Garment tags are an amazing way to add some personalization to your projects or to add your brand to your products. There are many, many different materials, layouts and even hardware that can be used for garment tags. In this post we will discuss the different materials.
WOOD
Being a natural porous material wood would be the one material that is not as versatile as the rest. You will see wood tags made with either solid wood or plywood. There is a HUGE difference in these two in everyday building but for garment tags, there really is no difference. Plywood is thin sheets of wood veneer laminated (glued) together to make a large panel, while solid wood is machined from parts of a tree. Both are real wood and durable.
The only downside I can think of for wood tags is quite a big one. Since wood is porous, it can swell or crack when saturated in water. So all wood tags, solid or plywood, are not machine washable. Do not soak these tags in water, at all! The wood fibres will absorb the water and swell. Only gently hand wash or dry clean. You can take the precaution and pre-treat your wood tags before adding them to your garments, but for the hassle it might not be worth it.
PROS: natural looking, durable, inexpensive
CONS: can crack when saturated in water, limited colour options
LEATHERETTE
I am not a fan of laser engraving real leatherette as it gives of an awful smell since it is essentially burning flesh. So my go to is leatherette. It's a faux fabric that has all the pros of leatherette, durable, professional looking and is machine washable. You also do not need a special sewing needle to attach these tags. Logos look crisp and clean when engraved. Some colour options can even engrave to a nice metallic finish.
PROS: washable, durable
CONS: expensive
FAUX SUEDE
Just like my leatherette tags I use a faux suede option for something a little daintier. Suede tags are thinner than leatherette and it smoother to the touch. This material is also machine washable. Thin enough that it's very easy to attach by hand or by machine; also the option to attach them with rivets. With multiple colours to choose from. The only downside is that they don't engrave as crisp as leatherette. Small lines/details does not engrave to well. So logos should not be too complicated.
PROS: colour options, thin, inexpensive
CONS: Limited characters per line
CORK
Cork is one of my favourite materials to work with. It comes it a large variety of fun, funky colours. Cork fabric is made from real cork and attached to a soft, flexible fabric backing. It has been treated with Scotch Guard. I haven't had any issues with machine washing these but the care instructions do say to hand wash with a mild soap and water, and to dry flat. So take precautions when washing. Cork is similar to the faux suede when it comes to lasering. Cork can engrave beautifully but small lines and details will not engrave. I find cork is best for text or bold logos. As with all fabric tags, these can be attached my hand, machine or rivets,
PRO: colours!!, inexpensive
CONS: limited engraving, hand wash
SATIN
Satin is the newest addition to M&R. I wanted something that was super thin and classy looking for those not wanting a larger garment tag. Satin ribbon is printed using a thermal printer. There are many different colours of ribbon and ink, as well at widths! Satin tags are very easy to attach. Either hand sew or machine sew in place. They have a great smooth finish. Most inks for my satin ribbons are water resistant, but black is water proof. So if you expect a lot of washing I would suggest sticking with black ink. These tags can also be turned into iron on tags with just a little bit of heat n bond tape! These would be my go to for quilters.
PROS: colours!, easily attached, black is waterproof
CONS: prints in one colour, ink is water resistant.
All tags are custom made, size and shape can be altered to fit your needs (except satin tags) Let me know your thoughts on the type of tags we offer!