BASEBALL/SOFTBALL JERSEYS

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.

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

1.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.

2.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

3.The main vertical is the crease in the center of the shirt.

4.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"

5.The top of numeral closest to the lettering, should be .5 in. below the lettering.

FRONT: Script Lettering with Numbers 

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. 

fRONT OF JERSEY

FRONT: Arched Lettering With Numbers, Round Neck 
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.

FRONT: Arched Lettering Only, Round Neck 
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. 

FRONT: Arched Lettering Only, V-Neck 
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.

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.

BACK OF JERSEY

BACK: Names & Numbers
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.

BACK: Numbers Only
Distance of numerals from base of trim on neck will vary according to height of numerals. Follow this table. These are the standard numeral sizes used on baseball shirts: 8 in. for men and 6 in. for boys are the most commonly used.