Auto-digitizing....Not what it's cracked up to be

You've heard the hype. There are lots of auto-digitizing programs out there....some are integrated as part of the higher end embroidery softwares on the market. Some are connected and work through graphics programs like Corel. None are everything they claim to be.

I guess they have their place in some niches of the embroidery market but let me tell you, in the competitive world of commercial corporate digitizing, they simply don't do the job if you want to play in the "big ball park".

First, in order to even understand and run the software you have to have a decent and basic knowledge of digitizing so that you can make selections to tell the software what to do. If you don't know what the software is asking you, you cannot even set the parameters for it to complete a design. Beyond that the software can only create design files from very crisp vector art with definition and specific areas of color. In today's market, most designs have complicated gradient blends, fades and multiple areas that come together in a way that only a human can digitize using a creative mix of artistic ability and technical knowledge. The software can't think or reason and certainly isn't artistic. They cannot determine a 3D effect of one element passing behind another but over the next, such as a Celtic knot for one example.

Auto-digitizing softwares are only good for very simple designs of basic elements that are 2 dimensional, with no color blends or crossovers, with few outlining capabilities and no text. That leaves out most, if not all, corporate logos.

That leaves us with the text question. If you're expecting to have it digitize the text, forget it. You could use keyboard fonts but half the time, corporate logos have their own text style that needs to be digitized by hand. Most of the time, even if the text is a basic style, a digitizer can make the text sew better digitizing by hand than using keyboard fonts. And true type font converters are pretty bad also....they cannot do the professional job of a good digitizer.

So, if you're thinking of venturing into the digitizing aspect of our industry, understand there are no shortcuts to professional digitizing. There is a large learning curve and the only way to get there is one step at a time, really learn the business, time under your belt and realize it's a full time job all by itself. If you own an embroidery business, and you run the business hands on every day then the digitizing is best left to a commercial digitizer you trust that works well with you and understands production. Build a business relationship with this person, get to know them and they, you. Your time is best utilized running your embroidery business and bringing in the profits.