Embroidery digitizing is the process of converting artwork or text into an embroidery file format that can be run on high-speed embroidery machines. This is an incredibly specialized skill, and as such, many embroidery businesses choose to outsource their digitizing rather than trying to learn it themselves. However, it is a worthwhile endeavor for those who are serious about adding embroidery to their business offerings and have the resources to do so in-house.

Digitizers can learn much of what they need to know by watching well-crafted designs run in embroidery machines, analyzing the results, and measuring, identifying, and comparing stitch types and other elements. This hands-on experience gives them a visceral understanding of stitch sequence, compensation for distortion, and construction.

Mastering the Machine: Techniques for Effective Embroidery Digitizing

When designing, digitizers should keep in mind that embroidery looks different on different fabrics. Design techniques for flats won’t work on a cap and vice versa, so the digitizer must experiment with different stitches, density settings, and other parameters until they get a result that is pleasing to the eye.

Once a digitizer understands what they are doing, they can also take advantage of the wide variety of online learning resources available to them. Vendor-specific help files, tutorials, and webinars can teach them how to use the software suite as well as general technical information about embroidery digitizing. They can also find third-party educational books and videos geared toward embroidery digitizing.