Strike-off

What is a strike-off? A strike-off (also print strike-off, print sample, or strike off sample) is a short printed piece made to prove design, colors, and registration before bulk printing. It is the print-side cousin of a lab dip: you approve a physical standard on the actual production fabric so thousands of meters do not ship wrong.

Strike-off meaning for buyers

Strike-off meaning in textile sourcing is not a finished retail cut—you are approving a print standard. Both sides use the approved strike-off to judge bulk: color vs target, registration, scale/repeat, and hand after print chemistry. A sample printed on different cloth or with different inks is a weak standard.

How the strike-off process works

1. Design prep — artwork locked, colors separated, screens or digital files set for the print method (digital or rotary).
2. Print on production fabric — production-grade inks/dyes on the base you will buy, then normal finishing where the program requires it.
3. Review — color vs Pantone/swatch/lab dip, registration, definition, repeat size, and hand/drape change.
4. Approve or revise — re-strike until the standard is frozen; bulk follows that standard.

Size, lead time, and cost (typical trade ranges)

Strike-offs often run about 50 cm × 50 cm up to roughly one meter in length, with one to three pieces per design. Turnaround is commonly 7–14 working days, depending on method and mill load. Many suppliers charge per design and may credit that fee against the bulk order—confirm on the quote.

What to check on a strike-off

• Color vs the agreed target (and light source)
• Registration between colors
• Definition (no unwanted bleed or fuzzy edges)
• Scale and repeat vs artwork
• Hand / drape after print and finish
• Base cloth matches the bulk construction (fiber, weave, GSM, width)

Common failures caught here—shade miss, misregistration, wrong repeat, fabric distortion—are far cheaper than discovering them in bulk meters.

What to put on the PO / approval record

• Approved strike-off ID (or date + design code) that controls bulk
• Base construction (fiber, weave, GSM, width)—must match bulk
• Print method (digital / rotary / other) and ink/dye system
• Light source for visual approval (and any instrument tolerance if used)
• Rounds included vs paid re-strikes; who pays after art changes
• Reference to any companion lab dip for solid grounds

Typical commercial size/lead ranges above are discussion points—freeze the numbers that apply to your program on the quote.

Strike-off vs lab dip

Many print programs still need solid-color lab dips for grounds or companion solids; print approval still needs its own strike-off. Sampling order is often: lock base stage (greige / PFD) → lab dip for solids if needed → strike-off for print → bulk.

Related reading

• Color solids: lab dip
• Export print sampling notes: strike-off (export) when that page is the regional/export framing you need
• Base cloth stage language: greige fabric and PFD