Sublimated vs Knitted Team Jerseys: Which Should Your Club Choose?
When it’s time to order new team jerseys, most clubs run straight into the same fork in the road: sublimated or knitted? The two manufacturing methods look similar in a catalogue photo but perform very differently once they’re out on the field for a full season of matches, training and washing. This guide compares sublimated and knitted jerseys across the three things that matter most to a club committee — durability, cost and look — so you can choose the right option whether you’re kitting out a rugby league side or an AFL squad.
What Are Sublimated Jerseys?
Sublimated jerseys are made by printing a design onto transfer paper, then using heat and pressure to turn the ink into a gas that bonds permanently with the fibres of a polyester (or polyester-blend) fabric. Because the dye becomes part of the fabric rather than sitting on top of it, sublimation allows unlimited colours, gradients and fine detail — logos, sponsor branding and player numbers can all be printed in a single pass rather than layered on afterwards. If you’re weighing sublimation up against other decoration methods like embroidery, screen print or DTF, our Embroidery vs Sublimation vs Screen Print vs DTF guide breaks down where each one fits.
What Are Knitted Jerseys?
Knitted jerseys are constructed on a knitting machine that builds the team’s colours and patterns directly into the structure of the fabric itself, rather than printing them on afterwards. This produces a heavier, more structured garment with a traditional look — the style most associated with classic club and representative jerseys before sublimation became widely available. Because the pattern is woven in rather than printed, colour options are more limited and changes to the design typically mean re-knitting the fabric rather than adjusting a digital print file.
Sublimated vs Knitted: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | Sublimated Jerseys | Knitted Jerseys
|
|---|---|---|
| Durability | Dye is bonded into the fibre, so graphics resist cracking, peeling and fading over repeated washes | Very durable, heavier-weight construction; colours are knitted in so they can’t peel, but the garment is harder to repair if damaged |
| Cost | Generally more cost-effective for custom colours, sponsor logos and player numbers, especially at club-order volumes | Typically higher cost per garment due to the specialised knitting process and setup |
| Look | Vivid, photo-realistic colours and gradients; lightweight, modern finish | Classic, structured look with a heavier drape; colours are more limited but have a premium traditional feel |
| Breathability | Ink doesn’t block the weave, so airflow and moisture-wicking performance is largely unaffected | Breathability depends on the base knit; generally less breathable than lightweight sublimated polyester |
| Best for | Clubs wanting full sponsor branding, gradients, or frequent design changes season to season | Clubs prioritising a traditional look and heavier match-day feel over design flexibility |
Durability: Which Lasts Longer?
Sublimation ink is absorbed into the polyester fibres rather than coated on the surface, which is why sublimated graphics resist the cracking and peeling that affects surface-printed garments. Independent textile research on heat sublimation transfer printing of polyester fabric confirms that the process produces strong washfastness and colour retention over repeated laundering cycles. Knitted jerseys are also highly durable in a different way — because the design is part of the weave structure itself, there’s no printed layer to wear off at all, though a damaged knitted panel is harder to repair or replace than a sublimated one. In practice, both methods hold up well to a full season provided care instructions are followed; under Australia’s mandatory care labelling standard, all clothing sold in Australia (including team jerseys) must carry accurate wash and care instructions, so always follow the label rather than assuming one fabric type needs less care than the other.
Cost: Which Is More Budget-Friendly?
For most club budgets, sublimation wins on cost — particularly once you factor in sponsor logos, multiple colours and individual player numbers, all of which can be printed in the same production run at no extra setup cost per colour. Knitted jerseys involve a more specialised manufacturing process, which generally makes them a higher-cost option per garment, and design changes between seasons can mean re-knitting rather than simply updating an artwork file.
Look & Colour: Which Looks Better on Field?
This largely comes down to preference and code tradition. Sublimation gives your committee complete creative freedom — gradients, photographic detail, and precise colour matching to club branding — which is why most modern rugby league and AFL club jerseys are sublimated. Knitted jerseys offer a heavier, more textured finish that some clubs prefer for a classic representative look, though with fewer colour and pattern options. It’s also worth considering how each option ages visually over a season: because sublimated colour is embedded in the fibre rather than sitting on top, jerseys tend to keep their vibrancy wash after wash, whereas a knitted garment’s colour is fixed at the point of manufacture and won’t fade in the same way a surface print might, but also can’t be refreshed or adjusted later.
Which Should Your Club Choose?
If your club wants full sponsor branding, gradient designs, or the flexibility to update artwork each season without re-tooling, sublimation is almost always the better fit — and it’s now the standard choice across most rugby league and AFL club and representative teams. If your priority is a heavier, traditional match-day feel and your design is simple and unlikely to change, a knitted jersey is worth considering. Budget also plays a role here: if your committee is weighing up decoration methods more broadly, revisit our decoration comparison guide before finalising artwork, since the method you choose for logos and numbers can influence which fabric construction makes the most sense for your order. Either way, compare physical samples of both constructions before committing your full club order — photos rarely capture how a fabric drapes or feels on court or field.