At First Ever Custom we use two main printing techniques to create your custom apparel.

Sublimation Printing

Sublimation printing is a technique that uses heat to transfer your design into the garment, rather than printing on top of it.

Sublimation is one of the most durable printing techniques and lasts for years as the ink becomes part of the fibers of the garment. We use sublimation across most of our sports uniforms like our custom basketball jerseys and soccer jerseys.

What can I create with Sublimation?

Sublimation offers you incredible design freedom as it replicates vibrant and durable colours well.

Semi-transparent graphics (or elements with lowered opacity), or colour gradients don't translate well with sublimation. We advise using solid colours for an amazing vibrant finish, or simulating semi-transparency by half-toning.


Direct To Garment (DTG) Printing

DTG is a printing technique that sprays ink directly onto the garment - think of a massive version of your inkjet printer at home, only designed for garments.

DTG allows you to create designs with detailed colours as the process goes straight from the printer to the garment. We use DTG across our cotton range of products like our custom cotton hoodies and t-shirts.

What can I create with Direct To Garment?

DTG goes straight from the printer to the garment so you can create detailed designs and photorealistic images.

With DTG, you’ll need to avoid transparencies. Elements that are less than 100% opaque don’t translate well in DTG printing—printers will attempt to make up the missing colour by spreading the ink, causing the fabric to have a lot of gaps. That’s why it’s best to use solid colours or fake semi-transparency by half-toning.


Professional Quality Finishes

Both techniques deliver a high quality finish and are used on both professional sports uniforms, and merchandise.

Check our image guidelines for more information about best practice for your images.