How-to

Photographing labels and size tags so AI (and buyers) can read them

20 October 2026 · SnapList AI team

The label is the most useful thing on a garment. It tells you the brand, the size, often the fabric, and sometimes the country of manufacture. It is also the part that often gets photographed last, in a hurry, with a thumb in the way.

A clear photo of the label helps in two ways. Buyers can check the size and brand for themselves, and anything that reads the label, whether a person or a tool, can work from what is printed instead of guessing. Here is how to get a readable shot every time.

Why labels beat guesses

A garment that looks like a certain brand might not be. A fabric that feels like wool might be a blend. Sizes vary between brands and between countries. The label settles all of this in print.

That is why it helps to photograph the label first. SnapList AI reads what is on the label and only that. It does not invent materials, eras or measurements. But it can only read what your photo shows, so a blurry or cropped label means a gap that you have to fill by hand.

The same applies to buyers. A photo where they can read “100% cotton” or the size themselves can build a buyer’s trust.

Get the light right

• Use daylight when you can. Stand near a window and avoid direct sun, which causes glare on glossy labels.
• Avoid shadows from your phone or hand. If your arm is casting a shadow on the tag, shift your position.
• Turn off the flash. Flash bounces off satin and printed labels and can wash out the text.
• Watch for yellow indoor light. It can change how colours look, and faint grey print on a white label can nearly disappear.

If a label is printed in a low-contrast ink, try tilting the garment slightly so the light rakes across the surface. Take a second shot at a different angle rather than relying on one.

Get the label flat and in focus

Labels curl, twist and fold. Fix that before you shoot.

1. Lay the garment on a flat, plain surface.
2. Smooth the label with your fingers, then take your hand away before you photograph it.
3. If the label is sewn into a seam and keeps rolling, hold it flat with a clean, plain object like a ruler or a pen, kept out of the text.
4. Tap the label on your phone screen so the camera focuses on it, not on the fabric behind.
5. Hold the phone parallel to the label, not at an angle, so the text is not stretched or skewed.
6. Get close enough that the text fills most of the frame, but not so close that the camera cannot focus.

Zoom in on the screen before you take the shot and check you can read the smallest line. If you cannot, retake it.

Capture the whole label

Cropped labels cause problems. A size tag cut off at the edge might hide a second size, such as a number in a different system. A brand tag with the bottom cropped might hide a line of text that identifies the product line.

Shoot the entire label, edge to edge, with a little margin. For long care tags that fold, unfold them and take two shots if needed.

Photograph both tags

Most garments have more than one label, and they carry different information.

• The brand and size tag, usually at the neck or waistband. This shows the brand name and the size.
• The care and content tag, usually sewn into a side seam or the back. This lists fibre content, wash instructions and often where it was made.

Photograph both, and check each one is legible. Also look for extra tags: a swing tag, a sizing sticker on shoes, a model number inside a bag. If they are there and readable, photograph them too.

Tags in more than one language

Care tags often repeat the same information in several languages, and size tags can show more than one system, for example a number in one system next to letters or a number in another. Photograph the whole thing so all of it is in view.

When you write the listing, copy the size as printed on the tag. If the tag shows two systems, you can include both. Converting from memory is where mistakes creep in. There is more on this in the post about selling across borders.

What a label photo cannot tell you

Even a perfect shot has limits. A label does not tell you the garment’s actual measurements, and sizes can differ from the printed number, especially on older or vintage pieces. Measure the item yourself and type the numbers in. Our guide to measuring clothes for resale shows how.

A label also cannot prove an item is genuine. If you are unsure about a brand, do not state it as fact. Say what the label says, and describe the rest plainly.

If a tool shows you a guess about something the label did not clearly state, treat it as a prompt to check, not as an answer. That is what confirmation chips are for: you look, then confirm or correct.

Quick checklist

• Shoot the label first, before the front and back photos.
• Use daylight, no flash, no shadows over the text.
• Lay the label flat, tap to focus, and hold the phone parallel to it.
• Capture the whole label, edge to edge.
• Photograph the brand and size tag and the care and content tag.
• Include every language and size system printed on the tag.
• Zoom in on your screen and check you can read the small print before moving on.
• Copy sizes as printed; measure the item for real dimensions.

Marketplace rules change. Check the current rules in the app or help centre before you rely on a limit. Last reviewed 29 October 2026.