Category: Buying Guides

Label fold type is a manufacturing decision disguised as a design one. It determines how the label attaches, how many seams it passes through, how much fabric bulk your sewing line handles, and whether the branding shows on one garment face or two. Choosing wrong either wastes sewing seconds per unit or hides the mark you paid for.

Center fold

A single label folded in half, sewn into a seam so one half shows on the inside and the mirrored half shows on the outside of a cuff, placket or hem.

• Best for — neck labels folded inward on tees, cuffs and waistbands where brand visibility must cross to the outside.
• Budget impact — one label per unit, but double the visible print area; the fold allowance (typically 18 mm) must be specified so the logo is not consumed by the fold.
• Risk — with a thick fabric, a double layer at the fold line puckers; ask for thinner 50D damask or reduce the folded overlap.

End fold (Manhattan fold)

One end folded back over the body, creating a tab that shows on the garment face while the label body stays inside.

• Best for — outerwear and denim side seams, where the folded tab reads as a brand flag on the outside.
• Trade-off — three fabric layers at the sewing point, so the operator needs a slower stitch and a topstitch to keep it flat.

Mitre fold

Two corners cut at 45° so the label wraps a right-angle corner cleanly — bag panels, leather patches, collar points and hem corners.

• Best for — any placement where a square label would bubble at a corner.
• Specification — state which corners are mitred and the wrap depth; a symmetric mitre on all four corners costs more than a two-corner mitre.

Straight cut (flat)

No fold at all: a flat rectangle sewn by tacking its corners, or heat/adhesive-applied.

• Best for — hem labels on knitwear, hang-tag loops, and full-surface content such as care and composition text.
• Risk — cut edges will fray unless the finish is hot-knife selvedge or ultrasonic soft cut; on skin-contact positions, insist on ultrasonic.

How fold choice changes landed cost

Fold type barely moves the label price — it moves garment cost. A fold adds one handling step per unit, and a triple-layer end fold on a thick fleece can add seconds per seam at high volume. Quantify it by asking your sewing supplier to run 50 pieces with each option and compare stitch time and rework rate; buyers who skip this test often revert mid-program, which means new labels and new lead time.

Placement-to-fold map

Garment placement	Recommended fold	Why
Inner back neck, tee	Straight cut or center fold	Skin comfort, single seam pass
Cuff or hem showing brand outside	Center fold	Branding crosses to the outer face
Outerwear side seam	End fold	Tab reads as an external flag
Bag or leather panel corner	Mitre fold	Wraps 90° without bubbling
Knitwear hem	Straight cut, soft edge	No bulk under a soft drape

Fold dimensions, allowance and edge treatments for each construction are configurable on the woven label specification page, and the physical sample is the only honest way to sign off a fold before bulk.

Most buyers pick a woven label weave by what the last brand used. The cheaper and safer habit is to pick the weave from the artwork: the level of detail in your logo decides the weave, and the weave then decides price. Here is how the three constructions actually differ.

What changes between weaves

A woven label is warp yarn held still while weft yarns are thrown across it. Two variables control the result: the thickness of the yarn (denier) and how densely weft threads are packed per centimetre. Denser weft and finer yarn equal sharper detail — and longer loom time.

Damask — 50D, high density

Damask uses fine 50D yarn at roughly twice the weft thread count of a standard taffeta. That is what lets it render four-colour shading, thin serifs and 0.4 mm outlines. It also carries a soft matte-to-satin surface, which is why designer brands default to it. Cost is the highest of the three because loom time is longest.

Satin — floated face yarn, glossy

Satin weaves float long yarns across the face, producing deep, glossy colour and a premium sheen, especially in black-and-white marks. The trade-off is resolution: those floats soften edges, so detail below roughly 1.5 mm text height loses definition. Satin neck labels with a soft-cut edge are also the kindest option against bare skin.

Taffeta — 70D, economy

Taffeta is a plain 70D weave, the fastest and cheapest to produce. It gives crisp hard edges on flat spot colours but has a practical minimum line width near 0.6 mm, and it feels drier and stiffer. Composition and care content printed on taffeta remains the standard for high-volume inner labels.

Decision table

Criterion	Damask	Satin	Taffeta
Minimum legible text	~0.8–1 mm	~1.5 mm	~1.8 mm
Colour shading	Yes, 4+ tones	Flat, rich solids	Flat solids only
Surface	Matte to low sheen	High gloss	Matte, stiff hand
Relative unit cost	1.00×	0.85–1.00×	0.60–0.75×
Best use	Detailed crest or serif wordmarks	Bold logo, premium neck label	High-volume size and care labels

How artwork decides the buy

• Logo has thin strokes, serifs or gradients → damask, and accept the premium.
• Logo is a solid mark, one or two colours, brand wants shine → satin.
• Label is functional (size, composition, care) at high volume → taffeta, or move the detail to printed labels.
• Both a hero brand label and a care label are needed → satin or damask for the brand mark, printed taffeta for care content; this split routinely cuts label spend 30–45 % versus weaving everything.

Cost drivers beyond the weave name

Weave class is only part of unit price. Size drives yarn consumption, colour count drives set-up, fold type drives sewing labour on your side, and edge treatment (ultrasonic soft cut versus hot knife) adds a step. A 20 × 30 mm satin center fold and a 25 × 40 mm damask straight cut are not comparable quotes — normalise every supplier comparison to the same size, fold, colour count and edge before believing a price gap. Full specification options are listed on the woven label category.

Common buyer mistakes

• Ordering damask by default and paying for resolution the artwork never needed.
• Choosing satin for the gloss, then discovering the 1.2 mm tagline turns to fuzz.
• Comparing supplier quotes on total price without normalising size and colour count.
• Skipping the physical sample, then failing the edge-softness test on a finished garment.

Buying custom woven labels looks simple until the first sample arrives: colours shifted, edges scratching the neckline, the logo unreadable at 20 mm. Nearly every failure traces back to a decision that was never made explicitly. This is the sourcing path we recommend for first-time and repeat apparel buyers alike.

1. Fix the specification before you request a quote

A quote without a specification is a guess, and guesses inflate cost later. Lock these five items first:

• Size and fold type — e.g. 20 × 30 mm center fold, or 25 × 40 mm straight cut. Fold type changes sewing time on your line, so involve the production team, not just design.
• Weave class — damask for detailed multi-tone logos, satin for glossy bold marks, taffeta for economy flat-colour labels. See custom woven labels for weave and density options.
• Colour count — each additional weft colour is a set-up step, not just an ink slot.
• Edge treatment — ultrasonic soft cut for skin-contact neck labels, hot-knife selvedge for hem and side-seam labels.
• Annual volume and reorder cadence — unit price falls sharply from 100 to 500 to 1,000 pcs, so quote against 12-month demand instead of the pilot style.

2. Prepare artwork that weaves can actually hold

Woven labels are built from threads, so detail has a physical floor. Supply vector AI, PDF or EPS with text outlined, at 1:1 mm scale, colours on separate spot layers. Keep letter height at 2 mm minimum and line weight at 0.4 mm minimum; anything finer becomes a blur of floating threads. Drop shadows, gradients and photographs cannot be woven — simplify the mark to flat separations before sending it.

3. Confirm colour against a textile standard, not a screen

Ask for Pantone TPX (textile) or PMS C references and request the yarn colour card with your purchase order. Screens are the worst colour reference in the industry, and a brand black woven as a warm charcoal will read as off-brand on every garment.

4. Proof, then sample, then bulk — never skip a step

A digital proof validates layout and size; a woven physical sample validates hand feel, edge softness, colour and how the label behaves after stitching and washing. Standard timing is proof within 24 hours, sample in 3–5 working days, bulk in 5–8 working days after approval.

When the sample arrives, check four things: legibility at arm’s length, edge sharpness against bare skin, colour match under both daylight and warehouse lighting, and dimension after a wash cycle.

5. Specify the wash and sew tests in the PO

Write the performance requirement into the order rather than hoping: industrial wash at 60 °C for 50 cycles without colour migration, no shrinkage or edge curl after stitching, and fold lines pre-marked if your sewing line uses an automatic folder. Buyers who skip this clause lose the only objective basis for a claim.

6. Inspect the bulk with sampling, not vibes

For orders above 5,000 pcs, pull AQL 2.5 random samples per carton and check colour consistency between lots, thread bridges in small text, and cut depth on fold edges. Batch-to-batch colour shift on genuine yarn dyeing runs 5–10 %, so reserve 10 % overage for critical colour programs.

7. Plan freight around your production calendar

Air freight is 3–5 days and suits launch drops; sea freight at 12–18 days suits reorder cycles. Label shortages stop a sewing line entirely, so the practical rule is to keep two months of consumption on hand and re-order at the 50 % mark.

Buyer’s checklist

• Size, fold, weave class, colour count and edge treatment specified in writing
• Vector artwork with 2 mm minimum text and 0.4 mm minimum line weight
• Pantone reference on the PO plus yarn colour card
• Digital proof and physical sample approved before bulk
• Wash and sew performance clauses on the PO
• AQL inspection plan above 5,000 pcs
• Freight chosen against the sewing schedule, with reorder point defined