# How to draw image for digitizing



## dogfood10us (Apr 30, 2011)

I'm planning to have an artist draw a logo that I would like to be embroidered on hats and eventually polos. Does the image need to be drawn differently to make digitizing easier? In terms of size is bigger better? And should I have them just draw outlines, then choose colors later or have them go ahead and draw the logo in color? 

Any help is much appreciated


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## gnizitigid (Jan 23, 2007)

In how much stitches approx u need logo digitized, lot of depends on that


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## dogfood10us (Apr 30, 2011)

gnizitigid said:


> In how much stitches approx u need logo digitized, lot of depends on that


Hard to say, I've never done this before but it would be something very similar to the polo logo


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## imeccentric (May 13, 2007)

It depends on the digitizer. Anyone who does it manually, can do it from any kind of drawing( line, detailed, rough) or a jpeg, etc-. If they use auto software, it has to be in vector. Usually a good jpeg with approximate colors is all that is needed. Just remember that embroidery is 3 dimensional while drawing is two. You can't always embroider what you can draw and print. The laws of physics apply here.


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## twilightdancer (May 26, 2009)

^ what he said. 



when i digitize- sometimes a really awesome vector format can digitize beautifully on its own with minor tweaks, i have also digitized from raw 72 dpi jpegs.... for those i manually make fills and outlines, etc....


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## dogfood10us (Apr 30, 2011)

Thanks that really helped


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## LUV DEM TIGERS (Jul 25, 2008)

If you can draw it with a crayon, you can embroider it. LOL


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## zoom_monster (Sep 20, 2006)

LUV DEM TIGERS said:


> If you can draw it with a crayon, you can embroider it. LOL


Many artists will have a dificult time understanding the parameters, but a staring point is to educate them on the minimum thicknesses of satin and the thickness of thread.

These are general, but for trouble free embroidery, they will work in 95% of the cases...

Design at actual size with all colors and on a background color the same as the fabric. It's important to visualize this ahead of time.

Minimum satin width, including the stroke of lettering= 1.2mm

Minimum detail (thread width for 40 weight) .4mm.

Minimum distance between elements .6 to.8mm. This would be the holes in letters and the spacing between paralel satin lines.

If possible create very small lettering(namedrops, slogans, etc.) where you will not have to trim between each letter. 

Always design for a specific hoop size and location. If detail is too small, simplify the art or make it bigger.

Better accuaracy can be achieved by using smaller needles and thread, but this makes it more expensive to the end user, so design it to work with standard needles and 40 wt thread. 

If you build art to these specs, a good digitizer will be able to add proper compensation where needed to work on most fabrics and your customer will have a better idea of what their design will look like before the sewout.


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## lizziemaxine (Nov 14, 2007)

zoom_monster said:


> Many artists will have a dificult time understanding the parameters, but a staring point is to educate them on the minimum thicknesses of satin and the thickness of thread.
> 
> These are general, but for trouble free embroidery, they will work in 95% of the cases...
> 
> ...


Excellent information. It should be required reading for any and all graphics artist who are designing logos that will be embroidered.


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## bungy (Aug 24, 2006)

This is part of what I have on my website as a general guide, but each design is judged on a case by case basis.

_



There are a number of considerations to keep in mind when designing a logo you want embroidered. 
Embroidery is not the same as printing. What looks good on a business card may not work for embroidery.
DO NOT expect detail any finer than you can draw with a fine felt-tip pen (approx 0.4mm)

Thread is of a standard thickness, approx 0.4mm.
Tiny strokes for emphasis and small lettering are often not possible in embroidery.
Frequent colour changes increase the probability for thread breaks during embroidery.

When designing, try to draw the design without lifting your pen/pencil from the paper.
This is what we aim for when we convert the design to stitch format.

Shading is easier to do in Screen printing and on paper than it is in thread.
There is a limit to letter sizes. Lettering below 5mm seldom embroiders crisply.

When sewing on a cap. Detailed outlining is often unsuccessful as the register is often lost in mid design.
When designing on a fabric with a pile or heavy texture eg Polar Fleece, Terry Towelling etc, thin lines can often sink into the fabric pile or texture.

Not all stock designs are scalable.

Small lettering, excessive detail or very small shapes don't lend themselves to reproduction in thread. They are difficult to work with, and don't look good on the finished product. Lettering should be at least 5mm high or taller to sew out best.

An embroidered design is a special kind of graphic. It is made of thread instead of ink, so it has a different texture and sheen.

In an area filled with stitches, there are about 64 threads in every 25mm. In graphic terms, that would be "low resolution." That means that artwork (especially subtle curves and feathery effects) needs to be emulated rather than reproduced.

Click to expand...

_Have a look at some of the stock design sites and see their designs and go from there. Embroidery.com, EmbroideryDesigns.com, Dakota Collectibles, Great Notions etc

But, if you were doing a logo for a business, ultimately you need to choose what can be left out (detail wise) and still achieve the desired result.
The simpler the better.
Look at the logos for all the big companies, their logo is usually simple in design, easily recognizable and easy to reproduce.

For example, Nike, Apple, IBM, Adidas, Telstra (Aust), BHP/Billiton, Xsrata, Rio Tinto, Shell, BP, McDonalds, Burger King etc, all simple designs.


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## NovaDisc (Sep 5, 2011)

dogfood10us,
The higher quality image you present to the embroiderer the better. That's always the case in any kind of printing. If you can scan it in at 300 dpi, that's best, but you can go with less dpi if necessary.

Embroidery pricing depends on the stitches, usually 5k vs. 10k will give you an idea. Just send the embroiderer the design and they can quote it for you and let you know the approximate stitch count and pricing.
hope this helps.
thanks,
Michael
Nova Disc


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