CTC Jaipur

How to Evaluate Fabric Samples Before Placing a Bulk Order You received samples from a manufacturer. Before confirming bulk, check these things. Weight: does the fabric feel right for the garment you are making? 90 GSM cambric for structured kurtas. 140 GSM rayon for fluid dresses. Print registration: are the colours aligned? In screen print, registration should be precise. In hand block, slight variation of 2 to 3 mm is normal and is the character of the technique. Colour evenness: is the tone consistent across the sample length? Small variation in hand block is expected. Large patches of uneven colour are not. Shrinkage: wash the sample. Cotton cambric may shrink 3 to 5%. If a manufacturer cannot tell you the expected shrinkage, that is a concern. Selvedge: the fabric edge should be clean and consistent. At CTC Jaipur, we walk new buyers through sample evaluation. Ask us what to look for. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gghcF77p

Why Your Fabric Colours Look Different on Screen, Sample, and Bulk Your screen shows RGB. Your fabric is dye on fibre. They will never match exactly. Even within fabric, the same dye on cotton cambric (90 GSM) looks different from the same dye on rayon (140 GSM). Rayon absorbs deeper. Cambric stays brighter. Voil at 60 GSM appears lighter because the sheer weave lets light through. Natural dyes shift with every batch. That is their nature, not a defect. Between sample and bulk: if the base fabric source changes slightly, or if the dye bath concentration shifts even marginally, the colour moves. This is why at CTC Jaipur, we produce strike-offs on the actual base fabric with the actual dye system before confirming production colour. The rule: always approve colour from a physical sample on the correct base fabric. Never approve from a screen. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gpEkxX8z

Colourfastness in Printed Fabric: How We Test Colourfastness is not a single number. It is a set of ratings for different conditions: wash fastness, light fastness, rub fastness, perspiration fastness. Grade 4 to 5 is excellent. Grade 3 is acceptable for most uses. Below 3 means the fabric will bleed or fade noticeably after a few washes. Different techniques perform differently. Ajrakh, with its multi-step mordanting process, bonds dye to fibre chemically, producing strong fastness. Pigment print sits on the surface and is more vulnerable to rubbing. Reactive dyes (Procion) penetrate the fibre and test well. At CTC Jaipur, we offer lab testing through SGS and Bureau Veritas on request. For EU buyers, this is not optional; it is standard process. Colourfastness is not something to hope for. It is something to test for, before the fabric ships. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/g8KjQKTr

What Happens When Your Fabric Order Goes Wrong Orders go wrong sometimes. What matters is what happens next. Colour did not match the approved sample? It gets acknowledged, not debated. The production record is checked. If the formula drifted, it is corrected. A replacement run is scheduled if needed. Yardage came up short? The shortfall is made up. Not argued over. The question buyers should ask any supplier is not "do things ever go wrong?" They always do, across any manufacturing process. The question is: what happens when they do? At CTC Jaipur, the answer is simple. We have a fixed address in Sanganer. The same karigar teams. 31 years of operation. We are not going anywhere. The buyer can come back. The problem gets resolved. A manufacturer who stands behind their fabric when things go right and when things go wrong is the one worth building a relationship with. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gr_-FTda

What 'Direct from Manufacturer' Actually Means in Indian Textiles "Direct from manufacturer" is the most claimed phrase in Indian textiles. Here is what it should actually mean. It means: the buyer has a relationship with the entity that controls the production process. You know who printed your fabric. You can talk to them. Quality control happens at the production stage, not after delivery. If something goes wrong, you are dealing with the people who made it. It does not necessarily mean every metre is printed under one roof. At CTC Jaipur, our printed fabric is produced at our Sanganer workshop. Specialty fabrics like Chanderi, Muslin, and Chinon come through our curated Jaipur network of trusted specialist units, quality checked and backed by us. In both cases: one relationship, one point of accountability, direct visibility into the process. The real test of "direct" is not a claim on a listing. It is whether the supplier can show you the process, name the people involved, and stand behind the result. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gTwK9SJw

How to Tell If Your Fabric Supplier Is Actually a Manufacturer Every supplier in India calls themselves a manufacturer. Not all of them are. Here is how to check. Ask to visit the workshop. A real manufacturer will invite you. A trader will show you a showroom. Ask which karigar team will print your order. A manufacturer can name them. A trader cannot. Ask how they handle colour matching for reorders. A manufacturer has dye formula records. A trader places a new order with whoever quotes the lowest rate that week. Ask where the base fabric comes from and what the GSM is. A manufacturer knows. A trader sends what they receive. The question is not "manufacturer or middleman." The question is: does this supplier control the production process and stand behind the output? CTC Jaipur is a fabric manufacturer in Sanganer, Jaipur. 31 years. We also supply specialty fabrics through our curated network. In both cases: one point of accountability, quality backed by us. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/g68qXmNn

Why Source Direct, Not Through a Marketplace Marketplaces connect you to fabric. Direct sourcing connects you to the people who make it. The difference is not just price (though marketplace markups of 40 to 80% above manufacturer pricing are common). The difference is visibility. Through a marketplace, you see the finished product. You do not know who printed it, which karigar team did the work, or whether the next batch will come from the same source. Through a direct manufacturer relationship, you know the workshop address. You can visit. You can discuss technique options, adjust the colourway, request a different GSM. Quality control happens during production, not after delivery. At CTC Jaipur, buyers work directly with us. One contact for the full requirement. We supply printed fabric from our Sanganer workshop and specialty fabrics through our curated Jaipur network. Same quality standard. Same accountability. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gwdqYYPV

Buying Fabric Direct from India Buying fabric directly from an Indian manufacturer is not complicated. But it does require knowing what to expect. Start with samples. Request in-stock designs to evaluate the fabric quality, the print, and the base material before discussing custom work. Most manufacturers, including CTC Jaipur, offer in-stock from 30 metres. Understand the MOQ ladder. Custom block print starts at 200 metres. Screen print from 800 metres. In-stock designs from 30 metres. For international buyers: ask about shipping, packaging, and documentation upfront. Samples ship by courier. Bulk ships by sea freight. EU buyers should request lab testing reports (SGS or Bureau Veritas) before the first shipment. Payment for new buyers is typically 100% advance. This is standard practice for direct manufacturer relationships. Direct sourcing removes the broker layer, gives you access to the people who print your fabric, and keeps accountability in one place. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gd97wWAC

Sustainable Fabric Sourcing Guide Sustainability in fabric is not a label. It is a set of specific, verifiable choices. Natural dyes from Bagru Dabu and Ajrakh traditions. Cotton as a renewable fibre. Low-water resist techniques like dabu. Karigar teams employed with long-term stability, not seasonal contract labour. Direct sourcing that removes the waste of intermediary markups. When a brand claims sustainability, the question is: can you name what makes it sustainable? Which dye? Which fibre? Which process? At CTC Jaipur, we produce Bagru Dabu with natural dyes, Ajrakh with traditional mordanting, and hand block print on cotton cambric from our Sanganer workshop. We can name every step. Sustainability that cannot be named is marketing. Sustainability that can be named is sourcing. The difference matters to the end customer who is paying for it. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gKU7nxCS

How to Start a Fabric Business in India Starting a fabric business in India begins with understanding the supply chain, not the sales channel. Before building a brand, know your fabric. Visit manufacturers. Understand the difference between cotton cambric at 90 GSM and rayon at 140 GSM. Learn which printing techniques suit your target market: block print for craft-positioned labels, screen print for volume, Bagru Dabu for the sustainability angle. Start with in-stock fabric. Most Jaipur manufacturers offer designs from 30 metres. That is enough to test with your customers before committing to custom production at 200+ metres. Build the manufacturer relationship early. A good fabric partner advises you on technique selection, helps you understand lead times, and gives you access to their production knowledge. We have watched dozens of D2C brands grow from a 30-metre first order into consistent seasonal buyers. The ones who succeed start by understanding what they are selling, not just who they are selling to. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gHysM7Nx