Custom Streetwear Guide - What is Sublimation Printing?

Custom Streetwear Guide — What is Sublimation Printing?

In the competitive world of custom streetwear, where expressive visuals and bold aesthetics reign supreme, sublimation printing has emerged as a powerful method for brands to stand out.

Whether you're launching a streetwear startup, producing limited-edition capsule collections, or exploring printing methods that offer durability and vibrancy, this guide explains what sublimation printing is, how it compares to other methods, and why modern apparel creators favor it.

1. What is Sublimation Printing?

Sublimation printing is a digital process that uses heat and pressure to transfer dye into synthetic fabrics, usually polyester. Unlike screen printing or DTG (Direct-to-Garment), sublimation turns solid dye into gas and embeds it into the fabric fibers at a molecular level.

This results in a long-lasting, lightweight, and vibrant print that won’t crack, peel, or fade over time, even after dozens of washes.

2. Why Use Sublimation for Custom Streetwear?

Sublimation printing is ideal for streetwear brands focused on unique designs, performance-inspired silhouettes, and all-over visuals. Here's why it's preferred:

All-Over Coverage Printing:

Sublimation allows edge-to-edge designs across the entire garment—perfect for oversized prints, layered textures, and psychedelic or collage-style graphics.

Extremely Durable and Wash-Resistant:

Since the dye becomes part of the fabric, it won’t peel or crack like screen prints. According to Printful testing, sublimation garments retain over 90% color fidelity even after 50 washes.

No Texture or Weight

Sublimated garments remain breathable and smooth, with no ink buildup—ideal for activewear-inspired streetwear.

Perfect for Polyester Garments

Unlike DTG, which favors cotton, sublimation thrives on 100% polyester, making it a natural fit for techwear, festival outfits, and hybrid street-performance collections.

3. What Garments Work Best for Sublimation?

Sublimation printing only works on synthetic fabrics, most commonly 100% polyester or poly-blends with high polyester content (≥65%).

4. How to Customize Sublimation Clothes?

Here's how brands create sublimation-printed garments with us at Touches Dark:

· Submit vector-based designs (AI, EPS, high-res PNG)

· Choose a garment template from our polyester styles

· Print designs on fabric panels using sublimation heat-press

· Cut and sew into finished garments

· Quality control + packaging and delivery

Unlike DTG or screen printing, sublimation is usually done before stitching, which allows for full-coverage, seam-to-seam graphics.

5. Sublimation vs. Other Printing Methods: Why It Matters

Feature	Sublimation Printing	Screen Printing	DTG Printing	Heat Transfer
Best for	Polyester-based garments	Cotton fabrics, bulk orders	High-cotton garments, small runs	Small orders, logos, graphics
Fabric Compatibility	100% Polyester	Cotton, poly blends	100% Cotton or blends	Various fabrics (cotton/poly)
Print Feel	No feel, fully embedded	Slight texture	Slight texture	Often raised or rubbery
Durability	Excellent (won’t crack or peel)	Very durable if properly cured	Good, may fade over time	Moderate, can peel over time
Color Brightness	Extremely vivid	Bright, but limited for gradients	Good on light garments	Good, but limited detail

6. Which One Should You Use?

· Choose Sublimation if you want full-coverage prints, vibrant visuals, and are using polyester-based garments (e.g., jerseys, activewear, festivalwear).

· Choose Screen Printing if you’re doing large runs on cotton garments and don’t need gradients or high detail.

· Choose DTG if your brand focuses on high-detail, cotton-based designs with multiple color variations and lower quantities.

· Choose Heat Transfer for quick-turn, simple graphics or logo-based printing, especially for small runs or personalization.

At Touches Dark, we offer multiple printing options to fit your brand’s design, material, and budget needs. Not sure which to choose? Our production team is here to advise you.

7. Who Uses Sublimation in Streetwear?

Sublimation is widely adopted by both niche and mainstream streetwear brands, especially for collections that require color-rich storytelling and performance aesthetics:

· UNIF – for full-body, collage-style prints on festivalwear

· Palm Angels – blends high fashion and sport tech

· Savage x Fenty Active – sublimated prints on seamless sets

· Printful & Printify POD Brands – countless small streetwear creators leverage sublimation for custom all-over apparel

· Smaller DTC Brands on Etsy & Shopify – vibrant sublimated tees, hoodies, and sports sets

Unlike DTG or screen printing, sublimation is usually done before stitching, which allows for full-coverage, seam-to-seam graphics.

Let’s Create Vibrant Custom Streetwear Together

Looking to launch custom sublimation clothes that make your brand stand out? Touches Dark is here to help you bring your most expressive designs to life—with quality, speed, and precision.

Start your sublimation project with a trusted clothing manufacturer for startups and creative brands at TOUCHES DARK

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