How to Make a Quality Tech Pack?—Beginners' Guide
Tech Packs are crucial if you want to start your clothing line or get your clothing manufactured from a manufacturer. It is like a map or blueprint with every information required to create the garment.
Tech pack is a complete set of documents required by the manufacturer to make the garment you need. It provides the necessary information, including the design, fabric type, measurements, color, and bill of materials.
If you are a beginner, don’t worry, we are here to guide you on how to make a quality tech pack. We will highlight the things that must be included in a tech pack and the tools and software you can use.
Along with the detailed guide, we will tell you how you can get your tech pack ready with the help of expert designers.
Let’s start the discussion without further delay.
Things to Be Included in a Quality Tech Pack
There are various things included in a quality tech pack. Some of the things are essential, while some of them are optional.
There are several schools of thought related to tech pack creation, but if you know the things that must be included, you can create your tech pack with confidence.
Let’s see what you should include in a tech pack.
Cover Page
The first page of every tech pack is the cover page. It gives an overview of your complete design and represents the final product. It gives various details and descriptions about the clothing, designer, company, etc.
It usually contains,
- The name of the company and brand
- Country of origin and contact information
- The name of the owner/designer
- Description of the clothing, such as hoodie and jacket.
- Style number
- Color
- Sizing
There are also colored flat sketches on the cover page that represent a very close representation of the final product. The sketches are preferred to be computer-generated, but they can also be hand-drawn or photographs.
Technical Sketches
Technical sketches are also known as flat sketches. These are called flat sketches because they represent the design when the garment is laid on a flat table. These are two-dimensional sketches and are usually the front and the back. However, there could be a need for more views, depending on the design. The reason for technical sketches is to show various angles of the garment.
The 2D sketch is made on Adobe Illustrator and is usually in black and white or monochrome. Everything should be visible, including the seams, pockets, darts, pleats, and buttons. Certain parts of the garment, such as pockets, can be magnified or given in close-up sketches. It is necessary to provide all the details in the technical sketches to make everything easy for the manufacturer and get the desired results.
Another noticeable thing in the sketches is the lines. There are dashed and solid lines. The dashed lines are for stitching, while the solid lines represent the seam line.
Clothing Fabric, Color, and Other Details
This is also known as technical information. It includes details related to the fabric, color, machinery for the operation, special finishes, and other things.
The type of fabric is specified, such as Terry Cotton and its GSM. Then, the color should be clearly defined. Color grading can also be used, and most of the time, manufacturers also share color pallets of the fabric to confirm the color.
The machinery details are also important. It tells the manufacturer about the stitches-per-inch, seam allowances, machinery required, type of stitching needed, etc.
Bill of Materials (BOM)
Bill of Materials (BOM) is a necessary element of the tech pack. It helps manufacturers to source everything required for the manufacturing of the garment. It serves as a checklist for the manufacturers.
BOM is the list of raw materials, including fabric, buttons, threads, labels, hangers, and packaging. It includes everything required for the garment. The quantity, color, supplier, reference code, description, size, weight, and other things are mentioned according to the material.
Creating a BOM is not easy as it seems. It requires extra precision. Therefore, it must be done by technical designers. If there is anything missing or the quantity is not correct, there can be delays in the manufacturing.
Grading Sheet
The grading sheet includes the measurements of the garment. There are separate measurements for different sizes, such as small, medium, and large. Measurements are also given according to the international sizes.
The grading sheet is necessary if there are multiple sizes. It is a complete chart representing the different sizes according to the design, such as the chest, hip, armhole, and neck. It is necessary to make sure the measurements are correct; otherwise, time and money will be lost.
If you don’t know much about grading, you can ask an expert or hire a freelancer.
Colorway Specs
The colorway page has a list of all colors to be used in the garment. It also includes the image of the garment to show the color in specific areas.
There can be many shades of a single color, and it becomes a nightmare for the customer and manufacturer to select the right one. Therefore, Pantone codes are written along with the color. It ensures the selection of the right color according to the requirements.
Details of Printing, Embroidery, and Accessories
For printing, embroidery, and accessories, details are necessary. This page again requires 2D sketches showing the printing, embroidery, or any other accessory to be placed on the garment.
The sketches on the cover page do not have these; therefore, separate sketches are provided here to show the placement, measurement, color, and other details.
Labels and Tags
Your garment will also need labels and tags, so you need to tell everything to the manufacturer. You need to tell the label’s design, color, and fabric. There is a need to specify the position and dimensions for each piece of clothing.
You also need to include the images to show the design. You can use Adobe Illustrator to create the design or take a suitable image from stock photos or Google. If you can draw labels and tags, hand-drawn sketches can also be attached.
Packaging Instructions (Optional)
Packaging instructions are also included in the tech pack. You need to specify which kind of packaging you need. You can discuss the branding and everything according to your requirements.
For shipment, the size of the boxes, the number of boxes needed, and the number of garments inside each box should be defined.
Are Software Necessary to Create a Quality Tech Pack
With technological advancements, we come across new ways of doing things. Similarly, a few web-based tools and applications can help you create a tech pack. However, these tools are pretty expensive, and there is no need to use such tools.
There are different schools of thought when it comes to tech pack creation. Therefore, a few things are conflicting. Some designers also consider these tools as confusing because they create too many unnecessary pages. They also think these take too much time compared to the traditional tech packs.
For sketches, Adobe Illustrator is used, and it is a good idea to have digital sketches. However, if you don’t know how to use Adobe Illustrator, you can hire a freelancer or share your hand-drawn sketches with the manufacturers or designers.
Microsoft Excel is one of the widely used tools for tech packs. It can help in organizing the details and in calculations. It is a powerful tool that does all the calculations. Even if you make any changes, the rest of the calculations are updated.
You can see various tech pack templates on the internet and get a template from the manufacturer.
Where to Look for Tech Pack Designers?
At MMS Clothing, we have expert and experienced designers to help you out in creating a quality tech pack.
If you are new to the industry and do not know anything about tech packs, don’t worry; our experts can even turn your hand-drawn sketches and ideas into quality tech packs.
Our experts will work with you and help you in every step. They can deal with digital sketches and the nitty-gritty of the designs.
As MMS Clothing is a manufacturer, our experts understand the production line requirements and the complications that arise during the productions. They help you create a quality tech pack to ensure smooth production.
For more information and details, feel free to contact us. You can also schedule a meeting with our expert designers.
