When it comes to designing garments, the label may seem like a small detail — but it’s one of the most critical touches for both readability and brand impression. Clear, legible labels not only make compliance and care instructions easy to read but also reinforce your brand identity. In this article, we’ll walk through how to choose fonts and contrast for optimum label readability, and how these decisions interplay with your textile label supplier, sample process and brand story.
Why readability matters for labels
A well-designed label does more than sit quietly inside a garment. It:
- Ensures wearers can easily read the brand, composition, washing instructions and size information.
- Enhances perceived quality: a crisp, legible label gives a premium feel.
- Helps avoid regulatory issues: if care instructions or composition are illegible, you risk non-compliance.
- Reinforces branding: your label is a piece of branding real estate. How you handle font and contrast becomes part of your brand voice.
If you’re working with a label specialist like Clothing Labels Ltd (UK) via their Our Products page, you’ll have access to woven, printed, composition, cardboard labels and more. Clear typography and contrast are especially important when labels are small or under practical wear conditions (washing, abrasion, low light). %sitename%
Fonts: choose style, size and weight for clarity
Font style and family
When you’re designing a label, your font choice must prioritise legibility. Sans-serif fonts tend to perform well at smaller sizes and in tighter spaces. Avoid overly ornate or condensed fonts for critical text like size, wash instructions, fibre composition.
For brand names or logo typography on woven or printed labels, you might choose something distinctive, but you still need to test readability at actual label scale.
Size and weight
Since labels are small, the font size must be large enough to read at a glance. For printed labels, you might use 6pt-8pt minimum for secondary information (check with your label supplier’s minimum legible specification). For woven labels, the weaving process limits how fine the details can be; so bold, high-contrast text works better.
Weight (bold vs. regular) matters: light weight fonts may lose clarity when woven or printed on less-than-perfect surfaces (for example, on cotton satin, black labels).
If you’re ordering samples via the Sample section of a label-supplier’s site, take the opportunity to test your font at full size, under different lighting and with garment stretch.
Character spacing and lines
Keep text spacing generous enough so letters don’t blur together. On fabric labels that may ripple or fold, ensure enough spacing to accommodate distortion. Line spacing (leading) should similarly avoid crowding.
If the label includes care symbols, you might pair these with accompanying text; make sure the font size for the text is harmonised with the symbol size so everything remains balanced and readable.
Contrast: key for readability
Contrast between text and background is one of the most important factors for readability — perhaps even more so than font size alone.
Here are the main points:
- Text colour vs. background colour
Black text on white (or off-white/ecru) is the most legible. White text on black background can work, but the thickness of the white font and the finish matter (gloss or matte). Some fabrics may cause white text on black to fade visually after washing.
On the label designer’s products page, printed labels are available in white, ecru or black backgrounds—recognising this contrast principle. %sitename% - Fabric or material texture
The underlying label material (cotton, satin, polyester) influences contrast. A high-gloss satin may reflect light in weird ways; a matte cotton label may absorb more light but can distort under wash or heat. Choose a label substrate where text contrast remains sharp after wear and wash. - Finish and durability
When labels are subject to laundering, abrasion and folding, the contrast can degrade. If you’re customising your labels (brand name, size chip, composition label), ask your supplier about how the contrast holds up through washing and drying cycles. A sample order is the perfect time to test this. - Ambient conditions
Consider the light in which the end-user will be reading the label. In a dimly lit fitting room or at home under low light, poor contrast makes reading difficult. As part of your sample testing, inspect the label under lower light conditions.
Integrating font & contrast into label types
Woven labels
For woven labels, fine detail is harder to execute. The loom (Jacquard or equivalent) must translate fonts into thread weaves. Bold, block fonts with minimal fine features are safer. And contrast wise, choose weft and warp colours that maximise differentiation. On the products page, the supplier makes clear woven labels are used widely in fashion. %sitename%
When you’re branding a premium garment, you might pair a brand name in a stylised font with readable size and care instructions in a simpler font. The simpler font must be legible even when woven small.
Printed composition/size labels
Printed labels allow more flexibility. You can choose finer fonts, more design variety — but still subtle: readability must come first. If you print size chips or composition labels, prioritise high-contrast text (for example, black on white satin) and verify durability of print through wash cycles. The supplier notes that printed labels can be white, ecru or black background. %sitename%
Cardboard or hang tags
Often the first touchpoint of the garment in store, hang tags benefit from design freedom. However, readability still applies: typography must be legible from a short distance (while hanging) and the contrast needs to hold under retail lighting and handling.
Brand voice vs. readability: Finding the balance
As a brand you naturally want your label to reflect your identity: font choice, colour palette, material, finish—they all matter. But prioritising aesthetics over legibility can backfire: if end-users cannot read the label easily, or worse, interpret it incorrectly, that reflects poorly on the brand.
When working with your label supplier (see About Us page for their company story), use these questions:
- Does the chosen font remain legible when scaled down to the size of the actual label?
- How does the font reproduce on the chosen material (woven/printed) and colour background?
- How does the contrast hold up after washing, folding, abrasion?
- Can we order a sample to test readability under real-world conditions?
And indeed, the supplier’s sample process is invaluable to test these aspects.
Practical testing and sample phase
Before going into full production, make use of a sample order (via the supplier’s Sample section). Here’s a checklist you should run through:
- Read the label at normal and smaller distances to simulate consumer inspection.
- Test under different lighting: bright store lights; low bedroom light.
- Run a wash/dry cycle if it’s going inside garments. Does the font still stand out against the background?
- Fold and rub the label: does the contrast hold? Are threads or print breaking down?
- Confirm the font style still aligns with your brand, but remains legible.
Taking these steps helps ensure that what looked good in design also works in end-use.
Final thoughts
Choosing the right font and contrast for your labels is more than just design—it’s about readability, brand perception and functionality. Whether you’re creating woven labels, printed composition labels or hang tags, your decisions in typography and colour contrast will influence both user experience and your brand image.
If you’re looking to explore your options, check out the Our Products page to see what kinds of labels are available, consider placing a Sample order to test readability, and browse the Blog for deeper insight into labeling trends. When you’re ready to move forward, the team at the About Us page is happy to help and you can always get in touch via Contact.