Tackle Twill, patches, etc...

[hjwii]

As usual, I have a question, but no answer:

Why do most, if not all, professional sports teams (sans soccer) have name, graphics, numbers, etc sewn on rather than printed or sublimated? Now, I realize the sewn on tackle twill makes for a far nicer, brighter jersey, but it adds so much weight; and probably cost too (then again, probably easier to sewn on a name plate rather than print one on...I dunno). And, since the new Edge jerseys in hockey was all about lighter sweaters, why not reduce that weight with printed graphics?

So, someone enlighten me...

Thanks,

hjwii

[quantum]

-- you should show your best, skill, dress or whatever (printed just looks so cheap)

-- can change or move numbers/name plates for cut players or move the numbers to new jerseys from damaged jerseys

[BamaHater]

Sewn, tackle twill holds up better during the rigors of a long season.

[RickV]

The man who runs and owns HR Derby told me that there are very few textile machines still operating that are capable of doing sublimation, and that is a major reason why it is difficult to find throwbacks that do a proper job of recreating old jerseys accurately. I imagine that would hold up for other kinds of jerseys as well.

[OCE]

The man who runs and owns HR Derby told me that there are very few textile machines still operating that are capable of doing sublimation, and that is a major reason why it is difficult to find throwbacks that do a proper job of recreating old jerseys accurately. I imagine that would hold up for other kinds of jerseys as well.

Is sublimation going extinct?! About ten years ago I thought it was going to take over. In about 2000 an indoor soccer team I played for once in a while got sublimation-printed shirts with some funky criss-crossing stripes and a huge version of the club crest (about 4" or 5" wide, probably close to the max for an embroidered patch). All those details were sublimation-printed and the crest looked so much better than the old one which was screen printed (like on a t-shirt), and even those in turn looked better than embroidery (I hate embroidery--it looks so bad unless you're doing just one or two colors).

Only the white on blue numbers (no names) were stitched on but even those were serged and pieced together in such a way so that the blue part was just a thin strip that surrounded the white and there was very little overlap. It made the numbers super-light. I thought it was really advanced stuff for the time.

They were expensive as hell (like $70 per kit LOL! The shirts alone would have been something like $55) but it looked great. The irregular stripes would have been pretty hard to do any other way, without having a bazillion little seams. The ink was in the fabric somehow so you couldn't feel it at all by touching the jersey. I'll look for a pic on my backup cds and maybe I can show you what I'm talking about.

The company (don't remember the name) used their own blanks for the shirts but they said they could also start with basic white shirts from any manufacturer.

I wonder what happened... maybe it was too expensive for the average amateur team?

[MJWalker45]

Like previously stated it's just easier to pull a nameplate off then replace it. As far as socce, the EPL uses felt numbers and names but unless someone has his shirt tugged and pulled repeatedly for the full 90 they won't come off. Also some teams use felt applications for the club badge, ala MLS for all it's teams last year. Sublimation is just too expensive unless you're a top team with a big budget.