March 2nd, 2009, 02:20 PM
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#2 (permalink)
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Senior Member
- Join Date:
- Nov 2008
- Location:
- Central Massachusetts
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Re: Digitizing for others
Well ... Lets see here ... there are SO many things to consider.
1. Generally if you digitize correctly you don't need to make ANY adjustments it should sew fine from machine to machine. Babylock / brother uses PES file format. Industry standard is .DST make sure you are familiar with dst e.g. dst does not store any color information like PES does. So you will need to deliver a color change chart to all your customers. I have found that you need to work in .dst format. if you work in .pes then convert to .dst sometimes your jumps get messed up. beware of that first and foremost.
2. Scammers: they're all out there, generally you offer an edit with your design, so it gives them a chance to tell you what is wrong, and you correct it. Most embroiderers, or at least good ones will not scam you, and are decently honest. Still that one is a risk.
3. Advertise, word of mouth, offer deals discounts with embroiderers, bulk pricing. Put out a few posts here, embroidery yellow pages, craigslist even.
4. MOST big shops have some sort of in-house digitizing, try to go after their "overflow" if they get busy or what not.
5. I haven't met a digitizer yet that hasn't e-mailed the design. It lets you deliver your product instantly and effectively. I have never heard of e-mail programs messing up design code, but just incase, ZIP the file before you send it, that should protect the original file.
6. Generally, you are going to want to know, what size the design needs to be, and the garment e.g. T-shirt, cap, fleece, twill, denim, etc. so you know how to set your underlay, pull comps, and all that stuff.
7. I suppose you can recommend stabilizer, but I have never seen anyone do it, thats up to your customer how they want to sew the job. Believe it or not, I have had a lot of clients requesting tear away on shirts, most people don't like that piece of stabilizer on the garment, just because. Occasionally I've seen a recommended hoop size, but thats about it. The less you say the better.
Now ... a few of MY questions. What software do you use? Do you have some GOOD software that you can actually crank things out and make some money? Designs are only as good as the person who digitized them, I realize that, you can make works of art with any software, however if you are using a beefed up home program like generations versus a commercial program like Wilcom, or Wings, even Design Maxx. It make take you 3 hours in generations versus 20 minutes in Wilcom. Its all about speed. When a client sends you a file, they expect it back in 24 -48 hours, maybe less. I know if I send out some designs, I expect it in 24 hours or less. Time IS money.
Hope I have answered some of your questions.
-- Eric
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