What are the opportunities in Personalisation for Sportwear and Signage?

Rob Fletcher discusses the growing importance of personalisation and digital innovation across sectors. Major brands use personalised print to engage customers and boost sales. Personalised sportswear demand is increasing, and companies like Eurojersey embrace sustainable manufacturing and digital transformation.

When talking about printed personalisation in sport, many will immediately think about names and numbers on the back of football shirts. However, thanks to advancements in printing technology, coupled with the imagination of marketers and organisations in the sports space, sportswear personalisation now goes much further.

It is also important to note the increasing size and reach of sports properties. Easier access to live broadcasts means more people can now engage with their favourite teams around the world, while the emergence of esports in recent years has opened up sports to a whole new audience.

With this in mind, we spoke with several print equipment manufacturers active within this area to find out more about emerging opportunities and how their solutions can help print companies access this work.

Ongoing growth in demand

Up first is Mimaki Europe, whose product management supervisor, Marc Verbeem, said demand for printed sportswear is set to remain strong, with plenty of opportunities for growth.

Verbeem picked out recent research by Dutch government agency CBI.eu, which shows the market has been steadily expanding, with European imports reaching €11.7 billion and growing at an average of 4.6% annually. He added that the rise of athleisure and increased focus on sports and active lifestyles continue to drive demand for high-quality, customised sportswear.

Mimaki expects demand for customised and personalised to increase

“At Mimaki, we've been supporting this sector for years with our dye sublimation printers, which allow for vibrant and high-performance prints on sporting apparel,” Verbeem said. “Whether it’s custom team uniforms, personalised designs, or large-scale production, digital printing gives businesses the flexibility to produce what they need, when they need it.

“Demand for customisation and personalised products also continues to grow. Digital print technologies, such as our dye sublimation and DTF printers, enable businesses to meet this demand efficiently, delivering vibrant prints on-demand without requiring large production runs. By focusing on customisation services for both individual consumers and sports teams, printers can tap into a steady stream of opportunities in this expanding sector.”

Going into more detail on how Mimaki can help, Verbeem highlighted how Mimaki has been at the forefront of digital textile printing since the release of the Tx-1600S, the world’s first roll-to-roll textile inkjet printer. Since then, the manufacturer has continued to develop new solutions that help businesses stay competitive in the textile industry.

“Our dye sublimation and DTF printers deliver high-quality, durable prints suited for both performance sportswear and athleisure,” Verbeem said.

For those looking to explore sublimation, Verbeem recommends the TS100 Series entry-level machine, as well as the TS330 Series mid-range solution, and Tiger600 Series industrial volume device. Mimaki also offers a range of DTF printers, including the TxF Series, designed to meet the growing demand for vibrant, high-performance prints in textile applications.

Mimaki’s Tiger600-1800TS can hit print speeds of up to 550sq m/hr

Users of Mimaki’s printing technology also benefit from Mimaki’s TXLink5, a RIP software designed for digital textile production and enabling extreme variable data.

“This software allows to easily create a single file with the basic design and all the variable information regarding the different logos, colours, lettering, sizes to be used to obtain all the necessary variants, enabling to efficiently respond to today’s request for extreme customisation,” Verbeem said.

Strong growth

Another major name in this sector is Epson. Phil McMullin, UK and Ireland head of sales for commercial and industrial, said that the consumer appetite for all things customised and personalised is still “insatiable”, and in particular the demand for personalised sportswear continues to show strong growth.

“The big sports clubs are tapping into this, and many are expanding their personalised offerings, the simplest being the addition of your name to a branded garment,” McMullin said. “But local sports club see value in building their own brand and see personalisation as a way to motive individuals to get involved and to perform on a social basis.

“With Epson the garment decorator is able print to all kinds of fabric whether man-made or natural because we have dye sub, DTG and DTF inks addressing any requirement.”

Epson’s new roll-to-roll DTF printer, the SureColor G6000, will feature at the FESPA Global Print Expo 2025

Opening up more about Epson’s offering, McMullin said the manufacturer has been focused on the garment decoration industry for the best part of a decade, with scalable solutions for dye sublimation, DTG and now DTF. Visitors to the FESPA Global Print Expo 2025 will be able to experience first-hand all these different ink solutions but with a particular focus on the new roll-to-roll DTF printer, the SureColor G6000, and entry-level SureColor F1000, which provides customers with DTG and DTF in one system.

“As always Epson solutions focus on delivering the best possible print quality, the most consistent colour reproduction, the lowest operator intervention and market leading reliability coupled with attractive total cost of ownership,” McMullin said. “So whether you are an established PSP in the garment decoration business or just starting out there will be profit generating solutions to inspire on the Epson stand.”

Epson will be just one of many leading manufacturers in attendance at the FESPA Global Print Expo 2025, which takes place at Messe Berlin in Germany from 6-9 May. Running alongside the main show with be Personalisation Experience 2025, a dedicated exhibition to personalisation in print. Here, visitors can learn more about the opportunities available to them and the solutions they need to capture profitable work across a range of exciting, markets including the sportswear sector.

Register to visit Personalisation Experience 2025 here and use promo code PEXJ501 before 8th April and only pay 50 euros for your entrance ticket.