# Process of getting my shirts relabeled



## chance_b (Sep 13, 2006)

This isn't a question thread - I'm now getting into the process of relabeling my shirts, so I'm going to post all progress here for other people who will be in the same boat. Updates may take a while as I'm going to be out of town over the next couple weeks, but I'm going to get into it now anyway. Just so we're clear, I'm talking about the neck labels.

I've already purchased my shirts from AAA (alstyle.com), from their 1301 line. As of 2008, they are manufacturing that line using tear-away tags, as well as some of their other lines as well - they will need to deplete all of their old stock first though before the new stuff comes in. Some of the shirts I will be relabeling unfortunately have the older sewn in labels, so that will add to the adventure later on when I'm in talks with a seamstress.

Today though came the first step - narrowing down a company that will provide the labels.

*Woven, printed or tagless?*
There are a number of questions you'll face when going down this path. One of the bigger ones for me was whether to go with printed or woven labels. Printed ones use ink printed directly onto the label, while woven use thread that is woven in to form your design and text. You'll find when searching that printed labels tend to be cheaper than woven, though keep in mind that higher quantities can greatly reduce your per unit price, which helps a lot in the long run, and this applies either way. Lucky Label (luckylabel.com) is one exception it seems; they deal with woven labels and ship out of Bangkok. Their minimums are high but cost is really low. 
Thing that was bugging me though is I want to avoid those scratchy labels, and I've dealt with more personally that were woven.. and to be honest, I kind of like the printed labels, though others feel the opposite. In the end - at least in the shorter term - I'll be going with printed.

Tagless is another option that many people prefer, though I didn't get much into that. This involves heatpressing or screening your tag info inside the neck of the shirt. I can't comment much on how it compares to the other methods, but I ended up choosing tag-in because I prefer the look.

*Which company to go with?*
I found it took a fair bit of digging to find a company that creates the labels, at least locally (I live in the Toronto area by the way, in Canada). I prefer dealing local when possible.
I found a couple small places through Yellowpages and Google Local, but it was actually this board that turned me onto my likely supplier, Laven Industries (laven.com). They operate out of Markham, Ontario and seem like one of the more well known label printers, though they also deal with woven (though other posts suggest those costs are really high). I emailed them and got a quick response, giving me these following quotes - use them as a guide, I received these today, July 24, 2008:

1. Black print on white, hot cut, not looped:​ 250 @ $75, 500 @ $85, 1000 @ $100​ Plus $35 set up, 1 week delivery

2. Black print on white, looped:​ 250 @ $100, 500 @ $110, 1000 @ $125​ Plus $50 set up, 1 week delivery

3. Another colour w/ 1 colored ink, looped​ 250 @ $125, 500 @ $135, 1000 @ $150​ Plus $50 set up, 1 week delivery

It makes much more sense to go with the order of 1000 pieces, as depending on whether I go with white or colored satin, it's only .17 to .20 cents per label. Also, importantly, *you're allowed to mix and match your sizing* without incurring separate setup costs.​
I'll be likely placing the order with them in a couple weeks unless something comes up, so I'll be posting more then. In the meantime, I'll need to start sourcing a seamstress, so there will be another post there as well.

Anyway - that's it for now I guess, any questions, just ask and I'll try to answer.


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## chance_b (Sep 13, 2006)

Forgot to add, just to keep this as informative as possible.. I haven't gotten quotes from these guys yet, but here are two more label printers in the Toronto area that are less known:

Laidler Label - Printed and Woven Garment Labels | Laidler Label
Fashion Tag Label International - 416-977-5155


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## rshannon_22 (Jul 11, 2008)

I am in the same boat; looking for a seamstress to do the relabeling. Have you gotten any quotes yet?


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## chance_b (Sep 13, 2006)

Not yet, just got back the other day from my trip so I haven't looked into it yet. I'm going to probably place the order with Laven within the next week or so I hope, and in the meantime I'll begin looking for a seamstress.

I did go through this before, though at the time I wasn't prepared to follow through with the order and unfortunately have lost the seamstress' contact details. I believe the quote I got before though was around $0.50 per shirt though, and I don't think there were minimums even. Probably doesn't include removing existing labels, but it's possible.

I'll be sure to post more when I can.


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