Looking to add that extra something to your apparel? Look no further! Relabelling your custom apparel can give it a complimentary touch. Custom labels are an easy addition that help your products and your brand image look more professional and help your clothing line stay competitive. Custom labels ensure that your products are ready to sell once you receive them and are a great opportunity to make your main apparel artwork cohesive with your garment’s additional information. This little addition can go a long way!

There are two main types of custom labels: screen printed labels and woven labels.

Screen Printed LabelSCREEN PRINTED LABELS

The most common option for custom labels is to screen print them. Why? When tagged garments are worn, they feel barely there, but when you take them off, they catch your eye! Screen printed labels are printed directly onto your garments to feature your label information in your own style while maintaining a smooth, comfortable texture. These labels offer great definition and opacity that will help your tags pop! Screen printing is more inexpensive than other label options and is suitable for large batches of garments. Better yet, they’re one of the faster methods for custom labels too!

WOVEN LABELSWoven Label

Woven labels are a great way to add the finishing touch onto your apparel. Woven labels are made from threads that are… well, woven together to feature your design. Different coloured threads are used for the base and the colours in your artwork and they hold their vibrancy and integrity very well through washes and wear. Woven labels are a great way to match or add another texture in relation to the material used in your apparel. Different textures can help portray different looks and identities for your brand (e.g. silky for classy or canvas for eco-consciousness).

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR TAGS

Essentially, you’ll want to reproduce the information from the original tag but remain cohesive with your branding/style. Generally included information is: size, fabric content, country of origin, and care instructions. You can choose to include however much or little you want, so long as you meet all of the legally mandated information requirements for your country or area.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

  • Screen printing is preferred by most for its comfortable feel, and the more negative space you have in your design, the less thick ink will print on your garments
  • Woven labels can be sewn anywhere as opposed to screen printing which needs decently accessible areas of the garment depending on artwork size
  • Choose apparel with tear-away original labels so that old tags aren’t difficult or damaging to remove
  • Screen printing tags with dark ink on light weight/coloured apparel may show through the other side of the garment – grey is the safest bet for printing on most colours
  • Try to choose colours with enough contrast to the colour of your apparel
  • Try to avoid artwork with very fine details for either printing method
  • When screen printing on darker apparel, you may be able to feel the print more so than on lighter coloured garments because two layers of ink are needed to ensure opacity
  • Adjust your timeline when requesting custom tags – relabelling takes a few additional steps and/or days for old tag removal and new application

And just like that, our custom labelling crash course is done! So, what are you waiting for? Start designing your custom tag artwork now and give us a call!