# Tagless techinques - how to...



## jgabby (Mar 29, 2007)

hi,

Can someone explain me the differents techniques to have tagless label ?

Thks


----------



## Olarion (Dec 11, 2007)

We simply remove original tags and screen print the tag in ... obviously much more creativity can be utilized with screen printed tag for a fraction of getting new sewn-in tags made.


----------



## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

1. Screenprint
2. Plastisol transfer
3. Digital transfer
4. I have seen machines, similar to a pad printing machine, that do them.


----------



## Olarion (Dec 11, 2007)

The four bullets that Splathead mentioned are sopt on as well. I am simply in the screen printing business so I just use the screen printed method. I simply print out a film - burn it - pull the shirt onto the board (after tag has already been removed) and print the tag...

I would be interested to see Splatheads methods...


----------



## jgabby (Mar 29, 2007)

If I choose screenprinting, on light tees do you see the tag when wearing the shirt ?

With plastisol transfer, can I do it with a 15"x15" press ?


----------



## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

Sometimes you can. 

That's the reason I'm not a real fan of the tagless labels. It doesn't look to professional in my opinion. Especially if you are brand building.


----------



## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Olarion said:


> I would be interested to see Splatheads methods...


We don't currently re-tag our garments. But we are gearing up to start. We are going to silkscreen, using softer water-based inks. 

One way to minimize seeing the tag through light shirts is to use a light colored ink. We have experimented with beige, light yellow, and light blue on white shirts and those combos work pretty well.


----------



## DMS (Jan 28, 2007)

I'm working on the usage of digital transfer pressed right on the original tag. Combining correctly the designs and colors you can save un-stiching the tag, you can save the original washing instructions, even original size and model (of the blank). Thins can save several operations at once ;-)


----------



## billm75 (Feb 15, 2007)

Comin'OutSwingin said:


> Sometimes you can.
> 
> That's the reason I'm not a real fan of the tagless labels. It doesn't look to professional in my opinion. Especially if you are brand building.


 
Doesn't Hanes have an entire line of tagless clothing? (not picking a fight, please don't take this the wrong way).

If Hanes can advertise and profit from Tagless clothing and they're one of the most major players in apparel today, why would you feel that a custom shop or a personal label brand would come off any less professional by following their model?


----------



## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

billm75 said:


> Doesn't Hanes have an entire line of tagless clothing? (not picking a fight, please don't take this the wrong way).
> 
> If Hanes can advertise and profit from Tagless clothing and they're one of the most major players in apparel today, why would you feel that a custom shop or a personal label brand would come off any less professional by following their model?


Hanes uses a method where the ink does not bleed through. It looks like they use some type of heat transfer method.

What Greg was saying is, with silkscreen/plastisol transfers, you can sometimes see the ink bleed through. I agree, that is unprofessional and distracting especially if you have a back print.


----------



## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

splathead said:


> Hanes uses a method where the ink does not bleed through. It looks like they use some type of heat transfer method.
> 
> What Greg was saying is, with silkscreen/plastisol transfers, you can sometimes see the ink bleed through. I agree, that is unprofessional and distracting especially if you have a back print.


Exactly.

If you're building a brand, it would stand to reason that you would want the perceived value to be higher than a Hanes shirt.

People that buy a Hanes tagless are buying for different reasons than if they are buying someone's brand. So, even if the label showed through, it wouldn't affect Hanes the way it would a new brand trying to make it.

Fruit of the Loom use the tagless also. But, you can see the print easily on the back of a white FOL. It's very ugly.


----------



## billm75 (Feb 15, 2007)

That's why I posed the response I did. I guess I should have ASKED, but I wanted more of a debate sort of response rather than a Q&A.

What method do you think would give you the same feel and look as a hanes tagless (or better) without the bleed through? I would imagine heat transfer would be fine for this purpose, but I have NOT tried it.


----------



## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

Probably. I thought about that, myself. It just seems tagless is more trouble than it's worth to me.

You've got to remove the old label, hopefully you get enough of it, then you've got to get the printed info on the shirt.


----------



## chas (Oct 14, 2007)

what is the best way to remove the original tag without poeple knowing you have done so????

or maybe not even the best way but what are the different options for removing the tag without sacrificing the integrity of the shirt???


----------



## billm75 (Feb 15, 2007)

I can't remember the brand right now, the magazine is out in my truck, but there is one company that has tear away labels designed specifically for this purpose of relabelling. 

I will try to get that posted tomorrow if no one else comes through with the info first.


----------



## authenticboricua (Oct 23, 2007)

chas said:


> what is the best way to remove the original tag without poeple knowing you have done so????
> 
> or maybe not even the best way but what are the different options for removing the tag without sacrificing the integrity of the shirt???


get a seam ripper, but buyer beware.


----------



## Oritron (Feb 26, 2007)

billm75 said:


> but there is one company that has tear away labels designed specifically for this purpose of relabelling.
> 
> I will try to get that posted tomorrow if no one else comes through with the info first.


This is getting pretty common, and you can find out a lot by searching "tear-away" on this forum.

Off the top of my head:

- Continental does this, with a permanent label in the side seam for care instructions, and a separate label at the neck for size. This saves you from printing care instructions and size like you do for the rest
- Anvil for at least some
- AAA for some, I think all of the Alstyle shirts are going to be tear-away eventually
- Article1

I know there are more, but like I said, this is just what I can think of at the moment. Search on the forum, there are threads dedicated to that.


----------



## billm75 (Feb 15, 2007)

I believe it was AAA or Article 1 that I had seen in the mag. Thanks for the assist Tron.


----------



## mtmob (Apr 21, 2007)

it definately AAA give em a call they have good customer service theyll help you find what you are looking for.


----------



## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

chas said:


> what is the best way to remove the original tag without poeple knowing you have done so????
> 
> or maybe not even the best way but what are the different options for removing the tag without sacrificing the integrity of the shirt???


Only sure way is to remove the stitches attaching the label, then sew back in your label, or if going tagless, sew back over the stitches you ripped out.


----------



## billm75 (Feb 15, 2007)

splathead said:


> Only sure way is to remove the stitches attaching the label, then sew back in your label, or if going tagless, sew back over the stitches you ripped out.


 
'tis why you'll never see ME going tagless. Too much like work if you ask me. I'm proud of the label I carry, they're durable, look good and people like 'em.


----------



## fashionDR (Dec 21, 2007)

I'm using American Apparel shirts, and you don't need to remove any stitching to get the tags out of those.

Just trim the tag back, close to the seamline. Then get yourself a pair of needle point tweezers and start pulling at the threads of the tag. It will unravel leading to one of two things happening. It will either unravel completely, pulling all the leftover tag from behind the stitchline with it. Or it will unravel until it gets behind the seamline, allowing you to pull out the remainder with your tweezers.

Once you get the technique it only takes about 10 seconds to completely remove the entire tag. This is only really an advantage if you want to print your tags in, since if you are re-tagging you need to unpick the seam anyway.

It also makes it easy on the printers if they can just cut the tags back to allow them to print in that area, then you can deal with removing them completely after they're printed.


----------



## lcollado (Dec 5, 2007)

what mesh count are you using to print the tags in inside the shirts?


----------



## fashionDR (Dec 21, 2007)

lcollado said:


> what mesh count are you using to print the tags in inside the shirts?


I've got no idea, I have them printed for me. Personally I think the less ink laid on there the better, you want minimal bleed through. So just use the finest mesh you can while keeping the label legible enough to avoid getting in trouble.


----------



## lcollado (Dec 5, 2007)

thanks, I was thinking high mesh count like 196 or 230. I like your website and your shirts.


----------



## fashionDR (Dec 21, 2007)

lcollado said:


> thanks, I was thinking high mesh count like 196 or 230. I like your website and your shirts.


Why thank you. The higher mesh count will also allow you to print your label smaller which is nice, but if you're printing with a high viscosity ink (like white) you may need to go for a slightly wider one. Do some tests and see what works, I'd be interested to know what you go with...


----------



## jscarbo (Feb 12, 2008)

Anvil offers a line of blanks with a tear away label. Style 749 is the men's version


----------



## NARC72 (Aug 10, 2005)

Article 1 is the other brand with tear away tags...


----------



## lcollado (Dec 5, 2007)

fashionDR said:


> Why thank you. The higher mesh count will also allow you to print your label smaller which is nice, but if you're printing with a high viscosity ink (like white) you may need to go for a slightly wider one. Do some tests and see what works, I'd be interested to know what you go with...


 
I have printed my labels with a mesh count of 196 and it turnd out great. font size was set to about 10 and I used a grey ink.


----------



## AravindSK (Nov 8, 2006)

I have used ganged sheets of screenprinted transfers from people like Dowling to heatpress the labels at the neck area using a regular heatpress. Instagraph.com has a special heatpress for printed necklabel transfers. They will make the labels for you as well.
As to removing labels, it is always a tricky affair. 
Currently I am getting most shirts made with the labels already in them or printed.

Good luck!

Aravind


----------



## MIK416 (Apr 8, 2008)

Comin'OutSwingin said:


> Sometimes you can.
> 
> That's the reason I'm not a real fan of the tagless labels. It doesn't look to professional in my opinion. Especially if you are brand building.


I agree, however look at some of your overpriced designer named tee shirts today and they have tagless labels screen printed on them, ie: Affliction, Some Ed Hardy, and Dussault apparel, ETC. It seems more and more companies are going the tagless route.


----------



## Basikboy (Aug 28, 2007)

What exactly do you have to print besides your logo Inside the neck area when you do tagless shirts? The size and washing Instructions as well?


----------



## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Basikboy said:


> What exactly do you have to print besides your logo Inside the neck area when you do tagless shirts? The size and washing Instructions as well?


Definitely washing instructions. Size would be nice


----------



## Basikboy (Aug 28, 2007)

I myself use Gildan which has 2 tags, one with the Gildan Logo and the other with size and washing Instructions. What If I took out the Gildan tag, left the size and washing Instructions tag and just printed my logo Inside the shirt? Anyone else do this?


----------



## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Basikboy said:


> I myself use Gildan which has 2 tags, one with the Gildan Logo and the other with size and washing Instructions. What If I took out the Gildan tag, left the size and washing Instructions tag and just printed my logo Inside the shirt? Anyone else do this?


Yep, that will work although it may look a little odd, both a tag and tagless label on the same shirt.

Alternatively, you could remove the Gildan tag and replace it with your own logo tag, keeping their size/washing tag.


----------

