Digitizers Actually Sew Samples?

Robert Young · November 5th, 2013, 08:25 AM

A recent post advised to find a digitizer that sews a sample on similar material as the client's actual order will be sewn on. Digitizers... do you do that?

Years ago we would sew on material just like or similar to the orders our clients had.... we could afford to as left chest designs could begin at $150. BUT we still had to edit if the client needed an edit. Our singlehead sewed differently than their machine (even today a singlehead (nomatter the brand)) will sew differently than a 6 or 12 or any other combo machine.

I believe it does not matter what we sew here in our office... it ONLY matters what happens at our client's place. So for us to do a sewout is pretty useless unless clients in general would agree that: "Oh yours looks good so it must be OUR problem" nope... that will never happen. Ours is a partnership and each and every order we have to work with a design to compensate for a different partner.

Your machine will be different, your operators will change, machine speeds, tensions on thread and bobbins, humidity effecting those as well, etc. hooping, on and on, each fabric . you could be using the wrong needle , ball vs sharp vs wedge, etc. using thinner 60wt thread or not.

What do you think?

hagani · November 5th, 2013, 09:13 AM

I agree with you on that. There is no point for digitizer to try to sew out the design on his machine as there no same machine out there. In addition to that they do make designs for the different machine formats and no digitizer can afford to have all these machines on premises.

xxyybeth · November 5th, 2013, 11:37 AM

I respectfully disagree.

By not performing an actual embroidery machine test sew out and only doing an On Screen Sew Out, it SAVES Digitizers' time, NOT YOURS', the Customers'.

Brand/Model of Embroidery Machine is not a Variable unless design needs to be digitized for an Old Embroidery Machine that does not have Trimmers.

No matter what Machine/Brand/Model, if the machine has capability to READ and Sew DST files then the end result is same.

Machine would only be variable if it was in need of mechanical repair.
On the other hand, Operator is huge variable.
If Operator doesn't use correct backing for project, hoops incorrectly, doesn't assign correct Color to Needles, has Incorrect Tension/Bobbin Settings, incorrect Control Panel Default Settings, etc. then that's an Operator Error, not the Brand/Model of Machine.

EDITS are required for poorly digitized designs, Digitizer did not follow directions/Spec's, Digitizer does not know how to Path Correctly, too many Stops, Trims, Not Production Ready, Outlines don't match, poorly kerned lettering, wrong size design, etc.

The above should be called: CORRECTIONS, not Edits.

In my book, an Edit would be required if the Custome needed CHANGE to the intitial design, and they should pay for CHANGE.

Newbies' need to know, they are PAYING unknowingly if they've found a digitizer they are paying to work for. Don't you agree?

Robert Young · November 5th, 2013, 12:20 PM

but if your digitizer actually shows you a sewout that looks really good and yours doesnt.. are you really going to let them get away with that? my clients wont.. they dont care. they want whatever we have to do to make it look good on THEIR machine in THEIR environment. sorry. After 23 yrs I can make lots of bad designs look better by manipulating the machine.. speeds, threads, tensions, etc... most clients cannot even get close only because they do not have that experience. Many are just distributors passing designs as a middleman and might not have a clue.

I am currently putting together a YouTube video that will show the SAME dst sent to 5 embroidery shops.... then you can see for yourself how designs change per machine/operator/environment.

I do agree that EDITS (corrections) should always be free as they are meant to make sure the quality to the end user is acceptable. But REVISIONS normally have a charge in my world. just semantics.

So my sewout still means nothing as far as my clients are concerned.

AlisonB · November 6th, 2013, 12:24 AM

I still prefer to do sample sewouts for clients - although it is often to only photograph and show on an e-mail with the design I'm sending. I then keep my sample as a portfolio of my digitizing. I'm also only involved with embroiderers in our local area, so I am not talking of that many designs.

Just for interest - I upgraded to a 15-needle SWF (last week

). When I had to run a repeat order for badges I had to tweak the digitizing to get it to look as it had in the previous order! Kind of frustrating. Possibly I could have played with tensions on the machine, but for me it was easier to do it the other way.

Bottom line - different machine, same operator, same DST file - different result.

Robert Young · November 6th, 2013, 07:26 AM

I agree AlisonB that it is reality that every machine will sew the same design a bit differently. Especially a singlehead vs a multihead. Years ago I worked in a shop with over 200 heads and we would sew our samples on the singleheads in digitizing before sending the files outside to the 18 head machines... quite often we still had to edit for the 18 head machine... even though our singlehead sample was approved by the client! Much more "slop" the larger the machine is.... meaning a nice thin letter on a singlehead may sew much thinner and close up on an 18head.

Robert Young · November 6th, 2013, 07:27 AM

much THICKER on an 18head I meant... lol not thinner

inkman996 · November 6th, 2013, 09:23 AM

Interesting topic. from my point of view and my years in the embroidery business I can say a sew out from your digitizer would only be necessary if the digitizer was inexperienced or simply unable to perform quality digitizing based of of knowledge. In this case then you shouldn't even be working with this digitizer to start with.

Case in point we do a lot of contract embroidery for Nike. They provide the digitizing and I can tell you no one I ever dealt with has the quality these guys do. We receive logos from them in DST that look like actual puke on screen. But when you run it, it comes out amazing. A sew out from them is never required because they know what they see on screen will translate correctly on machine.

Now on the other hand I dealt with a Digitizing company from this very site for a short time. Their logos would come in to us with horrible problems. For instance overlaps were half azzed and far to big which was a sign of rushing the job. If they ran an actual sew out themselves they would see the issue. But nope they didn't but we did and we always had to adjust their digitizing really sad.

The point is if you work with a decent knowledgeable digitizer that understands the specs you give him then you shouldn't need a pre sew out from them. 99% of the time things should work correctly. Occasionally a tweak may need to be made.

Robert Young · November 6th, 2013, 10:57 AM

Lands End also used to provide amazing digitizing! But most of us general contract digitizers have do go to the lowest common denominator so we err to the side of super tight tensions on the emb machine etc. (hence more overlap and thicker lettering) only with time can any digitizer usually get to know a particular client and tweek their designs for them. designs are NOT universal... case in point I digitized the FORD oval logo in 1989.... guarantee you I have sent it to over 500 clients in that time.. but to this day I will receive a request for an edit on it!!?? why , well just because hundreds of other people can sew the design with success... each year we will meet a client who needs help with it.. .tensions too tight, wrong needles, etc. that is the reality, not a problem. Just need to take the time to make it work in THEIR environment

but to think you should be able to pick a brand new digitizer and have instant perfect designs is absurd to me. once they have worked a few designs for you then yes.. the designs should progressively get more attuned to your needs.

wildwillie · December 9th, 2013, 01:16 PM

I have masterworks design pro II and lost my disc in our move-can anybody help me I have my registration number 269 3722632