Glossary
Custom Apparel Glossary
The terms you meet when ordering custom clothing, explained in a sentence or two: fabric weights, print methods, labels, sampling and shipping. Each links to the page that goes deeper.
- 3D puff embroidery
- Embroidery stitched over a foam layer so the logo stands raised off the fabric. Best on caps and hoodies with bold shapes; fine lines and small text are better flat embroidered.
- Read more →
- All-over print (AOP)
- A design printed across the whole garment, seam to seam, rather than in one placement. Usually produced by sublimation on polyester, or by printing fabric panels before they are cut and sewn.
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- Blank
- A plain, undecorated garment that is then printed or embroidered. The blank sets the fabric, weight and fit; decoration adds the design.
- Stock Blank Hoodies vs Custom-Made: An Honest Comparison →
- Brushed-back fleece
- Knitted fabric whose inner face is brushed to raise soft fibres, trapping warmth. The standard fabric for hoodies, sweatshirts and joggers.
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- Care label
- A label sewn into a garment giving fibre content and washing instructions. Fibre-content labelling is a legal requirement for clothing sold in the UK and EU, and the US also requires care instructions.
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- Colourfast
- Holds its colour through washing and light without fading or bleeding. Essential for uniforms and towels that are washed often.
- Colour Matching: Why Your Pantone Never Looks Quite Right →
- Combed cotton
- Cotton whose short fibres have been combed out before spinning, leaving longer, straighter fibres. It makes a smoother, stronger, softer yarn than uncombed (carded) cotton.
- What Is Combed Cotton, and Is It Worth Paying For? →
- Cut and sew
- Manufacturing a garment from fabric cut to a pattern and sewn to your design, rather than decorating a stock blank. It gives you control of fit, fabric and trims.
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- Digitising
- Converting a logo into a stitch file that tells an embroidery machine where each stitch goes. Done once per logo; a good file is what makes fine detail stitch cleanly.
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- Drop shoulder
- A shoulder seam that sits below the natural shoulder line, giving the relaxed, boxy look of oversized streetwear.
- Custom Oversized T-Shirts: Fit, Fabric and Sizing for Brands →
- DTF (direct-to-film)
- A print method where artwork is printed in full colour onto a film, then heat-pressed onto the garment. It handles gradients, photographs and fine detail on cotton, polyester and blends.
- Read more →
- Dyed to match
- Fabric dyed specifically to a brand colour rather than chosen from stock colours. It needs a lab dip approval and usually a higher minimum.
- Colour Matching: Why Your Pantone Never Looks Quite Right →
- Embroidery
- Decorating a garment by stitching a design into it with thread. The most durable branding for garments that are washed often, and the standard for uniforms and caps.
- Read more →
- FOB
- Free on board: a price that covers the goods up to the point they are loaded for shipping, with freight and import costs added on top. Always check whether a quote is FOB or landed.
- Sea, Air or Road: Choosing Freight for Clothing Orders →
- Garment dye
- Dyeing a garment after it is sewn, rather than dyeing the fabric first. It gives a lived-in, slightly uneven colour and a softer handle.
- Vintage Wash T-Shirts: Making New Merch Look Well-Loved →
- GSM
- Grams per square metre: the weight of a fabric. Higher GSM means a heavier, usually thicker fabric. Typical ranges: tees 150–240+ GSM, hoodies 280–450 GSM.
- Towel Cotton and Weave Explained: Why GSM Is Not a Quality Rating →
- Hang tag
- A card tag attached to a garment, usually by a string or plastic fastener, carrying the brand, product details and price. Part of a retail-ready finish.
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- Heat transfer
- Any decoration applied with heat and pressure from a carrier onto the garment. DTF is a type of heat transfer; heat-sealed numbers on sportswear are another.
- DTF Transfers vs Finished Custom Garments →
- Heavyweight
- A garment made from heavier fabric than standard, typically 220+ GSM for tees and 400+ GSM for hoodies. Heavier fabric drapes better and reads as premium streetwear.
- Heavyweight T-Shirts: Why Brands Keep Going Thicker →
- Hi-vis
- High-visibility clothing in fluorescent colours with reflective tape, worn so workers are seen on sites and roads. Sites usually specify the standard or class required.
- Read more →
- Lab dip
- A small fabric swatch dyed to test a target colour before bulk dyeing. You approve the dip, then production dyes to it.
- Colour Matching: Why Your Pantone Never Looks Quite Right →
- Landed cost
- The full cost of goods delivered to your door: product, freight, insurance, duties and import taxes. The number that matters when comparing suppliers.
- Landed Cost: What a Garment Really Costs by the Time It Reaches You →
- Lead time
- How long an order takes. At Velocity Wear production is 10–15 working days from artwork approval, then freight to your address.
- Planning Apparel Lead Times So You Never Air Freight →
- Mockup
- A digital image showing your design on the garment, used to approve placement, size and colours before anything is made.
- Read more →
- MOQ (minimum order quantity)
- The smallest order a manufacturer will produce. Velocity Wear's MOQ is 50 pieces per design, with sizes mixed freely.
- What Is the Minimum Order for Custom Clothing? (MOQ Explained) →
- Neck label
- The label inside the back neck of a garment, carrying the brand and usually the size. Replacing it with your own is the core of private label.
- Read more →
- Pantone (PMS)
- The Pantone Matching System: numbered reference colours used to specify an exact colour to a printer or dyer, so "navy" means the same thing to everyone.
- Colour Matching: Why Your Pantone Never Looks Quite Right →
- Piqué
- A textured knit with a fine raised pattern, most familiar as the fabric of polo shirts. It breathes well and holds its shape.
- Read more →
- Plastisol
- A PVC-based screen printing ink that sits on top of the fabric, giving bright, opaque colour, especially on dark garments.
- Water-Based vs Plastisol Screen Printing Ink: Which Is Right for Your Order? →
- Poly-cotton
- A blend of polyester and cotton. It wrinkles and shrinks less than pure cotton and dries faster, which suits workwear and uniforms.
- Cotton vs Poly-Cotton Workwear: Which Fabric Holds Up? →
- Pre-shrunk
- Fabric treated before cutting so the finished garment shrinks little when washed. Important for uniforms, where a size must stay a size.
- Understanding Fabric Shrinkage Rates →
- Private label
- Garments made for you and finished under your brand — your labels, tags and packaging, with nothing of the manufacturer on them.
- Read more →
- Puff print
- A screen printing ink that rises as it cures, giving a soft, raised texture. Used for bold graphics on hoodies and tees.
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- Ring-spun cotton
- Cotton yarn twisted and thinned repeatedly as it is spun, making it finer, stronger and softer than open-end yarn. Standard for premium tees.
- Ring-Spun vs Carded Cotton T-Shirts: Which Is Right for Your Brand? →
- Sample
- A single garment made to your specification before bulk production, to check fabric, fit and finish. £150 for one or two samples, worldwide shipping included. Place a bulk order afterwards and the £150 comes off your invoice.
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- Screen printing
- Printing by pushing ink through a mesh screen, one screen per colour. The most durable, best-value method for bold, limited-colour designs at volume.
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- Softshell
- A bonded, stretchy outer fabric that is wind-resistant and breathable, usually three-layer. The corporate default for branded jackets.
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- Sublimation
- A print method where heat turns ink into a gas that bonds into polyester fibres, so the print becomes part of the fabric. Used for all-over prints and sportswear; it does not work on cotton.
- Read more →
- Tech pack
- The specification document for a garment: technical drawings, measurements, fabric, trims, colours and decoration placement. It is what a factory builds from.
- What a Tech Pack Is, and What Happens Without One →
- Tolerance
- The allowed variation in a measurement, for example ±1 cm on a chest width. Every production run has one; a tech pack states it.
- Yoga and Pilates Studio Towels: Sizes, Grip and Branding →
- Water-based ink
- A screen printing ink that soaks into the fibres instead of sitting on top, giving a very soft, breathable print.
- Water-Based and Discharge Inks: How Prints Get That Soft Feel →
- Woven label
- A label woven from thread, sewn into a neck or seam, carrying a brand name or logo. It lasts the life of the garment.
- Read more →