Hang Tag Perforations and Two-Part Tags: Structure, Tear Force and Dies

A perforation on a hang tag looks like a row of small holes, yet it decides three things: whether a shop can tear the tag cleanly, whether a two-part tag can split its information, and whether someone can swap a tag and return the garment. What goes wrong is rarely the design; it is the relationship between hole pitch, die and paper thickness.

This guide compares three tear structures, shows how to set the tear feel, explains how a two- or three-part tag divides its information, covers what paper and lamination do to the tear line, and lists the four things you must test by hand on a sample.

Three tear structures and when to use them

Setting the tear force: describe the feel, confirm on a sample

Writing the words easy tear in an email means nothing, because every hand is different. A reproducible standard works better: on a 15mm wide strip, an adult should tear it in one pull between thumb and forefinger with the edge running straight along the perforation. If it takes two hands or scissors, the ties are too dense; if it falls apart at a touch, the pitch is too wide or the paper too thin.

Before the bulk run, cut five to ten pieces in the actual paper at the actual thickness and let the client tear them. That settles more than any amount of description. If the same tag runs in two production lots, die wear changes the hole pitch and the second lot will feel different, so leave a tolerance in the acceptance criteria.

Dividing information across two or three parts

The usual split for a two-part tag is brand and visual on the main part, price, barcode, size or composition on the secondary part. A perforation joins them: the retailer tears off the secondary and keeps the main one, and a return is checked against the main tag. That is the cheapest anti-swap design there is.

• Put the price part on the outside, so it tears off without residue and the till can handle it quickly
• Keep the barcode part separate from the body, so removing a price tag does not damage the code
• A size or composition part lets many SKUs share one main tag, cutting the cost of printing multiple versions

Be cautious with a third part: each extra part means another die and another registration, and cost climbs quickly, while retail really only splits two. If the third part would only carry after-sales text, print it on the back of the main tag — cheaper and harder to lose.

What paper and lamination do to the tear line

• 250-300g white card or art paper: the most common tear range, clean edge and little paper dust
• 350g and above: tear force rises sharply, so widen the pitch or the line will not run straight
• Matt lamination: white film fibres appear on the torn edge, so a tooth blade suits better than round holes
• Gloss film or spot UV: the edge turns brittle and the line lifts and delaminates
• Recycled and cotton paper: long, directional fibres, so impose artwork along the grain or the tear drifts

Four things to test by hand on the sample

1. Tear direction: does it run along the perforation or drift diagonally, and do the two parts distort
2. Edge fuzz and paper dust: most visible on dark tags, and the dust soils pale garments
3. Registration: leave at least 2-3mm between the perforation and any printed element
4. Dimensional tolerance: keep the two parts within ±0.5mm after tearing, or they stack crooked

Three common traps

• Converting a round-hole die to a tooth blade without recalculating the pitch tears the print layer with it
• Perforating before laminating leaves the line sealed by film and untouchable, so a new die is the only fix
• Printing the two parts separately lets registration drift push the perforation straight through the product name

Related articles

• Back to all trims FAQ articles
• Hang Tag Die Cutting: Shapes, Radius and Die Layout
• Hang Tag Sets: Main Tag, Sub Tag and Fastener Combinations
• Hang Tag Paper Weight: Thickness and Hand-Feel Guide