How to Use a Label Catalogue to Brief Your Supplier

"Something like a soft woven label, maybe with a fold" is a brief that leads to several rounds of emails. Pointing to a specific item in a catalogue and saying "this construction, our logo, 20 mm wide" leads to an accurate quote on the first reply. A label catalogue is the shared vocabulary between you and the manufacturer. This guide explains how to read one, how to use it in a quote request and how to get the most from our own catalogues.

What a good label catalogue shows

A catalogue is more than a gallery of nice labels. A useful one gives you the information needed to specify a product:

• Label types: woven, printed, care and size labels, hang tags, silicone, leather and metal labels, patches, heat transfers and stickers, each clearly separated.
• Materials and qualities: for example damask, satin or taffeta for woven labels; satin, cotton or Tyvek for printed ones; board weights for hang tags.
• Finishes: cut type (ultrasonic, laser, heat-cut), coatings, iron-on or adhesive backings, embossing, foil, softening treatments.
• Folds: flat cut, end-fold, centre-fold, mitre-fold, loop fold and booklet, ideally shown both flat and as sewn. Our article on label fold types explains each one.
• Real produced examples, photographed close enough to see texture, edge quality and colour.
• Item references: page numbers or codes you can quote back to the supplier.

If a catalogue shows only finished garments or lifestyle pictures, it inspires but does not help you specify. Look for close-ups and technical captions.

How to reference catalogue items in a quote request

The more precisely you point to what you want, the faster and more accurate the quote. A clear reference includes:

1. Catalogue name and page, for example "Labels 2026, page 8, top left".
2. What you like about it: the material, the fold, the edge, the colour combination, or the overall style. A reference can mean "exactly this" or "this construction only".
3. What should change: your logo, your colours, a different width or length.
4. Quantity per design (our MOQ is usually 1,000 pieces per design) and target delivery date.

Replace X, Y and Z with the actual page numbers. You can paste such references straight into the quote form.

Physical sample books vs PDF catalogues

Both formats have a place in the sourcing process, and they complement each other.

PDF catalogues

• Available instantly, free to download and easy to share with your design team or production partner.
• Searchable and easy to quote by page number.
• Ideal for the early stage: comparing types, finishes and folds and building a shortlist.
• Limited for judging hand feel, thickness and exact colour, since screens vary.

Physical samples

• Let you feel the softness, stiffness and edge quality, which matters for anything in contact with skin.
• Show true colours under real light and against your fabric.
• Take time and cost to produce and ship. Physical samples of your own design can be made before production.

A practical workflow: shortlist from the PDF, receive a digital proof of your design, then order a physical sample of the final choice where feel and colour matter. Our guide on how to order custom labels walks through each step.

Our Labels 2026 catalogue

Our Labels 2026 PDF catalogue presents 28 pages of labels we have actually produced in our facility in Bulgaria: woven and printed labels, care and size labels, hang tags, silicone, leather and metal labels, patches and more. Because every item was made on our own equipment, anything you see in it is something we can reproduce with your artwork, in your sizes and colours. You can download it free from the catalogues page.

More themed catalogues are in preparation, each going deeper into one product family:

• Woven labels: qualities, densities, folds and edge finishes
• Hang tags: board types, shapes, strings, seals and lock pins
• Care and size labels: materials, layouts and multilingual formats
• Silicone, leather and metal labels: textures, thicknesses and attachments

They will be added to the same catalogues page as they are released.

Combining catalogue references with your own artwork

A catalogue tells us how to make your label; your artwork tells us what goes on it. The best briefs combine both: a catalogue reference for the construction plus your vector logo, Pantone colours and final text. If your logo needs adapting to the chosen label, for example simplifying fine lines for weaving, our express label design team prepares a digital proof, typically within 24–48 hours. For help choosing dimensions, see how to choose label size and the label size guide.

You can also mix references: the material from one page, the fold from another and the colour treatment from a third. As long as the combination is technically possible, which we check at the proof stage, there is no need to choose an item exactly as shown.

Common catalogue briefing mistakes

• Referring to a label by description only when several similar items appear on the page.
• Assuming the size shown is fixed; sizes in catalogues are examples and can be changed.
• Expecting printed colours in a PDF to match thread or ink exactly; always confirm with Pantone references.
• Forgetting to say whether the reference applies to the whole label or just one feature.

Frequently asked questions