Embroidery digitizing is the process of converting an image or logo into a stitch file for your embroidery machine to embroider. This is an important step for your business because it allows you to take on more work, allowing you to meet the needs of your customers and potentially grow your brand recognition. Having this in-house capability can also make you more competitive with other print shops that don’t have digitizing capabilities of their own and may outsource embroidery services to you.
Efficient embroidery digitizing requires a thorough understanding of how an embroidery machine works. This includes knowing how thread behaves and adjusting the digitizing software to reflect that. It’s also important to understand how different fabrics can affect the outcome of your digitizing. For example, some designs will look better with fabric showing through as a color rather than just laying down thread.
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In addition to learning your machine, it’s essential to use a good-quality digitizing program. In the past, we’ve recommended Hatch by Bernina, but recently our Senior Digitizer has been using a new program called Chroma from Ricoma. It’s a feature-packed program with three tiers: Inspire ($599), Plus ($1299), and Luxe ($1999). Check out the features on their website.
The more you use your digitizing software, the more proficient you’ll become. But it takes significant time and effort to reach a level of competency where you can digitize designs as well as an experienced professional.