Embroidery Digitizing: custom small lettering tips?

By Anonymous (not verified) on Feb 04, 2006

Hello to all the embroidery folks :p

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 :D 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

By Lisa_LJ on Feb 15, 2010 - 6:25 PM EST

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.

By Anonymous (not verified) on Feb 7, 2006 - 11:16 PM EST

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

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

By ScottyStitches on Feb 9, 2006 - 8:46 PM EST

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.

ScottyStitches:p

By Anonymous (not verified) on Feb 12, 2006 - 9:33 AM EST

Sorry for responding so late Scott. :D

Quote:
what problems are you having?

Basically the letters can't be read. The letter "e" becomes nothing but a blob of thread.
Quote:
and what material is it?

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!!
Quote:
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!

I'm trying all of them, but you're right serif fonts suck!
Quote:
what kind of backing are you using also. and thickness.

I'm experimenting with all sorts of backing.
Quote:
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.

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 :p. 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. :o
By ScottyStitches on Feb 13, 2006 - 9:32 AM EST

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.

ScottyStitches:p

By Anonymous (not verified) on Feb 13, 2006 - 9:46 AM EST

Rodney wrote:
I'm digitizing it for a customer or anything.

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.
Quote:
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?

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.
Quote:
i can resend the file if you send it so you can see how it should look etc.

As I said there is no artwork but thanks for the offer Scotty! :)
By Pearcarl on Oct 14, 2011 - 12:50 AM EDT

Rodney wrote:
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! :)

I used Designers Gallery Software and they have a portion of it called Letter Works or you can get Letter Works as a Stand Alone Software. Does really beautiful lettering. Even 4 MM.

By Pearcarl on Oct 14, 2011 - 12:51 AM EDT

Pearcarl wrote:
I used Designers Gallery Software and they have a portion of it called Letter Works or you can get Letter Works as a Stand Alone Software. Does really beautiful lettering. Even 4 MM.

That Designers Gallery software is put out by Babylock....

By MissMay on Oct 21, 2011 - 1:10 PM EDT

Try different fonts... experiment a little and play with them... not all fonts are meant for small lettering. Some softwares include certain fonts that are meant specially for small lettering.. check out the manual in detail for that!

By xxyybeth on Sep 14, 2011 - 6:24 AM EDT

Lettering under .25 is challenging. WYSIWYG on screen is not true with lettering.
Some Things that can help:
Edit, Tweak Node placement, pulling out sharp corner that wants to cave, E, F, N.s etc, Open up gaps, especially A, E e, O's etc.
Reduce Column Width.
Decrease Stitch Spacing, (decrease space between stitches, so they lay snuggly next to each other).
Use Ceter Run Underlay, sometimes to layers or none at all in some cases.
If you have it, Use Wire Frame Tool/Feature to view Y Height alingment, O, C, S's etc. The on screen 3D view is different view than actual, WYSINWYG.
I've been told smaller needles, size 69 (But pain to thread and to switch over if multi heads. I don't, just tweak until crisp small lettering is achieved at test sew out using standard size 70).
If customer brings you sample of successful sew out they want duplicated, only agree if same fabric is purchased. Sample they want duplicated may have came from piece work, sewn before assembled, maybe it's impossible to hoop the finished garment correctly (heavy seams, etc)and obtain that same end result on an assembled product?
Twills, tightly Woven Dense Fabric, best match for tiny crisp lettering.
Avoid attemps on loosly woven Piques, ....try and up sale another type of fabric, same color/style but better suited for their logo.

Obtain a variety of fabrics (resale shop or ask friends to save stained, ripped, items, etc.) Practice! Know your limitations!
If really frustrated, pay an experienced digitizer to do it, then learn from it, see their property settings that indeed achieved your goal, try to duplicate, you'll eventually get it right.

Happy Embroidering!!!

By Brian Burr on Sep 16, 2011 - 8:00 PM EDT

As a policy in our production facility we require all letters to be at least .25 inches tall or you will continue having registration issues. Yes the letters will look okay in your digitizing program but what you see is not what you get in this case. I would suggest not trying to reinvent the wheel and stick to the basics in 101 digitizing keeping letters .25 of an inch tall.

Regards,

Brian

Wholesale Hats specializes in embroidering and screen printing hats, caps, tees, polos, jackets, and shirts. The company's product line includes hundreds of styles of wholesale caps and wholesale hats, many of which can be embroidered with a personalized logo.

By Flint54 on Sep 22, 2011 - 8:22 AM EDT

Non Serif Fonts, CENTER Line Underlay, #40 Thread decrease density, no stitches under.04" or 1.2mm or you will experience thread breaks & hook shearing your thread, slow down speed, 2.0 oz backing, polymesh backing if light fabric, use 69 needle even with #40 thread but get Madeira #60 thread for best results, use a topping, small lettering will be very difficult on thick fabric but works well on twills etc.. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE & then you will need more PRACTICE.

Small Lettering is an art unto itself! ;)

mary52asap's picture
By mary52asap on Oct 5, 2011 - 9:49 AM EDT

Always check the information about the font you are choosing. That can be foun under Help at the top of your screen. The description will tell you the range of sizes within which your font will sew nicely. There are some small fonts-and those are in a category by themselves, at least in Pulse they are. Good luck. If you get good at it, you can handle anything!!!

By arrowembroidery on Oct 8, 2011 - 2:03 PM EDT

As a rule of thumb, always remember, when you reduce the font size by one-fourth of an inch (that's 0.25" as a fellow stated above) you're asking for trouble. Each font has its own sizing, so see that on your help menu.

_______________________

In love with digital stitching....:)