01
Garments and sourcing
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Blank | A plain garment with no decoration, made to be printed or embroidered. |
| Blank brand | A company that designs and makes blanks in volume, such as Gildan, Bella+Canvas or Stanley/Stella. |
| Cut and sew | Making a garment from fabric to your own pattern, instead of decorating a stock blank. |
| Private label | A garment made or finished with your own labels, so it is sold under your brand. |
| White label | A ready-made product a supplier sells to many brands, each adding its own branding. |
| GSM | Grams per square meter, the weight of a fabric. A higher number usually means a heavier, thicker garment. |
| Colorway | One color version of a garment or design. |
02
Decoration
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Decoration | Anything added to a blank: printing, embroidery, patches, transfers or labels. |
| DTG (direct to garment) | Inkjet printing straight onto the fabric. Suits full-color designs and small orders. |
| DTF (direct to film) | The design is printed onto a film, then heat-pressed onto the garment. Works on many fabrics. |
| Screen printing | Ink pushed through a mesh screen, one screen per color. Gets cheaper per piece as quantities grow. |
| Sublimation | Heat turns dye into a gas that bonds with polyester fibers. Needs light-colored, mostly polyester fabric. |
| All-over print (AOP) | A design that covers the whole garment, usually printed on fabric panels before they are sewn. |
| Digitizing | Turning artwork into a stitch file for embroidery, often charged once per design. |
03
Ordering and pricing
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| MOQ (minimum order quantity) | The smallest order a supplier accepts. It can apply per order, per design, per color or per size. |
| Setup fee | A one-off charge to prepare production, such as screens for screen printing or digitizing for embroidery. |
| Tech pack | The written specification a factory builds a garment from: sketches, measurements, materials and construction. |
| Sample | One piece made before the bulk order to check fit, quality and decoration. |
| Lead time | The time from approval or payment until the order is ready to ship. |
| Turnaround | How long production takes once an order is confirmed, often quoted in business days. |
| Bulk order | A batch of pieces produced together, usually at a lower price per piece. |
04
Shipping and fulfillment
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Print on demand (POD) | Each item is made when a customer orders it and shipped straight to that customer. |
| Fulfillment | Storing, packing and shipping orders on your behalf. |
| DTC fulfillment | Shipping single orders directly to your customers, rather than sending a batch to you. |
| Blind shipping | Shipping without the supplier’s name on the parcel or paperwork, so the order appears to come from you. |
| Branded packaging | Your own packing slips, inserts, mailers or labels added to each order, usually for an extra charge. |
| Incoterms | Standard trade terms, such as EXW or DDP, that set who pays for shipping, insurance and duties, and where responsibility passes to the buyer. |
| Duties | Taxes charged when goods cross a border. Who pays them depends on the shipping terms. |
Next
Keep reading
- Print methods compared
- Costs and minimums
- Find suppliers
- How apparel production works
- Which supplier do you need?
- From print on demand to bulk
Suppliers are listed from public information. Vaybel doesn't endorse or guarantee any supplier — check details with them directly. How the directory works