Start with the simple geometry...and
space limitations of the shirt front. Lettering
is based on a set of imaginary lines, so lay a shirt in
front of you with the front fading up. On that shirt lie
3 very useful imaginary figures: the main vertical, main
horizontal and The Box.
The Limitations
| For men, the lowest point of the bottommost numeral
should be no more than 18
in. from the highest point of the neck braid.
For boys, the limit is 14
in. |
| There is surprisingly little space on a baseball
shirt front, certainly less than seems to meet the
eye. For men, the width is 12.5-15
in.; for boys, 10-12.5
in. |
The Geometry
| The main vertical is the crease in the center
of the shirt. |
| The main horizontal is an imaginary line that
runs from one armpit (where the side seam of the
shirt and bottom of the sleeve meet) to the other" |
| The top of numeral closest to the lettering, should
be .5 in. below
the lettering. |
Start with the baseball arch template. Mark center line
of arch. Mark a point 1 in.
on the curved side to the left the center line. Then draw
a line from the center of the straight side to the 1 in.
mark. This line will make your lettering angle consistent
for all of a team’s shirts.
Place arch on shirt with your "angle" line running
on the vertical line of the shirt. Position center point
of straight edge 6.5 in.
down from low point of neck braid (for boys', small, 5.5
in.).
Put script lettering in position on shirt with the bottom
of each letter touching the straight edge of the arch.
Center the lettering, side to side, so that the arch’s
center line divides it in half.
Slide arch away. Lettering, including the tail, should
be about half above and half below the horizontal armpit
line. If the lettering is not, because shirt designs vary,
adjust distance from low point of neck to center point
of arch until lettering is half below and half above armpit
line. If recommended distance of 6.5
in. (or 5.5 in.)
from low point of neck is changed, record the revised
distance to position all lettering in that batch of shirts.
One Digit Numbers
“1” should be 2.5
in. from main vertical.
Numbers “2 through 9” should be 2
in. from main vertical.
Two Digit Numbers
Those containing number “1”, except “11”:
Numerals should be .75 in.
apart. Left numeral .5 in.
from main vertical.
Number “11”: The “1’s” should
be 1.25 in. apart. Left
numeral, 1 in. from main vertical.
All other two-digit numbers: Numerals should be .75
in. apart. Left numeral should be right on the
centerline.
There are four things to remember in positioning script
lettering on baseball shirts.
| 1. |
Script lettering is positioned on a slant from
lower left to upper right of the garment. |
| 2. |
Script letters have a slight slant to the right
on the shirt front. They are not straight, not slanted
backwards. |
| 3. |
Script letters are designed on a system of exactly
parallel lines (See below). |
| 4. |
When a tail is used, the tail must be positioned
correctly. If any one of these elements is not correctly
handled, the script lettering can wind up looking
unprofessional. |
The example shows that each script letter is slanted right
and is based on parallel lines; and has each letter flat
on the base line. When applying the lettering, it’s
necessary to check the parallel of each letter on each
shirt.
The tall letters “T”
“L” and
“K” are
the ones most likely to be noticeable if the parallel
line rule is not followed. So double-check those letters.
If a separate capital such as an “O” has
no obvious line, envision an imaginary line through
the letter and line it up with parallel lines of the
rest of the name.
The trick with the tail is be certain that the tail
is straight and equally distant at all points from the
letters above it.
Top of men's and boy's lettering should be 2.5 in.
from the lowest point of the neck braid. Position the
numerals side to side as directed in Script section. Highest
point of a two-digit number is about .5 in. below
lowest point of lettering. A one-Digit number will be
higher up on the shirt than a two-digit number.
Top of the name should be 3 in. from the lowest
point of the neck braid on both men's and boy's
shirts. Main horizontal should evenly divide the lettering
in half. Lettering should be centered on the main vertical
and the outer edges of letters should be equally distant
from the armpits.
For men, top of lettering should be 2.5 in. down
from the tip of the "V". For boy's, lettering
should be 1.75 in. down from the "V".
Position numerals as directed with round-neck shirts.
Top of name should be 2 in.
down from base of neck trim. Numbers should fit up into
an "upside-down cradle" formed by the arched
name. Highest points of a two-digit number should be
about .5 in. away from
nearest lettering. A one-digit number is higher into
"cradle" with its topmost points about 1.25
in. away from nearest lettering. Two digit numbers
should be .75 in. from
center line of shirt or 1.5
in. apart, except “11”. The “1”s
should be 2 in. apart.
Single numbers should be evenly divided by the centerline
of the shirt.
Distance of numerals from base of trim on neck will
vary according to height of numerals. Follow this table.
| Jersey Size |
Numeral Height |
Distance
from Edge of Neck Trim |
| Men's |
6 & 7
in. |
4.5 in. |
| 8 in. |
4 in. |
| Boy's |
4 in. |
4 in. |
| 5 & 6
in. |
3.5 in. |
These are the standard numeral sizes used on baseball
shirts: 8 in. for men and 6 in. for boys
are the most commonly used.
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