Buying decisions
Print Strike-Off vs Lab Dip: Choose the Approval That Answers Your Color Question
In this brief, a lab dip means a small dyed-color submission; a print strike-off means a trial print of the proposed artwork on an identified substrate. Confirm the supplier’s terminology. Use the former to review the nominated base color and the latter to review print execution; neither automatically approves the finished garment.
For sourcing teams coordinating fabric color and printed graphics.
State whether the question is base color or printed effect
If the decision concerns the underlying material color, identify the physical color reference and proposed dye substrate. If it concerns an image, identify the artwork, print colors and garment surface. A buyer may need both reviews when a print sits on a custom-colored base. Keep the two sample identities separate so approval of a ground shade is not read as approval of the image placed over it.
Compare the scope of what is actually submitted
Ask whether the strike-off uses the intended material and whether it includes the important artwork details, not just a convenient color block. For a lab dip, request the material identity and shade reference being compared. Record the viewing conditions and reviewer’s comments. These terms do not by themselves prove that either submission represents the production material or an agreed production process.
Combine approvals only where the dependency is known
If a print appearance depends on the approved ground shade, link the strike-off record to that shade submission. A change to the base color should reopen the relevant print question. Use separate decisions for color, artwork detail and garment placement. This allows a clear response such as base shade accepted, fine lettering unresolved, rather than an ambiguous overall approved message.
Decision and evidence checklist
| Decision | Include in the brief | Review evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Base-color question | Nominated dyed material submission | Physical shade reference and viewing notes |
| Artwork question | Trial print on identified substrate | Detail, color relationship and edge review |
| Shared dependency | Approved ground shade linked to print | Recheck rule when the base changes |
What this brief does and does not establish
These are explicit working definitions for the inquiry, not a claim that every supplier uses identical terminology. No color accuracy or production equivalence is presumed.
Send the base-color reference and artwork to MyOwnWear with separate approval questions; ask which lab-dip or trial-print submissions are proposed. Open the MyOwnWear RFQ form.
Buyer questions
Can a lab dip approve the printed artwork?
Not by itself. It does not show the proposed print detail, layers or execution.
Can a strike-off approve garment placement?
Only if the submitted sample actually establishes that placement. A flat trial print normally needs a separate garment-layout reference.
What if the supplier uses these terms differently?
Ask what physical sample will be supplied and which decision it is intended to support before paying for development.