If you are an experienced apparel designer, you have inevitably been frustrated with the label color matching process, no matter which type of fabric you have sourced for manufacturing. If you are a „newbie“, you are probably very confused by your manufacturer's request for clarification when you indicate the colors “blue” or “red”. Matching colors for labels is a very technical art and science.
Oftentimes, fabric label manufacturers employ a technical color library called the Pantone Color System. An analogy is when you try to match paint colors at the hardware store, you are overwhelmed with numbered colors samples. The reality is very similar when trying to match colors with woven or printed clothing labels.
For instance, if you contact your label manufacturer and indicate you need red, they will request a Pantone or a RGB color because there are literally dozens of shades of red. Even then, there are technical challenges for exact matching that will be covered in the next section.
If you are sending a scanned sample or a graphics file for your label to match, there is another challenge: Subtle digital format alterations.
For instance, what may appear to be blue #j005 on your screen using your graphics program may appear as blue #j010 with your fabric labels supplier's graphics program with perhaps a different screen resolution. The differences are not too big, but if precise color matching is a must, it is imperative to obtain a physical sample of your apparel label before you go to full production. Graphic interfacing technology has not yet caught up with that of the human eye.
However, time can be a big downside to physical sampling. If each physical sample takes 3–7 days to produce, and if the fabric label factory is not domestically located, then you also have extended shipping times. There might be substantial costs incurred with sampling that may exceed an experimental minimum fabric label order.
If your budget and production is constrained, then it is highly recommended you allow for a small margin of error with respect to color shading. You can always go back with a second fabric label order to make small adjustments as needed.
Here we provide a great engineering resource covering the basics of color technology and chemistry. Amazing at it seems, color matching in any industry has a long way to go before perfection is reached.
If you have chosen a set of Pantone colors or perhaps even sent a sample of previous fabric label you already had made up, you may be surprised to find resulting shades of the new delivery slightly off.
Understandably, you call up your clothing label supplier to try to find out as to why your color selection was not to your expectations.
You are told that the label manufacturer makes every attempt to match colors, but that it is very difficult to get a 100% exact match, especially with very deep shades of green, blue, yellow, or red. You are told that in order to get exact matches, a lengthy and expensive physical sampling process must be employed and even that is not guaranteed!
This brings up a very interesting question: Why can't technology present a perfect match the first time? There are several very important reasons for this.
The first confounding element is the actual twist of the yarn. Is it S (counterclockwise) or Z (clockwise)? Believe it or not, the twist direction of the yarn actually affects the ionic bonding properties (the stickiness) of the dye, especially for synthetics.
Another factor to consider is the source of the yarn. If the threads are obtained from different yarn suppliers usually the cheapest wins out, as pricing is the key in today's environment. Did your last label have S or Z threads? This makes a big difference with dye color bonding and thus the resulting shade.
Yet another difference is the slight pH alterations of the water used as a solvent to mix with the concentrated fabric dye. If the pH of water is 6.835 in one batch of dye at the first time and 6.775 with the same batch of dye at the second time, then the ions in the clothing label acid dye will bind slightly stronger or slightly weaker. The resultant shade will be a color very slightly off from the original batch.
This is an important limitation to keep in mind.
The only real solution is to utilize a physical sampling process, and when you are satisfied with the color schemes and matching quality, then make a very large order. Perhaps substantial enough to cover your needs for a year. If you don't plan on making any changes to your woven label, this is definitely the most cost effective avenue.
However, if you need only a limited amount of clothing labels, it is helpful to identify the color requirements to a small range of shade as it is the fastest and least expensive method.
Coloring of any textile is an area of great confusion and is oftentimes the source of an apparel designer's stress. Either making large batch orders or relaxing the color requirements to a few similar hades makes label process less complicated and much more cost effective.
Clothing labels are like a billboard advertisement to the world establishing who you and your business are. However, the last thing you want is your “advertisement" to be cut off from your clothing line because it irritates the skin. Without costing a lot of money, you can opt to have the edges of your garment labels finished so that your customer will never feel their presence.
You can choose a woven edged finish for your clothing labels. The edges are woven with fine polyester thread, rather than simply heat cut with a hot knife. As a result, the tags do not “grab” at skin textures. The cost is usually 35% more than a standard hot-cut tag, but the investment may be well worth it.
Another option for controlling scratchiness is the ultrasonic edge cut. Rather than having an edge that is woven, high frequency vibrations cut through the fabric. The result is that the edges of the label are microscopically sheared and feathered, so the edge is manufactured super-soft. Like the woven edge, the cost premium is 35% more over standard hot cut cutting methods.
If you are open to the printed labels clothing label option, cotton printed clothing labels are very durable and soft. New technologies in textile industry allow for ultra-high resolution photo-image quality. Printed satin labels are another low cost option and are appropriate for upscale apparel, underwear, swim wear, and babies clothing. It is now possible to have almost any shading, color, or fine detail printed onto a quality ultra-high end clothing label without the high cost.
Another new technology allows for very soft clothing tags to be made of faux suede or imitation leather tags Like the cotton tag, this type of label allows for a myriad of colors and designs, although of slightly less detail than the printed cotton. The edges are extremely soft and the quality is very upscale.
The branding patch is manufactured in two forms: Woven and Embroidered.
Custom woven patches in general may be circular, square, or laser cut into any specific shape requested. Patches are permanent fixtures to garments. They are usually attached to the outside of the fabric and not intended to be cut off or removed easily like regular labels can. Oftentimes, they are conspicuous and contain emblems, logos, and written information.
Custom woven patches have higher definition (resolution) of the lettering and logo edges than embroidered. They are usually 30–50% cheaper to produce and have a quicker turnaround time. They are flatter and easier to sew or iron on a piece of fabric than embroidered patches.
A „laser cut“ or „die cut“ woven patch is cut into a shape other than a square, such as an oval or stars shapes. Because woven patches are larger than regular woven labels, more logo or lettering detail (resolution) can be produced. A larger woven area means greater graphic detail capabilities.
Custom embroidered patches have a three-dimensional “lift” to the fabric due to the density of the stitched thick threads. Embroidered stitching allows for a classy look, but is not the best choice for capturing high resolution detail, containing costs, or with working with very tight production schedules. In essence, they are more expensive and take longer to manufacture.
You can assess your graphic requirements and budget and determine the best choice for your project. If cost is a primary concern, then consider the laser cut woven patches.
If containing costs is less of a concern and you want a three-dimensional texture (or life) to your patch, then embroidery is the way to go.