Tech Tips: Identify Fabric Color Prior to Digitizing Embroidery Files

July 6, 2009

A common frustration for many digitizers is discovering that a seemingly perfect sew-out file — at least on their end — turns out to be horrible on the customer's end. What’s worse is that digitizers then have to guess at how to fix what appears to them as an already perfectly digitized file.

While most digitizers ask their customers up front what type of fabric the design will be embroidered on and where the design will be placed, many forget to ask what the garment fabric color is, which can lead to frustration for both the digitizer and his customer.

Why is determining fabric color so important? The pictures below tell all.



Both images feature the same digitized file, and were sewn on the same machine head. However, the two images vary greatly in their visual impact. Notice how thin and scanty the letters on the black fabric look, while the purple lettering against a light fabric appear thicker.

By first identifying the color of the fabric that the finished file will be sewn on, you can then digitize the file accordingly, and add more density and pull compensation for darker fabrics if needed. Lighter color fabrics don’t require as much density, and adding too much pull compensation will cause objects — especially small letters — to become closed.

If the embroiderer has various fabric colors to embroider on, it's a good idea to send back two digitized files to a customer — one for light fabrics and one for darks. Medium color fabrics don’t need any special adjustments, and in most cases either digitized file (dark or light) will work well.

Remember that by asking what a customer's fabric colors are, you can then digitize accordingly and watch how your number of revisions fall! — Information provided by Quality Punch, Torrance, Calif.