- Best Vendors for Custom Athletic Shorts for Teams and Gyms - October 5, 2026
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Custom athletic shorts can look great when they’re new, but end up being a bad choice a few months later. I’ve had logoed shorts from a novelty store where the print started cracking and fading after regular wear, and that’s the kind of thing I’d never want on a team uniform.
If people are going to wear the same shorts for practices, games, or workouts and wash them over and over, the decoration method has to hold up along with the shorts themselves. Fabric, inseam, fit, pockets, minimums, and turnaround all matter too, but durability is one of the first things I’d pay attention to.
Quick Picks
| Vendor | Best For | Minimum | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| BlueCotton | Most team and gym orders | 6 pieces | 10-business-day delivery; 5-, 3-, and 1-day delivery options |
| RushOrderTees | Very small or urgent orders | No minimum on many printed shorts | 9–12 business days standard; rush as fast as 2 |
| TeamSportswear | Sport-specific uniforms | No minimum on many shorts | Varies; sublimated basketball uniforms are about 2 weeks after design approval |
| SquadLocker | Teams ordering throughout the season | No minimum | SquadGEAR uniforms ship in 3–5 business days |
| Custom Ink | Collecting sizes and payments from a group | Varies by product | About 2 weeks standard |
Minimums and turnaround can change with the specific shorts style and decoration method. Also check what a vendor means by turnaround. Production time, shipping date, and the day the box is expected to arrive aren’t necessarily the same thing.
Start With the Shorts, Not the Logo
A nice logo can’t rescue a pair of shorts nobody wants to wear. I still have a favorite pair of Soffe shorts from band camp that have somehow survived all these years, so it’s possible to find shorts that can take a beating and still be comfortable.
Before getting too invested in the design, look at these features on the garment itself:
- Inseam: A three-inch running short and a nine-inch basketball short are meant for very different uses.
- Pockets: Handy for gym members, but not always necessary or even desirable for a game uniform.
- Liner: Some running and training shorts have one built in, while traditional mesh shorts often don’t.
- Waistband: Check whether it uses elastic, a drawcord, or both.
- Fit: Men’s, women’s, youth, and unisex cuts can fit very differently even when the size on the label looks the same.
- Fabric: Performance shorts are often made from lightweight synthetic materials such as polyester that dry faster than heavier casual fabrics.
- Stretch: If wearers will be lifting, running, or doing a lot of lateral movement, check whether the fabric and cut allow enough room to move.
- Reorder availability: Ask whether the same style and color are expected to stay available if you’ll need replacements later.
A blank sample can be worth ordering before a large print run. Fit and fabric are hard to judge from a product photo, and those are the aspects people notice every time they put the shorts on.
Shorts Have Less Room for a Logo Than You Might Expect
A t-shirt gives a printer a large, fairly flat area to work with. Shorts can have pockets, side seams, mesh panels, stripes, and a much smaller printable area, so a logo may need to shrink considerably to fit on the leg, especially on youth sizes. A design with tiny wording underneath it can look great at six inches wide and turn into a blur when it’s reduced to two or three.
Before approving the artwork, check:
- the maximum print area on the specific short
- whether a seam or pocket limits placement
- how the design looks on the smallest size in the order
- whether names or numbers need another location
A digital mockup is helpful for placement, but it doesn’t tell you how readable tiny details will be once they’re printed on fabric.
Which Decoration Method Will Hold Up Best?
The decoration method affects how the design looks, what kinds of artwork you can use, and how it wears over time.
| If You Want… | Start With… |
|---|---|
| Small logo on one leg | Screen printing or digital printing |
| Practice shorts | Standard performance short + printed logo |
| Reversible basketball shorts | Sport-specific uniform vendor |
| Full-color graphics across the garment | Sublimation |
| Names/numbers and coordinated jerseys | Team-uniform vendor |
| A few replacement pairs during the season | No-minimum or team-store vendor |
Screen Printing
Screen printing puts ink onto the surface of the garment. It’s commonly used for logos and simpler designs, particularly when you’re ordering a larger number of the same item.
Each color traditionally requires its own screen, so artwork with several colors can affect the setup and price.
Digital Printing
Digital printing can handle detailed or multicolor artwork without creating a separate screen for every color. The exact printing method available depends on the garment, so it’s worth asking how the vendor plans to decorate the short you’ve chosen.
Sublimation
Sublimation is different because the dye is transferred into polyester fibers using heat rather than sitting on top as a separate print layer.
It’s commonly used for full-color uniforms where graphics, patterns, names, and numbers cover much more of the garment. Because the design becomes part of the fabric, there isn’t a separate print layer sitting on top that can crack or peel.
Polyester can bring another issue with surface printing, though. With some darker performance fabrics, garment dye can affect a lighter print color and cause it to pick up some of the color underneath. Printers call this dye migration.
If you’re ordering dark shorts with a white or light-colored logo, ask how the printer handles dye migration and whether the proposed decoration method works well with that fabric.
Also ask about care instructions. Athletic shorts may go through the laundry several times a week, and washing or drying recommendations can vary depending on how the design was applied.
What Changes the Price of Custom Athletic Shorts?
The blank short is only part of the quote. Two vendors can start with similar-looking shorts and still come back with very different totals once the artwork, quantity, and production details are added.
A few things can affect the price:
- Order quantity: Larger runs often bring the per-pair price down.
- The short itself: Basic mesh shorts and more technical performance styles may start at very different prices.
- Print locations: A logo on one leg is a simpler order than decorating both legs or adding artwork in several places.
- Names and numbers: Personalizing every pair can add cost and another layer of order management.
- Decoration method: A small printed logo and a fully sublimated uniform aren’t the same type of production.
- Rush service: Moving an order through production faster may add a fee.
- Shipping: Check whether it’s included before comparing final totals.
- Artwork or setup charges: Ask whether design work, setup, or personalization is already included.
For a fair comparison, give each vendor the same quantity, artwork, garment requirements, and arrival date.
What to Put in the Quote Request
Send each vendor:
- exact quantity by size
- adult, youth, men’s, women’s, or unisex cuts needed
- preferred inseam
- pockets or no pockets
- logo file and print location
- names and numbers, if applicable
- required arrival date
- whether replacements may be needed later
And ask:
- whether shipping is included
- whether artwork, setup, personalization, or rush fees are separate
If you’re not sure which decoration method to choose, send the artwork and explain how the shorts will be used. The printer should be able to tell you which methods are available for that garment.
Here’s a list of the best vendors for custom athletic shorts for teams and gyms:
BlueCotton
Minimum: 6 pieces
Best For: Gyms, school teams, clubs and larger group orders
Turnaround: 10-business-day delivery, with 5-, 3-, and 1-day delivery options
Decoration: Varies by the short and design
Watch For: The fastest rush options are limited to eligible products
BlueCotton keeps most of the process under one roof, from artwork through shipping. Its athletic apparel selection includes different performance fabrics, fits, and adult and youth options, while printing, quality checks, packing, and shipping are handled through its Kentucky operation. BlueCotton also guarantees delivery dates, so you’re not left guessing whether the shorts will show up before a tournament, team event, or gym opening.
Every order includes a design review before production. BlueCotton recommends a roughly 3- to 5-inch-wide print area on the leg of its shorts, so detailed logos and small lettering are worth checking closely before approving the artwork.
The sample program is another practical feature for a larger order. Printed samples are free for qualifying orders over 250 pieces; smaller bulk orders can get a paid sample with the fee credited back, and blank samples are available if you mainly want to check sizing and fabric.
RushOrderTees
Minimum: None on many printed shorts
Best For: A few pairs, last-minute orders and small gyms
Turnaround: 9–12 business days standard; rush as fast as 2 business days
Decoration: Screen printing or HD digital printing
Watch For: Compare the per-pair price if you’re ordering in larger quantities
RushOrderTees fits orders that are awkwardly small or come up after the main order is already finished. A trainer who only wants a handful of branded shorts doesn’t necessarily want to meet a traditional team minimum.
Its catalog includes performance, women’s, kids’, and athleisure styles, so the low-quantity option isn’t limited to one basic mesh short.
For a larger group, compare the total quote because the per-pair price may look very different at 50 or 100 pieces.
TeamSportswear
Minimum: None on many styles
Best For: Basketball, soccer, track and other sport-specific uniforms
Turnaround: Varies by garment; sublimated basketball uniforms are about 2 weeks after design approval
Decoration: Screen printing, heat transfer, and sublimation, depending on the product
Watch For: Minimums and turnaround can change depending on the uniform style
TeamSportswear is geared more toward uniforms than general branded gym apparel. The catalog is divided by sport, so you can shop basketball shorts, soccer uniforms, track apparel, reversible styles, and coordinated tops and bottoms together.
Its basketball selection includes traditional mesh shorts, reversible shorts, and fully sublimated uniforms.
If you’re ordering matching jerseys and shorts with names, numbers, or graphics carried through the whole uniform, the sport-specific setup keeps those pieces together instead of making you build the uniform from separate blank garments.
SquadLocker
Minimum: None for its team-store system and SquadGEAR uniforms
Best For: Youth leagues, clubs and teams that need replacements or late-season orders
Turnaround: SquadGEAR uniforms ship in 3–5 business days
Decoration: Sublimation on SquadGEAR uniforms; options vary on team-store apparel
Watch For: The team-store setup may be more than you need for a one-time bulk order
SquadLocker is built around the fact that a team order doesn’t always stay finished. A player may join late, grow out of a size, lose a pair, or need a replacement after everyone else’s gear has already arrived.
Teams can keep an online store open, so families or players order their own gear throughout the season rather than reopening a bulk order every time something changes.
That’s probably more setup than you need for one batch of gym shorts, but for a youth league or club, it can keep one coach or parent from becoming the unofficial uniform department.
Custom Ink
Minimum: Varies; some shorts have no minimum
Best For: Group orders where members need to submit their own sizes and payments
Turnaround: About 2 weeks standard, with faster options on qualifying products
Decoration: Varies by product; low-quantity items are often digitally printed, while other apparel may use screen printing
Watch For: Minimums and decoration options vary by the individual garment
Custom Ink’s strongest angle here is the group-ordering side.
Its Group Order Form lets people enter their own sizes and, depending on the setup, pay separately instead of having one coach, parent, or gym owner collect everyone’s information and money.
Anyone who has ever sent, “I still need your size by tonight” to the same three people for four days can probably see the appeal.
The shorts themselves still need the same scrutiny as they would anywhere else. Check the individual garment for its minimum, available sizes, decoration options, and turnaround rather than assuming those details apply across the whole catalog.
Which Vendor Should You Start With?
For most straightforward gym or team orders, BlueCotton is the first quote I’d get. The six-piece minimum leaves room for a smaller group, while its in-house production, sample program, artwork review, and rush options also work for larger or deadline-driven orders.
Just make sure the quotes are based on the same garment and decoration method before comparing totals.