Embroidery Digitizing: custom small lettering tips?

Rodney

Hello to all the embroidery folks

I've been learning digitizing for a couple of months now and the one thing that keeps giving me problems is small lettering. Okay maybe a lot of things gives me problems but for now I want to know why small lettering is such an annoying thing. Everything looks perfect on screen but when I load the design to my machine, the embroidered result is not even close to what's on screen. In fact, I can't even read it!

My wife and I tried embroidering small lettering on both our home machine (Brother ULT-2003) and our commercial machine (Amaya Modular Machine) and both embroidered lettering looked horrible!

We'd appreciate any and all tips and hints

Sincerely,
Rodney and Marie

ScottyStitches

try reading here it is a useful site.
if it does not help let me know.
http://www.stitches.com/

this is for small lettering
http://stitches.com/mag/apparel_lett...ect/index.html

Rodney

Thanks for that ScottyStitches!

Rodney

I've been pulling my hair over this small lettering issue all day today!!!

i just can't seem to get it right. Any more ideas from digitizers or embroiderers? Thanks a lot.

ScottyStitches

what problems are you having?
and what material is it?
in case you are, dont use seriff fonts, i use helvetica for samller fonts.
set at 4.0 dens. center underlayand run the machine at about 700 or less rpm's about 3/8's of an inch tall. i dont metric!
what kind of backing are you using also. and thickness.
send me the file if you want and ill see what, if any problems you have in that dept.
i'll pm you my e-mail
i can use a .ref to modify, .dst and i cant do a thing cept redigitize it.

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ScottyStitches

Rodney

Sorry for responding so late Scott.
Basically the letters can't be read. The letter "e" becomes nothing but a blob of thread.
Nothing specifically. I'm just practicing, trying to improve. I found out everything looks great on backing! But once I stitch it on polo shirt scraps everything is a disaster!!
I'm trying all of them, but you're right serif fonts suck!
I'm experimenting with all sorts of backing.
Thanks Scott I got your PM. As I said above, I'm currently just playing around with small fonts and trying to learn the best I could. I'm digitizing it for a customer or anything. If I did, they would no be happy with it at all . Thanks a lot for trying to help me. I guess I just need to keep practicing doing trial and error and pulling whatever hair I have left.

ScottyStitches

i use a 2.0 backing cut away. you might want to try using topping untill you get better at digitizing.
i was asking for the art so i can try to see what you are doing so i can help you fix it, this really is not a learn on your own type of thing because you dont know what the problem is.if you dont know whats broke, how can you fix it?
i can resend the file if you send it so you can see how it should look etc.

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ScottyStitches

Rodney

whoops! that should have been "I'm not digitizing it for a customer or anything". There is no artwork Scotty I'm just playing around doing only letters. No logo or anything like that.
Yes you're right. I've decided not to learn digitizing for now because it's taking too much of my time. I should focus on the just the embroidery side of things for now. Maybe I'll try again the future.
As I said there is no artwork but thanks for the offer Scotty!

Lisa_LJ

Here's a double whammy -- Small Lettering (san serif not always an option) plus Fine Cotton Fabric that will show through any backing. suggestions?? help from the pros will really be appreciated by this amateur.

cmsembroidery@yahoo.com

Hi Rodney
You have a couple of options. 1 use a lighter thread like 50. 2 decrease your density.
3. when setting type in software manually put the size in that seem to work for me.
so lets say your type needs to be 1/4 high manually put in .025
Good Luck