Resources59 terms
Tech pack glossary
The terms a tech pack uses, each in a sentence or two, with a link to the guide that explains it in context.
A
- All-over print
- A print that covers the whole garment or whole panels, usually printed on the fabric before it is cut, so the design runs across the seams. More in Artwork and labels in a tech pack.
- Armhole straightAHS
- The armhole measured in a straight line from the shoulder point to the underarm, rather than along its curve. More in Points of measure.
B
- Bartack
- A short, dense zigzag stitch that reinforces a point under strain, such as a pocket corner or a belt loop. More in What a tech pack is.
- Bill of materialsBOM
- The list of everything the garment is made of, one line per material, with its content, weight, colour per colourway, placement and supplier. More in The bill of materials.
- Brand kit
- A brand's logos, label artwork, colours and usual care symbols, kept once and reused in every tech pack. In the Studio a kit logo goes onto a garment or a label as the brand's own file, and a new care label starts with the kit's care symbols. More in Artwork and labels in a tech pack.
C
- Care label
- The label with the washing and care instructions and the fibre content. What it must show depends on the market the garment is sold in. More in Artwork and labels in a tech pack.
- Care symbols
- The pictograms on a care label for washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and professional cleaning, in that order, each with its temperature or limit. A pack also says what each one means, so the factory and the label maker read the same instructions. More in Artwork and labels in a tech pack.
- Centre backCB
- The vertical centre line of the garment's back. A centre back neck point starts the 3-point sleeve length and many lengths on outerwear. More in Points of measure.
- Centre frontCF
- The vertical centre line of the garment's front, where a placket, a zip or a front rise is measured from. More in Points of measure.
- Colourway
- One version of a style in a given set of colours. Each material has a colour in every colourway. More in The bill of materials.
- Country of originCOO
- The country a garment is declared as made in, under the rules of the market where it is sold. It is usually on the size or care label. More in Artwork and labels in a tech pack.
- Coverstitch
- A stretch stitch with two or three parallel needle lines on the face and a looper covering the raw edge behind, used for knit hems and bindings. More in What a tech pack is.
D
- Delta EΔE
- A number for the visible difference between two colours; the smaller it is, the closer the match. The Studio matches a colour to a TCX code only within ΔE 4. More in The bill of materials.
- Digitising
- Turning artwork into an embroidery machine's stitch file: the stitch types, their direction and density, and the order the colours sew in. The factory or an embroidery supplier does it from the artwork in the pack. More in Artwork and labels in a tech pack.
F
- Fibre content
- The fibres in a material by weight, as percentages that add to 100, such as 95% cotton, 5% elastane. More in The bill of materials.
- Fit sample
- A sample in the sample size, tried on a body to approve the fit. Its comments go back into the measurements. More in Sending a tech pack to a factory.
- Flat-felled seam
- A seam with both raw edges folded in and enclosed, showing two rows of stitching. Shirts, jeans and workwear use it for strength. More in What a tech pack is.
G
- Grade rule
- The step one point of measure takes from one size to the next, such as 1 1/2 in on a half chest. More in Grading and size charts.
- Grading
- Turning the measurements of the sample size into a full size run, point of measure by point of measure. More in Grading and size charts.
- GSM
- Grams per square metre: the weight of a fabric. A light T-shirt jersey is about 150, a sweatshirt fleece 300 or more. More in The bill of materials.
H
- Half measurement
- A width measured across the garment laid flat, from edge to edge. On a closed garment, such as a chest or a waist, the circumference is twice the half measurement. More in Points of measure.
- Hangtag
- A card tag hung on the garment with a string or a tag fastener, carrying the brand, the style, the size and often a barcode. A pack gives its size, its shape, its artwork and where it hangs. More in Artwork and labels in a tech pack.
- High point shoulderHPS
- The highest point of the shoulder, where the shoulder seam meets the neckline. Body lengths and neck drops are measured from it. More in Points of measure.
I
- Inseam
- The inside leg length, from the crotch seam to the hem along the inside leg seam. More in Points of measure.
- Interlining
- A layer between fabric layers that gives a collar, a cuff or a waistband its body. A fusible interlining is bonded by heat. More in The bill of materials.
L
- Lab dip
- A small swatch the mill dyes to match a colour standard, sent for approval before the bulk fabric is dyed. More in The bill of materials.
- Lead time
- The time from an approved order to the goods leaving the factory. Say whether a quoted lead time starts at the order or at the approval of the pre-production sample. More in Sending a tech pack to a factory.
- LigneL
- The unit buttons are sized in: 1 ligne is 1/40 in (0.635 mm), so an 18L button is about 11.4 mm across. More in The bill of materials.
M
- Minimum order quantityMOQ
- The smallest order a factory accepts, per style, per colour or per fabric. It is part of every quote. More in Sending a tech pack to a factory.
- Muscle width
- The width of the sleeve a fixed distance below the armhole, often 1 in, measured square to the sleeve. Also called the bicep. More in Points of measure.
N
- Neck drop
- How far the neckline sits below a line between the two high point shoulders, at centre front (front neck drop) or centre back (back neck drop). More in Points of measure.
O
- Open item
- A question the pack leaves for the factory to answer or confirm before sampling. The Studio lists its open items on the last pages of the PDF, with room for the factory's answers. More in What a tech pack is.
- Ounce weight
- Fabric weight in ounces per square yard, common for denim. 1 oz/yd² is about 33.9 g/m², so a 12 oz denim weighs about 407 g/m². More in The bill of materials.
- Overlock
- A stitch that sews a seam, trims it and covers its raw edge in one pass. Most knit garments are seamed with it. More in What a tech pack is.
P
- Placement
- Where a print, an embroidery, a label or a trim sits, given as distances from fixed points such as the high point shoulder or centre front. More in Artwork and labels in a tech pack.
- Point of measurePOM
- One measurement of the finished garment, with a code, a method that says where the tape starts and ends, the spec at the sample size and a tolerance. More in Points of measure.
- Pre-production samplePP
- A sample made in the bulk fabrics and trims, approved before cutting starts. Bulk is checked against it. More in Sending a tech pack to a factory.
- Proto sample
- The first sample of a style, made to check the design and how the factory reads the pack. More in Sending a tech pack to a factory.
R
- Request for quotationRFQ
- A request for factories to quote on a garment: the tech pack, the quantity, the sizes and the dates, so every quote answers the same question. More in Sending a tech pack to a factory.
- Rise
- On trousers, the length from the crotch seam to the top of the waistband: the front rise at centre front, the back rise at centre back. More in Points of measure.
S
- Sample size
- The size the fit is approved in, also called the base size. Its measurements are the spec; the other sizes are graded from it. More in Grading and size charts.
- Shoulder pointSP
- Where the shoulder seam meets the armhole seam. Across shoulder runs from one to the other, and a sleeve length is often measured from it. More in Points of measure.
- Size break
- How an order's quantity divides across the sizes, often written as a ratio such as 1:2:2:1 for S, M, L and XL. More in Sending a tech pack to a factory.
- Size chart
- A table of body measurements that tells a customer which size to buy. It is not the graded spec, which gives the garment's own measurements. More in Grading and size charts.
- Size run
- The sizes a style is made in, such as S to XXL, in order. A style can have more than one run, such as regular and tall. More in Grading and size charts.
- Size set
- Samples in each size of the run, or at least the smallest and largest, made to check the grading before production. More in Sending a tech pack to a factory.
- Spec sheet
- The table of points of measure with their specs and tolerances; graded, it gives every size of the run. More in Points of measure.
- Stitches per inchSPI
- How many stitches a seam has in one inch. Denim topstitching often sews at 8 to 10; a shirt seam at 14 or more. More in The bill of materials.
- Strike-off
- A sample of a print on the actual fabric, approved for colour and scale before the bulk is printed. More in Artwork and labels in a tech pack.
- Sweep
- The width of the garment's bottom edge, measured across it. On a top it is the bottom sweep; on a skirt or a coat it shows how much the hem flares. More in Points of measure.
T
- TCX code
- A colour reference from the Pantone cotton colour system, such as 19-4024 TCX, that gives a mill a physical standard to dye to. More in The bill of materials.
- Tech pack
- The document a factory quotes, samples and produces a garment from: flats, measurements, materials, colours, labels and construction, in one versioned file. More in What a tech pack is.
- Technical flatFlat
- A line drawing of the garment laid flat, front and back and often the sides, with its seams, stitching and trims drawn in. Also called a flat sketch. It is schematic: the measurements are in the table, not read off the drawing. More in Technical flats from photos and sketches.
- Three-point sleeve lengthSL3
- A sleeve length taken from the centre back neck to the high point shoulder, on to the shoulder point and down to the sleeve edge. More in Points of measure.
- Tolerance
- How far a measurement may be above or below its spec and still pass inspection, written as plus and minus. More in Points of measure.
- Top of productionTOP
- A piece taken from the production line to check that bulk matches the approved pre-production sample. More in Sending a tech pack to a factory.
- Trims
- Every material that is not the main fabric: thread, buttons, zips, rivets, elastic, drawcords, labels and the like. More in The bill of materials.
V
- Vector artwork
- Artwork drawn as paths and shapes rather than pixels, so it stays sharp at any print size. It is the usual source for screen print separations and embroidery files. More in Artwork and labels in a tech pack.
Z
- Zip gauge
- A zip's size number. It is roughly the width of the closed teeth in millimetres, so a no. 5 zip is heavier than a no. 3. More in The bill of materials.
