A color card is a reference card showing all approved colors for a fabric or collection, used to ensure dyeing and production match the intended palette.
Color Card vs Lab Dip
Lab dips approve individual colors one at a time. The color card brings the full palette together on one card, so the brand can evaluate how colors work as a collection - checking harmony, contrast, and that no two colorways are confusingly similar.
What It Includes
- Dyed swatches - one per approved colorway, on the actual fabric
- Pantone/TCX references - the standard each color was matched to
- Light source note - the lighting under which colors were evaluated
FAQs
- Who creates the color card?
- Usually the dyehouse or print mill, from approved lab dips.
- How are colors evaluated?
- Under standardized lighting (D65) to avoid metamerism.
- Can colors be added later?
- Yes, but each new color needs its own lab dip approval first.
Glossary: see the full fashion glossary for more apparel industry terms.