LOVECOLOUR
LOVECOLOUR factory floor in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, with embroidery bays running patch programs.

Process guide · Woven

Woven patches and labels, thread by thread.

Woven on a loom rather than stitched, so fine lines, small text and dense logos hold at the size the piece actually is — then cut, backed, finished and inspected in our own plant in Guangzhou.

  • OEM / ODM
  • Damask & satin weave
  • Tested at finished size
  • End · centre · miter fold
  • Heat-cut edge
  • Artwork checked at the finished size
  • Sample in 2–3 days when capacity allows
  • Colour matched to your reference
  • Sewn in · sewn flat · supplied loose
  • Macro photograph of a damask woven surface showing the individual threads
    IMG-WV26 · 800×800 Damask weave, macro
  • Woven label photographed at actual size to show the smallest readable text
    IMG-WV27 · 800×800 Small text at actual size
  • Macro photograph of a satin woven tape surface catching the light
    IMG-WV28 · 800×800 Satin tape surface
  • Macro photograph of a heat-cut woven label edge with no loose threads
    IMG-WV29 · 800×800 Heat-cut edge

The making

From artwork file to woven piece.

Five stages, each with an owner and a record. The sample you approve is what every piece in the run is measured against.

  1. Step 01
    Artwork file on screen with its smallest text measured at the finished size

    Artwork review

    Line weight, the smallest text, colour count, thread references and the finished size are checked before anything is quoted.

  2. Step 02
    Weave draft being prepared at a workstation with the label structure on screen

    Weave draft & proof

    The artwork becomes a weave draft — structure and density with the colours set to your references — and a proof goes back for sign-off.

  3. Step 03
    Woven label sample laid beside the approved artwork on a bench

    Sample

    A woven sample in the real size and fold, for your approval — often inside 2–3 days when capacity allows.

  4. Step 04
    Woven tape being cut and folded at a finishing station

    Weaving & finishing

    Approved tape runs, then cutting, folding, edge finishing and any backing or attachment step.

  5. Step 05
    Finished woven labels being inspected and counted before packing

    QC & packing

    Inspected against the sample you approved: weave density, line weight, small text, colour, finished size and quantity.

Artwork requirements    Sample approval    How we work

Weave structures

Six structures to choose from.

The weave sets how fine the detail can go; the format sets how the piece is cut, finished and attached.

Macro photograph of a damask woven label showing fine thread lettering 01

Damask weave

The detailed weave used for main labels and emblems: tight density, fine line work and several thread colours in one tape.

  • SurfaceDense, detailed
  • Typical useMain labels, woven emblems
  • Photo slotIMG-WV10 · 800×600
Macro photograph of a satin woven label with a soft sheen 02

Satin weave

A smooth, light-catching tape for main labels and size tabs, where the weave is read as much as the logo it carries.

  • SurfaceSmooth, soft sheen
  • Typical useMain labels, size tabs
  • Photo slotIMG-WV11 · 800×600
Macro photograph of a high-density woven label with a line of very small text 03

High-density weave

The densest structure we quote for woven labels — the route when the smallest line of your artwork has to stay readable.

  • SurfaceVery fine thread
  • Typical useSmall text, multi-line labels
  • Photo slotIMG-WV12 · 800×600
Woven patch with a thread-wrapped merrowed border on a fabric backing 04

Woven patch, merrowed border

Woven, then cut and finished as a patch with a thread-wrapped border — the badge format rather than the label format.

  • FormatPatch with merrowed edge
  • Typical useUniforms, caps, club and event badges
  • Photo slotIMG-WV13 · 800×600
Woven patch cut to an irregular contour along the artwork outline 05

Woven patch, laser-cut contour

Irregular outlines, lettering and inside cut-outs cut on the contour by our vision-guided machines instead of by hand.

  • FormatLaser-cut contour
  • Typical useLogo shapes, lettering, mascots
  • Photo slotIMG-WV14 · 800×600
Woven logo tape cut to length and stacked loose on a finishing bench 06

Woven tape, cut to length

Repeat artwork or logo tape cut to length and supplied loose, for a production line that applies it in-house.

  • FormatTape, cut to length
  • Typical useCare and content tape, brand tape
  • Photo slotIMG-WV15 · 800×600

Detail limits

What weaving holds, and what it does not.

Weave density decides the smallest legible line — not the marketing photo. It is tested on your artwork at its finished size rather than published as one number.

Woven label whose small text stays legible at its finished size
IMG-WV30 · 800×600 Reads at the finished size
Woven label whose fine lines have merged because the artwork was too small for the weave
IMG-WV31 · 800×600 Forced too small — lines merge

Two outcomes at the same size

The same artwork woven at two sizes: open letterforms and separated lines on the left, merged thread on the right.

Artwork review tests the smallest element at its finished size and tells you the readable minimum before sampling. Where a design needs gradients, photographs or per-piece data, printing holds it better; where it needs relief and abrasion resistance, PVC does.

What artwork review checks

  • Line weight
  • Smallest text
  • Colour count
  • Weave density
  • Thread colour
  • Fold
  • Finished size
  • Edge finish
  • Attachment
  • Backing

Not sure which process your artwork needs? Send it at the finished size and the review will say — including when the answer is not woven.

Applications

Where woven work goes.

Seams, tabs, waistbands and badges — the places where the mark has to read clearly at a very small size.

  • Woven main label folded into the neck seam of a jacket
    IMG-WV60 · 480×480

    Neck & centre back

    The main label, folded into the neck or centre-back seam.

  • Small woven tab sewn into the side seam of a garment
    IMG-WV61 · 480×480

    Side seam & hem tabs

    A small tab where the brand mark is all it has to carry.

  • Woven waistband label and size tab on a pair of jeans
    IMG-WV62 · 480×480

    Waistband & size tabs

    Waistband and size labels, where the fold decides how it sits.

  • Woven emblem badge sewn onto the front of a cap
    IMG-WV63 · 480×480

    Emblems on apparel & caps

    Woven badges finished with a merrowed border or a cut contour.

  • Woven label tab sewn onto a backpack strap
    IMG-WV64 · 480×480

    Headwear, bags & travel goods

    Tabs, tapes and emblems that take daily handling.

  • Woven uniform label inside the collar of a workwear jacket
    IMG-WV65 · 480×480

    Uniforms, workwear & promo

    Repeat programmes where wording and colour come back identical.

Structure

Fold, edge and attachment.

The fold decides where the piece sits, the edge decides whether it frays, and the attachment decides who applies it. All three are confirmed on the spec sheet before sampling.

Cross-section diagram of a woven label: weave face, fold, cut or woven edge and attachment
IMG-WV40 · 1600×900 Weave face · fold · edge · attachment

Fold options

  • End fold

    Folded at both ends, for a label caught in a seam.

  • Centre fold

    Folded once in the middle — the common choice for centre-back and side-seam labels.

  • Miter fold

    Corners folded to the reverse, for a label sewn on all four sides.

  • Loop fold

    Folded back on itself to form a loop, for a tab that hangs free.

  • Straight cut

    No fold. Sewn flat or supplied loose.

Attachment

  • Sewn into a seam

    The label is folded and caught in the seam on your own production line.

  • Sewn flat

    The label sits on the surface and is stitched around the edge or at the ends.

  • Supplied loose

    Cut to length and packed loose, applied by your line.

  • Adhesive or hook-and-loop

    Where a label needs a backing structure, the patch options — iron-on, heat-seal, adhesive, hook-and-loop — are confirmed for the label.

Edge finishes

  • Woven edge

    The tape keeps its own selvedge: soft and flat against the skin.

  • Heat-cut edge

    Sealed by heat, giving a clean edge with no loose ends — the standard for a cut label.

Manufacturing

Cut, finished and checked under one roof.

Weaving runs to the sample you approve; the cutting, backing, finishing, inspection and packing happen in our 7,000 m² facility in Guangzhou, under one production record.

7,000 m² Owned plant

Cutting, backing, finishing, inspection and packing in one building.

80+ Staff

Finishing and inspection teams working from one specification.

30+ Vision cutting machines

Camera-guided contour cutting for patch outlines, lettering and inside cut-outs.

4 Backing structures

Iron-on / heat-seal, hook-and-loop, self-adhesive and sew-on, applied on our own finishing line.

IMG-WV50 · 800×600
Vision-guided cutting machine trimming woven labels on the finishing line

Cutting and contour finishing on the vision-guided line that also cuts our patches.

IMG-WV51 · 800×600
Woven label compared with the approved sample under inspection light

Weave density, thread colour and the smallest text checked against the approved sample.

IMG-WV52 · 800×600
Finished woven labels being counted and packed into cartons

Counting, packing and carton marks before the shipment leaves the plant.

Factory & manufacturing    Quality control

Keep exploring

The pages buyers read next.

The woven range carries the specification; the process and procurement pages cover material choice, artwork, samples and dates.

Page last updated  ·  Maintained by the LOVECOLOUR artwork and technical team in Guangzhou

FAQ

Woven questions.

Short answers to what buyers ask before sending artwork. Anything project-specific is confirmed in writing at review.

Should my design be woven or embroidered?

They are not a better-and-worse pair; the artwork decides. Embroidery gives a raised, tactile surface and suits bold shapes, borders and larger lettering. Weaving holds fine lines, small text and dense logos at the size a label or badge actually is, which is why it is the route for logo-heavy artwork. Send the artwork at its finished size and we will say which of the two reproduces it.

How small can the text be on a woven patch or label?

It depends on the weave density, the number of lines and how dense the logo is around the text. We test the smallest element of your artwork at the actual finished size and tell you the readable minimum before sampling, rather than quoting one figure that would be wrong for half the pieces we make.

What artwork do you need for a woven order?

Vector artwork — AI, PDF, EPS or SVG with fonts outlined — is ideal, and a high-resolution raster file also works. Artwork review then checks line weight, the smallest text, colour count, thread references, the fold and the finished size before the weave structure is confirmed.

Can a woven patch carry a border and a backing?

Yes. A woven patch is finished either with a thread-wrapped merrowed border or with a contour cut along the artwork outline on our vision-guided cutting machines. Backing follows the same four structures as our other patches — iron-on / heat-seal, hook-and-loop, self-adhesive and sew-on — and is confirmed on the spec sheet before sampling.

What is the MOQ, and does weaving differ from embroidery?

Each product has its own standard MOQ, and for many custom items it starts at around 100 pieces. A woven structure carries a loom setup that an embroidered patch does not, so woven minimums are usually structured differently, and below the standard MOQ the unit price can increase. The figure is confirmed for your specification rather than published as one number.

How long does a woven order take, and can you rush it?

Bulk production usually takes 7–12 days after artwork approval, and a sample can be ready in about 2–3 days when capacity allows. Rush orders are reviewed case by case against production capacity, material, artwork status and shipping method, so a rush date is confirmed rather than promised.

All frequently asked questions

Direct factory collaboration

Send artwork, get a real answer.

Include the finished size, quantity, fold and how the piece will be attached. We test the smallest detail at that size, recommend the structure that holds it, and come back with a factory-direct quote — or tell you plainly that a different process suits the design better.

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