Editing your Embroidery Machine Designs Properly

With regard to digitizing, ever wonder how stitch files work? The original file holding the digital information for the design is actually a master coded file with all sorts of info about everything from how close the stitches are (density) to color breaks, stitch angles, trim commands, pull compensation and many other codes that tell the embroidery machine what to do. This file is a condensed (wire-frame) master file in a format native to the software and can only be read by someone else with the same software. This file is not the file that is read by the embroidery machine.

The stitch file that sews the design on the machine is saved from that master file and is in an expanded format the machine can read. It carries no coded information and is merely a list of stitch points telling the needle where to sew.

For this reason, changes to the design should be made to the original master so the integrity of the design stays intact. Once the changes are made, the stitch file version of the design is rewritten.

All this explanation is to tell you that each time you make changes to a stitch file without going back to the master, the design deteriorates a bit when the embroidery software tries to recreate the codes upon opening the design up in the software. Some coding is invariably lost, even if you open the stitch file up in the same software it was created in. Over time, this results in poor embroidery. It’s always better to return to the original master file format to make changes or go back to the person who created the master for changes.

This is not to say that editing expanded stitch files is not possible, however, there will most likely be more editing and recoding needed to get quality results. As always, turn to a trusted digitizer with the skills to help you properly.

Do you have customers that would like to change/edit their embroidery files and you don't have the original? We do that! When you’re looking for a digitizer, call NeedleUp. We have over 20 years in the commercial embroidery business! 303-287-6633 NeedleUp Digitizing ©2002 A USA company

Why graphics artists don’t necessarily make good embroidery digitizers

Numerous times, I’ve either read or hear about some graphic artist who decides to hang out their “digitizing shingle” since they know Corel Draw so well. To me, that’s like deciding to open a hair salon since they’ve used scissors before.

True, the creative side of digitizing benefits from someone who can be artistic but the digitizing process serves the technical side of embroidery and without the knowledge of how the machines work, production, pathing, fabrics, hooping and the mechanics of needles, thread, bobbin and tension, being able to create or manipulate a graphic is only a very small portion of prerequisite knowledge.

More painfully obvious are the graphics I usually get from customers who paid a large sum to their graphic artist to create a logo for their company, only to find out that it is all but unusable for the medium of embroidery. That’s because the graphic people don’t take the time to learn at least a cursory amount of information on the requirements of embroidery. They are selling a graphic after all and not concerned about their customers need or use of other mediums for marketing.

Digitizing is an art that is mastered over time and has a large learning curve. You can’t buy experience and there’s no “national school of digitizing”. In order to understand embroidery and punching designs, you’d have to have had some experience running an embroidery machine, dealing with production and some kind of guidance actually learning to digitize. If they’re expecting to use an “auto-digitizing” software (or digital to embroidery converter) that creates professional grade designs, there is no such animal. (And, truthfully, if they don’t understand digitizing, they wouldn’t know what buttons to push and settings to use in the “auto-digitizer” anyway).

Graphics people are great at what they do…. Graphics. NeedleUp Digitizing is great at what we do….embroidery digitizing! Leave the digitizing to the experienced. Call us: 303-287-6633

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NeedleUp Digitizing LLC is owned and operated by Donna Lehmann, a 20yr veteran of the digitizing world. She can be reached at the above number for digitizing, consultation and classes M-F.

Puff embroidery designs, de-mystified

So you think you might wanna do some puff embroidery? Do you know that logos designed for puff are digitized completely different than regular embroidery? Puff went through a popularity phase a couple of years ago but still holds a lofty (pun-intended) place in the sports related part of the industry.

For those who don't know how puff is done,a piece of embroidery foam is placed under the lettering before the area to be puffed is stitched with high density to add loft to the embroidery. Puff designs are usually at least double the stitch count of regular designs. The excess foam is torn away afterward having been perforated by the needle penetrations.

Success with puff embroidery relies heavily on the correct digitizing, pathing, and application of the technique. Without that, your efforts will turn out poor quality.

For digitizing of puff designs, contact NeedleUp Digitizing, 303-287-6633. We'll help you get your puff job done right and guide you through the process. ;)

Branching into the Embroidery Business from other parts of the Industry

I was talking to friend in the promotional business the other day and we were discussing how several of the local promotional products companies in the area have sold their embroidery machines. You see, back about 3 years ago, they decided to take everything in house instead of contracting their embroidery out. Problem was, they didn’t understand or know the embroidery business, they just knew the promotional business. They mistakenly thought that all there was to it was to buy the commercial multi-head machine, plug the designs and shirts into it, hire a machine operator and Voila!

Now, 3 years later, I’m not surprised to hear that they’ve sold the machines and are going back to contracting out their embroidery….in essence, leaving the embroidery to the professionals. If they had asked me (which they did not) I could have saved them 3 years of money and irritation not to mention retaining a few customers they probably lost in the process.

You see, a successful commercial embroidery company is a full time endeavor; just ask anyone who has reached this point. It’s a skill and acquiring the expertise to make it profitable takes much, much more than the funds to buy the machine and hire an operator. Companies that work in related industries have a tendency to say to themselves, “How hard can it be?” because the professional embroiderers and digitizers make it look easy from the outside. Once they “go there”, they realize not only the work involved but the creative skill it takes and the technical knowledge needed and they suddenly get why the cost of a good embroiderer and/or digitizer is what it is.

The companies that are able to add in-house machine embroidery services to their other offerings, and make it work, understand production and are often printers, screen printers and related.

If you’re thinking about adding in-house embroidery to your list of offered services, do your homework, do the math; you might decide that the phone numbers of a good embroiderer and a good digitizer will be more profitable for you than purchasing your own machine…..and when you figure that out, call me! I’ll take very good care of you!
NeedleUp Digitizing LLC – 303-287-6633.