How to Request and Approve a Pre-Production Sample (PPS) for Bags

What a PPS actually is

A pre-production sample is a production-representative unit. That phrase carries the whole meaning: the fabric is from the bulk lot or the bulk dye lot, the trims are the bulk trims, the print is applied by the production method at the production setting, and the unit is sewn on the line that will run the order rather than by a sample technician at a bench. Everything is the same except the quantity.

That is why the PPS is the only sample a campaign should photograph for a final approval and the only one QC should hold as the physical reference. A prototype answers "does this idea work". A sales sample answers "does this look good in a photograph". A PPS answers "is the line capable of making this, repeatedly, at volume" — which is the only question that matters once hundreds or thousands of backers are waiting. Campaigns that skip this checkpoint do not usually fail loudly; they ship a reward that is slightly off spec, and the difference shows up in reviews rather than in inspection reports.

The distinction also explains why a PPS takes longer to arrange than a prototype and why it cannot be rushed. Bulk fabric has to be in hand or on a confirmed dye lot, bulk trims and hardware have to be ordered and received, and the line has to have a slot. Those are procurement steps, not sampling steps, which is why the calendar has to be planned backwards from the promised delivery date.

In practice most programmes run a prototype and then a PPS, and skip the sales sample unless the campaign needs finished photography before bulk material is available. Where photography is needed early, take it from the prototype and re-take it from the PPS, because the bulk fabric will not be identical to whatever the prototype was made from.

How it differs from the other samples

Campaigns often lose weeks because they treat all samples as the same thing. They are not. Each sample type answers a different question and is built differently, and approving the wrong one gives false confidence. The table below separates the four that matter for a bag programme, so the approval record shows which question was answered and when.

The third row is the gate. A PPS that has been approved becomes the golden reference: the physical unit kept at the inspection site, against which the shipment is judged at AQL 2.5 under ISO 2859-1. Nobody argues about a written description when the actual approved bag is sitting on the table. That single habit removes most disputes about what "close enough" meant. Keep the reference in a labelled bag with the approval date and the specification revision written on it, because a reference unit with no record attached is just an old sample within a few weeks. Where a programme runs several colourways, keep one approved unit of each.

The record matters as much as the unit. Inspection findings are judged against an approval that exists on paper: which specification revision was approved, on what date, by whom, and with which deviations accepted. Where that record is missing, a defect found at inspection becomes a negotiation, and a negotiation at that stage costs more than the re-run it was meant to avoid.

When to request it

Request the PPS once the specification is frozen and the commercial terms are agreed — deposit paid or scheduled, quantities confirmed, colourway split settled. Requesting earlier produces a sample that will be superseded by the next change; requesting later compresses the approval window and pushes the production slot. The sequence below is the one that holds up under a campaign calendar.

1. Freeze the written specification, including dimensions, tolerances, materials and print references.
2. Approve the sampling prototype for look, feel and sizing only, not as the production reference.
3. Confirm the order: quantity per style and colourway, deposit, trade term and target ship window.
4. Request the PPS, stating that it must be built on bulk materials with bulk tooling on the production line.
5. Approve or reject in writing against the checklist, then release the unit as the QC reference.

Standard sampling runs 6-10 working days, and 12-15 working days for complex builds with custom hardware, lining prints or bonded construction. Plan the request so approval lands before the production slot opens, because the 35-50 day bulk window starts when the deposit clears and the approved sample exists — not when the campaign closes. Where the campaign runs long or a stretch goal adds a variant, the PPS schedule has to be re-checked against the slot, because a slipped approval date slips everything behind it. Build the schedule backwards: delivery date, minus transit, minus the 35-50 day bulk window, minus the sampling round, minus review time, and whatever is left is the latest date the specification can be frozen.

That backwards plan is also the honest answer to "can we still change this". If the change fits inside the remaining slack, it is free. If it does not, it costs the delivery date, and that is a decision for the campaign, not for the sampling round. Most late specification changes are approved by people who were never shown the calendar.

What to send with the request

A PPS request is a package, not an email. Send everything the line needs in one go, because every clarification round costs days. If the specification is unambiguous, the sample comes back right the first time; if it is vague, the sample comes back plausible, which is worse, because plausible is harder to reject.

Reference the same codes throughout: on the tech pack, on the purchase order and on the packing instruction. A code is stable in a way that a written description is not, and it survives translation between the specification, the quotation and the purchase order. Where a code appears in one document and a description in another, the two will eventually diverge, and the divergence will be discovered at inspection rather than at sampling. The material customisation page lists the reference format used across our specification documents.

How the PPS is built

The unit runs through the same stations as bulk: cutting, printing or embroidery, skiving and preparation, sewing, turning and pressing, hardware setting, trimming, cleaning and inspection, then packing. It is not made faster than bulk and it should not be made by a different team. If a programme needs three units, one per colourway, that is normal and worth the extra days.

Because the PPS runs the full sequence, it surfaces problems that a bench prototype never reveals: print registration drift across a panel, needle damage on a coated fabric, shade variation between the body and a lining from the same dye lot, a zip that binds once the tape is set under production tension. These are line problems, and the PPS is the first time the line sees the bag. More detail on the checkpoint sequence sits on the sampling and prototyping page. One consequence of running the full sequence is timing: a PPS takes as long as it takes because it is not a shortcut, and it should never be treated as one.

One variable per round

If the PPS disappoints, change one thing. Changing fabric, hardware and print together produces a result nobody can diagnose, and the second round then has to repeat the whole sequence. One variable per round finishes in the same calendar time with far less risk. State the single change in writing, together with what would count as success, before the second unit is built. Where more than one change is genuinely unavoidable, build two units with one change each rather than one unit with both.

Materials, trims and colour

Start the review with the fabric. Check the weight against the specification, the finish, the hand, and the shade against the approved standard under controlled light. Compare the body fabric with the lining, the webbing and the binding, because shade variation between components from nominally the same colour family is the most common visual defect in a multi-component bag.

• Confirm the fabric reference, weight and finish against the tech pack, not against memory.
• Check shade under a controlled light source and against the approved swatch or reference.
• Verify that webbing, binding, lining and thread all match the agreed colour family.
• Confirm the trim and hardware codes, including finish, against the approved card.
• Where compliance applies, confirm the documentation references for CPSIA, REACH or Prop 65.

Two documents matter here and both should be requested with the sample: the material composition statement and the compliance declaration for the destination market. Where a claim such as recycled content is made on the campaign page, the corresponding certificate — GRS or equivalent — should be on file before approval. Making a claim without a certificate on file is the fastest way to turn a reward into a liability. Ask for the certificate number, the issuing body and the expiry date, and record all three against the specification revision, because a certificate that cannot be traced back to the approved build is not evidence of anything.

Where a campaign sells into both the US and the EU, check the two sets of requirements separately rather than assuming the stricter one covers both. CPSIA tracking labels, REACH substance restrictions, California Prop 65 warnings and EU GPSR obligations each have their own format and placement rules, and they apply to different parts of the finished unit.

Print, embroidery and placement

Print and embroidery are checked against the approved artwork and the placement coordinates, not against what looks reasonable. Measure from a stated datum — a seam, an edge or a corner — and record the actual measurement and the tolerance. A logo that sits 4 mm off a stated position may be inside tolerance or outside it, and the only way to know is to have written the tolerance down first.

• Measure placement from a stated datum on the tech pack and record the actual figure.
• Check colour against the approved reference, including any spot colours and their tolerance.
• Inspect edges for bleed, feathering or loss of detail below the specified line width.
• For embroidery, check stitch density, puckering and backing against the approved sample.
• Confirm wash or rub resistance where the specification states a test and its method.

Placement guides for each bag type, with the coordinate conventions used on the tech pack, are set out in the print and embroidery options page and in the QA and QC checklist. Approving from a photograph is not sufficient: print defects that matter, such as poor adhesion or incorrect cure, cannot be judged from an image.

Construction and measurement

Measure the sample against the specification with the bag lying flat and unstretched, and record every figure. Dimensions taken under tension or on a stuffed bag will not match the inspection figures later, which is how an approved sample becomes an argument at QC. Record the method as well as the figure, because a measurement without a stated method is not a measurement an inspector can reproduce. The tolerances below are the working defaults for soft goods; tighter tolerances are possible but they cost more and slow the line.

Beyond the tape measure, review the seam and edge work: consistent seam allowance, no skipped stitches, no raw or unmanaged cut edges, binding that covers both sides evenly, and reinforcement at every load point. Open and close every zip three times under light load. A bag that survives a photograph and fails a zip test will generate more support tickets than any defect found at inspection. Where a programme includes a premium tier, check the premium unit against the premium specification, not against the standard unit, because the upgrades are exactly where the new failure modes sit.

Hardware, zips and load points

Hardware is where the cheapest failures hide, because it looks fine and performs badly. Check the finish against the approved card, confirm that the gauge and the mechanism match the specification, and cycle every moving part. Where metal components are used, confirm the finish specification and any nickel release requirement for the destination market.

• Cycle every zip, buckle and clip at least three times under light load.
• Check plating, coating and colour consistency across all units and components.
• Confirm stitch density and bar-tack placement at handles, strap roots and D rings.
• Pull-test load points against the specification, and record the method used.
• Confirm there is no sharp edge, flash or burr on any component a backer will touch.

Where the specification references a standard, test to it and record the result. Common references for bags include ISO 2859-1 for inspection sampling, ASTM D5034 for grab tensile strength of the fabric, and ISTA 3A for the transit test on the packed parcel. A result without a stated method is not a result a QC team can repeat. Record the sample size, the method reference and the acceptance number together, and file them with the approval record rather than in an email thread that nobody can find in three months.

Finally, check the things a backer notices in the first minute: a loose thread at a handle root, a label that is not straight, a print that is a few millimetres off centre, a zip pull that rattles. These are small findings individually, and they are the ones that generate support messages at volume once a thousand parcels land in the same week.

Packaging and labelling

The PPS is the first unit that should be packed exactly as bulk will be packed. Check the fold, the polybag gauge, the closure, the label artwork and position, the care symbols, and the packed dimensions. Record the packed dimensions and use them for the freight quote, because a figure taken from the flat pattern will understate the billed volume.

Then review the outer carton: the specification, the packing count, the marking layout and the sequence numbering. Confirm that the packing list, the commercial invoice and the physical carton count all agree, and that origin, currency and the trade term appear on the invoice. Most customs holds on reward shipments trace back to a documentation mismatch rather than a product problem. Full detail sits in the crowdfunding bag guide and the rewards fulfilment page.

Sampling facts

The approval record should also name the specification revision it approves. Where a campaign has revised the pack two or three times during sampling, an approval that says only "approved" is ambiguous within a month, and the ambiguity surfaces at exactly the moment it is most expensive to resolve.

Approve or reject

Approval should be a written record, not a verbal go-ahead. List what was checked, the measurements taken, any deviation and whether that deviation is accepted. Where a deviation is accepted, it has to be written into the specification before bulk starts, or the line will continue to produce the original version and the difference will appear again at inspection.

Rejecting a PPS feels like losing time; approving a bad one costs more. A second round inside the 6-10 working day window is a week. Discovering the same defect in 1,000 finished units is a month, a re-run, and a campaign update explaining a delay. The checklist exists to make rejection a routine decision rather than a confrontation. Agree the criteria with your production partner before the unit is built, so that approval is a measurement against something both sides already accepted rather than a judgement delivered after the fact.

Next steps

Freeze the specification, confirm the order, then request a PPS built on bulk materials with bulk tooling on the production line. Review it against this checklist, record the measurements, and either approve it in writing or reject it with a single named change. Then keep the approved unit where inspection will happen.

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