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Embroidery Guide

Learn about the most common issues with embroidery files and how to avoid them

EMBROIDERY 101: How it Works

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1. Flat embroidery

A technique where stitches are embroidered flat on the surface.

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2. Thread colors

All the available colors. See color codes below

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3. Tatami fill

Rows of run stitches. Used to fill large areas.

A technique where the embroidery is raised. Used mostly for big shapes.

4. Satin stitch outline

A long, straight embroidery stitch. Used to outline an object.

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5. Run stitch

A single line stitch. Used for small design details.

WHAT IS DIGITIZATION?

Digitization is a process that converts your design file to a format that supports embroidery. We decide on the types of stitches that will be the best for each design. Make sure to follow the guidelines because ultimately the type of stitch used will depend on your graphic.

THE MOST COMMON ISSUES WITH EMBROIDERY:

1. Text too small, lines too thin

Incorrect

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Correct

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Avoid using very small letters because the embroidered text might not be legible. Keep the text at least 0.25'' in height and at least 0.05'' thick.

The minimum recommended line thickness for the regular satin stitch is 0.05''. For thinner lines we’ll use run stitch (a single line of stitches).

You can measure the text in Illustrator either by using the measuring tool, or by converting the font point size to inches. You can do this by going to:

File > Preferences > Units > General > Inches

0.25'' is equivalent to approximately 36pt, and the letters will also have the necessary thickness. But this depends on the font. We recommend using simple fonts like Arial, Helvetica, Myriad pro.

2. Distressed or Textured Graphics

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With distressed or textured graphics many details might be lost during embroidery depending on the texture size. For these files, we’ll only be able to use flat embroidery, and extremely thin parts are likely to be run stitched.

3. Negative Space Objects

Incorrect

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Correct

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These are the empty spaces in the artwork - the hat fabric showing through the design (but don’t mix it up with transparent background, which is alright!). This can cause several problems.

Avoid these issues by filling the negative spaces with another color.

If we receive a design with internal negative space we will have to fill it in and the final product may look different than the product in your store.

4. GRADIENTS

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With standard embroidery, we can only embroider solid shapes and colors. Gradients won’t work because we can’t create smooth transitions from one color to another.

You’ll have to replace gradients with solid colors.

5. Photographic Images

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It’s not possible to embroider photographic images as they are. Photographic images have to be recreated to include solid shapes and colors.

6. Side Embroidery

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The area for side embroidery is smaller than in the front. Include up to 10 characters per line in your text to make sure that the final result looks great.

Available Thread Colors

Use only solid colors. Make sure that your embroidery file contains only these colors:

Color Codes

1801 White

#FFFFFF

1800 Black

#000000

1718 Grey

#96A1A8

1672 Old Gold

#A67843

1951 Gold

#FFCC00

1987 Orange

#E25C27

1910 Flamingo

#CC3366

1839 Red

#CC3333

1784 Maroon

#660000

1966 Navy

#333366

1842 Royal

#005397

1695 Aqua/Teal

#3399FF

1832 Purple

#6B5294

1751 Kelly Green

#01784E

1848 Kiwi Green

#7BA35A

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