# Neck tag relabeling



## RAWRoutLOWD (Mar 24, 2007)

I've started producing some new shirt designs for my clothing business, and to give my shirts a more professional look I was thinking about doing some relabeling. 

I've checked out CustomLabels4U and it seems like quite the investment. 500 labels range from $240 to $270. Are there any other sites that do custom labeling with lower minimum orders (around 250 would be good). So before doing anything, I have a few questions.

1. I'm ordering American Apparel t-shirts, if I were to remove the tags, when I relabel the shirts, do I need to have different labels based on the size of the shirt? This would cause a lot of problems, because if the minimum order is 500, will I have to make 4 orders (small, med, large, x-large) of 500 labels? That would just be ridiculous, as well as way out of my price range. Or do people just make a custom label over the AA label? On the shirts from SEEE.US / BOYS SHOP it looks like they just label their logo over the original label. 

2. Is it smarter to relabel the labels yourself or give it to a local seamstress? And if I give them to a seamstress, approximately how much will the relabeling cost for each shirt? Also, will I need to remove the original AA labels myself before giving them to the seamstress?

Thank you.


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## seibei (Mar 17, 2006)

I used to do custom labels for my shirts (I have switched to a tagless print for various reasons), on AA, so I can answer pretty much all of those questions based on personal experience.

1. I don't know of any sites with lower minimums; I can however refer you to a company that does, I think, about 2000 or 3000 for $300, and they're good quality. What you're paying for is set-up, essentially. Mine were printed, by the way, as opposed to woven (which are a bit more expensive). 

2. What I used to do, and what a lot of companies now do as well, is leave in the bottom of the two tags in the AA shirt that has all of the size info and care info etc, so all you need to worry about on your label is your logo, really. With that in mind, you may want to design a tag that's about the same size as the AA top tag, just so it fits well (but, for example, Johnny Cupcakes has a tag that is much wider than the AA size/care tag, and it looks fine). 

3. Take your labels and your shirts to a seamstress, and tell them to cut out the the top label and sew in your own - just hold up a shirt and show them how you want it. 

There is one other thing to consider - getting your tag sewn in over the tape (the reinforced cloth strip the goes shoulder to shoulder), or under the tape. I always did under the tape; it is slightly more expensive but looks better in my mind, however, many brands just sew it in over the tape as it is a bit quicker and less costly.

The seamstress I went to did them for about 0.25 per shirt, under the tape, which is pretty good in my opinion.

Anyway, let me know if you have any other questions - I think I've covered most everything?


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## ffokazak (Feb 23, 2006)

Try screen printing them or having them heat pressed.


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## Ujudgnme2 (Mar 28, 2006)

I had some labels made downtown L.A. and I paid under $100, it was very cheap. That was for some pants I designed. For my tshirts, what I have done, created a graphic logo with my biz name and email address, iron on the back of the tshirt, near the bottom right. It looks like a "hip hop" logo, really kool. For those designs I did not design, but only printed, I do not put anything, but the email addy or nothing at all. Just like my biz cards which I do myself so that I can make changes when I want...keeping control my biz.


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## RAWRoutLOWD (Mar 24, 2007)

too bad I live in New Jersey though...


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## Ujudgnme2 (Mar 28, 2006)

RAWRoutLOWD said:


> too bad I live in New Jersey though...


good thing there is the USPS.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

RAWRoutLOWD said:


> I've checked out CustomLabels4U and it seems like quite the investment. 500 labels range from $240 to $270. Are there any other sites that do custom labeling with lower minimum orders


There aren't (m)any places with lower minimums, but there are definitely places where your dollar will go a lot further (in other words your cost will probably be much the same wherever you go, but what you're actually getting will vary).



RAWRoutLOWD said:


> when I relabel the shirts, do I need to have different labels based on the size of the shirt?


There are two main options: if you can leave the original size label in and just replace the brand label, you can do that. If that's not an option, you can buy size tabs and add them with your label - they're a lot cheaper than full labels.

If you're not leaving the original care label you'll need to make sure you're complying with the appropriate labelling laws though (i.e. the information from that label will have to be on your new label).


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## RAWRoutLOWD (Mar 24, 2007)

Thanks a lot! Can you possibly refer me to a website which has cheaper labels? Also, after considering what you said. I think I'm just going to replace the brand label and keep the size label. Where can I learn more about the labeling laws?


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## highstyleinc (Apr 4, 2007)

RAWRoutLOWD said:


> Thanks a lot! Can you possibly refer me to a website which has cheaper labels? Also, after considering what you said. I think I'm just going to replace the brand label and keep the size label. Where can I learn more about the labeling laws?


Here is the FTC site for labeling: Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

RAWRoutLOWD said:


> Can you possibly refer me to a website which has cheaper labels?


luckylabel.com is one. Others that have come up (you'll need to check pricing) are djslabels.com and progressivelabel.com, but I don't have price samples from those.



RAWRoutLOWD said:


> I think I'm just going to replace the brand label and keep the size label. Where can I learn more about the labeling laws?


If you leave the brand label, you most likely don't need to worry about it: that label will have everything that is required (country of origin, RN, etc.).

I wrote about it quite a while ago here though, and there's a lot of information on the web (and these forums).


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## RAWRoutLOWD (Mar 24, 2007)

I just talked to the closest tailor to where I live and he said that the labeling would cost around $1.00 a shirt. Is he trying to rip me off, I think I might check the yellow pages for other local seamstresses.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

A lot of the time it depends on the method they use to remove the old label. If it is completely by hand, then they tend to charge more.

There are machines that can do them rather quickly, and therefore the cost is lowered.

I wish I could find a local seamstress that did them for 25 cents, but the best I can do is a place about 50 miles from me that uses the machines, and they charge 35 cents for under the neck tape. But, I still have to pay the shipping charges.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> Are there any other sites that do custom labeling with lower minimum orders (around 250 would be good).


You can get less than 500 labels from clothinglabels4u.com. I think the minimum is 250. 500 is just the price quote they have on the site for an example (to encourage larger orders probably)

If you don't need lots of labels, then a smaller minimum is good. But if you think you may need more labels, then you can spend a similar amount and get more labels from places like Solmu mentioned above.


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## dlystrgl (Feb 26, 2007)

RAWRoutLOWD said:


> I'm ordering American Apparel t-shirts, if I were to remove the tags, when I relabel the shirts, do I need to have different labels based on the size of the shirt? This would cause a lot of problems, because if the minimum order is 500, will I have to make 4 orders (small, med, large, x-large) of 500 labels? That would just be ridiculous, as well as way out of my price range. Or do people just make a custom label over the AA label? On the shirts from SEEE.US / BOYS SHOP it looks like they just label their logo over the original label.
> 
> 2. Is it smarter to relabel the labels yourself or give it to a local seamstress? And if I give them to a seamstress, approximately how much will the relabeling cost for each shirt? Also, will I need to remove the original AA labels myself before giving them to the seamstress?


I thought the same thing as well. Then I gave Lisa a call. She runs clothinglabels4u. Don't be discouraged by the minimum order. She will work with you if you are planning on doing labels with different sizes on it. I just recently did an order of 500 labels, with 125 of each size (s, m, l, and xl). All you need to do is tell her you want the same design for the labels, but want different sizes marked on it. All she requires is that you order at least 100 of each different size. You can send her files with the different sizes or have her graphic artists doctor it up(for a fee, of course)! Plus, you don't even have to do all sizes. If you don't need s and m, you can just order 250 of l and xl. 

As far as relabeling goes...unless you're a pretty clean AND efficient sewer(sp?) yourself, I would suggest having it done by a seamstress. These people make a living sewing and your product will definitely look more professional. I've found that .30 to .35 cents is the average price. If you can find anything lower, that's great! Don't worry about removing the labels either. From my experience that is part of the price. It would definitely avoid any confusion as to what shirt is what size also! Could you imagine getting 200 unlabeled shirts and having the task of figuring out what shirt is what size? I definitely would be p'd off!

Bottom line is...when in doubt don't hesitate to give a company a call! You never know what you'll discover! BTW, if you do decide to call Lisa, let her know you found her through t-shirtforums.com and ask her about the free shipping deal!!! Just another added perk!


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## dlystrgl (Feb 26, 2007)

Solmu said:


> If you're not leaving the original care label you'll need to make sure you're complying with the appropriate labelling laws though (i.e. the information from that label will have to be on your new label).


From what I understand, as long as you can verify your source for the generic shirts you don't have to have the information from the original label on your label. The RN # is basically for anyone in the business of having their own garments made and dyed, if I'm not mistaken. Basically, it gives "the powers that be" all the information they need if someone were to file a lawsuit against you, say for example, if the dye in your shirt gave them an allergic reaction that caused them to be hospitalized. The RN # gives them your info, your manufacturers info, your dyers info, etc. The whole chain of companies involved with the garment.

So, if you are just ordering pre-made shirts(generics) such as Hanes, AAA, Alternative Apparel, etc. then you don't need an RN #. You just have to be able to tell people who the manufacturer of the shirts are if you're asked. 

As far as all the other info(care instructions, country of origin, fiber content, etc.)
...that's up to you. Just depends on how you want your label to look and how you want your company perceived.


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## highstyleinc (Apr 4, 2007)

dlystrgl said:


> From what I understand, as long as you can verify your source for the generic shirts you don't have to have the information from the original label on your label. The RN # is basically for anyone in the business of having their own garments made and dyed, if I'm not mistaken. Basically, it gives "the powers that be" all the information they need if someone were to file a lawsuit against you, say for example, if the dye in your shirt gave them an allergic reaction that caused them to be hospitalized. The RN # gives them your info, your manufacturers info, your dyers info, etc. The whole chain of companies involved with the garment.
> 
> So, if you are just ordering pre-made shirts(generics) such as Hanes, AAA, Alternative Apparel, etc. then you don't need an RN #. You just have to be able to tell people who the manufacturer of the shirts are if you're asked.
> 
> ...


Whoa.... not true. Please see the labeling laws on the ftc website.

Typically on blank shirts, you will find the RN# of the manufacturer. If leaving this label in, you do not need your own RN#. But if the RN# is not there, you have to either use your RN# or your company's legal name. 

An RN# will only give the information from the RN# holder. If it is your manufacturer's RN, your info won't be visible.

As per labeling laws, care instructions has to be visible to customers for the lifetime of the garment. Same with country of origin and fabric content. There are fines if you don't comply.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

dlystrgl said:


> Just depends on how you want your label to look


As Kris and I have both said, that's not true. There are very specific requirements on what the label must have (and where). If your labels aren't compliant you can be fined, and stock will be pulled until you fix it at your expense.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Solmu said:


> As Kris and I have both said, that's not true. There are very specific requirements on what the label must have (and where). If your labels aren't compliant you can be fined, and stock will be pulled until you fix it at your expense.


This thread has more details on the requirements: http://www.t-shirtforums.com/t-shirt-tag-relabeling-finishing/t17483.html


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## TomandBunny (Apr 13, 2007)

We looked into doing our own labels, but with so many sizes and types of shirts we thought that was just too much time and effort, so we looked into doing no labels on the shirts and screen printing our own in, again with all the different sizes and care instructions and time we again found this to be pointless.

We came to the conclusion that people are going to buy your shirts regardless of the label if the design is what they are looking for. so we have a screen with 2 designs on it. one is for ladies and kids shirts, the other is for T-Shirts which the logo is 25% larger than the ladies and kids. We screen them on the back of the shirt just below the neck with our company website and a cool graphic around it so it looks edgy 

It's fast, 2 designs we can pound out as many shirts as we want without having to know what design or label goes to what shirt.

remember, it is always nice to have your name on the tag but nicer to have the profits in your pocket.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

This is definitely true for some markets, and completely false for others.

There are consumers in some markets that will buy a shirt regardless of what the tag says, if they love the design. But there are consumers in other markets that can love the design, but won't buy the shirt just because the label is not the brand they want to wear.

That's just the way it is. It's nice to have profits in your pockets, but you need to know your market or you won't have any profits. 

Maybe your market is one that doesn't care about what's on the label, but not everyone is in the same market.

Research your market, research your market, research your market! Then you will know what to do about your labels...


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## TomandBunny (Apr 13, 2007)

Note: we were speaking for ourselves, not you or anyone else. Maybe I didn't spell that out.

True, if you print a shirt that has pockets there are people that won't buy the shirt because it has pockets.

one thing I learned, please the majority and don't let that one person dictate how you run your business.

Again, your right, if they don't like a specific brand they won't buy it, however another thing we do, we only use ultra heavy weight 100% pre shrunk cotton shirts. we spend more on quality of shirts then we do thinking about the tags to put in them. if someone sees Haynes Ultra Beefy 100% cotton tag, I don't think they are going to walk away in my opinion. where as they see a crappy 50/50 shirt I would not expect them to walk but run away!

No matter what tag you put in the shirt they can feel quality at their fingertips!


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

TomandBunny said:


> We came to the conclusion that people are going to buy your shirts regardless of the label if the design is what they are looking for.


This is a general statement, and 1 that just can't be said is true in all cases. Maybe people in YOUR market will buy YOUR shirts because of the design.

But there are markets out there that it most definitely matters what's on the tag. That's my point. It's not about trying to please every single consumer, it's trying appeal the majority in a particular market.



TomandBunny said:


> one thing I learned, please the majority and don't let that one person dictate how you run your business.


Exactly my point!

So if the majority in a market will not buy a generic brand shirt, you're probably better off spending the extra dough on getting some custom labels. Because not having them is going to cost you more than 1 customer. It will cost you most of the customers in your market.



TomandBunny said:


> Again, your right, if they don't like a specific brand they won't buy it, however another thing we do, we only use ultra heavy weight 100% pre shrunk cotton shirts. we spend more on quality of shirts then we do thinking about the tags to put in them. if someone sees Haynes Ultra Beefy 100% cotton tag, I don't think they are going to walk away in my opinion. where as they see a crappy 50/50 shirt I would not expect them to walk but run away!


This is completely a matter of personal taste, and again is more market driven than anything. Some consumers in a particular market won't like the ultra heavyweight and may think it is cheap. Trust me, they are out there!

That's why I said you need to research your specific market, and the generalizations of "people are going to buy your shirts regardless of the label if the design is what they are looking for" just isn't going to cut it in some markets.

There are some markets where consumers will run if they see your brand is "X", and they look at the tag and it doesn't match the brand. It could be the best quality shirt in the world, but it won't be perceived that way by the majority in that market.

Research your market, research your market, research your market! Then you will know what to do about your labels...


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> This is a general statement, and 1 that just can't be said is true in all cases. Maybe people in YOUR market will buy YOUR shirts because of the design.


That's why they clarified that they were speaking for *themselves*...not anyone else


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## TomandBunny (Apr 13, 2007)

Comin'OutSwingin
Once again if you missed it the first time, I only was stating what works for us! and we did our market research and our research didn't justify the cost of a custom tag.


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## TomandBunny (Apr 13, 2007)

Another note, we just looked at some shirts from very very well known internet shirt companies and funny, we saw one where they clearly cut out the original tag and had their custom one sewed into the neck. looking at the piss poor job and how much it looked like crap it would have been better off to just leave the original AAA tag in and just put theirs over the top of it or not even putting a custom tag in at all. I will see if I can find the shirt and upload a photo here so you can see.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

I know what you're talking about. I've seen those kind myself. That's a good example of their market not really caring about the label.

But there are certain markets that wouldn't be able to get away with that at all.

Also, the goals of your company will play a part in whether you will relabel. If you are brand-building, it is almost essential, no matter what market your shirts are in.


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## TomandBunny (Apr 13, 2007)

Comin'OutSwingin said:


> Also, the goals of your company will play a part in whether you will relabel. If you are brand-building, it is almost essential, no matter what market your shirts are in.


Correct, if your branding thats one thing, if your doing gag gifts like we do thats another thing.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

TomandBunny said:


> Correct, if your branding thats one thing, if your doing gag gifts like we do thats another thing.


That's very very true. People that are buying impulse "gag" type gift t-shirts (a big market) don't really care about a neckline tag. That money could be better spent advertising to reach more customers (or as you say, a better t-shirt brand so they remember you).


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## Parlophone (Feb 8, 2007)

i'm leaning towards heat pressing my own logo/label and cutting out the old. today's customer prefers the tagless-tee anyways.


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