Printed Labels

What printed labels are

A printed label starts as a plain fabric tape – satin, cotton, nylon taffeta, polyester or Tyvek – and your design is printed onto its surface. Because the image is printed rather than woven, you get very fine text, smooth curves, photo-like detail and exact colour areas at a lower cost per piece than a woven label. Printed fabric labels are the natural choice for long texts, soft neck labels on lingerie and baby wear, budget-friendly brand labels and anything that changes often, such as batch codes or seasonal artwork. We print them in our own production in Bulgaria, where our team has worked with garment accessories for more than 30 years.

Materials

Satin printed labels

Polyester satin tape has a smooth, slightly shiny face and a soft hand. It is available in single-face (one glossy side) and double-face (glossy both sides) versions. Satin is the most popular base for printed brand labels and premium care labels.

Cotton tape

Natural cotton or cotton-blend tape gives a matte, organic look that suits natural-fibre collections, children's clothing and home textiles. Edges are usually woven, so the tape does not fray at the sides.

Nylon taffeta

A thin, crisp, coated nylon fabric that takes thermal-transfer print extremely well. It is the industry workhorse for care and composition labels because the print stays legible after many washes. See our care labels for that use.

Tyvek and non-woven

Tyvek (a spunbonded polyethylene) is paper-light, tear-resistant and water-resistant. It suits workwear, technical textiles, home textiles and products that are not washed often.

Ribbon and printed tape

Grosgrain and satin ribbons can be printed on a continuous roll with a repeating logo – for drawstrings, hanger loops, packaging and gift wrap.

Printing methods

• Thermal transfer – resin ribbons are transferred by heat onto nylon taffeta or satin. Very sharp, wash-resistant and ideal for variable data such as sizes, batch numbers and barcodes.
• Flexographic (rotary) printing – efficient for larger runs of the same design, with several colours in one pass.
• Screen printing – thick, opaque ink layers; good for light colours on dark tapes and for strong coverage on cotton.
• Digital / offset rotary printing – full-colour artwork with fine gradients, for brand labels that need image detail.

We select the method based on material, quantity, colour count and wash requirements – you do not need to choose it yourself.

Inks and wash durability

Printed fabric labels are only as good as their inks. We use textile inks and resin ribbons designed for washing, tumble drying and, where needed, dry cleaning. On satin and nylon taffeta, a correctly cured print stays legible through repeated domestic washing at the temperatures garment labels are normally exposed to. If your product will be industrially washed (hotel textiles, workwear), tell us at the quote stage so we can recommend the right ink and base combination. All base materials are OEKO-TEX certified.

Typical sizes

Widths depend on the tape we print on; custom lengths are cut to order. Check the label size guide for help choosing.

Rolls or cut and folded

Printed labels can be delivered in two ways:

• On rolls – for factories with automatic cutting and folding machines, or for labels cut on the sewing line.
• Cut and folded – ready to sew: straight cut, centre fold, end fold or loop fold. Synthetic tapes are cut ultrasonically or with a hot knife so the edges are sealed and do not fray; cotton is cut cleanly and folded.

Printed labels are sewn in, but a heat-seal back is possible on selected tapes. If you want no label at all at the neck, consider heat transfer labels.

Woven or printed?

Choose printed labels when you need lots of text, fine detail, a very soft label or the best price at volume. Choose woven labels when you want a textured, premium brand label with maximum durability. Our guide to woven vs printed labels compares them side by side.

MOQ, lead time and samples

The minimum order is usually 1,000 pcs per design. After proof approval, production typically takes 10–20 working days, and we deliver across the EU without customs formalities. Express options are available on request. Our designers prepare print-ready artwork from your logo, with a digital proof typically within 24–48 h, and physical samples are available before production.

Recycled options (GRS)

Printed labels can be made on recycled polyester satin and taffeta tapes. They take screen, thermal-transfer and digital print exactly like standard tapes and are cut ultrasonically for sealed, soft edges – a natural fit for collections with their own recycled-content claim. We are certified to the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) as well as OEKO-TEX, so a recycled version is produced on the same equipment in Bulgaria, to the same quality, and can be documented: we supply our scope certificate and, if your supply chain is certified, a transaction certificate for your shipment. Mention it in your quote request. Read more on recycled and GRS-certified labels, or compare all bases in our label materials guide.

Frequently asked questions