There are many online tools available now to prepare tech pack design components. However, it’s not the job of the software to prepare how you should make your garment. Technology is not that advanced enough to understand the human mind and creativity. So to understand your idea and convert it into an apparel technical package you need help. Help from an experienced tech pack designer.
Importance of Tech Pack Design and its Components
The spec sheet is a part of the tech pack which contains almost everything required to make your garment. It is otherwise referred to as a spec pack. This blueprint of garment production has all the necessary details required for production. The best practice is to prepare tech pack design components before sample development. Because it will allow you to approach any clothing manufacturer in the world. The tech pack should be comprehensive, and precise and must include the following details. Although the detailing varies depending on the style.
Fashion Flat Sketch
Otherwise called flat sketch or technical drawing or technical flat. It is a clean line drawing of the garment with front view, side view, and back views of the garment. It would be nice if done using CAD software. If not you can also do it by hand.
Color Combo & Fabric Details
We all know every garment style comes with colors like you see the same style comes with a different color. With different colors, the print and embroidery color also varies. In this section of the tech pack, the designer must mention the colors with the proper Pantone code. Tech pack designer may also mention Fabric colors and print/embroidery colors in a separate sheet.
Stitching & Garment Construction Details
Every part of the garment has a different stitching process. For example flat lock, cover stitch, single needle, and double-needle stitches. A tech pack mentions the right kind of stitch that a garment needs for each and every part of it. For example, the bottom hem should be having double needle top stitch. Also, there should be an overlock cover stitch for every part of the garment. Those are miner but most important detailing that a tech pack designer must mention on the tech pack. Apart from this, there are many other components like where and how the labels and tags should go, how and what kind of buttons to put, etc.
Print / Embroidery Details
Printing technique and its use in the garment style is quite an important part. Printing techniques depend on the fabric you are using. For example, you can use silk screen print with any fabric, and sublimation print on 100% polyester fabric. You can use DTG digital printing can be used with both cotton and polyester fabrics. Cotton fabric gives much better results with DTG printing. So for a technical designer, it is important to know what technique to use for what style based on the fabric.
Machine embroidery is also called “swiss embroidery”. It is the process by which designs are embroidered garments. The logo is “digitized” by scanning and redesigned using embroidery software. The punching file is ready to load to the embroidery machine after digitization for sewing on the garment. The embroidery machine gets instructions through the digitized punching file. It gets instructions like what needle to use for each step in the design.
Washing, Wash Care, and Fabric Treatments During the Washing process.
Each garment gets washed and processed before it goes to the finishing and packaging unit. And the first wash is not just washing but also some other processing while doing the washing. For example, silicon bio-wash, softener wash, wash to reduce fabric shrinkage, etc. There are specific washing and treatment for every type of fabric. Especially the washing process is quite specific for achieving the look in a denim bottom or jacket. A tech pack designer is expected to know and put them in the tech pack. So he/she should have a thorough understanding of the fabric and the washing and treatment that goes with the fabric.
Graphical Measurement Guideline and Measurement Spec Sheet
Fits are the most important part of any garment style and it comes right when your measurements are right. Some get the perfect measurement with lots of trial and error methods and some follow the base measurements and prepare the detailed measurement spec sheet. To know how to measure a garment one should know the points of measurement. A detailed measurement spec sheet therefore should have a graphical image that shows the points how to measure. This also gives detailed measurements. Measurement spec sheet forms the base for clothing pattern making and determines fabric consumption. So when preparing bills of material for production measurement spec sheet is quite handy.
As you can see above those tech pack design components are quite dependent on human expertise. Obviously, this is not what automated software can do with some clicks or feeding some random numbers. You can use that software but how far you will be able to go forward is the question. I have been in the business of fashion for more than 15 years and have been doing hardcore technical design since I started my career. Many Software firms approached me to consult them on how they can prepare software that can automate the tech pack design process. But so far non of them have had 100% success. Because this is not about logic rather this is about intuition and hardcore human experience. I think I have explained the tech pack design components in detail. However, if you want more in-depth knowledge on this visits the clothing tech pack.
About Urban Purple
Urban Purple is a group of technical fashion designers and consultants. We also run a digital download store for fashion tech packs, graphics, and textile prints. . To know more about our offering and buy fashion tech packs visit our tech pack template store. You can choose your collection tech packs from a wide range of fashion tech packs. The tech packs are tested in factories environment. So, you can choose your styles and buy from there. Download the apparel Tech Pack Template with a detailed measurement spec sheet. You get the source vector file of the tech pack with the spec sheet in excel format. Fashion Consultant and Owner of Tech Pack Template. An Online Store offering Tech Pack Template with detailed size charts. Download the Tech Pack template with a detailed size chart in excel format.