Custom Jersey Design Guide: Artwork, Files & Colour Matching

What to send: the artwork pack in one table

A print-ready jersey artwork pack contains six things: a vector logo, colour references, sponsor logos, the name-and-number font, a placement note and the squad list. ZipaSports in Sialkot, Pakistan accepts the pack by WhatsApp or email and returns a digital mockup within 24 hours.

Nothing here needs design software. If the logo only exists as a JPG, say so; the studio redraws it under the free design service.

Vector or raster: why the logo file type decides print quality

A vector logo (AI, EPS, PDF or SVG) is stored as mathematical shapes, so it can be scaled from a sleeve badge to a full-back print with no loss of edge. A raster logo (JPG, PNG, GIF) is stored as pixels, so enlarging it beyond its original size produces soft, stepped edges, and sublimation reproduces those edges faithfully, blur included.

On a sublimated jersey the printed crest is usually larger than the logo the club has on its website, which is why a small PNG pulled from a social profile is the most common cause of a fuzzy badge. If vector is not available, send the largest, cleanest raster you own and the studio will trace it. Tracing a simple wordmark is quick; tracing a detailed crest with fine lines, shading or a photograph inside it takes longer, and the redrawn version comes back for your approval before it goes on the mockup.

Two checks before sending: open the file at 400% zoom and look for pixelation, and make sure the background is transparent rather than a white box. A white box on a coloured jersey prints as a white box.

Colour matching: Pantone references, screens and dye lots

Sublimation can match any Pantone reference, but only if there is a reference to match. Screen colours are unreliable because every monitor and phone shows a different red; a Pantone Solid Coated code gives the printer a physical swatch to hold against the printed fabric.

If you have no Pantone, a photo of an existing garment in daylight works better than a HEX value, because the studio reads the fabric colour rather than a backlit screen. The studio converts the reference to the printer's colour profile, prints a test strip on the actual polyester and compares it under a daylight lamp before the bulk run. Approved colours are kept on file so a reorder next season matches this one.

What to expect on the finished garment: the same design printed on different fabric batches can vary by a small shade step, which is normal dye-lot tolerance and is not treated as a defect. A colour visibly off the approved mockup beyond that tolerance is a print fault and is covered by the Quality Guarantee described at the end of this guide. If exact colour is critical, such as a sponsor's corporate red, ask for a physical sample in 5–7 days before approving bulk.

Sponsor logos and placement: describe every position in a table

A placement diagram does not have to be a drawing. A table that names each position and the artwork that goes there is enough for the studio to build the mockup, and it is easier to update when a new sponsor arrives in August.

League and federation rules often limit sponsor size and position, particularly for youth teams and cup competitions. Check your competition's kit regulations before approval; ZipaSports positions artwork to your instruction and cannot verify every league's rules for you. The mockup shows every logo in place so sponsors can sign off before printing.

Name and number fonts: legibility, licensing and league rules

Numbers are the only part of a jersey that must be readable from the far touchline, so the font decision is functional before it is decorative. Block fonts with even stroke width print cleanly at every size; thin, script or heavily outlined fonts lose definition on mesh fabric and can be hard for a referee to read.

Send either the font file or its exact name. If you have seen a number style you like on another kit, a photo is enough for the studio to find a close match or draw a custom set. Some competitions specify number height, stroke width or contrast against the shirt colour; if your league publishes a kit regulation, send it with the artwork pack and the mockup will be drawn to it.

Names and numbers are printed into the fabric by sublimation as part of the panel, so a squad of twenty different names needs no extra setup and there is no transfer to peel later. The names, numbers and sponsor logos page covers heat transfer, tackle twill and embroidery for cotton training wear and fleece.

Template concepts and how sublimation reproduces gradients

A sublimated jersey is printed flat on transfer paper, heat-pressed into the polyester panel at around 200 °C, then cut and sewn. Because the dye becomes part of the fibre, the print carries no ink layer: gradients, fades, textures and hundreds of colours all print in one pass, with no step where a colour is "added" at extra cost.

That freedom has three practical limits. First, white is not an ink; white areas are bare fabric, so a white sponsor logo is created by leaving the fabric unprinted. Second, artwork that crosses a seam will not line up exactly across the join, so avoid placing a thin line or a small logo across a side seam or shoulder. Third, very fine detail softens on textured mesh; on smooth interlock it holds better.

Gradients reproduce smoothly when the source file is built at full garment size with the gradient as a native vector or a high-resolution raster; a low-resolution gradient shows banding, and the printer reproduces the banding. If you want the studio to design the concept, describe it in plain words (colours, pattern, where the fade goes) and use the free design service; the first template arrives as a mockup within 24 hours. The dye-sublimation page lists fabric and GSM options.

The mockup revision loop: what to check before you approve

The mockup is a flat digital drawing of every panel, front and back, with names, numbers and sponsors in place. The studio produces it free within 24 hours of receiving the artwork pack and revises it as many times as you need before approval. The purpose of the loop is to move every change to the drawing stage, where it costs nothing, rather than the printed stage, where it means a reprint.

1. Check the spelling of every name against the squad list, not against memory.
2. Check the number sequence: no duplicates, and shorts numbers match jerseys.
3. Check each sponsor against the sponsor's own guideline, including clear space and colour.
4. Check colours against the Pantone reference, not against a phone screen.
5. Check the placement table: every position filled or deliberately empty.
6. Check the women's and youth versions if the design changes with the cut.

Approval by message is the record the factory works from. After approval, an optional physical sample takes 5–7 days at sample cost, credited against the bulk order, and bulk production of 15–25 business days (express 7–12 days) starts once the mockup or sample is confirmed.

Print-ready checklist and the artwork mistakes we see most often

Print-ready means: vector logos, Pantone or photo colour references, one placement table, the font, a single dated squad list, and the size specification agreed with the factory (see how to collect team sizes). A pack meeting those six points goes from message to mockup in 24 hours and from approval to shipped garments in 15–25 business days, or 7–12 on express, from the ZipaSports factory in Sialkot, Pakistan.

If the print is wrong: the Quality Guarantee

Quality Guarantee: if any garment arrives with a manufacturing defect, we remake it free of charge — the remake goes into production within 3 days of your report. For artwork, a manufacturing defect means a print fault: a misprint, ghosting, or colour off the approved mockup beyond normal shade tolerance. It does not cover a spelling error that was present on the approved mockup, or a sponsor logo the sponsor changed after approval, which is why the revision loop above matters.

To claim, send photos and the order reference on WhatsApp or email within 7 days of delivery. We confirm within 24 hours during business hours, then remake the affected pieces and ship the replacements at no charge; a credit is available if you prefer. Full wording is on the Quality Guarantee page and the return policy.

Ready to start? Send the artwork pack through the free 24-hour mockup page, or read the tech pack guide if you are building a brand range rather than a single team kit.