DISCOVER PROJECT
JAKROO
Global Color & Print Validation
A global production system connecting digital color standards, physical fabric references, and automated print validation across two international manufacturing facilities.
2013 to Present
Led the strategy and development of an integrated color management and print-validation system connecting digital artwork with verified fabric output. The program established a proprietary 136-color production palette and automated Test Print Request System across manufacturing facilities in Beijing and Thailand.
SERVICES
Program Leadership, Color Management Strategy, Global Production Standardization, Workflow Architecture, UX/UI Design, Process Automation, Cross-Factory Collaboration, Print Quality Validation, Quality Assurance, Sustainable Operations
Project Overview
Create a unified global system that standardizes production color, accelerates physical validation, and improves confidence in final fabric output.
Accurate color reproduction is one of the most complex challenges in custom apparel production. Digital displays, artwork files, fabric types, sublimation conditions, and manufacturing locations can each affect final output. Jakroo needed a shared standard that could translate digital color decisions into predictable fabric results across its Beijing and Thailand facilities.
I led the development of an integrated system combining a 136-color production palette, physical fabric references, and an automated Test Print Request workflow. Together, these tools gave designers, account managers, customers, and factory teams a shared process for selecting, testing, reviewing, and approving colors before production. The program replaced fragmented, subjective decisions with centralized standards, traceable validation, and a direct digital-to-physical feedback loop across global production.
Approach
End-to-end color validation workflow connecting the U.S. design team with production facilities in Beijing and Thailand through automated factory tickets, physical testing, photography, digital review, and approval.
I began by mapping every point where color accuracy could break down, from digital selection and file preparation to factory interpretation, fabric behavior, and final sublimated output. I then established a shared color standard and validation framework that could be applied consistently by designers and both manufacturing facilities.
Working with the U.S. design team and production partners in Beijing and Thailand, I aligned color references, testing criteria, responsibilities, and approval steps across locations. This operating model connected digital standards, physical evidence, workflow automation, and cross-factory governance, reducing ambiguity and improving decision-making before production.
Process
The process began with iterative print sampling and documentation of how digital color values performed across fabrics, sublimation conditions, and manufacturing locations. Cross-factory comparison and visual evaluation produced a standardized palette of 136 colors for Adobe Illustrator and production use.
Iterative color testing, cross-factory validation, workflow mapping, and continuous refinement created a repeatable quality-assurance process for validating color before full production. Each stage improved traceability, strengthened communication, and reduced unnecessary material use.
The design philosophy was to replace subjective color judgment with a shared source of truth. Digital swatches, physical fabric references, and test-print results needed to work together so designers, customers, and factories could evaluate color using the same evidence. Accuracy, accessibility, and operational efficiency guided every decision. The system had to be rigorous enough for global production while remaining simple enough to support fast-moving design, sales, and manufacturing workflows.
Final Design
The completed system connects digital artwork, physical fabric testing, and final manufacturing through one standardized workflow. Designers and production teams in Beijing and Thailand work from the same 136 approved color references, while physical fabric charts give customers and internal teams a tangible basis for evaluating color before production. The Test Print Request System supports complex colors, gradients, fabric combinations, and targeted test areas. Automated factory tickets, professional photography, digital result uploads, and optional sample shipments create a traceable feedback loop between the U.S. design team and overseas production facilities. Focused Test Prints limit production testing to the areas that require validation, reducing fabric and ink use while preserving accuracy. Together, these components improve cross-functional communication, reduce production uncertainty, and create a more reliable path from digital color selection to final fabric output.
The final system unifies digital color standards, physical fabric references, automated test-print requests, and cross-factory validation within one operational workflow. Designers, account managers, customers, and factory teams use the same approved references and review process from initial color selection through manufacturing. When additional validation is required, teams can submit artwork, select fabrics, generate factory tickets, review professionally photographed results, and request physical samples through one centralized system. This shared framework improves traceability, strengthens cross-functional communication, and creates more consistent color decisions across products, fabrics, and international production facilities.
PROJECT PREVIEW
Achievements
“The Color & Print Validation system has made a significant difference in how we manage color across design and production. Our teams now have a clear, reliable process for selecting, testing, and approving colors before manufacturing, which has reduced revisions and improved consistency between factories. It has given both our internal teams and customers much greater confidence in the final product.”
Successfully developed a connected color management and print validation system that standardized 136 production-ready colors, improved consistency between two international manufacturing facilities, and gave designers and customers greater confidence in final fabric results. The project also streamlined test print requests, shortened revision cycles, reduced material waste, and strengthened communication between design, sales, customers, and production teams.
The project created a more accurate, efficient, and sustainable approach to color validation by connecting digital standards, physical fabric references, and global test print workflows. It improved production consistency, reduced revisions and material waste, and gave internal teams and customers greater confidence in final color results.
Production Ready Colors
Fewer Color Revisions
