Screen printed vs. sublimated rally towels
Two ways to put your design on a rally towel — a straight side-by-side from the people who print both.
The short answer
Choose screen printed cotton when the design is a bold one- or two-color mark and you want the lowest cost per towel at volume. Choose sublimated microfiber when the artwork is photographic, has gradients, or has to run edge to edge, because screen printing cannot hold those at a sensible cost. Both come with a free mockup within 24 hours, both start from a minimum of 12 towels, and both ship in about 2 weeks.
Side by side
| Screen printed cotton | Sublimated microfiber | |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric | Hemmed cotton | Polyester microfiber |
| Print method | Ink pushed through a screen, one screen per color | Dye bonded into the fibers by heat |
| Colors | 1 to 4 ink colors | Unlimited colors, edge to edge |
| Artwork it suits | Bold logos, crests and words in one or two colors | Photos, gradients, patterns and full-bleed designs |
| Feel | Heavier, with the weight and hand of a towel | Lighter and thinner, dries faster |
| Sizes | 15 x 18 inch standard, larger to order | 12 x 18, 15 x 18 and larger |
| Cost profile | Lowest unit cost for simple designs at volume; each extra color adds cost | No per-color cost, so complex art does not add to the print cost |
| Best for | Full-house giveaways, school and club towels | Anniversary and commemorative fixtures, sponsor-heavy designs |
Where screen printing wins
A rally towel has to be read from the far side of a stadium while it is being waved, and that favors bold, high-contrast marks. Screen printing puts ink on the surface of hemmed cotton in one to four colors, and the first color carries almost all of the legibility. Extra colors add cost and very little visibility once the towel is moving, so a single strong word and a crest in one or two inks is usually the best-performing design. Cotton also gives the weight and hand people expect from a towel, which is why it is the standard for school, club and venue giveaways. See custom rally towels.
Where sublimation earns its place
Sublimation puts dye into the fiber instead of ink on the surface, so it can reproduce any number of colors right to the edge of the towel. That is the only way to do a photograph, a sunset-to-dark fade behind a crest, or a repeating pattern that runs off every edge. The trade is the base fabric: sublimation needs polyester microfiber, which is lighter and thinner than cotton and dries faster, and some fans notice the difference. It suits anniversary games, commemorative fixtures and sponsor-heavy designs where every brand color has to match. See sublimated full-color towels.
The verdict
Pick screen printed cotton for full-house giveaways, school colors and any design that is one or two strong colors.
Pick sublimated microfiber for photographic, gradient or full-bleed artwork and commemorative towels that need no color separations.
Not sure which your artwork needs? Send it through the quote form and the free mockup will show the design at actual size so you can judge it before you order.
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