Sublimation Sport Garment Branding: How to Print Golf Shirts, Jerseys and Jackets with AM.CO.ZA

This page started as a short 2022 sublimationinks.co.za post about offering customers branded sport shirts. It now works as a how-to guide for a full-colour sublimation sportswear business: which fabrics work, what equipment you need, how to design, print, press and sew a garment, the settings AM.CO.ZA uses in its own videos, and how to fix the common faults. The original post is kept at the bottom.

Product facts come from the AM.CO.ZA product data behind buythis.co.za (product JSON on am.im, dump dated 2026-10-19) and AM.CO.ZA's own YouTube videos. Prices change, so check the current price on each linked buythis page. Stock is not shown here.

Quick answer

What it is: you print the full garment design onto sublimation transfer paper with sublimation ink, then a heat press turns the ink into a gas that bonds into polyester fibres. The print becomes part of the fabric, so it does not crack, peel or wash out.
Fabric rule: polyester (synthetic) fabric only. Cotton and other natural fibres do not hold the ink, and on a blend the cotton share washes out.
The kit: a roll-to-roll sublimation printer such as the 1,800 mm F2-1801/SUB, 120 gsm sublimation paper such as H-PAPER/ROLL/1600, dye sublimation ink such as H2-INK/COMBO/CMYK, a roller heat press such as H-ROLLER/1600/E6 or H-ROLLER/1700/OIL9, and someone to cut and sew the panels.
Typical press settings: AM.CO.ZA's FAQ video gives 195 to 240 °C depending on the fabric. Its softshell jacket demo uses 225 °C at speed 15.
Sewing: AM.CO.ZA hands printed panels to a CMT (cut, make, trim) sewing team. If you do not sew in-house, a local CMT can do it for you.

Why sport garments suit sublimation

Golf shirts, cycling and running tops, rugby and soccer jerseys, team jackets and school sportswear are mostly polyester, and buyers want bright, edge-to-edge colour with logos, sponsor names and flags. Sublimation prints the whole panel at once, so a design can run across seams and sleeves. Because the ink bonds into the fibre, the garment stays soft and breathable. AM.CO.ZA's videos show it printing marathon T-shirts, Wits University T-shirts, school uniform panels and rolls of sportswear on 1,600 mm paper.

Fabrics that work

AM.CO.ZA's colour swatch video tests matte acetate, brushed spandex, honeycomb mesh and soft polyester and calls honeycomb the most used material in the industry, good for T-shirts and rugby jerseys. Its clothing business video also covers Lycra (also sold as spandex or scuba): lay it so the main stretch runs left to right. Points to remember:

Polyester only. In the FAQ video, a 60% polyester shirt prints far brighter than a 60% cotton one, and the cotton share fades after washing.
Whites differ. Every fabric has its own shade of white, so the same blue prints as two different blues on two fabrics. Print a colour swatch on the actual fabric and get the customer to approve it before running 100 garments.
Stretch fabrics need enough ink. If too little ink goes down, white shows through when spandex or open mesh is stretched. An eight-pass print gives the coverage.
Shrinkage. Fabric always shrinks the first time it goes through the press, from about 1 cm to 10 cm in either direction depending on the material, so allow for it in your panel sizes.

Equipment you need

Roll-to-roll sublimation printers

SKU	Print width	Control board	Printheads	RIP software
F2-1801/SUB	1,800 mm	PrintExp	One Epson XP600	InkRIP (in-house)
F2-1801D/SUB	1,800 mm	PrintExp	Two Epson XP600	InkRIP (in-house)
F2-1804/SUB	1,800 mm	PrintExp	One Epson XP600	SAi FlexiPRINT
F1-1801/SUB	1,800 mm	ATools	One Epson XP600	InkRIP (in-house)
F2-3201/SUB	3,200 mm	PrintExp	Two Epson XP600	InkRIP (in-house)
F2-3204/SUB	3,200 mm	PrintExp	Two Epson XP600	SAi FlexiPRINT
F1-3201/SUB	3,200 mm	ATools	Two Epson XP600	InkRIP (in-house)

Every package above includes 4 litres of CMYK sublimation ink and cleaner. The same FastCOLOUR ONE range also comes with three printheads and with Epson I1600 or I3200 printheads for higher output. The FAQ video explains that a second printhead mainly adds speed and function rather than better quality.

Roller heat presses

SKU	Working width	Heating and power	Best for
H-ROLLER/300/E4	300 mm, 210 mm drum	Electric, 4 kW, 220 V, up to 260 °C	Lanyards, ribbons and other narrow strips
H-ROLLER/1600/E6	1,620 mm	Electric, 220 V (6 kW in the full product name, 6.4 kW in the short name)	Two feeding and take-up rollers plus a worktable; entry roll-to-roll press for shirt panels, flags and banners
H-ROLLER/1600/E6P	1,620 mm	Electric, 220 V, same heating as the E6	Three feeding and take-up rollers, including a liner (protection) paper take-up
H-ROLLER/1700/OIL9	1,700 mm, 220 mm open oil drum	Oil, 9 kW, 220 V; needs a 41 A, 10 mm² cable (not included) and a 63 A plug and breaker is suggested	Even heat for long runs; shown pressing 7 m and 20 m banners
H-ROLLER/1700/OIL12	1,700 mm, 220 mm open oil drum	Oil, 12 kW, 380 V three-phase; 32 A, 4 mm² cable	Workshops with three-phase power doing continuous production
H-ROLLER/3200/OIL35	3,200 mm, 420 mm oil drum	Oil, 35 kW, 380 V; 61 A, 16 mm² cable, 63 A plug and breaker suggested, 4 to 8 bar compressed air	Factory-scale 3.2 m fabric runs

The roller press feeds the printed paper and the fabric together around a heated drum under a pressure blanket, so it handles long rolls and cut panels. Replacement seamless Nomex felt blankets include H-1600/BLANKET (1,600 mm wide, about 1,420 mm long, 5 mm thick) and H-1700/BLANKET/2 (1,700 mm wide, 2,000 mm long, 8 mm thick).

Paper and ink

H-PAPER/ROLL/1600 and H-PAPER/ROLL/1520: Heatware 120 gsm sublimation paper rolls, 100 m long, 1,600 mm or 1,520 mm wide, for polyester fabric. AM.CO.ZA's jacket video uses 120 gsm because large-format printers lay down a lot of ink, and thinner paper can wrinkle or shrink in the press. Its clothing business video says to use coated paper of at least 100 gsm.
H2-INK/COMBO/CMYK: four 1 kg bottles of Heatware Premium cyan, magenta, yellow and black dye sublimation ink. H2-INK/COMBO adds a 1 litre water-based ink cleaner, and H2-INK/BLACK is a 1 kg high-density black.
H2-INK/COMBO/NEON: fluorescent magenta and yellow sublimation inks in 1 kg bottles, for bright sportswear and safety-style colours. AM.CO.ZA's videos show the neon inks glowing under UV light.
F-AQUA/CLEAN: 1 litre water-based ink cleaning solution for sublimation, DTF and DTG printers, for routine flushing and nozzle care.

Step by step: from design to finished garment

Design the panels. Lay out the front, back and sleeves as separate pattern pieces so that patterns meet across the seams. AM.CO.ZA's jacket redesign video moves a stripe so it lines up across the zip and changes sleeve text to the background colour so it stands out.
Do colour swatches. What you see on screen is not what prints, because the paper absorbs ink and every fabric's white differs. Print swatches on the real fabric and get customer approval first.
Mirror the print. Set the software to print everything in reverse, so you design the right way round and the transfer comes out correctly.
Print. Keep the printer clean and clean it at intervals on long runs, or colour drifts between garments. AM.CO.ZA's FAQ video calls eight passes the best for sublimation colour and vibrancy. On thin paper, stay at about four passes because the paper cannot absorb more ink.
Prepare the fabric. Make sure it is clean. If the fabric holds moisture from storage, run it through the press once on its own first, like ironing it dry, to stop steam pushing ink sideways into streaks.
Press. Feed the fabric about 2 cm ahead of the paper so it settles evenly before the paper meets it, and push it in at the same speed the drum turns. Use liner (tissue) paper behind edge-to-edge prints and open mesh so ink does not stain the blanket. Match settings to the paper: thin paper goes faster at a higher temperature, thicker paper slower at a lower temperature. Test and adjust for each fabric.
Unload carefully. In cold, dry weather static can make the used paper cling to the drum. Pull it away straight away, or it keeps winding round and the rest of the job comes out a different colour. The paper is hot, so take care.
Cut, sew and finish. Cut the panels with proper fabric scissors, then sew. Binding at cuffs and collars stretches and sits closer to the skin than folded print fabric. The CMT then irons and packs the garment.

Fixing common faults

Fault	Likely cause	Fix
Streaks and ink bursting sideways	Moisture in the fabric	Pre-press the fabric on its own to dry it, then press with the paper
Lines with little or no ink	Too little pressure	Wind the press pressure up a little more
White fold line with no ink	Fabric folded over itself going into the drum, often from too much mat tension	Set the tension so the fabric goes in flat
Blemish spot where nothing transferred	Air bubble between paper and fabric, common on waterproof fabric	Smooth the paper and fabric together before feeding
Whole job slightly the wrong colour	Used paper wrapping round the drum, or an uncleaned printer	Pull paper off the drum as it exits; clean the printer between runs
White shows when stretched	Too little ink on stretch or open fabric	Print more passes (eight-pass)
Colours fade after washing	Cotton in the fabric	Use polyester-rich fabric

The FAQ video also confirms you cannot iron the print out afterwards: pressing happens at 195 to 240 °C, hotter than a household or steam iron.

Videos

FAQ

Can I sublimate onto cotton golf shirts? No. Sublimation bonds only with polyester. On a blend, the cotton share loses its colour in the wash, so choose polyester or polyester-rich shirts.

Do I need a roller press, or will a flat press do? A flat heat press works for single shirts and small panels. For full-print sportswear made from rolls or many panels, a roller heat press is faster and gives even heat across the width.

Which paper weight should I buy? AM.CO.ZA uses 120 gsm for large-format sublimation because the printer lays down a lot of ink. Thin paper can wrinkle and limits you to fewer print passes.

What temperature should I use? Between 195 and 240 °C depending on the fabric, according to AM.CO.ZA's FAQ video. Its softshell demo ran at 225 °C, and its clothing business demo dropped to 200 °C after a higher setting started burning the material. Always test on the fabric first.

Why do my printed colours not match the screen? The paper absorbs ink and each fabric has a different white. Do colour swatches on the real fabric and use the correct colour profile in your RIP software.

Does two printheads mean better quality? Not by itself. It mainly gives more speed and options; quality comes from the right pass count, clean heads and good profiles.

Who sews the garments? A CMT (cut, make, trim) team. AM.CO.ZA uses its own; you can outsource it to a local CMT, which the jacket video recommends because good sewing decides whether the garment survives washing.

Original post (sublimationinks.co.za, 2022)

Source: https://sublimationinks.co.za/sublimation-print-sport-garment

published: 2022-11-16 15:43:00
modified: 2022-11-17 11:39:42
youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MnzbdXDd2s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVDZ5DRLGyA

Offer your customers a branding opportunity on sport shirts and garments. They can visually represent their brands all while making business connections on the golf course or at the 19th hole. Help them be visual and more memorable.

In pure AM.CO.ZA spirit (where Achievement Matters) - we have created a simple to follow tutorial series to further your knowledge on full colour sublimation clothing making, design, print, transfer & sewing. We go in-depth to ensure your success.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MnzbdXDd2s

First we use a AM.CO.ZA Large Format Printer to high quality print our shirt designs onto AM.CO.ZA sublimation paper using AM.CO.ZA sublimation ink ensuring that the best print is achieved. Once we are satisfied a Heatware Roller Heat Press is used to transfer our design print to fabric.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVDZ5DRLGyA&feature=youtu.be

Or Talented TEAM of CMTs then cut and sew our printed panels to create these inspired garments. Ready to promote our brand at the next opportunity.