Elevate your brand with swatch cards, a convenient sampling tool that is easily customized for your company’s needs. Often referred to as the workhorse of the sampling industry, swatch cards enable your customers to experience the quality of your products. They hold up well in the showroom and are suitable for a variety of sampling materials including apparel samples, upholstery fabric, drapery fabric, leather, vinyl, wallpaper, and other papers.
Popular ways to present textile samples through swatch cards include individual surface mounted cards, feelers, single or multi panel cards, sandwich cards, butted cards, and waterfall presentations.
· Individual surface mounted cards – These are stand-alone samples. Fabric is glued on one or both sides of card stock with the label printed directly on the card. Fabric edges can be straight cut or pinked to prevent fraying. The swatch may also be partially glued to allow the client to lift the fabric to fully feel its weight and texture. These samples can be a very cost effective option.
· Feelers – These types of swatches can be touched on the sides, bottom, and corners. There may be a header on the top.
· Single or multi panel cards – A large number of smaller sized samples can be showcased on each card. These are highly customizable as to number and size of individual samples, arrangement, and presentation on the card. Multi panel cards can also include photos of the product.
· Sandwich cards – The material is mounted between two pieces of card stock with the fabric viewed through die cut windows. These hold up well with no fraying of edges. They are more expensive to produce than surface mounted samples.
· Butted cards – Samples are laid next to each other on the card. This works well for wallpaper samples when a pattern is available in more than one color option.
· Waterfall cards – Also called overlays and stepped cards. Samples are laid on top of one another in a staggered or stepped manner. This allows for close comparisons. Clients can feel multiple samples on one card. Waterfall samples also allow the fabric to be folded, which is a nice presentation for luxury fabrics.
Some types of swatch cards may have holes punched along the side to allow them to be kept in a binder for convenience. Multi panel cards can also be mounted in a folder, along with photos and product information.
Next Steps
Harris Sample Book has produced top quality sampling products since 1968. We help our clients personalize their sampling tools to effectively promote their brand and grow their business. Contact us today for more information.