All you need to know about labels

The focus when creating a custom t-shirt is often the design. Of course, the design is the first thing people will see of your merch – so it makes sense that this would be the crowning consideration of your custom merch endeavour.

However, the key to creating standout custom merch is an attention to detail. After all, there are a whole host of ways you can alter or modify the final product you create, each of them offering ways to stamp your identity on the product, and to add extra details which suggest high quality (and which, by association, will lend its premium aura to your brand).

As with lots of aspects of creating custom merch, it can be difficult to know how exactly custom labels work, and so we’ve gathered together some of the key information you need if you’re planning on designing your own labels or re-labelling your custom t-shirts or hoodies.

What kind of label do you want?

There’s two main types of label: woven or silk printed. Woven labels have a more premium look and feel, but we require a minimum order of 500 units to include them. Silk printed labels are akin to the type of labels that are used for washing instructions on the inside of garments, and these require a lower minimum order of 100 units.

An alternative to both of the above is to screen print on the inside neck of the garment. This is especially worth considering for anyone who’d like to customise the label but is only looking to do a small order, as it’s available for orders of 20 units and upwards. (One extra thing to consider for this option is size pips, the small labels which indicate the size of the garment. If you choose to screen print the inside neck, it’s most cost effective to include size pips, otherwise you’ll need to have screens to print different designs for each of the different sizes.)

Do you want to provide your own labels?

We can work with you to manufacture your own labels, making it as seamless as possible to create the design you like, and then having the labels fitted to the garments. However, if you’d like to design and manufacture your labels elsewhere, it’s also possible to provide us with the labels and we have them fitted to the garments.

Where do you want to place your label?

As pictured above, the most common place for a label – and for any custom label you might choose to design – is on the inside neck. However, it’s also possible to have a hem label, which can be positioned in the sleeve or on the bottom part of the t-shirt or hoody. This can be a way to show off your label and use it as a way to stamp your identity on your merch.

(In this case, you’d likely want to use a woven rather than silk print label, as the former lends itself better to a premium-looking garment.)

Want to create custom merch for your brand or business? ICON Printing offer fast turnaround printing on a range of garments, counting a number of clients ranging from such as WeWork to Boiler Room and the Tate. Get a quote in 2 minutes online.