Pricing

Same service for everyone. The price depends on whether the client has an active swatchbook subscription.

Subscription

Free fabrics reset annually with the license. After the included quota is used, additional fabrics are billed at the subscriber per-fabric rate below.

Per-fabric pricing — full digitization service

This is what the client pays per fabric, depending on whether they have a subscription and what their use case is.

VAT not included and may vary by region. Prices do not include shipping. "Per fabric" refers to single (front) side texture digitization.

Breakdown — how those prices are built

Each per-fabric price above is the sum of individual line items. The breakdown matters when a client only wants part of the service, when they've used their free quota, or when they want extras like a back-side scan.

Worked examples

Cost estimator

Build your order line by line and get an instant estimate. Adjust quantities, add extras, and switch between subscriber and non-subscriber rates.

Lead times

Standard turnaround scales with order size. All timelines start from the day after fabrics arrive at the CLO Digital Lab, not the day they're shipped.

Material review — before the clock starts

When samples arrive at the Digital Lab, the team reviews them the same day or the next business day to confirm what's actually feasible. The client is contacted at that point if anything needs clarification — for example, if a material is too small, too damaged, or falls into the advanced or non-scannable categories.

The lead-time clock starts after that review is complete and the order is confirmed.

Rush orders

Expediting is possible but not standard. It requires a direct conversation with the client about scope, and incurs additional cost determined once the scope is clear. Rush requests need to go through Steve Yang at the Digital Lab — see Contacts.

Sample requirements

The size and condition of the physical sample depends entirely on what the client wants to do with the digital output.

Sample size by material type

Oversized prints and graphic tiles

If the material has a graphic that tiles larger than A4, we can scan at A2 as a special request. This costs more and uses a different scanner at a separate location.

Color and condition guidelines

• Color tone: Send a gray neutral tone if possible. Avoid pure black or pure white. If it must be colored, pick a mid-tone — not too bright, not too dark.
• Multi-color materials: Pick colors with high contrast that are distinct from each other.
• Condition: Send flat or rolled. Never folded or wrinkled.
• Labels: Indicate the material name AND the direction of fabric grain and selvedge. Labels are provided in the shipping instructions once the order is confirmed.
• Back-side scans: Indicate clearly if you want the back scanned. It's an additional cost.
• Brand identification: Mark which brand(s) the package is for. This triggers the correct SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) on our end.

Meta-data the client should provide

For each material, we need the following alongside the physical sample. swatchbook can provide a Material Standard spreadsheet for clients to fill out.

1. Material name (simple descriptive words)
2. Material ID (if they have one)
3. Price — minimum sample price; bulk price optional
4. Price units
5. Lead times
6. MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity)
7. Country of origin
8. Composition — Material Category (e.g. leather), Type (e.g. bovine), Sub-type (e.g. split suede)
9. Dimensions
10. Color(s)
11. Usage tags (footwear/upper, accessories, etc.)
12. Special tags (floral, metallic, heavy, sturdy)
13. Hand-feel (soft, rough, warm, cool, fuzzy)

Material compatibility

Not every material can be digitized cleanly. Some can't be tested for physical properties, some can't be scanned, and some need an advanced process at extra cost.

Quick compatibility matrix

Legend: ○ Works   △ Individual review   ✕ Not possible

Advanced materials

Some materials can be scanned but need an advanced scanner — typically materials that shift or change color from different angles. These include pearlescent, thin-film, hologram, and iridescent materials.

• Advanced materials carry extra cost and require longer processing time.
• They cannot be recolored — each color variation must be scanned individually.
• The swatchbook service center decides whether a material counts as advanced or basic.

Non-scannable materials

Some materials genuinely don't scan well in any standard process. These may still be digitized using alternative methods, with cost depending on the material.

• Fur (particularly long fur)
• Materials made from large dimensional pieces
• Translucent or milky materials
• Multi-layered materials such as clear-coated finishes
• Complex anisotropic reflective materials such as carbon fiber

Extra services

Add-on services beyond the standard digitization. Each extra service unit is $5, billed per unit produced.

Available extras

Color and scan processing extras

These are handled as part of the regular workflow rather than separate extras, but they're worth mentioning here since clients ask about them.

• Solid color variations: Send RGB values as an .ase file (Adobe Swatch Exchange). Optionally include Pantone reference. Clients can also do solid recoloring themselves.
• Multi-color conversions: Send target colors as an Excel file with RGB values.
• Grayscale versions of scans — available on request, additional charge.
• Whitewashed versions of scans — available on request, additional charge.
• Mask images — available on request, additional charge.

Process & next steps

The end-to-end path from "client wants to digitize" to "digital materials in hand."

Standard workflow

Deliverables by service tier

Full service (visualization + physics)

• Validated zFab file
• 3D validation report
• Photo and video of the physical fabric
• swatchbook or CLO-SET link with uploaded files
• Invoice (non-subscribers only)

Visualization only

• Texture scan files
• Photo and video of the physical fabric
• swatchbook or CLO-SET link as fabrics become digitized
• Invoice (non-subscribers only)

Shipping & customs

Where to send samples, what sizes are required, how to pack and label them, and how to handle customs.

Current Digital Lab address

Sample sizes — what to ship

Sample size depends on the service tier the client has selected. See Sample requirements for full detail.

Packing and labeling checklist

Before the client ships, walk them through this list. Skipping any of these causes delays at the Digital Lab.

• Send flat or rolled — never folded or wrinkled. Wrinkles can permanently distort scans.
• Attach labels to each fabric with the material name. Labels are provided in the shipping instructions once the order is confirmed.
• Mark the grain direction and selvedge on the physical sample so the lab knows which way the fabric runs.
• Indicate the face vs. back if the back is also being scanned. The lab can't always tell visually.
• Mark the brand on the package — this triggers the correct SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for that brand's pipeline.
• If the client wants the back scanned, flag it — back-side scans are an additional line item ($20/side, same price for subscriber and non-subscriber).
• Color tone: gray neutral mid-tones scan best. Avoid pure black or pure white. Multi-colored fabrics should have high-contrast distinct colors.

Future regional hubs

Localized hubs are in development to reduce shipping costs and customs friction for clients outside Asia. Confirm current status with the team before promising regional shipping to any client.

• Bangalore, India — Active
• California, USA — In testing
• Munich, Germany — Planned

Customs guidance

• Clients should provide a document for customs clearance offices to expedite release. This is especially important for US-to-China shipments.
• A clearance agency can be assigned by the supplier to handle customs with extra fees. Not mandatory, but reduces issues.
• swatchbook is not responsible for packages stuck in customs.

Who pays for what

• Inbound shipping (client → Digital Lab): client's responsibility.
• Outbound shipping (Lab → client / brand): billed to whoever is receiving the materials. If the brand is receiving, they're invoiced. If the supplier asked for samples back, the supplier is invoiced.
• QR code labels for physical swatch return: additional cost.

File formats

What clients actually get back, and which format goes with which downstream tool.

PBR map types

Every scan produces a set of PBR (Physically Based Rendering) maps. The maps included depend on the material type — most fabrics get the core six; metal and glossiness maps are only generated where the material warrants them.

Delivery specifications

PBR's limitations — clients should know

PBR scanning has inherent limits when capturing materials that have complex light behavior. Velvet, satin, and suede in particular often need additional manual tuning beyond what the scan captures. This is not a service quality issue — it's a fundamental limit of PBR as a representation.

File size and resolution trade-offs

File size is driven mostly by repeat tile size and 8-bit vs 16-bit output. Some brands want smaller, lighter files so their pipeline stays efficient. This comes at a cost — materials may look less organic, and high-detail renders may suffer. It's the "product shot vs marketing shot" debate.

Default behavior: we aim for a middle ground. Brands with strong preferences should communicate them up front so we tune the output accordingly.

Ownership & offboarding

Who owns the digital materials, what happens to physical samples, and what happens if a supplier leaves swatchbook.

Who owns the digital materials

• Typically the organization paying for the digitization owns the digital materials.
• The owner is responsible for keeping all metadata up to date, including removing materials when they're retired.

Will the client get their physical samples back?

• Typically no. Materials are sent directly to the brand after digitization unless the brand requests they go back to the supplier.
• Physical swatches are usually sent to the brand HQ materials department with a QR code attached.
• Shipping costs for return + QR services are additional and billed to the receiving party.
• We prefer not to throw swatches away — they're materials someone will want to touch and feel.

What happens if a supplier leaves swatchbook

• All materials and additional created content become invisible to swatchbook users.
• All content can be downloaded prior to removal while the subscription is still active.
• Brands may make copies of materials to keep in their libraries as an archive.

Contacts & escalation

Who to involve at each stage, and how to escalate when things need to move fast.

Primary contacts

Escalation paths

Rush order

Conversation with the client about scope and added cost → coordinate with Steve Yang directly. Rush capacity is real but conditional and is priced case-by-case.

Rework or revision request

Contact any team member. The service center handles the revision immediately and re-issues. If it's recurring or unclear what went wrong, Zaid and Steve investigate the root cause.

First-time client order

Always loop in a regional CLO manager. They handle the introduction, scope confirmation, and first-order setup so the client doesn't fall through the cracks between teams.

Customs / shipping problem

Steve Yang is the on-the-ground contact for anything stuck inbound to Dongguan. Reminder: swatchbook is not responsible for packages stuck in customs.

General support

For general questions, clients can email support@swatchbook.us. Internal team members should route through the contacts above based on the situation.

FAQs

The questions that come up most often, with direct answers.

Glossary

Terms that come up in MDS conversations.

Service & process

Software & platforms

File formats

PBR maps

Scanning & materials

Sample requirements

Metadata & measurements