VENDOR GUIDLINES

LIQUID GRAPHICS VENDOR GUIDELINES

LIQUID GRAPHICS requires the Vendor to guarantee the products shipped to LIQUID GRAPHICS for one (I) year against craftsmanship and material. This guarantee is only for manufacturing defects. It does not cover normal “wear and tear. If a manufacturing defect occurs, Vendor is responsible for replacing the item or crediting LIQUID GRAPHICS. If an item is deemed “normal wear and tear” the Vendor is not responsible.

Although LIQUID GRAPHICS inspects all orders, the Vendor must still guaranty the product, even if shipment is only sampled. The guarantee is for all pieces produced.

Upon request, LIQUID GRAPHICS will provide Vendor with the following:

  • An itemized report with a description and quantities of each defective item;

  • An example of a defective product;

  • The return of all defective product for which LIQUID GRAPHICS is seeking on the warranty statement. Transportation costs to be paid by the Vendor.

Once LIQUID GRAPHICS has received Vendor’s credit memo or payment, all product covered under warranty will be destroyed or returned at the Vendor’s discretion.

I. COMPLIANCE

LIQUID GRAPHICS reserves the right to charge back any expense, loss or damages incurred if Vendor fails to follow the Vendor Policy.

Charge backs will be issued by LIQUID GRAPHICS pursuant to the attached Reject or Damages Report. LIQUID GRAPHICS reserves the right to issue reasonable Charge Backs included in Non-Compliance Reports. Standard Chargeback rates are:

  • Inspection Fee of $15 per hour.

  • Handling fee of $100 per defective shipment

II. PRODUCT DEFECTS

General Appearance

  • The overall general appearance must be acceptable

  • Facings must be deep enough to prevent rolling out

  • Stripes and plaids must match, unless otherwise specified

  • Fabrics with naps must be cut in the same direction

  • There are to be no substituted or missing parts, unless authorized

  • There are to be no components or construction used in sewn product that becomes prematurely defective or nonfunctional as a result of normal product use and care.

  • There are to be no shaded parts throughout

  • There is to be no off-standard colors used; all must fall within Acceptable shaded bands

  • Any deviation of a production product that compromises the intent of design, wear-ability or sale-ability of the product, will be categorized as a defective product.

Construction

  • There are to be no incorrect bar-tack positions or types from those specified

  • There are to be no raw or untrimmed edges, except by design

  • There are to be no twisted or non-aligned sleeves which appear twisted

  • There are to be no incorrect bar-tack positions or types from those specified

  • There are to be no incorrect construction methods used from that which is specified or which is inappropriately used for fabric or function

  • There are to be no parts sewn on unevenly, in the wrong direction or in the wrong location

  • There are to be no unsymmetrical cables, pattern and designs when not intended

  • All seams MUST be joined face to face, except where permitted by special circumstance (felled seams are excluded)

  • All snaps, rivets, eyelets and trims must be securely fastened

Matching

  • All patterns must match unless otherwise specified

  • There is to be no uneven stripe alignment

  • All plaid, horizontal stripes or logos must match as specified

Seams

  • All shell seams, unless otherwise specified must be face to face joined

  • All lining join seams are to be serged

  • All seams are to be constructed with 10-12 stitches per inch (SPI) unless otherwise specified

  • All edges must be finished (taped, overlock, stitched or otherwise finished) — there are to be no raw edges anywhere on the product, unless otherwise specified.

  • All threads must be trimmed and all tails pulled to the inside

  • All seams must lie flat and smooth

  • Rise seams must be face to face joined. All edges must be lock stitched and serged or 5-thread safety chain stitched

  • All top stitching must be matching, unless otherwise specified

  • All top stitching must be continuous, with no starting and stopping within the distance

  • All hem stitching must be even

  • All darts must be uniform in shape/length with no dimples at the end

  • All dart ends must be secure

  • Shoulder and back neck seams of knit garments must be stay taped

  • There are to be no crooked, puckered, curled, pleated, twisted, wavy or uneven seams (Certain fabrics or techniques will have tendency to do this and will be dealt with individually)

  • There must be no open seams

  • There are to be no excessively grinning” seams and no excessive puckering along seams

  • There are to be no uneven seam allowances or excessively bulky seams

  • No seams are to be stitched wrong side out, unless by design

Irregular Stitching

  • No concealed stitching is to show to the outside, unless otherwise specified

  • All contrast color stitching must be even and uniformly spaced

  • There are to be no broken stitches

  • Thread tension must not be excessively tight or loose

  • Double top stitching must be parallel and evenly spaced

  • There is to be no use of monofilament thread, unless approved

  • There are to be no skipped stitches on chain stitch

  • There should be no skipped stitches on lockstitch but a maximum of 1 per seam (2 if long seam) is allowable as long as it does not affect function

  • There are to be no needle cuts that appear objectionable or that could develop into a hole

  • There are to be no excessive and I or loose threads

  • No threads other than the specified color. size, type

  • No improper thread match, if match is intended

  • There is to be no inconsistent use of thread color within same product

Logos

  • Logos with a stitch groove must be properly aligned. Logos without stitch grooves must be skillfully executed

  • Logos must be the correct shape, size, color and position. The Logo must never be altered.

Stress Points

  • Stress points on the fly bottom must be bar-tacked to take strain from the zipper

  • There must be a bartack at the intersection of the seam and inseam of the shell, on the inside, within the seam allowance through all layers

Interface Lining

  • All stress points must be bar-tacked and / or reinforced, as necessary

  • Fusible interfacing must lie flat and not bubble

  • Interfacing must be used on collars, cuffs, plackets and waistbands, unless otherwise specified

  • Lining must not hang below the hem

  • Garment linings are to be swagged to the shell at underarm and crotch intersection

  • All edges of lining must be serged

Elastic

  • Elastic must extend to the fullest width without stitches breaking or binding on the body 

  • Tunneled elastic must be stitched down or tacked to prevent twisting or rolling over

Pockets

  • Pocket bags must have sufficient depth for hands

  • All pockets must be evenly aligned

  • Pockets must be reinforced at upper corners

  • Drill holes must be sewn over or covered by seams

  • All free hanging pocket bags must be serged if the garment is lined and clean finished if the pocket bags are exposed

  • Pockets must not be noticeably uneven in size, shape or location

  • All pocket flaps must be properly shaped and set

  • The seam allowances of all pocket flaps are to be concealed under the topstitching and there are to be bartacks on each end of all flaps

  • There are to be no sewn in pleats or excessive puckers, except by design

  • Corresponding pockets must be horizontally even and aligned

  • All pocket closures must be correctly shaped and aligned

Zippers

  • Zippers must lay flat on product when stitched — There are to be no exposed or wavy zippers

  • Zipper parts must not be set improperly (backward, twisted, etc.)

  • Zippers must have stoppers

Buttons/Buttonholes

  • Buttons and buttonholes must be evenly spaced, unless otherwise specified

  • Buttons must be securely fastened

  • Buttonholes must be completely stitched around with clean and finished edges

  • Buttonholes must not be too small or too large for buttons

  • Buttonholes must be cut with a sharp knife

  • An extra button is to be attached to the lower side seam on all polo shirts and to the inside bottom of the placket on all woven shirts

  • There are to be no buttonholes unopened, missing, too small, stitches broken, incorrect stitch density, poorly formed etc.

  • All buttons, buttonholes, snaps and components must be aligned All buttons must conform to specifications and must not easily break

Hems

  • Sleeves and bottoms must be hemmed last, so that the side seams and sleeve underarm seams do not show on the outside of the garment Cover-stitched hems must cover the turn-back raw edge

  • There are to be no puckered, twisted or uneven hems

  • There must not be too deep a ‘bite” in the hem that would cause puckering, folding or hem rollover

  • There is to be no excessive roping or puckering

  • All hem allowances must be completely caught in the hem stitching

  • All hem allowances must follow those specified in the Tech Package

  • There is to be no hem stitching that begins and ends on the front of the garment

Plackets/Collars

  • All plackets must be interfaced with the correct I compatible interfacing as necessary

  • Plackets must lay flat and have no bumps” at the base (seam allowances must be closely trimmed)

  • Front placket must not be crooked from top to bottom

  • Placket length and width must be as specified

  • The placket width must be even from top to bottom and must not be distorted

  • All plackets must be cut and sewn on-grain

  • There are to be no plackets opening in wrong direction

  • Top collars must be rolled so that the under collar does not show

  • Collar points must be aligned and trimmed to eliminate excess bulk

  • Woven collars must be fused, unless otherwise specified

  • There are to be no collar points that are improperly shaped, not uniform or that have uneven turnout of edges and points

  • Neck trim must not be puckered or stretched

  • Neck opening must not be off-center or skewed

Straps/Belt Loops/Drawstrings/Waistbands

  • All straps must be reinforced on both ends

  • Belt loops must be securely attached with bar-tacks on either end There are to be no raw edges on belt loops, unless otherwise specified by design

  • There are to be no missing, crooked, incorrectly placed, not securely sewn or incorrect number of belt loops.

  • Belt loops must not extend too far above waistband edge unless specified by design

  • Drawstring tunnels must have securely attached eyelet openings, unless otherwise specified

  • Drawstrings must have finished edges

  • Drawstring ends that do not extend outside of the product must be securely attached with reinforced stitching or bar-tacks on the inside within the casing

  • There are to be no drawstrings that are not functioning, they must not pull out or expose join seam or internal construction when used

  • All openings used for drawstring exits must remain secure

  • Waistband extensions must not be crooked; must be horizontal to the waistband when closed

  • Closure tabs must not be incorrectly shaped or misaligned

  • The waistband width must remain even

  • The waistband curtain must not extend and show over the top of the waistband or the end of a tab

  • There are to be no waistbands that have excessive fullness, puckering or twisting

  • All elastic waistbands are to have good stretch and recovery

  • There are to be no breaking stitches on an elastic waistband when It is stretched

  • There are to be no waistbands cut on wrong grain

  • All straps, waistbands, belt loops and drawstrings are to be only those specified in the Tech Package

Labeling/Packaging/Hangtags

  • There is to be no incorrect label information

  • All labels are to be positioned as specified

  • There are to be no off-center labels in the back of neck

  • All label ink must be permanent

  • There are to be no handwritten, illegible, incomplete, incorrect or missing care labels, hang tags, packaging labels, etc.

  • All multiple labels must be properly aligned

  • There are to be no labels that are cut away with another tacked in its place

  • All packaging and hangtags must be as specified

  • There is to be no missing or incorrect packaging

  • All tags and stickers must have the correct style numbers and other information for that product

Pressing/Specified Drying/Finishing

  • There are to be no excessively wrinkled products.

  • There is to be no dampness in any product

  • There are to be no improperly pressed products

  • There are to be no press marks resulting from the use of clamps or other holding devices

  • Any burning, scorching or marks on the surface of product is not allowed

  • The product is not to be pressed with hard creases where not specified

Mends

  • There are to be no threads on the inside of the product that interfere with repairs, wear-ability, comfort or appearance

  • There are to be no poorly done repairs, objectionable mending or noticeable repairs

  • There are to be no loose strings from repairs on the outside of product

  • On top stitched seams, a maximum of 4 overlapped stitches will be allowed and the seam must be clipped clean with the thread ends being pulled to inside

  • Any chain stitch repair must track down in same stitch line as original stitching

  • The is to be no stopping/starting of any top stitching repair within the focal point of any product (front or near logos)

III. MATERIAL DEFECTS

Materials

  • There are to be no foreign objects sewn into the product or caught in the seams

  • There is to be no product or material that does not pass any of the LIQUID GRAPHICS standards when tested by a certified lab

  • There are to be no discolored or broken yams in fabrics

  • All fabric and trims must be colorfast

  • No fabrics are to have a “poor hand”, i.e. stiffness, etc.

  • There are to be no improper fabric finishes used

  • Fabrics must not be wrong side out from what was specified

  • There is to be no excess organic matter or foreign material in product or yarns

  • No fabric is to be used that does not have good stretch or adequate recovery (especially ribbing or elastic)

  • There are to be no stubs, runs or misweaves

Thread

  • Monofilament thread is not to be used, except under special circumstances. These must be discussed with the product developer

  • All thread, unless otherwise specified. must be dyed to match (DTM)

  • All thread must be colorfast

  • Where possible, poly-core thread should be used

  • There is to be no thread of inferior quality or inappropriate type used n the product

  • Interfacing

  • Interfacing must be compatible with the shell fabric in weight and shrinkage

Zippers

  • Zippers must be of First Quality

  • Zippers must be fully operative and locking

  • Zippers must have stops at both ends

  • All separating zippers must have a right hand pull or as specified in the Tech pack

  • There are to be no zipper tape colors that do not match the product (if match was intended)

  • There are to be no defective or malfunctioning parts in any zipper

Snaps/Rivets /Metal Trims

  • There is to be no nickel in any LIQUID GRAPHICS product

  • All metal materials used must be non-rusting and non-corroding, with finishes that do not chip All snaps, rivets, eyelets and trims must be securely fastened

Dying/Printing/Embellishing

  • There is to be no uneven dyeing or printing, unless specified 

  • There is to be no objectionable fade or shade bars

  • There are to be no objectionable misprints or off-register prints

  • The tolerance set for crooked logos is no more than 1 in 8

  • All Logos must be set at the correct angle (See logo angle) All prints or logos must not bleed There are to be no smudges on prints or logos

Washability/Shrinkage

  • Any product that does not maintain its appearance and shape after five washes and affects the wear-ability or use-ability will be considered a defect

  • The maximum allowable shrinkage is 3% in width and 5% in length after 5 washings

  • The maximum allowable torquing is 3% for knits and 0% for woven after 5 washings

  • The maximum allowable skewing is 3% for knits and 0% For woven after 5 washings

Needles

  • The correct needle size must be used for all applications

  • Ball point needles must be used when sewing knits

  • Needles must only be used in perfect condition and replaced on a regular basis

Holes

  • There are to be no holes throughout the product, unless intended by design

  • There are to be no surface holes, blemishes or obvious weaknesses that could develop into a hole

  • There are to be no snagged or pulled threads or yams

Soilage

  • There are to be no oil marks, soil marks, spots, ink, etc.

  • There are to be no rings left after cleaning of soil

  • There is to be no objectionable odor

IV. FIT DEFECTS

Construction

  • Corresponding parts must measure the same (e.g. left and rights)

  • Any key fit measurement must measure within tolerance

  • There must be no distortion of the balance, drape or function of the product that negatively affects its ability to be worn or used