# should i put the care info on the back of my tag? or just leave the one thats already on there



## Peleg_86 (Dec 1, 2008)

hey. im using american apparel blanks for my line. they have 2 tags in their neck, 1 that says the brand name and wheres its made, and the other that says the size, what material its made of, and has the care info...

atleast thats what i thought! until someone on this board told me that american apparel actually uses just ONE tag. everyone thinks its 2, but its actually 1 long one. 

for my brand i plan on having custom neck tags..what i originally was going to do before finding out they only use ONE tag, was just remove the front one, add mine, and keep the care tag...

but now this complicates things. what should i do now? should i continue on with my original plan, and just leave the american apparel care tag in place? (it might be a problem since i would have to cut the original tag in "half")

or should i remove the entire tag/s from the blank, and add my own custom tag neck, but with all the info necessary - brand name and size on front, care info/material on back???

sorry if this sounded confusing!


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## gaseousclay (Nov 14, 2007)

if you can afford to have custom neck tags then go for it. but I think you'd need your own RN# along with the garment care info for that.


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## Peleg_86 (Dec 1, 2008)

RN#? whats that! uh oh


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## Peleg_86 (Dec 1, 2008)

can you explain what you meant?


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

Gratz_The_King said:


> can you explain what you meant?


An RN# is something that manufacturers apply for. It is used on neck labels to identify where a garment was made. It used to be a requirement (along with content, origin and care instructions) but I believe a company name/logo is fine. So applying for an RN# is an option, not a requirement.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Any one can apply for an RN #, not just manufacturers. It does not identify where a garment was made. It identifies the distributor's/manufacturer's company name and address.

However, you don't have to apply for one yourself. You can use the one that is already on the AA shirts.

The bigger issue with the AA label is it has the country of origin on the back of the top label. This is also a requirement. So if you cut off the top label, you will need to make sure your label has the "Made in the U.S." wording.

For a complete run down on what is required on a label, see the FTC Relabeling Info link in the left hand column of this page under Resources.


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

Joe is correct, it identifies *who *not *where.

*But according to the FTC, Company Name can be used instead of the RN#, making the RN# an option, not a requirement, from a business and label standpoint.


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## Peleg_86 (Dec 1, 2008)

wow! so removing those tags from the american apparel shirt is going to be a hassle, since ill have to make sure my custom tags have all the necessary info.

would i be able to just tell my label maker to print "made in usa" on the labels? is it that simple?


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Gratz_The_King said:


> wow! so removing those tags from the american apparel shirt is going to be a hassle, since ill have to make sure my custom tags have all the necessary info.
> 
> would i be able to just tell my label maker to print "made in usa" on the labels? is it that simple?


Yep, just that simple.


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## Peleg_86 (Dec 1, 2008)

oh! so then its not really as big of a problem as i thought 

can you tell me if its necessary to have it on the front of the label? or does it not matter?

is using only ONE label usually a common thing? do alot of you use only one with all the necessary info on it? or do you have more than one?


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Gratz_The_King said:


> can you tell me if its necessary to have it on the front of the label? or does it not matter?


Well, seeing as AA has it on the back of theirs, my guess is it does not matter. 



> is using only ONE label usually a common thing? do alot of you use only one with all the necessary info on it? or do you have more than one?


Using one is as common as using two. I would do whatever is easier for you. If it's easier to remove the whole AA label (instead of cutting it) and put just one of your in, then that's what I would do.


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## curiousity (Feb 15, 2009)

kimura-mma said:


> An RN# is something that manufacturers apply for. It is used on neck labels to identify where a garment was made. It used to be a requirement (along with content, origin and care instructions) but I believe a company name/logo is fine. So applying for an RN# is an option, not a requirement.


You have to have your company's legal name

OR

An RN number. (doesn't have to be yours... it could be the apparel's manufacturer.)

It's easy to get an RN number. Here's the online application (it took a couple of days to get mine back):

https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/TextileRN/wrnreq$rn.call_rn?p_mode=INS


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Location on the label of country of origin does matter; the FTC specifies that it needs to be on the front of the label (or visible from the front anyway; more usually it's on the front of the back label, and it hangs down past the front label).

The labelling requirements aren't really that complex, so creating your own label is definitely an option.

Using one label for everything isn't the norm, but it's not particularly unusual either. There's nothing wrong with doing it that way.

One of the major reasons for just adding your brand label to someone else's care instructions label is brand flexibility. By which I mean if you use a US made AA shirt for one design and a Peruvian made Alt. App shirt for another design, you can use the same brand label for both. Switching brands wouldn't be a problem. If you have AA's RN on your label and "Made in the USA" on the front, you can use nothing but US made AA products with that label.

This is not necessarily a problem - if you've already decided that's all you're using anyway, for example.


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## Peleg_86 (Dec 1, 2008)

so can i just copy American Apparels RN number and print it on my labels???

also, what about those symbols that are on the care tags? like the washing symbol, the ironing symbol etc. 

do most label companies print these if i ask them to? 

also it seems like an awful lot of info to put on 1 tag, so maybe i should use 2?

i need to have:
1. name brand
2. country of origin
3. RN number (optional, right?)
4. care info
5. care symbols?

anything else?


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Gratz_The_King said:


> so can i just copy American Apparels RN number and print it on my labels???


Yes, if you are using AA shirts.



Gratz_The_King said:


> also, what about those symbols that are on the care tags?


I'm fairly certain they're optional.



Gratz_The_King said:


> do most label companies print these if i ask them to?


They'll print (or weave) whatever you want, but you'll need to provide the finished label design for them to run (or hire a designer to do it for you). 



Gratz_The_King said:


> also it seems like an awful lot of info to put on 1 tag, so maybe i should use 2?


It is quite a lot, but it can fit. It's really up to you. If you have a certain design or size in mind though (like a narrow label for example) you might need to use two.



Gratz_The_King said:


> i need to have:
> 1. name brand
> 2. country of origin
> 3. RN number (optional, right?)
> ...


You also need fibre content. It's worth checking over the FTC's website or the forum FAQ; there's a lot of comprehensive info out there about what needs to be on a label.

The RN is optional, but if it's not there then you need the full legal name of the company - not just the brand name (if they're different).


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## Peleg_86 (Dec 1, 2008)

Solmu said:


> Yes, if you are using AA shirts.



i am! 



Solmu said:


> They'll print (or weave) whatever you want, but you'll need to provide the finished label design for them to run (or hire a designer to do it for you).


ok 



Solmu said:


> It is quite a lot, but it can fit. It's really up to you. If you have a certain design or size in mind though (like a narrow label for example) you might need to use two.


i think if i put all the care info and symbols on the back, it can be done. did you say that the country of origin is required on the front? i can put that, the brand name, and size on the front then 



Solmu said:


> You also need fibre content. It's worth checking over the FTC's website or the forum FAQ; there's a lot of comprehensive info out there about what needs to be on a label.


is that it then? those things i mentioned, plus fibre content? 



Solmu said:


> The RN is optional, but if it's not there then you need the full legal name of the company - not just the brand name (if they're different).


not sure what you mean by this. the full legal name of WHAT company, american apparel?


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Gratz_The_King said:


> i think if i put all the care info and symbols on the back, it can be done. did you say that the country of origin is required on the front? i can put that, the brand name, and size on the front then


Yes to country on front, and yes to the rest for that matter 

Fortunately when it's "Made in the USA" having to have it on the front is not really a big deal (since it's a positive selling point anyway having it somewhere visible should be a good thing).



Gratz_The_King said:


> is that it then? those things i mentioned, plus fibre content?


Off the top of my head I think so, but it's possible some little thing is slipping my mind.



Gratz_The_King said:


> not sure what you mean by this. the full legal name of WHAT company, american apparel?


Your company. So for example you might be selling t-shirts under the brand "Gratz T-shirts" but your legal name might actually be "Kingwide Holdings, LLC" - if so the latter would need to be on the label (*or* an RN).

The idea is that the t-shirt can be traced back to the company responsible for its manufacture.


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## Peleg_86 (Dec 1, 2008)

oh ok! thanks solmu!

now heres 1 more question...for the care symbols...

how do i KNOW what kind of care my shirts will require? ..i dont want to put falso info on the tags obviously


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Gratz_The_King said:


> oh ok! thanks solmu!
> 
> now heres 1 more question...for the care symbols...
> 
> how do i KNOW what kind of care my shirts will require? ..i dont want to put falso info on the tags obviously


Just use the same symbols from the shirt label you are removing.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Gratz_The_King said:


> how do i KNOW what kind of care my shirts will require? ..i dont want to put falso info on the tags obviously


Theoretically you'd send the shirt to a lab and pay to have it tested, but realistically that would be total overkill in this situation.

Like Joe said, you'd start with the instructions/symbols already on the original blank shirt. They're generally written with the idea the shirt will end up decorated in mind.

Then just change them a little if relevant: for example, make sure "Do not iron print" (or something similar) is on there if you're screenprinting with plastisol ink, etc.

Depends on your decorating method, but care instructions for t-shirts are pretty standard.


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## Peleg_86 (Dec 1, 2008)

just to make things easier, i applied for an RN number...when should i expect it!?


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

In a day or so.


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## Peleg_86 (Dec 1, 2008)

i got my RN number!!!  

so now what should i do with it? put it on the front or back? and because of this number, what DONT i have to put on the labels anymore?


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

Now, you don't have to put the full legal name of your company. If the legal name of your company is Fuel Star, LLC, or Fuel Star, Inc., or even Joe Blow Enterprises, then you can put just put the RN# if you like.

You can put it on the front or the back. It doesn't matter. It's up to you.

You really should take the time to read what the FTC says about labeling. It's pretty straightforward. It just takes some time.

All of your questions can be answered at the FTC's website:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/textile/bus21.shtm


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## Peleg_86 (Dec 1, 2008)

hey all

thanks for your help so far, i think i finally have a tag that should be good to go...i will describe it for you

front if the tag:
brand name at the top
website URL under that
"Made in USA" under that
picture of my logo under that
and at the very bottom the abbreviation letter for the size enclosed in a circle

back of tag:
RN number at the top
"100% combed cotton" underneath
"turn inside out" under that
"wash chold" under that
"hang dry" under that

no icons for the care instructions, just text. 

so does that sound like its good to you? all the necessary info is there? 

and finally, do I/ should I put the instructions in another language?

thanks so much everyone


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## Peleg_86 (Dec 1, 2008)

anyone there?


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## Peleg_86 (Dec 1, 2008)

hey whered everyone go!


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