5 Tips and Tricks to Become a Professional Embroidery Digitizer

Hats off to all of the ones who digitize their designs. It’s a great feeling to pick an artwork and digitize it. But it is not as easy as it seems; it is an intricate procedure. Kudos to the skill and precision of a professional embroidery digitizer who brings an artwork to life with expertise!

Embroidery digitizing converts artwork into digital embroidery file formats. If you want to become a professional embroidery digitizer, you need more than just a love for design.

In this article, we will share 5 tips that will help you to become a professional embroidery digitizer.

What you’ll learn:

Digitizing takes effort to become a successful professional embroidery digitizer.

Having a Clear Knowledge of different qualities and types of artwork help digitizers’ innumerable times in digitizing process. Therefore, you need to grasp some most important aspects of the artwork.

When we talk about qualities and types of artwork, the two main things that should flash in your mind are Raster and Vector images.

The raster image is also called a Bitmap. A raster image is a prepared collection of tiny-sized pixels organized in a two-dimensional grid made up of columns and rows. Individually, every pixel contains one and more bits of information. It depends on the degree of detail in the image.

Vector images are computerized images created using directives or mathematical statements that place lines and shapes in a two-dimensional and three-dimensional space. In vector graphics, the graphic artist's file, or work, is formed and saved as an order of vector declarations.

Vector artwork is way much more preferred in embroidery digitizing as it can usually be imported into the digitizing software. This is not to say raster cannot be accepted or the digitizer’s job is done once receiving vector artwork—all artwork, whether raster or vector, must be optionally converted into the stitch file.

It important to remember that if the artwork is not precisely clear or suitable for digitizing it must be converted into vector.

Note: Take some Images from the Internet and analyze them to understand the basics of raster and vector art before digitizing an artwork.

Before start embroidery digitizing, you need to understand a few things, like the different types of stitches, and stitch density. A professional embroidery digitizer must choose the type of stitches wisely as different stitches create different effects. Once you understand the strategy, you can move on to digitizing the artwork.

There are three stitch types inside your embroidery digitizing software that are used in uncountable ways.

• Run Stitch
• Satin Stitch
• Fill Stitch

Note: Practice Wilcom Embroidery Digitizer Software tools for stitches to learn and understand the types of embroidery stitches.

In embroidery digitizing, stitch density is one of the key components that is commonly ignored by digitizers. Sometimes even experienced embroidery digitizers put default values in the digitizing software and don't give a damn about it.

Such forgotten features impact a massive collision on the comfort of wearers and stabilizer use.

However, you cannot master the art of utilizing correct stitch density overnight. You need to adjust in accordance with the different garment needs.

By applying this tip, you will improve your understanding of what is more suitable.

Digitizing software allow you to choose and control the type of underlay. It can be challenging for embroidery digitizers that which underlay to use for exact stitch types, the width needed based on the objects being digitized, and the settings for all the varying fabric types available to sew on.

However, knowing all the correct worth requires tons of experience. In this actionable tip, we will make you understand why you should add a particular type of underlay in building a base for the machine embroidery design.

There are innumerable types of underlay in Wilcom Embroidery Software, including,

• Contour
• Parallel
• Perpendicular
• Zigzag
• Center Run

• Contour underlay is also known as Edge Run, which comprises straight stitches that run inside the edge of the side of the column of stitches that makes embroidery appears flat.
• It also creates a rail that satin stitch will eventually catch and hold to accomplish beautiful edges.
• Similarly, always set the contour underlay to .02 inches on the inset to make sure it doesn't protrude on corners.

• Parallel Underlay is one of the most suitable stitch techniques used for text or alphabets. It gives the columns a compact base before the stitching.
• It also looks slightly less dense as compared to Zig zag underlay.
• Similarly, Use it on knits and several stretchy type materials and embellished on t-shirts, sweaters, hats, and caps.

• The perpendicular underlay provides a thin line of stitches that pass through the center of a column and uplift the center.
• It is usually utilized with towels when you want to lift the text a bit, in addition to using zig zag.
• It also has some Advantages that will help to push the column away as the stitching leans towards the opposite direction of the satin stitch.

• Zig zag underlay is usually combined with contour underlay to provide support for wide columns.
• It also plays a key role in lifting the top stitches on fabrics. Similarly, it is also used to charm
• Embroideries design parts such as leaves or animals.
• The zigzag underlay should sink first to create the foundation for the particular part of the design.

• The center run is commonly utilized on miniature columns with satin stitches between 1.5mm-2mm.
• As the name suggests, it usually runs over the center part of the design.
• It proves beneficial when utilized in small text as it provides help to suit the design space.

In this functional tip, we are going to show you some Embroidery Digitizing Terminologies that will surely help you in achieving your Embroidery Digitizing Goals.

Here is some vocabulary of embroidery digitizing that every beginner and professional embroidery digitizer must understand clearly.

Pull Compensation is one of the most prominent tools adorned in embroidery software, which helps to overstitch the various shapes and outlines in design in the embroidery digitizing process.

Push compensation is commonly used when you need to cut or pull the design nodes back into the direction of the stitches. Similarly, it compensates for the push effect that occurs on the opposite side of the piercing area.

When you see a design that looks good, it doesn't seem necessary that it will look the same on the fabric. Distortion occurs when the garment doesn't have enough backing of underlay. Stitch density also plays a vital role in distortion.

This term usually describes how much fabric will stretch, distort, shrink, and produce uneven sew-outs. Distortion is caused by the Elastic type of fabric, So, Proper underlay, backing, push and pull compensation must be taken in the digitizing process.

The Advanced tricks described in this action # 5 offer the shortest dependable trick of using shadow, blending, and texture in an embroidery digitizing.

Various beautiful stitching features are available in this embroidery software which help enhance the beauty of the embroidery design.

Here are some Embroidery Software Shading and Open fills features.

It produces a graduated shading effect with one color and allows users to adjust the densities for the gradient they want. You can add it with other stitch effects to create a creative design.

Color blending usually creates the graduated effect with two colors and produces shading and other beautiful color effects. You need to tell. Embroidery Software which type of stitch effect, spacing, and colors you want to use in a design; hence it will blend color with the suitable stitch pattern.

A Machine process doesn’t require much participation from an embroiderer compared to the Hand Embroidery process. So once you have decided on the artwork that you want to get digitized and embroidered on your clothes, take it easy now the machine will take care of the rest.

Whether you are a beginner or a professional embroidery digitizer, this bonus tip will surely help you to enhance your experience in the embroidery digitizing field.

It's important to choose the correct embroidery file format that is compatible with embroidery machine. Many modern embroidery software applications can convert designs between different formats, providing flexibility for users with various machines.

Now, here are some embroidery file formats:

• DST
• PES

Understanding these tips for embroidery digitizing are important to enhance your digitizing skills. By experiencing these expert tips and tricks you will become a professional embroidery digitizer with regular digitizing practices.

Hope you enjoyed learning!