Choosing the Right Printing Method for Your Activewear

Understanding Your Printing Options

When it comes to custom activewear, the printing method you choose affects everything — the look of your design, the feel of the garment, the durability of the print, the cost per unit, and even which fabrics you can use. Choosing the wrong method can result in prints that crack after a few washes, colours that bleed, or costs that blow out your budget.

This guide covers the four most common printing methods used for activewear and gym apparel: DTF (Direct-to-Film), screen printing, dye sublimation, and heat transfer vinyl. We’ll break down how each works, when to use it, and which is best for the fitness industry.

DTF Printing (Direct-to-Film)

How It Works

DTF printing involves printing your design onto a special PET film using CMYK and white inks. The printed film is coated with adhesive powder, cured, and then heat-pressed onto the garment. The result is a full-colour, highly detailed transfer that bonds directly to the fabric.

Strengths

• Unlimited colours: No additional cost for more colours, gradients, or photographic images.
• Fabric versatility: Works on polyester, nylon, cotton, blends, and performance fabrics — virtually any textile.
• No minimum orders: Economically viable from a single unit to thousands.
• Excellent detail: Reproduces fine details, small text, and complex designs with precision.
• Stretch performance: DTF transfers flex with the fabric, making them ideal for activewear that stretches during movement.
• Vibrant on dark fabrics: The white ink layer ensures colours pop on black, navy, and other dark base colours.

Limitations

• Per-unit cost is higher than screen printing for very large runs (500+ identical units).
• Print area has a maximum size per transfer (though multiple transfers can be applied to one garment).

Best For

Gym merch, CrossFit apparel, fitness studio branded gear, small to medium runs, complex multi-colour designs, performance fabrics.

Fitprint’s DTF printing service is our core offering and the method we recommend for the vast majority of activewear projects.

Screen Printing

How It Works

Screen printing is one of the oldest and most established printing methods. A mesh screen is prepared with a stencil of your design — one screen per colour. Ink is pushed through the mesh onto the fabric, one colour at a time, building up the full design layer by layer.

Strengths

• Cost-effective at scale: For large orders (200+ of the same design), screen printing offers a low per-unit cost.
• Thick ink deposit: Creates bold, vibrant colours with excellent opacity.
• Specialty inks: Supports metallic, glow-in-the-dark, puff, and other specialty ink effects.
• Proven durability: Well-executed screen prints last for years.

Limitations

• Setup costs: Each colour requires a separate screen, making setup expensive for multi-colour designs.
• Minimum orders: The setup cost means screen printing is only cost-effective above certain quantities (typically 25-50+).
• Limited detail: Fine gradients, photographic images, and very small text are difficult to reproduce.
• Fabric restrictions: Works best on cotton and cotton-dominant blends. Performance polyester can cause issues like dye migration.
• Colour limitations: Each additional colour increases cost and production time.

Best For

Large-volume orders of simple, one-to-three colour designs on cotton or poly-cotton garments. Event tees, promotional giveaways, and basic branded apparel.

Dye Sublimation

How It Works

Dye sublimation uses heat to transfer dye directly into the fibres of the fabric. The design is printed onto transfer paper with sublimation inks, then heat-pressed onto the garment. The heat converts the solid ink into a gas, which permeates the fabric fibres and solidifies within them.

Strengths

• All-over printing: Sublimation can cover the entire garment — front, back, sleeves, and panels — with a seamless, edge-to-edge design.
• Permanent colour: Because the dye becomes part of the fabric rather than sitting on top, sublimated prints won’t crack, peel, or fade.
• No hand feel: There’s no print layer to feel. The garment feels exactly the same as an unprinted one.
• Vibrant colours: Produces exceptionally bright, vivid colour reproduction.

Limitations

• Polyester only: Sublimation only works on 100% polyester or polyester-coated substrates. It will not work on cotton, nylon, or low-polyester blends.
• Light fabrics only: The process works best on white or very light-coloured garments. There’s no white ink in sublimation, so dark base colours are not an option.
• Cut-and-sew requirement: For true all-over prints, the fabric is typically sublimated before the garment is constructed (cut-and-sew), which increases complexity and cost.
• Higher minimums: Cut-and-sew sublimation typically requires higher minimum orders to be economical.

Best For

All-over printed activewear, custom leggings, cycling jerseys, performance tops where the entire garment surface is part of the design. Ideal when you want a seamless, print-everywhere look on polyester.

Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV)

How It Works

Heat transfer vinyl involves cutting designs from sheets of coloured vinyl using a plotter or cutting machine. The cut vinyl is then heat-pressed onto the garment. Each colour in the design requires a separate layer of vinyl.

Strengths

• Crisp, clean edges: Vinyl produces sharp, precise lines — ideal for simple logos, text, and numbers.
• Low setup cost: No screens or special inks required.
• Effective for small runs: Works well for individual items or very small batches.
• Specialty finishes: Available in metallic, glitter, reflective, and flock finishes.

Limitations

• Not suitable for complex designs: Vinyl is limited to solid colours. Gradients, photographic images, and intricate details are not possible.
• Hand feel: Vinyl sits on top of the fabric and can feel thick, plasticky, or stiff, particularly on performance fabrics.
• Durability concerns: Over time, vinyl can crack, peel, or lift at the edges, especially with frequent washing and stretching.
• Labour-intensive: Each colour and each garment requires individual cutting, weeding (removing excess vinyl), and pressing. This makes it slow and expensive for larger orders.
• Poor stretch performance: Vinyl doesn’t stretch well with the fabric, making it unsuitable for leggings, compression tops, and other stretch activewear.

Best For

Simple names and numbers on jerseys, individual personalisation, single items, and situations where a specialty finish (metallic, glitter) is desired.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	DTF	Screen	Sublimation	Vinyl
Colours	Unlimited	Per-screen cost	Unlimited	Solid only
Detail level	Excellent	Moderate	Excellent	Basic
Fabric types	All	Cotton-best	Polyester only	Most
Dark fabrics	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Minimum orders	None	25-50+	Varies	None
Durability	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Moderate
Hand feel	Soft, flexible	Varies	None	Thick
Stretch performance	Excellent	Moderate	Excellent	Poor
Cost (small runs)	Affordable	Expensive	Moderate	Affordable
Cost (large runs)	Moderate	Affordable	Moderate	Expensive
All-over printing	No	No	Yes	No

Which Method Should You Choose?

Choose DTF if:

• You’re printing on performance or activewear fabrics (polyester, nylon, blends).
• Your design includes multiple colours, gradients, or fine details.
• You need small to medium quantities (1 to 300+ units).
• You want durable prints that flex with stretchy fabrics.
• You need prints on dark-coloured garments.
• You want quick turnaround with no setup fees.

For most custom activewear, gym merch, and fitness apparel, DTF is the best all-round choice. It’s why we built our custom activewear printing service around it.

Choose Screen Printing if:

• You have a large order (200+ units) of the same simple design.
• Your design has one to three solid colours.
• You’re printing primarily on cotton garments.
• You want specialty ink effects (metallic, puff, glow).

Choose Sublimation if:

• You want an all-over, edge-to-edge design.
• You’re printing on 100% white or light-coloured polyester.
• You’re creating custom leggings, cycling kits, or fully printed performance wear.
• You don’t need prints on dark fabrics.

Choose Vinyl if:

• You need simple text, names, or numbers on a few garments.
• You want a specialty finish like metallic or glitter.
• You’re personalising individual items (e.g., adding names to team jerseys).

The Fitprint Recommendation

For the fitness industry specifically, DTF printing hits the sweet spot of quality, versatility, durability, and cost-effectiveness. It handles the performance fabrics your members train in, reproduces your brand’s colours and details faithfully, and works for any order size.

At Fitprint, we’ve refined our DTF process to deliver the best possible results on activewear. Whether you’re creating custom t-shirts, gym uniforms, or a full branded apparel range, our printing delivers results that look and feel premium.

Place your order and experience the difference quality printing makes for your fitness brand.