Lots Of Experience, Just Not In Embroidery

IllustratorGuy · June 14th, 2010, 11:29 AM

All...first time in this forum, please forgive me if I break any protocol, or ask silly questions.

I've been designing in Illustrator on a Mac for years, so am very familiar with vector graphics, fonts, strokes, masks, bezier curves, etc. However, in wanting to take my designs to embroidery, that gets me nowhere, which is very frustrating.

I don't want to outsource digitizing, as I am admittedly way too anal about every point and angle to not be able to control the final product myself.

Is there a digitizing product that would allow me to simply digitize the heck out of all my vector graphics that come from Illustrator? It sounds like Wilcom is a CorelDraw product, so spending hundreds of dollars on a product that is just like Illustrator doesn't seem very wise.

Any input would be much appreciated.

Flint54 · June 14th, 2010, 03:28 PM

Unfortunately digitizing programs are for digitizing. Most of the high quality digitizing programs will allow for the importation of a vector drawing but that is about the extent of using vectors for a drawing per say. What the program then accomplishes is to convert the vector lines into stitches. There are many types of stitches, fills, runs, satins, columns, tatami and many others. . "There are some AUTO-DIGITIZING PROGRAMS out there but until you know how to and what is needed in digitizing stay away from them!"

Illustrator and Corel Draw versions are great for drawing and using a printer/plotter-cutter as the medium in a sense is dead and flat. Fabric on the other hand is alive, it moves and reacts to stitches, underlays, stitch types, stitch directions, stitch lengths, different backings, toppings, thread tensions, thread sizes, needle sizes/types, temperature and humidity and other items. Vector lines are used by the program to form a smooth border of these stitches in order to allow for adding a border, keeping registration between areas of fills and all other stitching. Use of vectors allows for smooth transition of the math used in formulating the plots for the pantograph of the embroidery machine. This is a very basic analogy of differences.

Robert Young · June 14th, 2010, 03:51 PM

ha, so I guess the answer is you are out of luck.. you either need to spend a few, if not more, thousand and take many many months if not years to learn that new software that will allow you to digitize, OR you need to work closely with a person who has already invested the time and money to already be where you need them to be to satisfy your quality concerns. My vote would be to use your considerable knowledge and skill of graphic art packages to create the WOW designs you see in your mind as embroidery, and partner with a digitizer or two (or more, remember they each only know what they know, they did not go to "school" for digitizing so each person will have strengths and weaknesses.) who can translate your ideas into thread.

gotshirtz001 · June 14th, 2010, 05:37 PM

This is the only product I have come across.
http://www.embroideryi2.com/adobe/index.htm

It is not a program... it is an Adobe Illustrator Plug-In so it interfaces with Illustrator.
Last I checked, they only offer a subscription to this product ($200/mo) and not a one-time cost. For some it may make sense... for me, I am better off paying $30 to a digitizer and charging the customer $45.

My $.02