Want your brand to look like it has its own in-house apparel division?

Private labeling is one of the most cost-effective strategies for both your business and consumers. It allows you to outsource your apparel manufacturing to a trusted provider while displaying your brand name and logo in key places on each garment.

Sounds awesome, right? It is—but it’s also important to remember that not all approaches to private labeling are created equal.

The secret lies in elevating your apparel to a premium status, so your customers view your garments as the best they can find on the market. You can achieve this with the right private labeling techniques and finishings.

At Scrappy Apparel, we have a specialized private labeling program that allows you to take true ownership of your brand. We’ll handle all the time-consuming manufacturing tasks you’d normally have to deal with on your own.

Today, we’re excited to share our recommendations for the private labeling techniques and finishings you can use to charge more for your apparel and help your brand stand out from the rest!

Elevate Your Brand to Premium Status with Scrappy Apparel!

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Why Are Finishings So Important?

Finishings are the final stages in the apparel manufacturing process, occurring just before items are packaged and transported to the 3PL warehouse.

Imagine a customer unboxing their garment and finding a mess. You don’t want that!

Now, think of the same customer opening their package to find their new apparel thoughtfully presented and perfectly arranged. That’s the impression you want to make! 

In the apparel industry, finishing touches play a crucial role in defining your brand’s quality and appeal. These details not only elevate the unboxing experience but also enhance the functionality and aesthetic of each garment. 

Proper finishing ensures your garments look and feel premium, whether it’s:

• The way a shirt is folded
• The placement of tags
• The quality of the packaging

Every element contributes to a memorable customer experience and sets your brand apart in a competitive market.

Here are some of the finishing touches we offer at Scrappy Apparel:

Individual Folding in Polybags

Individually encasing your printed apparel in a polybag serves a dual purpose:

• Safeguarding it during storage and transit
• Adding an on-brand, delightful finishing touch

The act of opening the sealed bag adds a touch of excitement, heightening anticipation and enhancing the overall impression of the product. That’s why individually folding garments is essential for earning customer loyalty.

Application of UPC Barcodes

Wondering how to make sure people find your items anywhere in the world? UPC barcodes.

A Universal Product Code (UPC), also known as a UPC barcode, is a form of Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) that allows tracking of items across the global supply chain.

Due to its interoperability and standardized format (12-digit numeric code), the UPC remains consistent for each one of your items. All your customers can identify your products with these barcodes.

Fun fact: the UPC code was originally developed to streamline checkout processes and enhance inventory management in grocery stores. 

However, it’s also great for improving inventory management processes across all verticals, including apparel!

What Are the Major Private Labeling Techniques?

Basically, these techniques consist of choosing the right type of labels to use on your garments. You always want your brand to be front and center, but there are different ways of displaying the name and logo. Choose the placement that is most aligned with your brand strategy:

Screen Printed Neck Labels

Screen-printed neck labels are one of our favorite placements.

Unlike traditional woven labels, these labels are printed directly onto the garment’s inner neck area, offering a larger canvas for brand promotion and creativity.

The process involves removing existing woven labels and replacing them with screen-printed tags. We recommend using a soft, light- to mid-grey, water-based ink to ensure the label feels cotton-soft and comfortable against the skin.

Heat Transfer Neck Labels

These are also known as heat press labels or tagless labels because the image, artwork, or label information is fixed directly to the garment.

Heat transfer labels offer exceptional durability, capable of enduring numerous wash and dry cycles without fading, cracking, or splitting. These labels accommodate any design and are versatile for various applications.

For specialty transfers, high-volume orders, and expedited processing, it’s crucial to use a professional heat press for optimal results.

Sewn-in Neck Labels

Also called woven labels, sewn-in neck labels are fabric tags sewn into the neckline of garments.

These labels typically contain the brand name, size, care instructions, and country of origin. They serve both functional and branding purposes, providing essential details for consumers while also promoting brand recognition.

Strategic Placement of Hem Tags

This strategy involves attaching branded tags or labels to specific locations on a garment’s hemline for maximum visibility and impact. They can be placed on the sleeves, hip, neck, hoodie pocket, and much more.

Differing from other types of tags, these are positioned in a way that complements the garment’s design and enhances its overall aesthetic appeal.

Since they can be placed in many different positions, you can create an individualized look for the garment, leaving a lasting impression on customers.

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Scrappy Apparel: Your Expert Private Labeling Partner

By paying attention to intricate details, you enhance your product’s market readiness and attractiveness.

Scrappy Apparel is your go-to partner for achieving a refined, retail-ready appearance for every garment.

Inventory Management

Managing inventory efficiently is crucial, especially when dealing with fluctuating demand across different retail locations. 

Through our 3PL MGMT program, we dynamically adjust stock levels to optimize sales and minimize waste, ensuring you have just the right inventory where and when it’s needed.

By tailoring inventory to the specific demands of each location, we ensure that popular items are always available, enhancing customer satisfaction. 

This strategic approach reduces unnecessary waste and storage costs, maximizing the efficiency and profitability of your merchandising efforts. 

Whether it’s tour merchandise, seasonal collections, or promotional items, our program helps you manage it all with precision.

Top Quality Control for Your Pieces

When big, international brands choose to work with us, it’s often because of the quality of our work. Not only do we offer private labeling services, but we also carefully fold and polybag each order. You get the full package with us!

At Scrappy Apparel, we specialize in apparel-first fulfillment services, ensuring consistent quality across all areas of the supply chain. Our stringent quality control measures, from production to packaging, guarantee a 5-star experience for your customers.

We meticulously vet garments and conduct thorough inspections to maintain high standards of material quality, print clarity, and durability. Even with rush orders, our efficient quality control processes prevent any compromise on product quality.

A Personalized Touch to Your Clothing

The value of a branded label becomes evident when you can charge higher prices for your garments.

You can use our free neck label templates to create personalized labels for your garments. Simply register for a free account, log in, and navigate to the download page to access the templates.

Whether it’s a mission statement, your favorite joke, or words of wisdom, people will love seeing just how much personality your apparel has.

Private Label Your Garments with Scrappy Apparel!

At first, “screen printing” might sound like a simple process—but the reality is that there’s a world of creativity and possibilities at your fingertips.

When you produce a garment for your brand or organization, the choices you make during the manufacturing process will affect the finished product (probably more than you realize!)

Choosing the right ink is one of the most critical decisions you’ll make.
It will affect:

• The vibrancy of your print
• The longevity of the garment
• How the garment feels—and whether or not it’s comfortable to wear

With the right ink, you can add a touch of magic to your designs. But each ink comes with its own pros and cons.

We wrote this guide to help you. Today, we’ll cover the most commonly used inks in screen printing, their use cases, and the pros and cons you should consider.

You’ll want to take notes—this decision could make or break your next screen printing project!

Work with Scrappy’s Team to Make the Best Choices for Your Project!

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Why Does Ink Matter?

We already mentioned a few technical reasons, but let’s dive deeper.

Aside from the garment itself, your ink choice will help communicate your brand’s message with quality and integrity.

How would you feel if you bought a t-shirt from your favorite brand and the print started cracking and peeling after the second wash?

At best, you’d be annoyed. At worst, you’d demand a refund and never order from that brand again.
Don’t let a poor ink choice ruin an otherwise stellar garment. Your brand reputation depends on it.

Choosing the wrong ink can also lead to material waste and financial losses. For example, if the ink doesn’t adhere well to the fabric or requires additional manufacturing processes, you’ll end up spending more than necessary.

Now, imagine if you need to produce thousands of garments. Even a seemingly small increase in the cost per garment can multiply your overall costs significantly.

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Exploring Screen Printing Inks: An Analysis of the Most Common Options

Now that you see the big picture, let’s break down the most common types of screen printing inks—plastisol, glow-in-the-dark, and everything in between!

Plastisol Ink

First, let’s discuss the most commonly used ink in screen printing—plastisol.

It’s a top choice due to its durability, versatility, and user-friendly nature. It works well across a wide array of garments and screen printing projects.

Plastisol inks are composed of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and plasticizers. They boast a thicker consistency and greater opacity compared to water-based alternatives.

However, eco-conscious brands and consumers often criticize plastisol ink because it leaves a much larger footprint than water-based alternatives.

Pros

• It’s highly versatile and can be printed on a wide variety of fabrics.
• Its opacity allows you to cover any color fabric with ease.
• It’s highly durable and can withstand a lot of wear and tear.
• It can replicate any Pantone color with ease.
• It’s cheaper than many other inks.

Cons

• It requires specialized equipment for proper heat curing.
• It’s not as breathable as other inks.
• It may feel heavier as it tends to be thicker.
• It may crack if stretched excessively.

Water-Based Ink

Water-based inks are fan favorites for eco-friendly brands. They utilize water as the primary solvent instead of harsh chemicals. 

Water-based ink permeates the fabric more deeply than plastisol. It offers a softer print that’s more integrated into the fabric, making it a great choice for a comfortable, natural feel.

Pros

• It’s more environmentally friendly.
• It’s easy to clean up and less likely to clog screens.
• It’s vibrant, yet soft and breathable, resulting in a comfortable feel.

Cons

• The printing process requires meticulous maintenance and temperature control, which may incur additional costs.
• Its quick-drying properties make it harder to work with.
• It’s less opaque when applied to darker fabrics, so your fabric choices are limited to light colors.

Discharge Ink

Discharge ink is a type of water-based ink that includes an activator. When added to the ink, the activator initiates a process where the dyes from the garment are removed.

The process results in an off-white or bleached appearance, similar to a natural canvas if color pigments aren’t introduced.

If you want to use water-based ink on a dark fabric color, discharge ink is the way to go.

Pros

• It provides a vintage, aged aesthetic to the print.
• It can be used on dark garments.
• It enables the creation of a subtle tone-to-tone effect.
• It’s easy to print on folds, seams, pockets, and other challenging areas.

Cons

• It’s best suited for use on 100% cotton garments.
• If you don’t have an expert partner, you may have inconsistent results due to differences in fabric dye and color.

Reflective Ink

Now, let’s talk about specialty screen printing inks. These inks are designed to “WOW” your customers with unique elements that are not possible with traditional screen printing inks.

Reflective ink is the first we’ll discuss.

Infused with reflective materials, this ink brings garments to life in low-light conditions, perfect for sportswear and eye-catching fashion.

When exposed to light, such as headlights or ambient lighting, the reflective particles infused in the ink create a luminous effect that enhances visibility.

Pros

• It ages well, withstands wear, and survives many washes.
• It improves visibility in low-light environments, making it ideal for cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts.
• It adds a visually striking element to designs, whether incorporated subtly as accents or used boldly for entire graphics.
• It can be easily combined with other ink types and printing techniques.

Cons

• It tends to be more expensive than traditional screen printing inks.
• It’s available in a limited range of colors, often restricted to metallic silver or gray tones.
• It calls for specialized equipment, expertise, and meticulous attention to detail when used.
• The printed area may exhibit a slightly raised or textured surface compared to standard prints.

@hafsiaofficial Unisex Reflective LIGHTNING hoodie 2.0 ⚡️⚡️⚡️ Colors: WHITE / BLACK Size : XS/S/M/L/XL DM to order 📩 #hoodies #fashion #oversizedhoodie #unisexfashion #newtrend #mode #lightening #reflective ♬ son original – Hafsia

See an example of reflective ink in action!

Metallic Ink

Metallic ink adds a glossy, luxurious finish to your designs. This ink contains metallic particles distributed throughout the liquid. It’ll make every garment shine—no doubt!

If you use metallic ink, we recommend selecting artwork with simplified details. Achieving intricate details can be challenging.

Why? Because the printing process utilizes a low mesh screen, which is essential for depositing the ink in a sufficiently thick layer to achieve the desired metallic effect.

Pros

• It’s remarkably durable. It ensures longevity even when garments endure regular wear and tear.
• It’s visually intriguing.

Cons

• It’s not suitable for fine details due to the thickness of the ink.
• It tends to be more expensive than other types of ink.
• It also has a limited color selection. It cannot be mixed with other inks without diluting the metallic flake.

Puff Ink

Create a 3D effect with puff ink, ideal for bold logos and text that you want to stand out.

This unique ink contains a blowing agent that expands when exposed to heat, resulting in a three-dimensional effect when heated during the curing process.

Pros

• It looks 3D and also has a unique raised feel that can give your garment a premium touch.
• It works well on a wide range of fabrics, including cotton and blends.
• It’s also flexible color-wise. You can use it for multicolored designs, halftones, or solid colors.

Cons

• It’s not well-suited for intricate designs, as it blurs out fine detailed work.
• It requires additional time and resources for exact color matching.
• It has a longer production time and may require adjustments to printing equipment and processes.

Glow-in-the-Dark Ink

This playful ink stays true to its name. It stores light to create glowing effects in the dark, perfect for designs that aim to stand out.

It’s ideal for use in low-light environments—like raves, nighttime school events, cosmic bowling… you get the idea.

Pros

• It provides an eye-catching effect that can add an extra dimension to designs.
• It offers designers the opportunity to create imaginative and innovative artwork.
• It provides a fun and engaging experience for wearers.

Cons

• It relies on exposure to light sources to recharge the ink’s luminescence.
• It typically produces a green or bluish glow, which may restrict color choices for apparel designs.
• It requires careful handling and storage to preserve the glow effect.

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Still Unsure? Leverage Scrappy Apparel’s Manufacturing Expertise to Bring Your Apparel to Life!

At Scrappy Apparel, we believe in the transformative power of the perfect ink. For us, quality is non-negotiable.

We’ve been in business for over 17 years. We’re manufacturing experts and true partners who will help you select the right materials, ink, and printing process for your garment. You can count on us to keep efficiency in mind every step of the way.

Our team at Scrappy Apparel understands that manufacturing is only one step in the supply chain. 

We’ve honed our manufacturing expertise since the beginning, but over the years we expanded our services to streamline every aspect of the apparel supply chain, including:

• Sourcing materials
• Manufacturing garments
• Fulfillment
• E-commerce

…and much more!

Our proprietary 3PL MGMT program transcends traditional logistics management to offer a comprehensive, end-to-end supply chain solution tailored to the unique needs of apparel brands. 

With an emphasis on efficiency and quality, our program integrates advanced 4PL and 5PL capabilities. We oversee every aspect of the supply chain, from the first sale to the final delivery.

So, this means you can trust us to run your backend operations while you focus on designing, marketing, and selling.

Work with Scrappy Apparel to Elevate Your Brand with Luxury-Level Garments and Seamless Logistics