color and color lab dip


Color

Color Standards:
When doing a custom color, the customer must provide a reference sample to us of the color requested and keep a sample swatch for their future reference. The bigger the piece the better chance of hitting the color. Remember if you provide a sample fabric that has a different fabric content or weight, this will affect the color matching. If you use a Pantone Color Swatch, the printed colors on paper will look different than a texturized fabric.

Lab Dip
Lab dips are done to provide a visual aid on how a color will look when it is dyed. Your actual production sample will vary from the lab dip that is provided. Remember that the lab dip is produced in a beaker and is not an actual production run. It is not possible to lab dip enough fabric for a sample cap or garment. When the goods are dyed in a real production run, the conditions are dramatically different from the laboratory. Production will not begin on your fabric unless a lab dip is approved or the customer waives the lab dip process. Once a lab dip is approved, we will dye only to the lab dip approved. The original color swatch is no longer the target. Do NOT approve a lab dip that you would not be happy with as a production run.

Color Match
We will make every attempt to get the special dye lot as close to the color standard / lab dip as possible. Dyeing is an art and not a science. No two dye lots are the exact same color. However, a commercial match to your color will be achieved on a special dye lot. A commercial match will be a similar tone that may be slightly darker or lighter than the color standard. There are many variables that we must contend with that can vary the color or appearance which make it impossible to get an exact match. Some of these variables include:
1.	Your color swatch was produced from a different mill with different processes, equipment, and dye stuffs.
2.	Dye stuffs used to produce fabric vary in shade from lot to lot.
3.	Atmospheric conditions such as humidity vary day to day.
4.	The natural (greige) goods vary from lot to lot. Some woven goods are very clean and the dyes absorb deeply while others may not take as deep.
5.	The cotton from different crops will absorb dyes differently

During the dying process, all of these variables are constantly monitored and changes are made to keep the color as close to the color standard as possible. Even while making these changes, there will be slight variances in shade from your reference sample, to the lab dip, to the actual production run.