How to Design Woven Labels
A woven label is not a printed sticker. Every line, letter, and color will be physically constructed in thread on a loom.
Design principles for woven labels
Think in thread, not pixels
- Thread has physical diameter. Every element in your design is interpreted by a loom. Fine detail that looks crisp on screen collapses at label size. The minimum resolvable stroke width is ~0.5 mm.
- The design rule: if you can't read it at actual label size on screen, the weaver can't reproduce it. Zoom to exact physical dimensions before judging your design.
- Negative space collapses too. Enclosed areas smaller than 1.5 mm across — the inside of O, B, D, or small enclosed shapes — will fill with thread at small sizes. Give negative space room.
Logo simplification for weaving
- Remove before submitting: thin strokes under 0.5 mm, taglines below 8pt, closely spaced parallel lines that will merge, photographic gradients.
- Keep: the core brand mark, the main wordmark at readable size, principal color fills. Most logos reduce cleanly to these elements and remain fully recognizable at label scale.
- Increase font weight slightly for small text — ultra-light or thin typefaces lose stroke definition. Switching to regular or medium weight of the same face often produces significantly cleaner woven results. See the logo labels guide.
Layout and technical requirements
Design at final label dimensions
Set your document to the exact physical mm dimensions of the label from the start. Set text to the pt size you want at label scale — this is the only way to judge whether text and detail will resolve cleanly. Leave a 2 mm margin from any edge that will be sewn or folded.
Fold-aware layout
Center fold: only the top half of the flat design is visible after folding. End fold: keep content away from the short-edge margins (~5 mm fold allowance). Manhattan fold: all four edges fold under — center your design and leave clear margins. Flat sew-in: the full face is available. See the fold type guide.
Color and thread
Submit colors in RGB or HEX; include Pantone references if you have them. Most logos use 2–4 thread colors — the sweet spot for clarity and economy. High contrast between background and text always reads more clearly. Damask weave produces sharper results for fine-detail logos. Check the color count guide.
File preparation
Vector files are ideal: AI, EPS, SVG, PDF. Raster files (PNG, JPG) are accepted at any resolution — 300 dpi at final label size is recommended for the cleanest result. Minimum label size: 0.8 cm × 0.8 cm (0.31 in × 0.31 in). Minimum text height: 0.15 cm (0.06 in). Convert all text to outlines before export. Check the full artwork guidelines for the complete pre-submission checklist.
Common mistakes to avoid
Screen logo ≠ label artwork
- Screen logos are optimized for large bright displays. Label artwork is optimized for 25–60 mm physical thread construction.
- Submitting a screen logo unchanged is the most common cause of revision cycles.
- Review our minimum line thickness guide before submitting any design.
Missing fold calculation
- Center fold halves the visible width — designing the full face without accounting for fold puts your logo in the wrong half.
- Place key brand elements in the visible zone before checking the design at actual size.
- See the label sizing guide for fold dimension calculations.
- View your design at exact physical dimensions — not zoomed in
- All strokes at least 0.5 mm wide; all text at least 8pt at label size
- Gradients replaced with closest solid thread color
- Text converted to outlines; no hidden layers or guides in the file