Glossary

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Glossary
Promotions Image sell garments made from some of the most technologically advanced fabrics in the industry. We're sure you have heard fabric terms such as "Microfiber" and "Polynosic". Well, below is an overview of how these exciting new fabrics are actually made and what that can mean to your customers. As the industry changes and technology erupts, garments and the fabrics used to create them will continue to improve, becoming more efficient, longer lasting and will contain more features and benefits to suit your growing needs. Look to Promotions Image to bring you these garments now and in the future.
Acrylic	A manufactured fiber derived from polyacrylonitrile. Its major properties include a soft, wool-like hand, machine washable and dryable, excellent color retention. Solution-dyed versions have excellent resistance to sunlight and chlorine degradation.
Basket Weave	A variation of the plain weave construction, formed by treating two or more warp yarns and/or two or more filling yarns as one unit in the weaving process. Yarns in a basket weave are laid into the woven construction flat, and maintain a parallel relationship. Both balanced and unbalanced basket weave fabrics can be produced. Examples of basket weave construction includes monk cloth and oxford cloth.
Carding	A process which eliminates fibers too short for inclusion in the spun yarn. The process also removes dirt and foreign matter still remaining in the fiber mass, and arranges the fibers into a very thin layer.
Combing	The combing process is an additional step beyond carding. In this process the fibres are arranged in a highly parallel form, and additional short fibers are removed, producing high quality yarns with excellent strength, fineness, and uniformity.
Cotton	A unicellular, natural fiber that grows in the seed pod of the cotton plant. Fibers are typically 1/2 inch to 2 inches long. The longest staple fibers, longer than 1 1/2 inch, including the Pima and Egyptian varieties, produce the highest quality cotton fabrics
Denier	A system of measuring the weight of a continuous filament fiber. In the United States, this measurement is used to number all manufactured fibers (both filament and staple), and silk, but excluding glass fiber. The lower the number, the finer the fiber; the higher the number, the heavier the fiber. Numerically, a denier is the equivalent to the weight in grams of 9,000 meters of continuous filament fiber.
Denim	True denim is a twill weave cotton-like fabric made with different coloured yarns in the warp and the weft. Due to the twill construction, one colour predominates on the fabric surface.
Double Knit	A weft knit fabric in which two layers of loops are formed that cannot be separated. A double knit machine, which has two complete sets of needles, is required for this construction.
Double Weave	A woven fabric construction made by interlacing two or more sets of warp yarns with two or more sets of filling yarns. The most common double weave fabrics are made using a total of either four or five sets of yarns.
Embroidery	An embellishment of a fabric or garment in which coloured threads are sewn on to the fabric to create a design. Embroidery may be done either by hand or machine.
Facing Back	A piece of fabric that is sewn to the collar, front opening, cuffs, or arms eye of a garment to create a finished look.
Gauge	A measurement most commonly associated with knitting equipment. It can mean the number of needles per inch in a knitting machine. However, in full fashioned hosiery and sweater machines, the number of needles per 1-1/2 inches represents the gauge.
Heather	A yarn that is spun using pre-dyed fibers. These fibers are blended together to give a particular look. (For example, black and white may be blended together to create a grey heathered yarn.) The term, heather, may also be used to describe the fabric made from heathered yarns.
Herringbone	A variation on the twill weave construction in which the twill is reversed, or broken, at regular intervals, producing a zig-zag effect.
Houndstooth Check	A variation on the twill weave construction in which a broken check effect is produced by a variation in the pattern of interlacing yarns, utilizing at least two different colored yarns.
Interlock	The stitch variation of the rib stitch, which resembles two separate 1 x 1 ribbed fabrics that are interknitted. Plain (double knit) interlock stitch fabrics are thicker, heavier, and more stable than single knit constructions.
Jacquard	Woven fabrics manufactured by using the Jacquard attachment on the loom. This attachment provides versatility in designs and permits individual control of each of the warp yarns. Thus, fabrics of almost any type or complexity can be made. Brocade and damask are types of jacquard woven fabrics.
Jacquard Knit	A weft double knit fabric in which a Jacquard type of mechanism is used. This device individually controls needles or small groups of needles, and allows very complex and highly patterned knits to be created.
Jersey Fabric	The consistent interlooping of yarns in the jersey stitch to produces a fabric with a smooth, flat face, and a more textured, but uniform back. Jersey fabrics may be produced on either circular or flat weft knitting machines.
Mercerization	Mercerization is a fabric treatment process, through which the fabric or yarn is immersed in a caustic soda solution and later neutralized in acid. This process causes a permanent swelling of the fiber, resulting in an increased luster on the surface of the fabric, an increased affinity for dyes, and increased strength.
Microfiber	Microfiber is a term used for ultra-fine, man-made fibers, as well as the name given to the technology of developing these fibers. The knit and woven fabrics made from these fibers provide a gentle drape, luxurious hand, incredible softness and are finer than most silks. These fabrics can be "sanded", "peached" or "mossed" to enhance their luxurious qualities. There are four types of microfiber being produced today. These include Acrylic, Nylon, Polyester and Rayon.
Nylon	Produced in 1938, the first completely synthetic fiber developed. Known for its high strength and excellent resilience, nylon has superior abrasion resistance and high flexibility.
Oxford	A fine, soft, lightweight woven cotton or blended with manufactured fibers in a 2 x 1 basket weave variation of the plain weave construction. The fabric is used primarily in shirtings.
Piqué	A medium-weight fabric, either knit or woven, with raised dobby designs including cords, wales, waffles, or patterns. Woven versions have cords running lengthwise, or in the warp direction. Knitted versions are double-knit fabric constructions, created on multi-feed circular knitting machines.
Polyester	A manufactured fiber introduced in the early 1950s, and is second only to cotton in worldwide use. Polyester has high strength (although somewhat lower than nylon), excellent resiliency, and high abrasion resistance. Low absorbency allows the fiber to dry quickly.
Polynosic	Polynosic represents the next generation of microfiber with its exceptional drape, luxurious feel and sophisticated patterns. The process of manufacturing polynosic fibers is similar to that of rayon. It's constructed from a high-density microfiber, tightly woven from rayon threads. The excellent luster-like silky fabric and dry tactile feeling is signature to this revolutionary fabric.
Poplin	A fabric made using a rib variation of the plain weave. The construction is characterized by having a slight ridge effect in one direction, usually the filling. Poplin used to be associated with casual clothing, but as the "world of work" has become more relaxed, this fabric has developed into a staple of men's wardrobes, being used frequently in casual trousers.
Rayon	A manufactured fiber composed of regenerated cellulose, derived from wood pulp, cotton linters, or other vegetable matter. Today, various names for rayon fibers are taken from different manufacturing processes. The two most commonly used production methods for rayon are the cuprammonium process and the viscose process.
Rib Knit	A basic stitch used in weft knitting in which the knitting machines require two sets of needles operating at right angles to each other. Rib knits have a very high degree of elasticity in the crosswise direction. This knitted fabric is used for complete garments and for such specialized uses as sleeve bands, neck bands, sweater waistbands, and special types of trims for use with other knit or woven fabrics. Lightweight sweaters in rib knits provide a close, body-hugging fit.
Rip-stop Nylon	Rip-stop Nylon is a lightweight, wind and water resistant plain weave fabric. Large rib yarns stop tears without adding excess weight to active sportswear apparel. Viscose Back to top The most common type of rayon. It is produced in much greater quantity than cuprammonium rayon, the other commercial type.
Waterproof	Waterproof is a term applied to fabrics whose pores have been closed, and therefore, will not allow water or air to pass through them. Water Repellent - Water Repellent is a term applied to fabrics that have been treated with a finish, which causes them to shed water, but are still air-permeable.
Woven Fabric	Fabrics composed of two sets of yarns. One set of yarns, the warp, runs along the length of the fabric. The other set of yarns, the fill or weft, is perpendicular to the warp. Woven fabrics are held together by weaving the warp and the fill yarns over and under each other.

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