How to Protect your Brand with Private Labeling

For any DTG company, having a private label is key in protecting your brand. What many companies do not know is that this does not come at an outrageously high cost. Private labeling shirts, face masks and any other textile can be done quickly and cost effectively if the right method is chosen.

What does private labeling mean?

Unless you are an apparel manufacturer, the clothing that you are using to print your graphics on are not your own. There is typically a tear away tag on the inside that will give you information about place of manufacturing, care instructions, etc.

For more information about shirt labels, read: A Shirt Label is Worth 1000 Words

This label can easily be ripped out for a reason: to put your branding in its place. Private labeling is the process of relabeling shirts from apparel manufacturers with your branding. This is important for retailers because it is an opportunity to promote your brand.

The benefits of private labeling are endless but include:

• Letting your brand shine: Private labeling tells consumers where their favorite pieces come from. Promote this with a clear, wear-resistant label on the inside of the piece!
• Protecting your artwork: Along the lines of letting your brand shine, it also protects your artwork. It shows your customer who owns the artwork and encourages others to purchase that product.
• Making your product more professional: A private label makes your product look professional by giving consumers insight into who you are. This is also an opportunity to showcase your website.

How do I private label?

Private labeling can be done a variety of different ways. To learn more about all options read what is tagless label printing. For the purpose of this article, we’re focusing on the simplest and brand-chosen way of printing labels: pad printing. Pad printing or tagless printing is the process of printing a solvent-based garment printer ink directly onto the fabric. Meaning, it will be soft to the touch and dries instantly. This method provides the best outcome and is used from very small companies all the way up to the largest apparel manufacturers in the world (yes, your favorite brands!). The ink used in tagless printing goes through rigorous compliance testing to ensure it is safe for contact with skin at any age.

Many companies prefer pad printing tagless labels over screen printing tagless labels because it does not require as much space and time to get the machine ready for printing. Additionally, switching artwork and sizing is also easier. Instead of having to make different screens, which can take up to an hour per color, pad printing requires the plate or cliché to be etched with can take as few as 2 minutes.

What are the Benefits of Pad Printing Private Labels?

The benefits of tagless pad printing over other methods including screen printing include:

• Decreased production time: Screen printing and heat transfers both require a heating element. When a screen printed tagless label is printed, it needs to be dried. When a heat transfer label is placed on a garment, it needs to be heat sealed. Tagless pad printing is dry to the touch right after printing.
• Sustainable process: Pad printing uses 10x less ink than screen printing. In screen printing, a lot of ink is used for a small space. At the end of the day, this is thrown away. Pad printing utilizes a closed ink cup to hold the ink. This can print thousands of impressions with just 1 cup. Compared to heat transfers, there is no additional paper or plastic waste.
• Better quality: Pad printing produces crisp, clean and comfortable tagless labels. It is known as ‘soft-touch’ which means you do not feel the label on the shirt at all. This increase the durability because the label is essentially imprinted into the garment. Screen printing produces rough, itchy and thick labels that make you want to tear out the label but you can’t!
• Flexibility: In addition to printing on apparel, face masks and other textiles, pad printing’s flexibility allows you to print on practically any hard good. From silicone to glass to plastics, pad printing is a flexible process that enables you to expand your product gamut.

Do we have you convinced? Contact us to start the sampling process!

Additional Resources:

Tagless Apparel Manufacturers en Route to Cost-Reduction

Tagless Pad Printing Guide