Printed blanket buyer's guide
Most blanket regret traces back to one invisible decision: the print method. This guide walks the five choices that matter (method, fabric, sides, artwork, and quantity) in the order you should make them.
If a vendor doesn't say how they print, ask. Screen print is a plastic ink layer on the surface; it cracks along fold lines. Vinyl is a heat-glued film; its edges peel after washing. Dye-sublimation, what we do, bonds the dye into the fiber under heat: no layer, no edges, nothing to fail. It is the only method we recommend for an item that gets folded and washed for years.
Sublimation needs polyester fiber to bond into, and the finer the fiber, the more detail it holds. Every tier we print uses plush NubaySoft fabric: fine enough for small text and gradients, even-dyeing across large fields, and just as soft after the press as before it. The full fabric rundown lives in the spectatorsport.com sizing & fabric guide.
Lite Plus is single-print with a mirror-image back. Ultra Plus, D-Luxe, and D-Luxe Plus print full-bleed on both faces, so the blanket looks finished draped, folded, or flipped. The Swanky Blankey pairs a printed front with a plush faux-fur back. Double-sided is worth it for gifts and retail; the entry tier stretches a bulk budget further.
Full-bleed means your background extends past the trim line so color reaches every edge. Send vector files (AI, EPS, SVG) for logos and text, or 300 DPI raster at print size for photos. Don't park critical text at the very edge. Easiest path: build the layout in the free design tool at spectatorsport.com/design and we take it from there.
Nubay Rapid Print runs fast with no minimum, the route for smaller jobs; larger wholesale runs are quoted by quantity. Allow roughly six to eight weeks for production after proof approval, longer for double-sided runs, and start early if you have a fixed event date.
Scratch test in your head: if the print could ever be picked at, scraped, or peeled, it's a surface layer. Sublimated color can't be removed without removing the fabric.
Machine wash cold, tumble dry low. The print is in the fiber, so normal laundering can't lift or fade it.
Vector preferred, 300 DPI raster fine, photos welcome. Extend backgrounds past the edge for full bleed. We proof everything before press.
Dye-sublimation. Because the dye is bonded inside the polyester fiber rather than layered on the surface, there is no film to crack and no edge to peel. Screen print typically cracks along fold lines over time, and vinyl transfers lift at the edges after repeated washing.
No. Since there is no ink layer on the surface, the printed areas feel identical to the unprinted fabric. Screen print and vinyl both add a stiff or rubbery patch wherever the design sits.
Yes, with sublimation. The process supports unlimited colors and continuous tones, so photos and gradients reproduce smoothly. The fine plush NubaySoft fiber is fine enough to resolve that detail; coarser fleeces blur it.
Choose double-sided (Ultra Plus, D-Luxe, or D-Luxe Plus) when the blanket will be displayed, gifted, or sold at retail, since both faces carry full-bleed art. Lite Plus is single-print with a mirror-image back, which stretches a bulk budget further. The Swanky Blankey has a printed front and a plush faux-fur back.
We quote by tier, sides, and quantity rather than posting a fixed price, and every quote is free and comes with a proof before anything prints. Nubay Rapid Print is the fast, no-minimum option for smaller jobs; larger runs are priced by volume. Send your spec for exact numbers.
Use Nubay Rapid Print, which has no minimum, so you can order a single blanket or a small batch. Or run a presale through fundraiserblanket.com, where your community orders individually with no minimum or upfront cost to you and the Murray factory produces what sells.
Send us your artwork, quantity, and use case. A print specialist will recommend a tier, flag any artwork issues, and quote your run, no commitment.