Once you have purchased your plain garments from Fire Label, you may decide that you want to add woven labels to them to add value to your brand. Even though we do not manufacture woven labels the below guide might help you when designing and recruiting a label manufacturer.
HOW DO I CREATE A CUSTOM WOVEN CLOTHING LABEL?
When creating a loop fold or any other type of woven label it is best to use a vector graphics program such as Adobe Illustrator if possible. However bitmapped graphics (using programs such as Adobe Photoshop) are perfectly fine and if done correctly can work just as well. There are various free programs online for bitmapped graphics or vector graphics such as PIXLR and INKSCAPE. Although woven labels are not printed like a leaflet or poster a higher resolution image will be easier to plot for your label manufacturer. Always try to keep your files above 150 dpi (dots per inch) and preferably above 300 dpi.
The process is generally woven so forget about colour gradients and photographs. Think about strong bold statements and clean crisp logo design. Larger text can be fancy however body text should be sans serif (plain) where possible and be no smaller than 10pt (around 3mm). Remember curves will be simulated so try to keep loops large and expect minor variations in aspect ratio due to the warp and the weft of the weave.
HOT TIPS
If in any doubt with artwork always send it to your label manufacturer larger, rather than smaller, they can then adjust it for you. Usually, this should be free of charge. Use a darker background with bright white or light coloured text.
Don’t be afraid to use both sides of the label it could be a good way of laying out your mission statement or surprise your customers with something secret.
Remember to leave a little room around the fold at the top of the label, so nothing gets lost in re-labelling. Still stuck? Seek advice from a professional graphic designer.
WHAT SIZE SHOULD MY WOVEN CLOTHING LABEL BE?
The short answer is... it depends. Before you start it might be worth checking some clothing you have and measuring the labels to see which suits your brand best. Here are some examples of different types of labels:
Standard Loop Fold Label
A standard size for a loop fold woven label is 40mm wide. Any larger than this size may require an additional set-up which will cost you money. For the height your label manufacturer will probably recommend one side being between 20mm and 60mm high with a 5mm - 7mm bleed top and bottom. For a woven hem label they will probably recommend a width of 15mm-40mm and a height of around 18 mm-22 mm with a 3mm bleed top and bottom.
End Fold Label
An end fold label is the classic label you might see in the back of a polo shirt. Your label manufacturer will more than likely recommend a height of between 10mm-40mm high and a width of 40 mm-80 mm wide.
Mitre Fold Label
A slightly more unusual label featuring a 45 degree turn. It is usually recommended for these to be a height of between 10mm-40mm high and a width of 40mm-80mm wide.
Single Cut Label
A very popular label at the moment. Ideal for the sewing on all sides on the front of caps beanies or adding some extra branding to your T-Shirt or Sweatshirt range. These labels are usually approximately 20mm-60 mm high with a width of around 20mm-80 mm.
WHAT ABOUT MY GARMENT SIZES AND WASHING INSTRUCTIONS?
The industry standard minimum run for woven labels is 500 units so unless you are having a great deal of garments I would recommend you avoid putting the size on the labels. A clever way to keep re-labelling cost effective is to add a small size loop for the individual garment next to the brand label.
It is a similar story with washing instructions - if you are having one type of garment made by a single manufacturer, with the same fabric content, you could of course put the fabric content and washing instructions on the back. However, more than likely you will have multiple fabric types, styles and washing instructions. In this case your labeller should be able to provide a neat printed wash care instruction label that you can stitch beneath your brand label.
Hopefully the above guide helps with questions that you may have about labelling the plain garments that you have ordered from Fire Label.