AOP (also known as dye sublimation) is a printing technique that produces exceptionally vibrant and long-lasting prints. Typically, AOP products are made by printing the fabric first, followed by cutting and sewing the product. However, there are some exceptions, such as socks.

As with any printing technique, there are some limitations that should be kept in mind in order to achieve the best outcome.

Keep in mind that repetitive patterns and solid colors work best for AOP products. You can still use larger design elements as long as they are not located in the seam or collar/cuff area, as they might be cut off.

Read about the limitations below, or check out our video to see some examples:

Avoid adding design elements to the collar/cuff area

Due to the manual nature of the cut and sew process, some minor shifting of the design placement may occur. That’s why it is not recommended to place important elements in the collar or cuff area.

Avoid using wrap-around designs

Another limitation to consider is the possibility of wrap-around design elements. Avoid positioning an important design element, such as text, across the seam or zip area, as it won’t be possible to achieve a perfect alignment like in the mockup preview.

Avoid designs requiring centered placement

Given that the placement of the design is not guaranteed to be the same as in the mockup and may shift, it’s not recommended to use designs that require centered placement on the product.

Saturated colors might appear muted once printed

Many of the blank items used – such as tees, leggings, hoodies, etc. – are white by default and are then printed on with your colors and designs. As the garment itself is white, putting a saturated color or design on top, such as pitch-black, may sometimes translate to a gray/charcoal gray tone.

This is due to the black ink not being able to fully penetrate white fabric, therefore bringing down the black tone’s opaqueness. In short, the white fabric still shows through the ink and makes for a more translucent tone.

AOP footwear limitations

• Be mindful of placing important design elements too close to the edge of the safe area. Placing the design too close may result in a part of your design being cut off, even if it doesn’t appear to be cut in the preview images.
• Avoid using text designs that are too small or too thin, especially when the design will be printed on a black background. If the design is too small or too thin, it may result in blurred or unrecognizable text when printed. We strongly recommend a minimum font size of 5 px, but using larger font sizes will ensure that your design turns out as intended.
• Always be sure to preview the design in CMYK color mode to understand how the colors might look once printed. For this, make use of the Mockup color mode switcher in the Product Creator.

Have some questions about your designs? Feel free to reach out to our Support Team. We’re here to help you out.