A specification for printed polyester fabric should state the yarn denier and type, the construction, the GSM, the finished width, the print method, the number of colours, the design repeat, the colour standards and their tolerance, the fastness requirements, the finish, the roll length and the packing. Write it so a Surat process house can quote without asking questions and so an inspector can check a roll against it.
A single page of numbers with ranges does more than several pages of description, and it becomes the document every dispute is settled against.
The fabric base
- Fibre content: 100 percent polyester, or the blend, stated as it will appear on the label.
- Yarn: denier and type for warp and weft, for example textured or fully drawn filament, since this decides handle and lustre.
- Construction: weave type and ends and picks per inch or per centimetre, with a tolerance.
- GSM: the finished weight with a tolerance, usually around plus or minus five percent.
- Width: the finished width and the minimum usable width inside the selvedges.
- Greige: the greige quality or supplier if it must stay fixed between lots.
Print and colour
- Print method: rotary screen, flatbed, digital or transfer, as each has a different cost, minimum and look.
- Number of colours and the artwork reference, with the repeat size and direction and how the design must sit relative to the selvedge.
- Ground colour: approved by lab dip before printing.
- Colour standard: an approved strike-off held in sealed copies, viewed under an agreed illuminant.
- Tolerance: a grey scale grade or a measured colour difference limit, applied between lots and within a roll.
Performance and finish
- Fastness: washing, rubbing, light and perspiration to the relevant ISO 105 methods, with the minimum grade for each.
- Dimensional stability: the allowed shrinkage after washing in warp and weft.
- Finish: soft, crisp, anti-static or water repellent, and the heat setting required for stability.
- Restricted substances: OEKO-TEX or your own restricted substance list where the destination market needs it.
Rolls, packing and inspection
State the roll length and its tolerance, the maximum number of joins per roll, the tube, the inner polythene wrap and the carton or bale specification. Add the label content for rolls and cartons, including lot number, design, colour and metres.
Finish with the inspection method, normally the four-point system with the penalty points allowed per hundred metres, the sampling percentage, and the right to reject or re-inspect. Attach the approved strike-off and lab dip references by number so the specification and the samples stay linked.
How we use the specification
We turn your draft into a one-page sheet the process house signs, hold the sealed strike-offs in Surat, and send samples to a NABL-accredited lab to confirm GSM, construction and fastness. Rolls are inspected against the sheet before loading and you receive a weekly update. If you do not have a specification yet, a free 20-minute sourcing review is a quick way to build one.