How to Make Your Own Basketball Uniform

Take charge of your team's image by designing and making your own basketball jerseys. Customize a jersey with your team's colors, fonts, and logos from any screen printing shop or online store. But if you plan to take the reigns for your team's uniform supply for the next several years, you may want to invest in your own heat press equipment to do the job yourself.

Things You'll Need

  • Jersey
  • List of names and numbers
  • Logos
  • Heat press
  • Transfer film
  • Cutting machine
  • Exact-o knife
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Instructions

  1. Customize at a Print Shop

    • 1

      Choose a local screen printing shop or online print store to work with.

    • 2

      Select a jersey style. The store will have a variety of fabrics and colors to choose from. Some jerseys will be reversible, allowing you to select both of your team's colors. Fabrics range from mesh to nylon to polyester. Designs and patterns are also plentiful.

    • 3

      Choose the size, font, and colors of players' names and numbers on the back of the jersey. While some online print shops will let you do this online, you may have to call in order to make the arrangements.

    • 4

      Upload or print a full-color, high-pixel-quality copy of the team's logo to place on the front of the jersey. Take time and care to submit the image exactly as you want it to appear on the jersey to avoid major disappointments.

    • 5

      Submit sizes and quantities of the jersey to the print shop to complete your order.

    Making Your Own

    • 6

      Buy a heat press at an office supply store or online craft and supply website. Keep in mind the material you hope to print on, which will most likely be polyester, mesh, or nylon. You'll want a heat press that deals well with vinyl for this task.

    • 7

      Pick out jerseys at a sporting clothes supply store or T-shirt shop that reflect your team's colors and style. While it's possible to do a heat transfer with mesh material, choosing polyester or nylon is probably a better option for heat transfer.

    • 8

      Buy a trusted vinyl heat transfer film in the appropriate color for adding letters and numbers to your uniforms. Read product reviews and ask others who have heat pressed team uniforms for recommendations. Thermo-film is highly recommended by heat press guru Josh Ellsworth.

    • 9

      Set the heat press to about 330º Fahrenheit before you start.

    • 10

      Cut the letters and numbers for your team on a transfer film cutting machine or by carefully using an exact-o knife.

    • 11

      Position your jersey carefully on the heat press and apply pressure for a few moments to remove wrinkles.

    • 12

      Lift the top of the press and place the transfer letter and number design exactly where you'd like it.

    • 13

      Close the heat press again and let the transfer set for 6 seconds.

    • 14

      Lift the lid of the press and remove the film from the transfer paper.