LOVECOLOUR
Quality control bench at the LOVECOLOUR factory in Guangzhou, with finished custom patches checked against a thread colour reference.

About LOVECOLOUR

Nothing ships until it matches the sample you approved.

Inspection runs in the same building as production: artwork review, first-piece approval, in-process checks, finished-goods inspection and a pre-packing review, all measured against a standard you have signed off.

  • Approved sample is the standard
  • Pantone colour matching
  • ≈7,000 m² factory
  • 80+ employees
Start a Project ↗ What we inspect

The standard

A sample is the specification, not a preview.

Every check on this page is measured against this one document set — never against a memory of the last run.

With a physical sample
Production standard = final production artwork + the approved physical sample. That pair, not a description of it, is what the bulk run is measured against.
Without a physical sample
Production standard = the final approved production artwork. Production is released on that version and not on an earlier one.
Colour reference
Pantone is the production reference, backed by thread colour cards, PVC colour samples, material samples or a physical sample. Thread, PVC, material and screens differ from each other, so no 100% colour identity is promised across materials.
Structure
Material, finished size, thickness, backing and intended application, confirmed together before mass production rather than discovered on the run.
Packing requirement
Packing method, label, barcode, SKU and carton mark held with the order, so the packing re-check has something to check against.
QC01 · 1200×900 Approved custom patch sample, colour reference and specification sheet laid out on the quality control bench at LOVECOLOUR.
QC01 · Approved sample & specification 1200×900 · 4:3

Without an approved standard, the most expensive question in custom manufacturing is not "is this piece good?" but "good compared with what?" — which is why the approved sample, the artwork version and the colour reference are kept, not just remembered. How sample approval works.

Inspection points

Six checkpoints between artwork and carton.

In the order they happen. The first three are gates: the run does not continue past one until it is approved.

  1. 01

    Artwork review

    Logo proportions, small text, fine lines, stitch direction, stitch density, thread colours, borders, finished size and backing are reviewed before anything is stitched.

  2. 02

    Sample approval

    Colour, size, border and backing approved against a physical sample wherever the design, the colour requirement, the material or the consistency requirement calls for one.

  3. 03

    First-piece approval

    Production, merchandising and QC confirm the first pieces together; sales joins for complex, high-risk or high-colour work. If the first pieces are wrong, the run does not continue.

  4. 04

    In-process inspection

    The run is checked while it is still running, so a drift is corrected on the line instead of being found in the carton.

  5. 05

    Finished-goods inspection

    Finished pieces compared with the approved standard: colour, stitching, edge, size, attachment, material and bulk consistency.

  6. 06

    Pre-packing review

    Quantity, packing method, label, barcode, SKU, carton mark and any special requirement re-checked before the cartons close.

A finished-goods check only sees what is still visible at the end, which is why artwork review and first-piece approval sit in front of it: the cheapest defect to fix is the one caught before the rest of the run repeats it. How an order runs, stage by stage.

Inspection depth

Depth follows the risk, not a habit.

Higher risk

Piece by piece

High-risk, complex and key-account work, and products where a single piece can carry its own defect, can be checked piece by piece.

Proven run

Sampling

A mature process on stable bulk production uses first-piece approval, in-process sampling and finished-goods sampling, with the approved sample as the standard in both cases.

Kept either way

The checkpoints do not move

A process check, finished-goods sampling and a packing review stay in place even on a proven run. Sampling changes the depth of the check, never which checks exist.

We publish no AQL figure and no defect percentage, because the material we work from does not define one: the depth of inspection is agreed per project and written into the order. What does not move is the last gate — anything unresolved at the pre-packing review stays in the building.

What is inspected

The checks are written down because they are made.

The inspection points below are the ones our own quality procedure lists, in the two languages it is written in.

What is checked, what it is compared with, and at which checkpoint.
Checked Compared with Checkpoint
Colour matching Thread, PVC or ink matched to the reference you supply — Pantone, a thread card or a physical swatch — for the whole run, not only for the sample. Sample → finished goods
Thread colour The thread the specification calls for, matched for the whole run and not only for the sample. First piece → in process
Logo proportion Mark size and position against the approved artwork, at the finished size. First piece → finished goods
Small-text clarity Whether the smallest letterform still reads at the size you ordered. Artwork review → sample
Woven detail Letterforms, fine lines and dense artwork in the weave. Sample → finished goods
PVC layering Layer definition, colour separation and edge quality on moulded work. Finished goods
Embroidery stitching Stitch direction and density, and how the stitched edge holds at finished size. In process → finished goods
Edge finishing A merrowed border or a contour cut taken clean along the artwork outline on the vision cutters. Finished goods
Finished size & thickness Dimensions and material thickness against the agreed specification, measured on the finished piece rather than assumed from the artwork file. First piece → finished goods
Material consistency The material the sample was made in, held across the run rather than swapped for a close equivalent. First piece → finished goods
Adhesive, iron-on & hook-and-loop Attachment and backing strength for the structure you chose — the backing is checked, not assumed from the name on the packing list. Post-finishing → finished goods
Quantity & packaging Quantity counted to the order and packed to the agreed method, with label, barcode, SKU and carton mark. Pre-packing review
Bulk consistency The last piece against the first, and this run against the one before it. Throughout the run

Size and thickness are checked against the specification agreed before production, not against a guess at the bench. Where a process carries a reasonable production tolerance, it is stated and agreed with you before the order — never disclosed after the run. What we need to quote accurately.

When something does not match

It is fixed here, or it does not leave.

The rule is short: a piece that fails is taken out of the run, and it is never counted as quantity.

  1. 01

    Taken out of the run

    A piece that does not match the approved standard is removed, and it is not counted as qualified stock.

  2. 02

    Remade to the full quantity

    The order is delivered to the quantity you ordered: a rejected piece is replaced rather than quietly subtracted from the total.

  3. 03

    Or agreed with you first

    Where a remake is not the right answer for the product, another handling is agreed with you before anything is packed for shipment.

  4. 04

    Never mixed in

    An obvious reject never goes into the carton with the qualified pieces, and it is never padded out with a good piece to hide it.

QC02 · 1200×800 Inspection bench at LOVECOLOUR with pieces that failed the check kept separate from the counted, qualified run.
QC02 · Rejects held out of the run 1200×800 · 3:2

Anyone in the chain can stop a run: sales, merchandising, production or QC can each raise a pause where a risk appears, and work resumes only once the cause is resolved and confirmed internally. A change to design, colour, process, lead time or cost after the run has started is re-confirmed with you before production continues — it is never run through quietly.

Repeat orders

The second order is measured against the first.

Consistency is a record, not an intention — and it is built before the first run, not after it.

Held against the project

The approved sample
The physical piece you approved is archived, so a reorder is measured against an object rather than a description or a photograph.
Artwork versions
Customer requirement, final artwork and production artwork kept as the approved version, separated from the versions that were superseded.
Colour requirements
The thread, PVC or material colour reference the run was matched to, so the next run starts from the same reference.
Material, size, backing & process
What the piece was made of, how big it finished, how it attaches and which line produced it.
QC requirement
The inspection agreed for that project, so the next run is checked the same way as the last one.
Packing requirement
Packing method, label, barcode, SKU and carton mark, so a top-up sits beside the first delivery instead of merely near it.
Repeat-order record
What the previous order was produced and packed as — the reason an identical reorder reuses the record, and a changed one is re-confirmed before production.
QC03 · 1200×800 Archived approved patch sample beside its order record, with artwork version, colour reference and packing requirement held together.
QC03 · Archived sample & order record 1200×800 · 3:2

Where a reorder is identical in design, colour, size, process, backing and packing, the historical record is used and the run is not re-invented. Where any one of those changes, the changed part is re-confirmed before production — a reorder is neither a fresh guess nor an automatic copy.

Verify it yourself

Three things you can ask us for.

Inspection you cannot see is inspection you have to take on trust. These three you can hold.

  1. 01

    Approve a physical sample, and keep your signed piece

    Your approval is what the run is measured against. Keep the piece you signed: for a reorder, or for your own incoming inspection, it is the only standard that travels.

  2. 02

    Ask what the run will be produced to

    Before production, ask for the artwork version, the colour reference, the backing and edging, the finished size and the packing specification in writing — and keep that list in your own file.

  3. 03

    Ask for bulk photos, videos and packing photos before dispatch

    After inspection we send representative bulk photos, videos, packing photos and the quantity information. Shipment is arranged once you confirm there is nothing obviously wrong.

Your own incoming inspection is only as strong as the standard behind it: a signed sample and a written specification are what let you check a delivery in your warehouse the same way we checked it here. Samples & approval · Frequently asked questions.

Keep exploring

The pages a buying team opens next.

Each one covers a single part of what is summarised above.

Talk to the people who will inspect your order: Bella · +86 183 1957 4312 · info@lovecolour.com.cn · 5th Floor, No. 2 Siheng Road, Hebei Datian, Hebian Helong Street, Baiyun District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China, 510000

Page last updated  ·  Written and maintained by the LOVECOLOUR production and QC team in Guangzhou, from our own quality procedure

Direct factory collaboration

Send the artwork. We will tell you how it will be checked.

Include the end use, the colour reference, the backing and the packing requirement. You get the process recommendation, the inspection points for your product and a factory-direct quote.

Start a Project ↗ Contact Us