Most delayed kit orders do not stall in production. They stall between the purchase order and the print file, while somebody hunts for a usable logo, argues about whether the sponsor name sits on the chest or the shoulder, and waits for a club to decide on sizes. The factory side of a custom sublimated jersey is fairly predictable once the artwork is locked. The buyer side is where the time actually goes.
Below is the run as it happens on our floor in Guangzhou: six stages from artwork to packed carton, with what a purchasing manager has to hand over and approve at each one. We have been making full-sublimation apparel since 2008, and the pattern of what goes wrong is consistent.
Before the line starts: what a real quote needs
A quote request that only says “we need 200 soccer jerseys, what’s your price” cannot be answered honestly. Price on a sublimated garment moves with fabric weight, panel count, whether you want a knit collar or a self-fabric one, and how many size and name variations sit inside the order. We turn quotes around in one to two business days when the request contains the following:
- Garment type and a reference image or a competitor product page
- Fabric target: weight in gsm, or the behaviour you want (light and airy for a hot climate, heavier and structured for a training top)
- Quantity split by size, even a rough one
- Whether names and numbers vary per piece
- Destination market, since trim and packaging expectations differ by region
Low MOQ is possible on full sublimation because there is no screen or plate to amortise, which is why small clubs and startup brands can order at all. It does not mean the quote is instant when half the inputs are missing.
Step 1: Digital graphic and pattern design
Two separate things happen here and buyers often conflate them. The graphic is your design: colours, logos, sponsor blocks, gradients. The pattern is the flat shape of every panel that will be cut and sewn, sized to your grading, with seam allowance built in. The graphic gets laid onto the pattern, not onto a picture of a shirt.
This is why a logo lifted from a website almost never works. A 600 px PNG that looks fine on screen turns into visible edge noise once it is scaled onto a sleeve at print resolution. Send vector files. If you only have a raster logo, say so early and let the design team redraw it, because discovering it at print stage costs you a full cycle.
Colour is the other trap. We work to a 95% colour matching standard against a supplied reference, and that last five percent is physics, not effort. Sublimation ink is deposited on transfer paper, then converted to gas under heat and pressure so it bonds inside the polyester fibre. Fluorescent and metallic targets sit outside what that ink set can reproduce. If your brand guide is built on a neon or a metallic Pantone, raise it in step one and we will show you the closest achievable result before anything is printed.
Pick the fabric at the same time as the design
Weight changes how a print reads. The same artwork on a 100 gsm featherweight and a 300 gsm stretch knit will not look identical, because surface texture and stretch change how the pattern sits. Choosing fabric after approving artwork is backwards. Here is a slice of the real range, with the codes you can quote back to us:
| Code | Weight | Composition | How that spec behaves |
|---|---|---|---|
| AK8032 | 100 gsm | 100% polyester | Featherweight. Hot-climate match kits and running vests. Very light hand, minimal opacity. |
| AK8033 | 120 gsm | 100% polyester | Still light, a bit more body than 100 gsm. Common compromise for summer team kits. |
| AK8014 | 145 gsm | 100% polyester | Everyday jersey weight. Holds shape better through repeated washing. |
| AK1065 | 150 gsm | Polyester interlock | Interlock structure gives a smoother, denser face. Prints cleanly on fine detail. |
| AK1064 | 150 gsm | Polyester, spec sheet on request | Same weight, different hand feel. |
| AK2120 | 170 gsm | 90% polyester / 10% spandex | Four-way stretch. Fitted cuts, esports and training tops where movement matters. |
| AK2589 | 170 gsm | 90/10 mesh | Mesh construction for ventilated panels: side bodies, underarms, back yokes. |
| AK1100 | 300 gsm | 93% polyester / 7% spandex | Heavyweight with stretch. Hoodies, warm-up layers, streetwear-cut pieces. |
| AK2567 | 310 gsm | 92% polyester / 8% spandex | Heaviest tier. Structured outerwear-adjacent garments. |
These codes exist so you can order the same thing twice. Ask for physical swatches before approving a design, and keep the code on your internal spec. More of the range and the test data behind it sits in our fabric lab with AK-series weights and compositions.
Step 2: High-fidelity sublimation printing
Artwork goes onto transfer paper on Japanese printing equipment, then onto the fabric under heat. Because the dye becomes part of the fibre rather than sitting on top of it, there is no layer to crack, peel or wash off, and no thickness where the print sits. That is the whole argument for sublimation over screen or heat transfer vinyl on sportswear.
The limitation is equally structural. Sublimation dyes polyester, and it dyes light substrates. You cannot sublimate a cotton tee and you cannot print a light colour onto a dark base and expect it to show. When a buyer asks for a white logo on a black shirt, that black is printed too, as part of the same file. Anyone promising you sublimation on 100% cotton is describing a different process. The full workflow is laid out on our sublimation print technology and process page.
Sampling happens here. A full sublimation sample takes five to seven days, and it is the only honest way to judge colour, hand feel and fit together. Approving a screen mockup instead is the single most common cause of a disputed bulk order.
Step 3: Precision laser cutting
Printed panels are laser cut to the pattern. Laser cutting seals the polyester edge as it cuts, which matters for panels that will not be fully enclosed by a seam, and it holds registration tighter than a die or a hand-guided cut. If your design has a stripe crossing a side seam or a sponsor block spanning two panels, alignment lives or dies here.
Decide early about continuous graphics across seams. Every panel has to be cut and joined within tolerance for the line to read straight. It is achievable, it is not free, and if the design can survive a break at the seam, say so.
Step 4: Expert tailoring and assembly
Panels are joined, collars and cuffs attached, labels applied. We use premium flatlock stitching on the seams that sit against skin. Flatlock lies flat rather than forming a ridge, which is the difference between a jersey somebody wears for ninety minutes and one they complain about.
This is where your labelling decision becomes physical: woven neck label, printed heat transfer label, hang tag, care label with a market’s specific wording. Change your mind after assembly starts and pieces have to be reopened. Settle labelling at the sample stage, not at packing.
Step 5: Professional ironing and finishing
Garments are pressed and inspected. Inspection runs to an AQL 2.5 standard, which is a defined sampling plan with an accept and reject number, not a general promise of care. Ask any supplier what AQL level they inspect to; a vague answer means they inspect by feel.
Fabric testing sits alongside this and covers colour fastness, anti-pilling, shrinkage, seam strength, print adhesion, zipper and trim durability, and wash durability. Third-party fabric test reports from Intertek are available. On the compliance side we hold ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018, along with SLCP and Intertek WCA social compliance, and we are an official Umbro licensed manufacturer, which means the facility has passed a licensor’s own audit, not only our paperwork. Details of the inspection regime sit on our AQL 2.5 quality inspection system.
Step 6: Eco-friendly packaging, retail ready
Pieces are folded, bagged, labelled and boxed. Retail-ready means the garment goes straight onto a shelf or into a fulfilment centre without repacking: barcode placement, polybag spec, carton markings, size stickers. An Amazon or Shopify seller needs different packing from a club buying kits for its own squad, and that has to be specified before packing starts.
What the buyer owns at each stage
| Stage | You supply | You sign off on | Where it usually goes wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quote | Garment type, fabric target, size split, reference images | Price basis and fabric code | Quantity given as one number with no size breakdown |
| Design and pattern | Vector logos, colour references, name and number list, size chart | Layout on the flat pattern, colour targets | Low-resolution logo; neon or metallic brand colour raised too late |
| Printing and sampling | Approval to cut the sample | Physical sample: colour, hand feel, fit | Approving a digital mockup instead of a real sample |
| Laser cutting | Confirmation of graphics that cross seams | Final pattern and grading | Size grading changed after cutting begins |
| Assembly | Label artwork, care and compliance wording | Trim, collar and cuff construction | Labelling decided after sewing has started |
| Finishing and QC | Any market-specific test requirement | Inspection standard, test report scope | Testing requested after goods are finished |
| Packing | Barcodes, carton marks, packing spec | Retail-ready format | Fulfilment centre requirements arriving at the last minute |
Two decisions that save the most time
First, lock your size chart before the sample, not after. Our jersey size guide and measurement chart lets you check your market’s expectations early. Asian, European and North American fit assumptions differ, and regrading after cutting resets the schedule.
Second, decide whether names and numbers vary per piece. Personalisation is straightforward on sublimation because each panel is its own print file, but it multiplies the artwork and packing steps. A squad list arriving mid-production is a rework, not a small change.
Where to start
If you already have artwork, the fastest route is to send the vector files, your target fabric weight, and a size split, and ask for a sample. If you are still deciding, browse a category close to yours. The range of custom sublimated sport jerseys shows what construction and fabric pairings look like in finished form, which is easier to react to than a spec sheet.
We ship to Europe, North America, Oceania, the Middle East and Africa out of an 8,000+ m² facility with 300+ staff and a monthly capacity of 300,000 pieces, so the question is rarely whether an order can be made. It is whether the inputs are ready. Send your artwork and size split to our sales team for a quotation, tell us which market the goods are going to, and ask for a timeline against your delivery date before you commit.