Label care and testing: what to check before bulk production
Care instructions for a trim cannot be copied from a catalogue — they depend on the material, the backing and the fabric it sits on. Here is what we know, and what we confirm case by case.
What is already true of the materials
These are properties of the materials themselves, not promises about a specific garment:
- PVC: resists water and abrasion, and holds both colour and relief through repeated washing
- Silicone: soft, stretchy and heat resistant, machine washable; the colour sits in the material and will not crack or peel like a printed surface
- Heat transfer and high frequency: adhesion is created at a specific pressing time, temperature and pressure, confirmed per fabric
- Woven labels: colour is worked into the weave itself rather than printed on top
What we confirm per fabric, not per catalogue
Pressing conditions depend on the fabric: coated fabrics, stretch knits and technical membranes all behave differently. We confirm the pressing time, temperature and pressure for your specific material rather than publishing one number that would be wrong for most garments.
Test a production sample before bulk
The cheapest quality control is a sample tested the way your customer will use the garment:
- Wash the sample with your own production programme, not a gentle one
- Include the actual fabric, not a similar one
- Check the edges, the relief and the colour after washing
- If it will be worn against skin, check the feel at body temperature
- Record the result — it becomes your specification for next season
If something does not perform
Send us the fabric, the wash programme and photographs of the failure. In most cases the fix is a change of backing, film or relief depth rather than a change of artwork.
What to record in your specification sheet
Once a trim is approved, write down what was actually approved — it is what keeps next season consistent:
- Material and construction (PVC, silicone, woven, transfer, high frequency)
- Finished size, outline and number of colours
- Backing and application method
- Pressing conditions as confirmed for that fabric
- The fabric used and the wash programme tested
- Approval date, sample reference and any agreed tolerance
When to re-sample
A sample that was approved last season is not automatically valid this season. Re-sample when:
- The fabric changes, even slightly (a different mill or finish counts)
- The garment wash programme changes
- The colour or Pantone reference changes
- The production site changes
- The trim moves to a different part of the garment