Affordable Digitizing has years of digitizing experience ready to perform the most professional and ultimate digitizing for our clients. Below you will find useful and related information regarding digitizing.
Digitizing, Step by Step
To see how digitizing machine-embroidery designs works, click your way through this slide-show demonstration
by Richards Jarden
Learning how to digitize designs for machine embroidery will open up a whole new world of embellishment possibilities. To become familiar with your software and to master the basics of planning the stitching sequence, start out with a simple design, such as a single-color, satin-stitched monogram.
In this slide show, I demonstrate the way I determine how a monogram–one I designed — should be embroidered and how I get the embroidery machine to understand my decision. As you click from step to step, you’ll see that I planned a stitching sequence with no long jump stitches between one area of the design and the next, and each section of the design is completely embroidered before moving to the next section. Figuring out the best sequence is a little like working out a maze: It can be a challenge, but it’s also fun.
By eliminating jump stitches and repeated repositioning of the needle, I reduced the chances of thread breakage, ensured that all the sections of the monogram are neatly connected, and ensured a speedy, efficient stitching process. Your embroidery will be neater and more efficient if you digitize thoughtfully. I’ve found that it’s well worth spending time on this step to get great results easily when embroidering.
Richards Jarden digitizes monograms professionally. Read his article “Digitize and Stitch Your Monogram” in the April/May 2002 issue of Threads, and visit him at www.embroideryarts.com.
Keeping Track of Embroidery Designs
Follow these tips for labeling and tracking changes to your digital embroidery design files
by Jill McCloy
Embroidery editing software is a wonderful accessory to your embroidery machine and the designs you’ve purchased. It enables you to transform existing designs into new ones, without having to start from scratch and learn digitizing.
When you’re editing embroidery designs, you’re likely to create many, slightly different versions of a design—and you’re just as likely to lose track of the various files you’ve made if you don’t have an efficient identification system. Here are some naming conventions I’ve developed that help me manage my edited files. I invite you to try them too so you don’t find yourself wondering which design goes with which file name.
Desktop editing software can be used to alter machine embroidery designs. Changes are easy to make and compare before setting a design to stitch.
Group embroidery digitizing like files together
When making several versions of a design, keep the first part of the individual file names the same so the designs are listed together in the file display.
Example: BambooSm, BambooMed, BambooLrg.
Include size information in the file name
If you have enlarged or reduced a design by percentages, include the appropriate percentages in the name.
Example: Bamboo, Bamboo65, Bamboo125.
Indicate the design repeat in the file name
When changing the multiples of a repeated design, use the number of the repeat within the name, adding an uppercase x to indicate that it is a multiple rather than a size. This method differentiates between the size of the design and the repeat of the design.
Example: Bamboo65X3, BambooX3, Bamboo125X3.
Use color-coding to assist in thumbnail view
When saving large and small versions of the same design, select bolder colors for the large size and light colors for the small (remember “big and bold”, “little and light”). If you consistently use this coloring convention, you’ll find it easy to tell the big from the little versions when you’re using the thumbnail design view.