Get your sponsor kit made

Your print files show every sold logo at its true size, grouped by garment. How you get it made is up to you: here are the ways that work, what each costs, and how long each takes. Gear spots close 21 days before the race by default, so there's time to make it and post a photo that gets you paid (how delivery works).

01 Pick a method

One shirt for one race? Print on demand or a transfer. A whole season, or a team in matching kit? A screen printer or a custom kit maker.

Print on demand (Printful, Printify and similar)

Best for: One-off tees, singlets, hoodies and caps, with no equipment
Cost: One item's price plus shipping. No minimum.
Time: 2 to 5 business days to make, plus 3 to 8 days of US shipping

How to do it

Make a free account. You don't need a store: you're ordering for yourself.
Pick the garment. For racing, choose a performance fabric: polyester tees and singlets printed edge to edge (called all-over print, or sublimation) breathe and stretch. Cotton tees suit warm-ups and sponsor photos.
Upload each sponsor's original logo and place it where your print file shows, at the size it shows. Use the mockup to check every logo is there and the right way round.
Order one to your own address, and a spare if you can. Ask for faster shipping if race day is close.

Watch out for

Production times are averages. All-over prints and embroidered items take longer, and holidays slow everything down.
Not every garment can print in every spot. Check the print areas before promising a sponsor a sleeve or side panel.

DTF transfers on your own kit

Best for: Adding logos to the kit you already race in
Cost: A printed transfer sheet, plus a heat press or a local shop to press it
Time: Transfers ship in a few days; pressing takes minutes

How to do it

Order DTF (direct to film) transfers online. Most printers sell a gang sheet: fit every logo onto one sheet at its print-file size.
Press them with a heat press, or ask a local print shop to press them for you.
On polyester performance fabric, press low, around 285 to 295°F. Hotter can make the fabric's dye bleed into the logo, and that halo only shows up a day or two later.
Test on an inside hem or an old shirt first.

Watch out for

Some technical fabrics have coatings that resist transfers. Do the test press.

Heat-transfer vinyl (Cricut, Silhouette)

Best for: Simple one- or two-color logos and wordmarks, at home
Cost: A roll of vinyl if you already have a cutting machine and a press or iron
Time: An evening

How to do it

Cut each logo from heat-transfer vinyl, mirrored, at its print-file size. Each color is its own layer.
On stretchy athletic fabric, use vinyl made to stretch, like Cricut SportFlex. On polyester that's about 305°F for 30 seconds with medium pressure.
Let it cool before peeling the carrier sheet, and wait 24 hours before washing.

Watch out for

Photos, gradients and fine detail don't cut. Use this for bold logos only.

Embroidery shop

Best for: Caps, visors, hoodies and anything you want to last
Cost: A one-off digitizing fee per logo (roughly $10 to $85), then a few dollars per item
Time: Usually 1 to 2 weeks; ask the shop

How to do it

Bring the cap or visor, or buy one from the shop, with each logo file and its size and placement.
The shop digitizes each logo into a stitch file once. Keep the files: next race, it's just stitching.
Ask for a sew-out (a test stitch) before they do your gear.

Watch out for

Small text and thin lines don't stitch cleanly. A logo that's fine in print may need simplifying for thread.

Local screen printer, or Custom Ink

Best for: A team, club or crew wearing the same kit
Cost: Setup per color, then cheap per shirt. Minimums apply.
Time: About 1 to 2 weeks after you approve the proof

How to do it

Send every logo with the placement and size from your print files, and the garments you want.
Approve the proof: every logo, spelled right, the right size, the right colors.
Order a couple extra in your size.

Watch out for

Each ink color adds a setup charge. Many-colored logos cost more to screen print; ask about DTF for those.

Custom team kit (Champion System, Voler and similar)

Best for: Season partners: a full race suit, singlet or tri suit printed edge to edge
Cost: Priced per piece, with minimums (often around 10 pieces, which can be mixed)
Time: 4 to 8 weeks

How to do it

Plan this around a season package, not a single race: lead times are long.
Work with the maker's designer to lay out every sponsor's logo, then approve the final design proof.
Fill the minimum with teammates, warm-up kit, or spares.

Watch out for

Gear spots close 21 days out by default. For custom kit, lengthen the gear window in your campaign's timeline (Details) before you publish.

Patches

Best for: Packs, caps and jackets, or moving a sponsor from race to race
Cost: Priced by size and quantity
Time: Usually a few weeks; ask the maker

How to do it

Order embroidered, woven or printed patches of the logo at its print-file size.
Iron on, sew on, or use a hook-and-loop backing so you can swap them between races.

02 Send the right files

/Download each sponsor's original logo from your Sponsors page. Don't screenshot your campaign page.
/Printers love vector files (SVG, PDF, AI or EPS) because they print sharp at any size. If a sponsor uploaded a small image, ask them for a vector version. Quick, clear answers like that show up in your rating.
/For PNGs, check the size: at print quality, a logo needs about 120 pixels for every centimeter it prints at (300 per inch). An 8 cm chest logo needs about 950 pixels across.
/On dark garments, logos need white ink under them. Printers handle this; just pick the garment color before you upload.

03 Placement

/Your print files group logos by garment and view (front, back, sides), at the sizes you set in the editor. Match those; it's what the sponsor bought.
/Ask for a proof or mockup and check it against your campaign page: every logo, right side up, the right size, nothing covered by a race number.
/Check your race's rules on kit and logos before you order. Some events limit sponsor branding, and that's on you to follow.

04 Timing

/Gear spots close 21 days before the race by default (14 at the soonest). That covers print on demand with a safety margin.
/Order the day gear closes. Use faster shipping if it's close: a sponsor would rather you paid for it than missed race day.
/If you plan custom team kit or embroidery with a long queue, lengthen the gear window in Details before you publish.

05 Show your sponsors the kit

/When the kit arrives, lay it flat in good light and photograph it so every logo is readable. Post it from your Sponsors page as a gear photo, so your sponsors can see it. The money is paid out after the race, with everything else. More on proof and payouts.
/Race in it, get photos where every logo can be read, and post those as race-day proof within 7 days.
/Post and tag your sponsors, and share a good photo with each one.

More resources

Your photosThe profile photo sponsors see first, and the body photos your spots sit on: how to shoot both with a phone.Find sponsorsYour campaign is live. Check your prices and terms, then who to send it to first, how to find brands around your race, and what to say.Temporary tattoosFour ways to put sponsor logos on your skin, and make them last the race.Deliver and get paidFrom the first sale to money in your bank: proof, photos, timing, and what to do when things go wrong.