# Recommend best auto-digitizing software for newbie



## JollyJim

What software would you recommend that will auto-digitize from vector artwork (Illustrator, Freehand, etc.) and create decent quailty stitch files? I create my own artwork for screenprinting, and would like to have the ability to offer companies the ability to embroider their logo without having to send out to a digitizing company every time. If there is one that also converts TrueType fonts to stitch files, that would be a plus. thanks in advance!!


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## jean518

I hate to tell you this but auto digitizing is a misleading term. Yes, most of the software will turn the design into stitches automatically. The result is usually less than satisfactory and needs tweaked. ALL embroidery software has a major learning curve. Pricing ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand. What brand of embroidery machine are you using? Believe me the design needed for embroidery is different than the design needed for screenprinting. All those layers are a major pain to get rid of. I have spent hours working on a design made for screen printing to get it to the point where I could turn it into an embroidery design. Low end software - BES lettering. High end software - Corel Drawings, Generations, Floriani has one but cannot think of the name right now. Masterworks II. I think Wacom makes one too.


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## tfalk

Get Stitch Era Universal. It's free, you can learn on it, and then see for yourself what the rest of us here have posted in multiple threads - auto digitizing is only bragged about by embroidery software salesmen. Anyone who has used auto digitizing will tell you it's only a starting point. I've yet to see an auto-digitized design stitch out worth a damn.


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## beebe2

I too recommend Stitch Era Universal, does everything expensive programs do and more. The only restriction is that you have to be connected to the net.


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## zoom_monster

I would add that if you are familiar with freehand and illustrator... you know that you can autotrace in those programs, but the best work will be produced by creating it with purpose and strategy. In the real world of quality, this is the always case. The Stitch ERA program will alow you to observe this first hand and alow you to see what can and cannot be done.


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## SunEmbroidery

You'll need standard digitizing software rather than autodigitizing to produce quality embroidery. If you've only created artwork for screen printing you'll need to learn what does and doesn't work for embroidery.


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## binki

No matter what you are going to have to do some work on auto digitized files. If you want to get in on the cheap them EmBird is a good one to start with. Wilcom is regarded as the best and is $15K at the top. 

You best bet would be to find a good digitizer and let them do the work. There is much more to digitizing that just drawing a shape and letting the software do the work. Your results will be sub-standard if that is what you do.


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## Red Earth

We do a lot of screen printing and embroidery as well.

We work in Corel draw mainly and create most of our prints, it's pretty easy to convert all the layers into art that can be converted in to stitches. Especially small chest sized logos. If we know ahead of time the designs will be embroidered, it's a snap.

We also use Pulse software for digitizing, which runs corel inside of it. I am much faster in corel proper than Pulse and by no means an accomplished digitizer, but I am getting better!

you have to weigh the difference of where your time can make you the most money. If a design I have is intricate and high detail... It might will take me a few hours and a sew out or two, or a mere 30.00 and a 12 to 24 hour wait time to have done elsewhere... out it goes! I can always tweak it a bit after a more accomplished digitizer does the hard work!

Make sure the digitizer uses the same software you choose. This way you can alter the designs for size and stitch choice.

Just my .02

Phil


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## GraphicGuy

I use Designshop Pro+ since I use Melco Amaya embroidery machines. It works very well with my vector software; Illustrator CS3 & Flexisign Pro+. I can just copy and paste my designs directly into it and then auto stitch each element.
I screen print and make signs so I work in vector all of the time. I have to configure the artwork differently for embroidery before I auto stitch since embroidery handles outlines and various other things in a different manner.
There is no software that does everything correctly the first time. It's a trial and error thing until you get the workflow of the software you are using.


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## skits

Auto digitising is a marketing tool......In my 10 yrs in digitising I have and will never use it.

If you want to keep your customers satisfied, you need to provide good quality embroidery which comes from the technical specs when running the machine as well as the quality of digitising.

Look around and you will find reasonably priced digitisers.


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## GraphicGuy

It's amazing any one uses computers or telephones today then when meeting at town hall was good for all those years.
I keep my very customers satisfied with my embroidery quality. 
Remember
"Some things go the way of the dinosaur and some people are the dinosaurs"
New technology is a good, I love technology. Things that were not possible a few years ago is common place today. Love it, Embrace it, etc, etc, etc.....


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## jean518

Autodigitizing is a help thing. I use it as an aid. You just have to keep in mind that the results are not always optimal. You need to have the ability to go in and tweak what might need tweaking. I use Masterworks for most of my digitizing. I choose the type of material, stitch style (fill and type of fill, column, run, etc) and let the software do the pull comp and underlay. I check to see what the software suggests. If I want to change it I can. If my first sewout is not right, I go in and tweak. That is where the tedious part comes in. Even if you manually digitize, there still will most likely be tweaking that has to be done. I am a firm believer in test sewouts. That is what I use my oops items for. Small lettering gives me the biggest fits on autodigitize. I am a bit picky about how it looks.


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## skits

sorry Jean this is not against you but since you mentioned it got me thinking, how many embroiderers who outsource their digitising, need their designs edited after the first stitch out?

I think this will be an interesting debate


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## jean518

If I outsource a design to be digitized, I would do a test sew out just in case. I am not big on ruining an item or having to remove embroidery. I do outsource some but also like the ability to do my own when I want to. I have bought stock designs from reputable design sellers and have had them not sew out right. Everybody makes mistakes. Not sure that all digitizers take the time to do a test sew out. Mainly due to the fact they would need a ton of machines or access to a variety of machines. I can run a design through a stitch simulator and it may look perfect. When I go to do a test sew out, it may not sew out correctly. The simulator cannot take into account the actual fabric movement which may occur, stabilizer makeup, the quirk of your machine (and believe me they all have them), etc. I just did a design that looked perfect on screen and in the simulator. Nothing out of line. When I did my test sew out, the running stitch was out of line in a couple places. My software lets me choose the type of fabric I will be embroidering on. I had the correct type of fabric chosen and used the correct stabilizers. So my conclusion is that a design may be digitized correctly and well but still not sew out correctly due to factors other than the digitizing but which can be compensated for by tweaking the design. That is why you need to have that ability. I only digitize for myself. I have way too many irons in the fire as it is and would make me crazy if I could not do a test sewout. I have a computerized quilting machine also. I can digitize designs for it if I choose to. I also do vinyl and rhinestones. I can either use graphics already vector format or can do my own vectorizing. I have been using Corel since version 9.


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## skits

Jean, I understand what you are saying.

My question was how many embroiderers out there outsource designs that need that tweaking after the first sew out?

I personally feel there should be an allowance of only 5% for such tweaking / edits. Digitisers are paid to do that job. Whats the point in your paying a digitiser if you are going to be sampling every design at least twice?

No digitiser will get all designs perfect including myself but we try our best not to give our clients an opportunity to ask us to edit a file because its not running well. Our clients pay us to digitise a design which goes direct in production. Yes there are only a few times when maybe there is a small tweak needed but we fix that for them while the job is still on the machine. We believe its our responsibility to ensure the design works first time around instead of having the client to do the sampling and getting back to us. We dont do sampling ourselves because we have highly talented digitisers who have a lot of experience and despite that we maintain a less than 3% edit request.

So in short what my point was that if you are paying your digitiser to do your designs, they should be up to the standard of going into production direct otherwise its not worth outsourcing unless its a very complicated design which doesnt compensate for your time if you did it yourself.

This is just my view.


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## Mtnview

tfalk said:


> Get Stitch Era Universal. It's free...


I went to the site to download and says you have to contact a distributor. Closest one to me is Enmart.


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## Print and Pray

Any use to trying out _Stitch Era Universal _if I don't have an embroidery machine yet? 

We are looking into the prospect of purchasing one but I feel like I'd like to give a digitizing program a go first before I dive in..


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## charles95405

ordering a digitizing program without an embroidery system is sort of like buying a drivers manual without having a car


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## Print and Pray

charles95405 said:


> ordering a digitizing program without an embroidery system is sort of like buying a drivers manual without having a car


Hahah. Thats what I thought. We did try out our rhinestone software before we had a vinyl cutter but I figured this probably wouldn't work out quite the same.


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## tfalk

I know Colman and Company have the CD for free, you might have to pay shipping... I got the CD along with some other stuff I ordered from them. I have Embroidery Office which is the full-blown version but can only be used on 1 machine due to the dongle. I only use SEU on my second machine when I'm too lazy to go down to the shop in the basement and get the dongle. I really wish EO would work with remote desktop but then they might actually have to fix some of their buggy video code...


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## jemmyell

Hi,

You can download SEU from BtownPixelPrint:

Free Stitch ERA

Ian is a member here and is really helpful.

-James Leonard


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## gotshirtz001

Honestly, it's not really worth the money for the software or the time to become proficient when the cost to source it is so low...

I would recommend getting basic lettering and monogram software (like Wings) and contract all others. I use artworksource.com and get designs back within 24 hours. If there is a stitchout issue, they usually fix within a few hours of you emailing them.


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## confettiadv

I have been down this road as well. I agree with the other posts concerning auto punch software. I finally decided to send my art to Artwork Source, they charge 30.00 for crest, plus they turn them around in 1 day! The do not use auto digitizing, they use Wilcom I believe. Something to think about.


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## digitizewedo

If you already use either Corel Draw, or Adobe Illustrator , Pulse Microsystes. sells a plugin for these, I use the Adobe Illustrator CS3 with this plugin sells for about $3000 and allows you to convert all your artwork files to stitches quite easily. Our shop is mainly a silk screening shop too, and we picked up a used brother 415 and we have sewn out over 3000 designs this past year for customers, it meets all my needs for now.


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## gotshirtz001

Addendum: 
Outsource your digitizing til its obvious you are losing money doing so.


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## [email protected]

I've been digitizing for only about 9 years. Work with ACAD for almost 20, and I can tell you with confidence that computer programs can't auto DO anything that your customers will like. Auto digitizing is a cute term and a nice sales tool, but it does not produce quality results - at least not that i have seen. Even when I do a simple design there's about a 50/50 shot that i will have to do more to make myself happy with the design. It gets down to learning what thread does and how it interacts with different materials. Just takes time to learn.

Sorry,
Mike


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## samdkelley

Wilcom worked well for us. The program has a few hurdles to install and run on but overall it did the job we needed it for


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## zoom_monster

With proper knowledge, auto digitizing is passable to many who don't appreciate real digitizing (the end customer). Unfortunately it does not run as well and is not as efficient as properly pathed and "thought out" execution. If you understand what you want, and you understand the process, you will also know that doing it the right way will make more profit because 1) look better 2) runs better 3) actually takes less time to create the file.


Sierra, Pulse, Wilcom all make good "auto trace" that works with proper art.


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## tfalk

Sorry Z, but I would never include the words 'Sierra' and 'good' in any sentence.


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## Express D

Hi.... my first post here 

Auto digitizing according to me is a selling point.

They will use such simple yet clean vector drawings to show you how easy it is to get a design digitized with a push of a button. I laugh when I see the same thing over and over again at seminars and if I feel that the demo is going over the top I will ask him / her to autodigitize an animal's face which I normally carry with me....lol


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## A1WHITES

Has anyone try ACTION ILLUSTRATED EZ STITCH DIGITIZING SOFTWARE ? it works with corel draw. Look good to me. But what do I know.


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## Mtnview

A1WHITES said:


> But what do I know.


Well...did you know 15 minutes could save you 15% percent or more?


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## BadReligion

Le me put it this way: I have 10+ years of embroidery and digitizing experience and I only once used auto digitize option on software tha I use (Compucon EOS and Wilcom). Auto digitize option is helpful when making stitch count estimation, other than that it doesn't work properly.


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## skits

badreligion said:


> le me put it this way: I have 10+ years of embroidery and digitizing experience and i only once used auto digitize option on software tha i use (compucon eos and wilcom). Auto digitize option is helpful when making stitch count estimation, other than that it doesn't work properly.


100% agree


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## Megadigitizing

Auto Digitizing software can not give you the quality result. You can try those software to get the stitch count which helps to give the estimation of the design.


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## wickedstangs

Hello Everyone I am looking for Digitizing Software and read about the WILCOM which one are you all using.. I have read them all but, still not sure which one to purchase.

TrueSizer
Deco Studio
Embroidery Studio
DesignWorkFlow


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## Megadigitizing

We are using Wilcom software and we are having good results with it. I recommend it.


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## EMBJunkies

Which one above are you using?


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## wickedstangs

Megadigitizing said:


> We are using Wilcom software and we are having good results with it. I recommend it.


which one? for editing and digitizing?
TrueSizer
Deco Studio
Embroidery Studio
DesignWorkFlow


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## Megadigitizing

wickedstangs said:


> which one? for editing and digitizing?
> TrueSizer
> Deco Studio
> Embroidery Studio
> DesignWorkFlow


We used latest version of Wilcom, there are others software too like embert, melco.

But main thing is, it's require lots of time to learn the art. Usually if a newbie starts digitizing with Wilcom, It will take him 6 months to become level 1- level 2 digitizer and In this business quality is the main thing.


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## ShirlandDesign

> ALL embroidery software has a major learning curve


Knowing what you want the machine to do is the real learning curve, learning how to tell the machine to do it in any given program is a pretty straight forward proposition.



> You'll need standard digitizing software rather than autodigitizing to produce quality embroidery. If you've only created artwork for screen printing you'll need to learn what does and doesn't work for embroidery.


Absolutely.



> Auto digitising is a marketing tool......In my 10 yrs in digitising I have and will never use it.


It will create organic, or curvilinear fills quickly and very adequately. It cannot path, color sequence, or model 3D effects at all. 



> how many embroiderers who outsource their digitising, need their designs edited after the first stitch out?


Typically low dollar punchers off shore will do exactly what you tell them to do. Experience on the machine will tell you what to avoid asking the machine to do. And yeah, nearly always, bargain punching needs a little help.



> Outsource your digitizing til its obvious you are losing money doing so.


Outsource and pay close attention to what works and what doesn't. Start punching yourself and add tricks and effects as you learn them.



> It gets down to learning what thread does and how it interacts with different materials. Just takes time to learn.


Amen, I did exploded isometric projections of clocks in ACad for a bit. Two parts, knowing what you want the machine to do, and efficiently telling the machine what you want.



> They will use such simple yet clean vector drawings to show you how easy it is to get a design digitized


Creating clean vector work to air punch with is essential. 



> Le me put it this way: I have 10+ years of embroidery and digitizing experience and I only once used auto digitize option on software tha I use (Compucon EOS and Wilcom). Auto digitize option is helpful when making stitch count estimation, other than that it doesn't work properly.





> 100% agree


100% agree, 98% of the time. The other 2% of the time you still have to be able to punch other elements to have a finished design typically. I can recall one piece that was a tree with some type under it. Auto punched the tree, keyed in the type, and chuckled about the punching fee.



> In this business quality is the main thing.


If your running a couple of hundred Nike windshirt's @ $80.00 a pop thats one hell of a liability to take on without "knowing sewing" intimately. I had 15 $95 dollar wholesale leather jackets on a single machine when I first got started back in the mid 90's. That's $150.00 apiece when adjusted for inflation. $2,250.00 on the line at the push of a button, and leather doesn't heal the way a pique will. Shoot you can stitch erase a good size fill and get away with it depending on the material, but not leather. 





​


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## Suemorris

Where can you learn to create quality embroidery designs
Thanks
Sue


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## caprint

I just downloaded Hatch from Wilcom and am trying it out. They let you try it for 30 days and I have 23 days left. I am just learning digitizing and have been having to send my designs out. So far, I am impressed. I have a Brother 10 needle 1000e and have only been doing left chest so far. I LOVE my Brother machine!!!!


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## digidana

there are zero, ZERO options for quality autodigitizing. If you put out autodigitizing embroidery, your customers won't come back. your embroidery will look awful. either learn digitizing, which takes at the minimum of 5 years, or find a good digitizer. give your customer the option. $0 set up and crap embroidery, or $45 digitizing and have an awesome logo. if you want to stay in business, you have GOT to put out quality work, with excellent customer service. i've seen so many close shop because they embroidery crap.


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## sherryonline4u

*Never pay for embroidery files again - how to digitize logos yourself*

https://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=_cYQHsxMgrc&u=/watch?v=ppEzTfeKu-w&feature=share

Introduction to wilcom e2


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## LTPEMB

I love how long these topics can go on. 

We bought an embroidery business that already owned a bunch of software but none of the top Level software. 

90% of it was auto digitizing with DecoStudio, and DRAWings X3, and the employees that came with the store and had the experiance at the time only knew how to auto digitize... We would outsource our most difficult files but even those were tricky to run sometimes and were not always perfect. Eventually I decided out of pocket to buy Wilcom EmbroideryStudio E3. Instantly my understanding of embroidery digitizing changed over night, and over the course of 3-4 months our file quality, speed of digitizing and Look improved dramatically. 
Auto Digitizing for most artworks actually can take longer than regular digitizing for most things. 

It has been less than 2 years now I still don't have all the skill in the artistic side of digitizing yet but I know have the skills to create/recreate, and most of all IMPROVE files to the point that I can sit back and watch the machine run near flawlessly and whatever time investment I have made in digitizing/learning has been re coped in greater understanding of my machine/relationships of file and fabric and overall run speed/quality.


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## digidana

it was a first time post...and same person posted the same thing on digitsmith. i'm guessing its a sales thing...


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