# Finding a digitizer



## keljohnso (Dec 18, 2011)

I'm just starting out and I'm looking for a digitizer for any future designs. I've seen digitizers with set prices, and some that quote by the job. 

I just received a quote for a left chest 3" tall, 9000 stitches, with 6 colors for $72, and thats mostly text. Is this about right? I think I'm going to have a hard sell to my customer and then tell them this is only for digitizing.

I'm going to send it to a couple more people but this seems very time consuming. 

So, until I learn it myself whats the best way to find a digitizer?


----------



## theshirtman (Jan 19, 2012)

I would suggest looking at paying around $3 per 1000 stitches. There are several options of overseas digitizers.

Best of Luck


----------



## zoom_monster (Sep 20, 2006)

keljohnso said:


> I'm just starting out and I'm looking for a digitizer for any future designs. I've seen digitizers with set prices, and some that quote by the job.
> 
> I just received a quote for a left chest 3" tall, 9000 stitches, with 6 colors for $72, and thats mostly text. Is this about right? I think I'm going to have a hard sell to my customer and then tell them this is only for digitizing.
> 
> ...


For a design that is mostly text, 3" tall and about 9K, I might be inclined to charge more as well... You may be happy with keyboard text and make it easy on some guy, but all of that fitting in that small of an area, you need to provide more details. The guy that's quoting you... is that a decorator or just the digitizer? I'm sure you can get someone somewhere to do it cheaper(you always can), but you'll need to be very specific on your instructions, and be understanding that cheaper is not always better. A bad design will break your machine, ruin garments and cause your client not to come back. A good design is an investment that pays off in ease of production and clients telling their friends. Shop around and get sample files. When you find someone you like, don't be afraid to pay a little more. $72 might be too much, but this guy might be telling you something..... either I'm too busy or I don't like the design you are sending me so I'm tacking on my PiA charge.


----------



## ecampbell (Jul 14, 2010)

I have to agree with zoom monster here- it reminded me of an article showing a 'taste test' of several overseas digitizers:

IMAGES - THE JOURNAL FOR TEXTILE SCREENPRINTING ,EMBROIDERY, PROMOTIONAL CLOTHING AND GARMENT DECORATION

Do think before you run overseas, and remember that you (almost) always get what you pay for.

-Erich


----------



## zoom_monster (Sep 20, 2006)

Erich, 
Wow that's a Great article. certainly that is a good case study. Knowing what works (from the production standpoint) will help anyone on the decoration side help their client choose what they can afford. Not too many people can afford an 18 to 20K design on the left chest or cap. I spend a lot of time with new clients helping them understand that I can make suggestions that will make their job easier and more profitable..... even if it's not what they their customer "thinks" they want. 

The article was correct, You can send a design to the far east and they will send you a file for an incredibly cheap price. It may look like they nailed it on screen, but on a garment, it will cost you. You will probably get more business if you have cheap designs and don't talk people out of stuff, but you'll get better clients and more repeat business if you "guide" them into something that really works in the real world.


----------



## keljohnso (Dec 18, 2011)

All valid points. 
I'm not going with overseas digitizing. 

I've seen a lot of pricing around $25-30 or so, so $8/1000 is a bit harder to accept as normal, and harder to pass along. 

I received a quote from US Digitizing for $25. Their sample work looks pretty good.

I guess I'll just try it and see.


----------



## Liberty (Jul 18, 2006)

Erich (and all)

It is indeed an intersting article and a nice website, thanks!

But one key point needs to be brought up about your "overseas" comments...

The articles author and the website/magazine are from the UK. Yet they chose an "overseas" digitizer as the "winner" Tom from Strawberry stitch in the US. "Overseas" is a matter of your perspective... and did you notice the trashing he took for the terrible customer service? 

If you look at teh sewouts and read the write ups, do you really want to do business with any of the 11 companies tested?

I don't think a persons geographical location has any bearing at all on their digitizing skills. There are a lot of really really bad digitizers right here in the old US of A and a lot of really good digitizers in other faraway lands.

And you can't compare pricing because seven of the samples were listed as "Free Trials"

My biggest complaint with the digitizing houses, both domestic and offshore, is a lack of consistency. You can send a design and not know who the actual digitizer is and receive results that are all over the quality spectrum. Send the same design to the same firm three times and you will likely get three different results.

I want a relationship with the digitizers where we learn each others strengths and weaknesses.

I keep a list of digitizers that I know are very good at certain things. One may be great at fins, feathers or fur. Another may be a small lettering wiz and yet another may be a blending expert. But the key is that I know the individual digitizer and their strengths or weaknesses.

Fortunately, the average corporate logo doesn't need a lot of finess but even in these cases I want to know that I will receive a good looking and production friendly design.

All things being equal, yes I will keep it local/domestic.

And in the interest of full disclosure, we do about 90% of our designs in house. We do not digitize for our competitors. And we make it very clear to our customers that they are paying a setup fee and the stitch file is and always will be mine. The digitizing is the number one reason our embroidery often looks much better than the competitor. No way do we hand it off so they can go down the street to save a buck.

Now if you want to know what REALLY ticks me off, it is the ridiculous number of telemarketing calls I get from offshore digitizers. Three to five calls per day on average. We keep a list, you telemarket me more than once and you will NEVER get my business... and I don't want to "hear" how good you are, show me the money. If you don't have a drop dead design that showcases tight registration and small lettering that you can send me as an ice breaker then don;t bother.



ecampbell said:


> I have to agree with zoom monster here- it reminded me of an article showing a 'taste test' of several overseas digitizers:
> 
> IMAGES - THE JOURNAL FOR TEXTILE SCREENPRINTING ,EMBROIDERY, PROMOTIONAL CLOTHING AND GARMENT DECORATION
> 
> ...


----------



## skits (Jun 24, 2009)

Well spoken Mark....totally agree with all your points.

Telemarketing will never stop....its in every industry... your receptionist must be able to pickup if its a telemarketing call or not.... just tell them that you are no longer in business and they will not call you again in most cases.....I have often ended up abusing them when they dont understand the meaning of "NOT INTERESTED"

Just yesterday I have received 5 spam emails of digitizing houses in India mainly. Its an everyday thing now. I just blacklist them on my mailwasher. Sometimes I feel like sending them a complicated portrait picture of myself to do for free....lol (in the hope that they will not spam me again....lol)

Also note many new startups come up with a name....few months down the line they will change the company name and spam you or call you again. You as a customer feel maybe you should give this new company a go but actually its a company that you probably have tested before and not liked. These are just facts of how people are operating.


----------



## ecampbell (Jul 14, 2010)

Hey, Liberty-

I agree- my 'overseas' comment was off-base and far too U.S.-centric, and I apologize for that. I should have said, don't be quick to run to the cheapest digitizer you can find. There are amazing digitizers all over the world, and quality, artistic expression, and production friendliness is not limited to geographical location. Moreover, when there are quality problems, sometimes it has to be recognized that when people are forced to work with small profit margins, that they just won't be able to spend the time it takes to make a masterpiece of every design. So, in that much, I'd like to clarify that I don't think that any country has a stranglehold on good digitizing. There are more than a couple digitizers overseas who I respect and keep in touch with, so I'd like to make it clear that I had a certain subset of sub-standard, cut-rate digitizing houses in mind, not a geographical region. We should reward good work from anyone in any region, and if my off-handed comment made anyone think different, I apologize.

That said, the truth of the matter, at least when it comes to folks I deal with regularly in the U.S., is that the cheapest work is usually sourced overseas (from our perspective), and that we often have problems with consistency when dealing with those designs. Many is the time I've had to rehab or replace such a design for a frustrated customer (though I do tell them to think carefully about what they really expected for so little).

I too am an in-house digitizer, and we are in the same boat as you are, where our digitizing makes a difference. Among the benefits we tout are not only our quality and consistency, but our ability to be responsive to quick changes and to provide one-on-one consultation with our clients so that we can create exactly the design they want. Our customers get educated in the process and can help us to steer the embroidery in a way that can't easily be reproduced by any kind of outsourcing.

I have to say, I agree with you about their marketing. The constant telemarketing, hijacking of blog comments, inappropriate spam posts, and the endless stream of e-mails from these companies also gets my goat. As a digitizer, getting constant emails talking about how useless I am and how my company should switch over to one of these companies is no fun.  Moreover, I do think it is disingenuous that there are companies who deck their websites in the stars and stripes, list their businesses as being located in the US, but actually maintain only an organizational office here and actually have digitizers overseas doing their work. It takes advantage of those who do want to stay local, whatever their motivations.

I'll do my best to remember not to paint with too wide a brush- let's all respect the good work that our peers do, but let's also encourage our fellow digitizers to compete on quality rather than race to the unprofitable bottom of the pricing scale. I want to see us all become better craftspeople, not cheaper commodities.



Liberty said:


> Erich (and all)
> The articles author and the website/magazine are from the UK. Yet they chose an "overseas" digitizer as the "winner" Tom from Strawberry stitch in the US. "Overseas" is a matter of your perspective... and did you notice the trashing he took for the terrible customer service?
> ...
> Now if you want to know what REALLY ticks me off, it is the ridiculous number of telemarketing calls I get from offshore digitizers. Three to five calls per day on average. We keep a list, you telemarket me more than once and you will NEVER get my business... and I don't want to "hear" how good you are, show me the money. If you don't have a drop dead design that showcases tight registration and small lettering that you can send me as an ice breaker then don;t bother.


----------



## Liberty (Jul 18, 2006)

It has almost become a sport around here to toy with the telemarketers. I just had one from a company that rhymes with infinity, they have called at least once a week for over ten years. It comes up on caller ID from a different number every time. They just get a dial tone once we realize who they are. Others are usually quieted by the response "our current digitizer only charges 25 cents per thousand and his designs run great. And he gives us net 60 terms too. Can you do better?" That one works 100% of the time... (maybe I shouldn't have posted that publicly?"


----------



## skits (Jun 24, 2009)

Liberty said:


> It has almost become a sport around here to toy with the telemarketers. I just had one from a company that rhymes with infinity, they have called at least once a week for over ten years. It comes up on caller ID from a different number every time. They just get a dial tone once we realize who they are. Others are usually quieted by the response "our current digitizer only charges 25 cents per thousand and his designs run great. And he gives us net 60 terms too. Can you do better?" That one works 100% of the time... (maybe I shouldn't have posted that publicly?"


hahahahha nice one...Im definitely gonna try that


----------



## gnizitigid (Jan 23, 2007)

Liberty said:


> "our current digitizer only charges 25 cents per thousand and his designs run great. And he gives us net 60 terms too. Can you do better?" That one works 100% of the time..."


Its good....this idea can work for every niche or business...and they will sure rethink before calling you again...


----------



## zoom_monster (Sep 20, 2006)

Consistency is they key. I've seen great work come from cheap punching mills in places with very cheap labor. This doesn't mean they will always hit the mark. One thing is certain, most of these places have their few "expert digitizers" and they also have many beginners that are learning the craft. Some are conscientious, others do not care. Any of us that have employees know that if you have disconnect from the client and the worker, you will have people with the attitude that "this person does not care what they send me, so I'll return that favor by not putting full effort into it". If you can send embroiderable artwork and have a rapport with the experts in a firm, You can get good work.
A lot of newbys who do not understand the difference (or Value) between a well running design and a bad one and are out for the lowest price, can and will settle for less. You basically are forcing these firms to compete for the lowest price and mediocrity. In that environment volume is King and quality is secondary.


----------



## beanie357 (Mar 27, 2011)

We simply try them. We go for one redo if it sews off poorly. If they fail that, we put them on the don't use list. The biggest problem seems to be text and fields.

We constantly try new ones, as customers are resistant to add on charges, so we look for inexpensive alternatives. Depending on the job, we use Fastmanger to amortize all extra costs into one line item. Lessens the *****ing.


----------



## leuleubell (Mar 6, 2012)

Average charge for a digitizer is $2.00/thousand stitches. $8.00/thousand is way too much.


----------



## dim116 (Nov 27, 2006)

I use Artwork Source They digitize & vectorize.
Most left chest digitizing jobs seem to be around the $30. mark. Great results too.


----------



## gnizitigid (Jan 23, 2007)

hotbox888 said:


> I want a relationship with the digitizers where we learn each others strengths and weaknesses.


Same a digitizer will be looking with you....a good understanding with your digitizer will make to understand many technical things which digitizer can share with you, he will even frankly tell you his strength and weakness, for example, 3d digitizing or foam based designs.

It also helps digitizer because you can spread his services to your known embroiders (If you both have good relationships and he is offering good quality)

It helps in every business to have good relationships between provider and buyer.


----------



## ThreadHeadKev (Aug 3, 2011)

I also use Art Work Source....$30 up to 20,000 stitches. Designs run great. Service is excellent, quality is consistant with quick turnaround.

Kevin
Stuck On Designs
Prince Rupert, BC


----------



## AlisonB (Sep 26, 2010)

ecampbell said:


> I have to agree with zoom monster here- it reminded me of an article showing a 'taste test' of several overseas digitizers:
> 
> IMAGES - THE JOURNAL FOR TEXTILE SCREENPRINTING ,EMBROIDERY, PROMOTIONAL CLOTHING AND GARMENT DECORATION
> 
> ...


Erich - I found the article very interesting, and have been playing with digitizing the given design. Unfortunately my software can't open EMB files, and I haven't noticed if there was a size given for the finished design. Is there a chance that you would know that and be able to let me know?
Thank you,
Alison


----------



## Specialty Stitch (Feb 21, 2009)

Alison- You can download Wilcom Truesizer at embroiderystartup.com. It lets you open, scale and save EMB files to other machine formats.


----------



## tfalk (Apr 3, 2008)

lauraprofant said:


> Might want to check with them and at least get free quote..plus they are a US business...we need to stop sending all our money overseas, IMO


You realize this thread is from almost 2 years ago? If they didn't get their design digitized by now, I doubt they still need it.


----------



## dearing (Jan 3, 2014)

My digitizer charges a flat fee of $30 for a combo of left chest and cap design. No issues if you want a reedit. Number of colors makes no difference. They are award winning digitizer's. I would definitely shop around before I paid $75 ....


----------



## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

lauraprofant said:


> Wicked Stitch of the East pricing would put that at $40
> Might want to check with them and at least get free quote..plus they are a US business...we need to stop sending all our money overseas, IMO


That is who we use. Never a problem.


----------



## TPrintDesigner (Sep 16, 2007)

AlisonB said:


> Erich - I found the article very interesting, and have been playing with digitizing the given design. Unfortunately my software can't open EMB files, and I haven't noticed if there was a size given for the finished design. Is there a chance that you would know that and be able to let me know?
> Thank you,
> Alison


I wrote that article, it opened up a right can of worms. I had two of the "digitizers" call me up and say it wasn't fair.


----------



## tfalk (Apr 3, 2008)

Can a moderator please lock or close this thread already?

1) The original question was from 2 years ago. 
2) Almost every reply recently has been from digitizers posting their information/rates, ie self-promotion and/or link dropping. 

There are numerous posts that have already been removed because the were reported as violations of forum policy otherwise this thread would be 10 pages of digitizer solictiations already.

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/forum-information/t1173.html


----------

