Sublimation vs Screen Printing: Which Should You Choose?
Updated 15 October 2026 · By Salman Munawar, Founder, Ravix Pro Industry
Sublimation for full-colour polyester sportswear; screen printing for bold logos on cotton. Here is the detail.
The short answer: choose sublimation for full-colour designs on polyester sportswear, and screen printing for bold logos on cotton T-shirts and hoodies.
Building a clothing or sportswear brand? Ravix Pro Industry is a sportswear and apparel manufacturer in Sialkot, Pakistan, offering OEM and private label manufacturing for clothing brands: product development, samples, custom labels and packaging, and consistent bulk production, certified WRAP, BSCI, OEKO-TEX and ISO 9001. MOQ 30 pieces per design. Private label · OEM manufacturing · Get a free quote.
Sublimation prints your design on paper with special ink, then heat turns the ink into a gas that bonds into polyester fibres. The design becomes part of the fabric.
Screen printing pushes ink through a mesh stencil onto the fabric surface, one colour at a time. It sits on top of the fabric.
Side by side
Sublimation
Screen printing
Fabric
Polyester or high-poly blends, light colours
Cotton, blends, polyester; any colour
Colours
Unlimited, including photos and gradients
Best with 1–6 solid colours
Feel
No feel at all
Slight layer of ink (puff print is raised)
Durability
Will not crack, peel or fade
Very durable when cured properly
Coverage
All-over, seam to seam
Set print areas
Best for
Team jerseys, cycling kits, rash guards, leggings
Streetwear tees, hoodies, merch
Which should you pick?
Soccer, basketball or hockey jerseys: sublimation
Heavyweight cotton hoodies: screen print or puff print
Rash guards and MMA shorts: sublimation
Logo on a dark cotton tee: screen printing
Premium streetwear with texture: puff print or embroidery
Can you combine them?
Yes. Many teamwear brands sublimate the jersey and add an embroidered crest or a heat-applied sponsor logo.
Screen printing needs a separate screen for every colour, so the setup cost rises with the number of colours and falls per piece as quantity grows. Sublimation has no per-colour setup, so a 10-colour design costs about the same to print as a one-colour design, but it needs polyester fabric and is usually printed on the full fabric panel before sewing.
Factor
Sublimation
Screen printing
Setup per colour
None
One screen per colour
Many colours or photos
Same cost
Gets more expensive
Small runs (30 pieces)
Works well
Works, best with few colours
Fabric
Polyester, light base colours
Cotton, blends and polyester, any colour
Other Decoration Methods to Consider
Method
Best for
Look and feel
DTF (direct to film)
Detailed full-colour logos on cotton or blends
Thin printed film on the surface
Puff print
Streetwear graphics on hoodies and tees
Raised, 3D texture
Embroidery
Chest logos, crests, caps
Premium stitched finish
Heat transfer
Names, numbers and sponsor logos
Smooth, flexible vinyl
Durability and Washing
Sublimated designs are inside the fibre, so they do not crack or peel; the main risk is fading from very hot washing or ironing. Screen prints last for years when the ink is cured correctly, but they can crack if the print is very large and the fabric is stretched hard. For both, wash garments inside out on a cool cycle and avoid tumble drying on high heat.
How We Choose the Method for Your Order
At Ravix Pro Industry we look at three things: the fabric, the number of colours in your artwork and how the garment will be used. Team jerseys, rash guards and cycling kits are usually sublimated, while cotton tees and hoodies are screen printed, puff printed or embroidered. Every method is done in-house in our Sialkot factory, and you approve a physical sample before bulk.
More Questions
Can you sublimate on cotton?
Not well. Sublimation ink bonds with polyester, so on cotton the colours wash out. Use screen printing, DTF or embroidery for cotton.
Which lasts longer, sublimation or screen printing?
Sublimation usually lasts longer because the design is part of the fabric and cannot crack or peel.
Can I sublimate a dark polyester shirt?
Sublimation works best on white or light fabric, because the ink is transparent. For dark garments the whole design is printed on white fabric before sewing.
What is the MOQ for printed garments?
30 pieces per design, with sizes mixed, for both sublimation and screen printing.
Products Related to This Guide
We manufacture these in our own factory in Sialkot, Pakistan, with an MOQ of 30 pieces per design:
