After this year’s Chinese New Year, we received over 130 new sample orders, with a small portion coming from our Alibaba international site and the majority through orders from our official website.
Whether new or returning customers, all customers provided their brand logo for us to add to the products or product’s label or packaging.
With the development of the internet, most people are aware of the advantages of owning a brand, yet no one shares their experience on “how to” or “how much it costs” to import branded products from China.
After providing customized private label and packaging services to at least dozens of clothing brands, we’ve summarized some experiences and shared them in this article, hoping it will be helpful for your brand’s clothing labels.
What is a Private Label? Why It’s Important for Business?
Private label merchandise is created for a retailer’s brand, not sold under manufacturer names. Designed by retailers but produced by third parties, it lets retailers offer unique items, stand out from competitors, and control production, cost, and branding.
Common in industries like apparel and cosmetics, private labeling enables retailers to tailor products to their audience’s tastes and requirements, fostering a unique product line.
Private labeling is important for business because it enhances brand loyalty and profitability. By offering exclusive products that cannot be found elsewhere, businesses can foster a stronger connection with their customers, encouraging repeat purchases and building a loyal customer base.
Moreover, private labels typically offer higher profit margins than resale products because businesses can control costs more efficiently and set their own pricing strategies.
This control extends to product quality, design, and packaging, allowing businesses to tailor products to meet their brand standards and customer expectations.
Effectively, private labeling empowers businesses to cultivate a unique brand identity, customize their offerings, and strategically position themselves in the market for greater competitive advantage and growth.
Add Your Private Label on Product & Packaging
In the apparel industry, creating a private label brand involves customizing products with your brand’s identity, offering a way to differentiate your offerings and build brand loyalty.
Drawing on our expertise in apparel, we have compiled some common methods for adding brand labels to clothing products and their packaging. Additionally, we have visualized these methods in an image displayed above.
Below, we will provide a more detailed introduction to the various method types, along with some necessary pricing algorithms. Of course, the specific price still needs to be determined based on the actual situation. We hope this information will help you solve your problems.
If you have more questions, please contact us directly for assistance.
Solution 1 : Screen Printing
Screen printing is the most common and widely used method for adding a private label on both product body and packaging. It can be applied to products made from almost all kinds of types such as t-shirt, hoodies, polo shirt, activewear, sweatshirt, sweatpants, etc. If you are buying more than 500pcs/item, using screen printing is the easiest and cheapest way to add your private label.
Most Chinese factories can offer screen printing services for free if you can purchase more than 500 pieces of clothing. Or they will charge you around $50 fee for creating a printing plate of your logo, and around $0.02/product labor fee for printing. If the supplier doesn’t offer the service, you can easily find a printing supplier in China to do the job.
The only drawback of screen printing is that it’s not suitable for multi-colored patterns, especially gradient color design. If you want to print your gradient color logo on products, you have to think about the thermal transfer. Or you need to find other solutions than printing.
Solution 2 : Digital Printing
Digital printing uses inkjet technology to apply ink directly onto fabric, offering high-detail, full-color images, unlike screen printing, which is better for larger, less colorful runs due to its use of stencils.
Its key advantage is producing complex designs without setup costs, making it perfect for small batches, custom pieces, and reducing inventory. The technology excels on a variety of fabrics, from cotton to synthetics, making it versatile for fashion, home decor, and promotional items.
As for cost, digital printing is typically more cost-effective for small quantities due to lower setup costs compared to screen printing. However, the price per unit can be higher, primarily due to the cost of the inks used.
For example, the price of digital printing on pure cotton fabric can reach $2 to $2.5 per square meter. However, the prices for other products may be lower, depending on the complexity of the garment and the fabric composition.
The high cost of printing on pure cotton fabric is mainly due to material reasons. As a printing process for branded apparel, these expenses are necessary and are what customers expect to see.
Solution 3 : Embroidery
Embroidery is the art of decorating fabric with needle and thread, creating patterns or designs that add texture and color to garments.
This technique offers a high-quality, durable finish, making it ideal for logos on formal attire, caps, and polo shirts, where a touch of elegance and professionalism is desired. Embroidery stands out for its ability to convey a sense of luxury and attention to detail, significantly enhancing brand perception.
However, its main drawback is the higher cost and longer production time compared to other decoration methods, especially for complex or large designs. Of course, if it’s just a simple logo, then the price of embroidery is approximately $0.3 per piece.
If you want your product labels to remain visible to customers for a long time, embroidery is the best choice.
Solution 4 : Heat Transfer
Heat transfer is a printing technique where designs are transferred onto fabric using heat and pressure, involving printing the design onto special transfer paper before applying it to the garment.
This method allows for detailed and colorful prints, making it ideal for personalized or small batch productions where versatility and print complexity are desired. The importance of heat transfer lies in its ability to produce vibrant, full-color designs quickly and efficiently, without the setup costs associated with more traditional printing methods, making it a cost-effective solution for custom apparel.
Heat transfer is effective across a variety of fabrics, including cotton, polyester, and blends, offering flexibility in application and making it suitable for a wide range of apparel items.
As a common printing method, the cost is approximately $0.25 per logo, and fabric printed with heat transfer printing rarely produces defects.
Solution 5 : Sublimation Printing
Sublimation printing is a technique that transfers designs onto fabric by turning dye into gas with heat, allowing it to bond directly with the material for vibrant, high-definition images.
Ideal for synthetic fabrics, this method excels in producing durable, fade-resistant prints that are part of the fabric itself, making it perfect for sportswear and garments requiring intense color and pattern detail.
It enables all-over printing, offering limitless design possibilities without texture change on the fabric.
The primary drawback of sublimation printing is its limitation to light-colored, synthetic materials, restricting its use on natural fibers or dark fabrics.
Compared to other common techniques, the price of dye sublimation printing may be slightly higher, reaching $1.2 per meter.
Solution 6 : Direct to Garment (DTG)
Direct to Garment (DTG) printing is a process that sprays ink directly onto clothing, much like a traditional inkjet printer, allowing for detailed and colorful designs on fabric.
This method is highly effective for creating high-resolution images on primarily cotton materials, making it ideal for custom t-shirts and small batch productions where detail and color variety are crucial.
DTG stands out for its ability to produce vibrant, soft-to-the-touch prints without the need for pre-treatment on light-colored fabrics, enabling rapid turnaround and on-demand printing.
In one sentence, it’s highly efficient.
However, its main disadvantage lies in the lower durability and fading of prints over time compared to more traditional methods like screen printing, particularly when used on darker fabrics that require a white ink underbase.And its price also reaches around $2.2 per square meter, which is considered relatively expensive.
Solution 7 : Flock Printing
Flock printing is a decorative technique that adds a raised, velvet-like texture to fabric by applying adhesive to the garment and then pressing flocking fibers onto it.
This method is renowned for its distinctive tactile quality, offering a unique visual and sensory enhancement to designs, which is crucial for adding dimension and luxury to apparel graphics.
It’s particularly valued for its ability to create durable, textured designs that stand out, making it a popular choice for branding, fashion, and promotional items.
If your brand needs this kind of vibe, you definitely shouldn’t miss it.
Flock printing works well on a wide range of fabrics, including cotton, polyester, and blends, providing versatility across different apparel types.Its price is approximately $1.9 per square meter.
Solution 8 : Foil Printing
Foil printing is a specialized technique that applies metallic or colored foil to fabric using heat and pressure, creating a shiny, reflective finish.
This method stands out for adding a luxurious and eye-catching element to apparel, ideal for making logos, graphics, and text pop on various garments.
In the fashion industry, foil printing is particularly valued for its ability to elevate product aesthetics, offering a high-end look that’s sought after in both casual and formal wear, as well as promotional merchandise. Its price is approximately around $0.9.
Compared to screen printing, which is versatile across a wide range of designs and fabrics, foil printing specifically enhances visual appeal with its unique metallic finish, though it may not offer the same level of detail or color range.
Solution 9 : Rubberized Printing
Rubberized printing involves applying a special rubberized ink to fabric, creating a raised, textured design that is both visually striking and tactile.
This method is celebrated for its durability and the distinctive 3D effect it offers, enhancing the visual and physical texture of apparel designs.
It’s particularly advantageous for sportswear and casual clothing, where the added texture can contribute to a more dynamic and engaging product appearance. If your main products are of these two types, then this is definitely something you need the most. The price for rubber printing is approximately around $0.31.
Compared to digital printing, which excels in reproducing detailed and colorful images directly on fabric, rubberized printing offers a unique sensory experience and physical depth to designs, making it a preferred choice for brands looking to add a tactile dimension to their garments.
Solution 10 : Pad Printing
Pad printing is a versatile printing technique that transfers a 2D image onto a 3D object using a silicone pad, making it ideal for applying logos and designs to textured or uneven surfaces commonly found in apparel accessories.
This method is known for its precision and ability to print on a variety of materials and shapes, providing clear, detailed images even on small or complex objects.
Its main advantage lies in the flexibility and customization it offers, enabling brands to enhance product branding on items like buttons, zippers, and promotional merchandise.
If your garments have special trims or accessories, then this is the technique you should definitely utilize.Its cost needs to be determined based on the specific situation.
Compared to screen printing, which is well-suited for larger, flat surfaces and textiles, pad printing excels in decorating smaller, non-textile components of clothing with high detail, offering a complementary solution for comprehensive brand embellishment.
Solution 11 : Laser Etching
Laser etching is a precise, non-contact process that uses lasers to remove material from the surface of a fabric or garment to create designs, logos, or text.
This method is celebrated for its accuracy and ability to create intricate, detailed designs that are permanent and resistant to fading or wear.
Its main advantages include the versatility to work on a range of materials, including denim and leather, without damaging the fabric, and the capability to produce subtle, tonal effects that add depth and sophistication to apparel.
If your garments require these materials and you aim to feature your brand logo on them, then this is a method you cannot afford to miss.The cost is approximately $0.7 per piece.
Unlike embroidery, which adds texture and dimension through stitches, laser etching offers a clean, smooth finish that integrates seamlessly with the material, providing a distinct alternative for branding and decorative purposes.
Solution 12 : Appliqué
Appliqué is a decorative technique where fabric pieces are sewn onto a larger piece of fabric to create patterns or designs, offering a unique blend of color and texture to garments.
This method is renowned for its artistic flexibility and the ability to produce bold, dimensional effects, making it particularly suitable for personalized and bespoke clothing, as well as for adding distinctive flair to uniforms or team apparel.
Appliqué’s main advantage lies in its tactile quality and visual appeal, allowing for the incorporation of various fabrics, including prints and textures, to achieve intricate and custom designs.
This is the most commonly used technique for our flagship product, the T-shirt; the price for appliqué is approximately $0.5 each.
Compared to digital printing, which can replicate detailed images directly onto fabric, appliqué provides a textured, handcrafted look with physical depth, catering to designs that value a more artisanal or three-dimensional appearance.
Solution 13 : Dye Sublimation on Cut Pieces
Dye sublimation on cut pieces is a printing technique where dye is transferred to fabric pieces before they are assembled into a garment, allowing for edge-to-edge designs that seamlessly cover the entire piece without interruptions at seams.
This method is prized for creating vibrant, full-coverage prints with exceptional detail and color fidelity, ideal for complex patterns or photographic images on polyester fabrics.
The process ensures that designs are permanently bonded to the fabric, resulting in durable, wash-fast garments that don’t fade. It is commonly used in the production of sportswear, activewear, swimwear, and other performance apparel.
This technique is also popular for creating custom t-shirts, leggings, and fashion garments that require vibrant, all-over prints and patterns.Typically, its price is $0.8 per square meter.
Compared to traditional screen printing, which applies ink on top of assembled garments and may limit design placement due to seams and garment construction, dye sublimation on cut pieces offers unparalleled design freedom and consistency across individual garment components.
Solution 14 : Vinyl Graphics
Vinyl graphics involve cutting designs from colored vinyl material and heat-pressing them onto garments, creating durable, vividly colored images and text.
This technique is celebrated for its precision and versatility, allowing for the production of crisp, clean lines and the ability to apply bold, solid colors that stand out on a variety of fabric types.
Vinyl graphics are particularly advantageous for sports jerseys, custom t-shirts, and promotional apparel due to their longevity and resistance to fading and cracking. Of course, its price is a bit higher, reaching $1.3 each.
Compared to the subtlety of dye sublimation, which integrates designs into the fabric for a soft finish, vinyl graphics offer a distinct, tactile quality with a slightly raised surface, making them ideal for designs that require visual impact and durability.
Solution 15 : Engraved Buttons and Zippers
Engraved buttons and zippers involve customizing fasteners with detailed designs or logos, typically through laser engraving or mechanical etching, adding a subtle yet sophisticated branding element to garments.
This technique stands out for its permanence and the ability to create precise, intricate details, offering a high-end finish that enhances the overall aesthetic and perceived value of apparel.
It’s especially beneficial for luxury and designer brands seeking to reinforce brand identity through every component of their garments. The price for each accessory is approximately $0.2 to $0.3.
Compared to traditional sewn-in labels, which convey brand information inside the clothing, engraved buttons and zippers elevate branding to a visible and tactile experience, seamlessly integrating it into the garment’s design while ensuring durability and resistance to wear.
Solution 16 : Jacquard Fabric
Jacquard fabric is a type of textile characterized by complex patterns woven directly into the fabric through a special loom process, allowing for intricate designs that are integral to the fabric’s structure, rather than printed or embroidered on top.
This weaving technique offers a unique depth and texture to fabrics, making it ideal for creating detailed, high-quality patterns that are durable and visually striking.
Jacquard’s versatility is seen in various applications, from luxury apparel to home textiles, benefiting from its ability to produce diverse patterns, including brocades and damasks. Of course, as a unique fabric, its price is approximately $2.1 to $2.5 per meter.
Compared to digital printing, which applies color and patterns superficially, jacquard fabric weaves the design into the fabric itself, resulting in patterns that are reversible and have a more luxurious feel, emphasizing craftsmanship and durability.
Solution 17 : Watermarking
Watermarking in textiles is a subtle finishing process that creates tone-on-tone designs on fabric, often visible only under certain lighting conditions or angles, by altering the fabric’s thickness or density in specific areas.
This technique is valued for its understated elegance, offering a discreet method of branding or adding decorative elements without interfering with the overall design of the garment. This is an indispensable technique for high-end brands.
Watermarking’s main advantage is its sophistication and the ability to produce exclusive, high-end textiles that enhance the perceived value of apparel. The price for one is approximately around $0.8.
Compared to more overt decoration methods like screen printing, which applies ink on top of the fabric for bold, visible designs, watermarking provides a nuanced, refined alternative that appeals to consumers seeking minimalist and premium fashion statements.
Solution 18 : UV-reactive Printing
UV-reactive printing is a technique that employs inks sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light, causing the printed design to change color or appear when exposed to sunlight.
This innovative method adds an interactive element to apparel, offering unique visual effects that can enhance the garment’s appeal, particularly in outdoor and activewear markets. Of course, it’s also the most common craft technique used in swimwear and sun protection clothing.
The primary advantage of UV-reactive printing lies in its ability to engage consumers with dynamic designs that transform in natural light, making each piece feel personalized and magical. Its price is approximately $1.5 per piece.
Compared to standard digital printing, which provides static images, UV-reactive printing introduces a layer of visual intrigue and novelty, appealing to customers looking for clothing that offers an element of surprise and engagement beyond traditional aesthetics.
Solution 19 : Glow-in-the-Dark Printing
Glow-in-the-dark printing is a process that uses phosphorescent materials to create designs that illuminate in the dark after being exposed to light.
This captivating technique adds a playful and functional aspect to apparel, making it particularly popular for children’s clothing, sportswear, and safety gear.
Its main advantage is the ability to produce garments that are not only visually appealing in daylight but also provide added visibility and a unique aesthetic in low-light conditions.
As a unique printing technique, we can only provide an exact price after knowing the detailed style and fabric information of the garment.
Compared to reflective printing, which enhances visibility by reflecting light, glow-in-the-dark printing actively emits light, offering a distinct glow without the need for an external light source, creating designs that are both fun and functional in the dark.
Solution 20 : Reflective Printing
Reflective printing is a technique that incorporates reflective materials into fabric designs, making them visible in low light when illuminated, such as by a flashlight or car headlights.
This method is especially valued for its safety features in sportswear and outdoor apparel, as it significantly enhances the wearer’s visibility during nighttime activities.Of course, it is also the most common method in workwear.
Beyond safety, reflective printing adds a stylish, modern element to clothing, appealing to fashion-forward consumers looking for functionality combined with contemporary aesthetics.
As an uncommon printing technique in apparel, we need more product information to provide a reference price.
Compared to glow-in-the-dark printing, which emits light in darkness, reflective printing relies on external light sources for its effect, offering a practical solution for visibility in urban and outdoor settings, blending safety with fashion.
These 20 different methods can be applied to products, though some may not be suitable for product packaging. If you’re interested in learning more about custom packaging services and have a requirement, you can refer to our page or contact us directly.
Regarding custom label services
private labels can be used not only on the product itself but also on exclusive hangtags, care labels, and other accessories. Please refer to our custom private product labels page for more details.
If you want to make your own design and don’t know from where to start, creativemarket.com will be a good place for getting some hints. You’ll be able to download your favorite elements and find a freelancer on websites like upwork.com or fiverr.com to help you on the designs.
