a stock image of it somewhere, they should have no problem making the changes for you. You're going to have to live with these uniforms for at least a season-- so make sure its something you like. And though I can't speak for every single company-- it never hurts to ask!



Tip #5 Submitting your Artwork

Have your own artwork all picked out already? Well here are some tips for submitting digital versions of your artwork.
AI/EPS FORMAT:
When submitting artwork AI & EPS formats are the best way to go. These file types are often referred to as, " vector artwork". Vector artwork is easy to resize & edit. If your emblem is in this format already, then you are pretty much good to go.
PSD/JPG/PNG/
These types are the next best options. They are easily read by any computer, and can vary in quality & file size. Generally larger file size means a better quality image.
BMP/GIF FORMAT:
These two file types should be used only after exhausting your other options, While the quality isn't too bad, the other file types mentioned here are generally better. For a more in depth overview of all image formats, check out this page on wikipedia
So there you have it. I hope you find these tips helpful and as always if you have any questions feel free to leave a message. Below are some more links for your reading/viewing pleasure :)


More Tips on Picking Your Team Name/Logo from Softball Dirt Blog
Sports Logo Pundit Blog
Free Sports Logos at Vector Portal
Chris Creamer's Sports Logos

Uni's come in all types of fabric. Which one is the best for you? While I can't answer that question-- I can give you some very basic information that might help.

Dazzle Fabric
Perhaps one of the most popular fabrics used in Team Uniforms is Dazzle Fabric. Although it is used mainly at the youth and high school level--it remains very popular. It is known for its lightweight feel & "shiny" look. (also it is fairly inexpensive when compared to some of the higher-end fabrics.)If you'd like more information on Dazzle Fabric, check out this link: What is Dazzle Fabric?

Moisture Management or Moisture Wicking Fabric
If you've ever looked into buying team uniforms, you have probably noticed that the pricing of these fabrics can sometimes be a little higher--depending on the brand. It seems that most brands have their own moisture management fabrics with their own special name. (Like Wilson's ComfortDry 2.0, or Mizuno's DryLite, or UA's HeatGear-- just to name a few.)

So what is the big fuss about? Well it is better than traditional fabric at moving moisture away from the body. It transports the moisture from the skin to the outside of the uniform where it evaporates. The idea is that players will stay cool, dry, and hopefully perform better.

So is it worth the extra money?
Maybe not for your ten-year-old's T-Ball team, but if you are buying for a more competitive team moisture management fabric might be worth looking into.
Here's a link to an article with a pretty in-depth explanation of how this stuff works: Moisture Absorbent Fabric



Mesh Fabric
Unfortunately, I can only give you a pretty general description of this type of fabric. There are many different kinds, and it is also used in some moisture management fabric. (For example, the columbia blue uniform above is made from "moisture wicking cool mesh") It is known for having small, circular holes throughout the fabric. For the most part, the size and shape of the hole determines the specific type of mesh it is- and there are many different types. (Such as Port-hole Mesh, and Micromesh) You'll probably recognize this fabric most often in practice gear, or reversible basketball uniforms where the holes are larger. This is shown in the Royal Basketball jersey to the left.

Compression Fabrics
Okay, this really isn't a type of fabric. But when shopping for uni's you'll likely see this phrase a lot, "Compression Fit". So it is worth mentioning. This type of uniform is often made from a combination of stretchy fabrics(like nylon, lycra, or spandex )and polyester. When you see this in the description, it means the uniform is going to be soft, light, and tight-fitting. It's found most often in volleyball uniforms & performance wear. If you're buying compression uniforms for a team, you should to pay extra attention to the sizing as sometimes they run small.

As you may or may not know,Team Sports Planet is based in Philadephia, PA. So we were ecstatic when our home team won the World Series. The parade went right by our office,and we managed to get lots of great pictures. So click the links below to see team TSP celebrate with the rest of Philadelphia.
Parade Pictures&Parade Video