It’s Not too Early to Prepare for Winter Sports

Are you prepared for the winter sports season?

Yes, we are nice and warm now in the summer months, but you should be planning for the winter sports season of heat printing.  Hockey and basketball will be your targets, so begin to think of what uniform packages you want to offer for these sports and your decorating options for them, including number styles and familiarizing yourself with the uniform fabric and what heat transfer material you will be decorating with.

Why you should be decorating uniforms for these winter sports:

• Hockey has over 555,000 registered players in the US and is a team sport that has increased growth by 10% and ranks 2^nd in average annual spending of families.
• Basketball ranks 3^rd in both girls and boy’s participation as well as 3^rd in team sports uniforms. The sport overall has had an increased growth by 4.7%.

Number Styles

The number styles you will use when decorating for these sports are an important part of the uniforms aesthetics.  Hockey numbers are large and typically have a bold or block style to them as the numbering area is larger when compared to other sports.  Basketball will have numbers designed for the smaller area for numbering and tend to be slim/lite styles.  Shown below are 10 suggested number styles for each winter sport.

The sport you are decorating for, along with the fabric of the jersey will influence your heat transfer material selection. 

Hockey requires a heat transfer material that has high durability and is abrasion resistant as there is high contact from body checks and player equipment to contend with.  When decorating uniforms, you want to have confidence that what you are applying will last.

• Thermo-FILM^® is the #1 athletic material, as it is abrasion resistant and highly durable. Thermo-FILM will outlast the life of the garment.  It’s also available in popular team colors.
• Poly-TWILL^™ provides a professional look and requires to be sewn to the jersey. There are additional costs involving sewing, but it provides a permanent, professional look.
• SimStitch^® provides an alternative option, as it is made from poly-twill and has a simulated zigzag stitch, only needing to be heat applied for permanent application.

To learn more about decorating hockey uniforms visit How to Decorate Hockey Uniforms.

Basketball jerseys are made with lightweight performance fabrics and some areas of the uniform will have stretch properties.  The heat transfer material you apply to these fabrics will need to have a soft hand, stretchability, low temperature application, and in some cases block dye migration without adding thickness or weight to the jersey.  Dye migration happens with highly saturated polyester or sublimated areas of the uniform.

• Premium Plus^™ offers a low temperature application, soft hand, high stretch and rebound, matte finish, and is available in popular team colors.
• Silicone Dye-Block^™ blocks dye migration and provides a unique raised matte finish and silicone feel, high stretch and rebound, available in Pre-Cut and Pre-Spaced

To learn more about decorating basketball uniforms visit How to Decorate Basketball Uniforms.

Add a name to that jersey or spirit wear apparel.  Simply upload your roster online and the names arrive pre-aligned on a carrier, ready to heat apply.

Looking for more options to decorate sports jerseys? Show your customers new uniform decorating possibilities with the updated Team Decorator.

Helpful Hint: Your most efficient method when personalizing uniforms with your heat press is to combine Pre-Spaced Text with Pre-Cut Numbers.