Sunday, 11 September 2011

Digitizers for Embroidery - Commercial versus Personal Digitizing Equipment

Embroidery digitizers make the creation process much faster than antiquated ways of hand stitching designs, but there are major differences between the top of the line embroidery machines and the ones used by most part time or hobbyist embroiderers. In either case, the introduction of computers into the sewing industry completely changed the manner of how designs are produced, and it simplified the process of getting the same exact design repeated multiple times.

Embroidery digitizers come in two classifications, which depend on how and how much embroidery work is to be performed. The home crafter has the same quality output possibilities as the large commercial companies, but the process is quite different. Pricing of the equipment for personal embroidery digitizers is quite affordable, as the numbers have fallen in the last decade.

Some of the main differences between the two types of equipment are:

1. Number of needles or heads - One of the primary differences between commercial and home models is the number of stitching needles. A commercial machine with multiple heads can do an entire design very quickly because all the different colors of threads are loaded and the stitching process is basically continuous. A crafter generally has only one needle, and the stitching stops to allow for switching thread for each color change.

2. Automated processes - Commercial machines do much more of the work than the less expensive models. In most cases, once the thread is loaded and the material is set in place, a design will go from start to finish without much effort from the operator. The crafter type of machine requires the operator's constant attention. If a design has many colors, it can take a long time to finish one copy.

3. Flexibility - Home embroidery digitizers are rather limited on what they can do. A basic flat piece of material represents where most designs are embroidered. The type of material usually is cloth, which must be within certain thicknesses. Commercial machines can stitch through many types of material and have the capability of placing designs on items like ball caps and throw rugs.

Software that runs the programs is similar in concept for commercial and residential versions of embroidery digitizers, but based on the abilities of the stitching machines, it can be much more powerful for the more expensive equipment.

Primarily, digitizers for embroidery dealing with high volume business must be the higher end units. In manufacturing, an emblem or design placed on thousands of shirts, caps, and other products is only worth a small amount. It would be counterproductive and a money losing venture to attempt Digitizing Embroidery designs with a one needle home based machine.

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Thursday, 25 August 2011

Digitized Embroidery Designs - Order Placement Tips for Best Service

Some customers give unfavorable reviews on digitizing companies because of their own mistakes. This can be caused by several misconceptions or misunderstandings that relate to the information given on an order. Even though the companies ask customers for pertinent information, they may not receive the correct responses. Here are a few of the things that can go wrong with an order.

Size of the Digitized Logo or Artwork

If you are not completely sure of the size required for the finished embroidery, you shouldn't place the order. What this can result in is additional cost for resizing. Most firms will amend the size of the output as much as 20% without an additional charge, but a drastic change, especially to make the output larger, generally results in more cost to the digitizing firm and subsequently to the customer.

Material Used for the Embroidered Image

The program for the image must be set up for the type of material that is to be stitched. If you change your mind on the material after placing an order, this may cause problems due to any adjustments that have to be made. Whether the material you eventually use is heavier or lighter than what you originally planned, a large enough difference will cause issues it comes time to stitch the image.

Artwork Submitted

When you send an image to be audited by the digitizing firm, be sure you understand what formats are acceptable. Many times, .eps and .ai are the preferred format extensions, but most companies have several other formats they can use. Obviously, the best results for the digitized image come from using the recommended format.

If the image sent is a rough drawing with undefined lines, it will not produce a good embroidered image. Most digitizing companies will not accept poor artwork, and you can expect it to fail the audit, but this is to safeguard the customer. If the digitizing company is coerced into accepting artwork that is inferior, it is easy to understand why the finished results will not be of a good quality.

A garment with the desired artwork may be acceptable to some digitizing firms. Hand drawn images do not make for great digitizing. Just keep in mind that for programs to properly stitch what is desired, colors and lines must be clearly defined. Stitched images do not work well with shaded or poorly defined colors.

Turnaround Time

Similar to the old adage about "garbage in, garbage out," you have to submit the correct information if you want to get back a design that meets your expectations and in a reasonable time frame.

If you know the right answers when you place an order, most work will be digitized within 24 hours, although that will vary from one online embroidery digitizer company to another. When changes are made after the order is submitted, you cannot expect your Digitized Embroidery Designs delivered back to you in a timely fashion.

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How to Find a Qualified Online Embroidery Digitizer

If you are looking for your first embroidery digitizer company or another one in a long line of providers you haven't been satisfied with, it takes some effort to find a good candidate. If you aren't dealing in a large volume of business, it can be problematic to find someone who fits into your budget and embroidery requirements.

The rule of thumb in the selection process is to go by how long a company has been in business. The established ones will usually post their tenure on the landing page of their site because they are proud of it. You may have to do some investigative work to find out whether a business is new or not. If all else fails, email and ask the question directly. Online businesses depend on email, and a prompt response is a positive sign.

If conversing by way of email, you will have the opportunity to check out the customer service at the same time. Ask pertinent questions about their company without indicating how much business you plan to supply. Even if you plan to receive a large volume of designs from an online company, don't show your hand too quickly. If you get good response without promises of a great deal of business, you may have found the right provider.

If you have an interest in the services of a digitizer supplier, always get samples of previous work. Anyone in the business expects this request from prospective clients. You may receive emailed pictures or, if you so choose, request mailed information and samples.

Some companies are more proficient in large designs and others in small, and this might be a determining factor in your decision. The website will probably give an indication of what kind of digitizing a company has done in the past.

The extent of services offered can be anything from supplying a digitized program for a design you stitch to a full service design company that supplies the work, too. If you do your own stitching, you will more than likely choose a different company than you would otherwise. If you are unclear what a company offers in services, be sure to ask when you email them.

If you are doing your own stitching, it doesn't matter so much what country the digitizing is done in. If you plan to ship materials to a factory to have the supplier stitch your design, shipping and tariff costs may make it more conducive to keep your business in your home country.

Online Embroidery Digitizer companies are very competitive with one another, so you can expect pricing to be similar between the various suppliers. Costs are sometimes posted at the site along with terms of use. It should be very clear what embroidery designs will cost you before you contract with anyone.

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Wednesday, 17 August 2011

Digitized Embroidery Designs - Copyright and Licensing

One of the most cumbersome elements of producing fabrics with embroidered images on them is avoiding licensing problems or infringements to copyrights. If you arrive at an image simply by copying from a website, there is usually no way to know if it is in the public domain or not.

Unlike a phrase or document, images are hard to investigate thoroughly enough to know whether they are free to use or not. With words, it is simple to run them through Copyscape or other tools and find out if they have been published online; in printed form it is not as easy to determine. No software can scan an image and respond to its copyright status. It is too complicated a process.

If you find images on Google Images and other databases, there is usually a tag applied that indicates if the images are free to use or require the permission of the owner. If you plan to use the images commercially, you probably will need to pay some kind of royalty for the convenience of their use. This can be an expensive way to receive an image because many owners want a hefty one-time payment along with a minor percentage for each use.

Another copyright problem can arise if you use a legitimate image that has reference to certain organizations, either in letters or words. This gray area can get to be quite sticky if you are commercially successful with the product that bears the image. It is usually best to stay away from references to any incorporated company, sports team, government organization, or real person.

Finding artwork that meets your needs isn't that hard. Many places online feature images you procure just by paying a membership fee. By establishing an account, you will find multitudes of free images on almost any topic. At the same time, there are images that you can purchase for your needs. Many of these can be yours for a low one-time fee, and some allow usage a certain number of times before another usage fee must be paid.

If you desire to have exclusive rights to an image, the cost can be very high. Most of the owners sell the rights for the use of an image to many people. If they can no longer sell the same image, they want compensation commensurate with the loss of expected revenue.

These independent sites are the best places to get your artwork unless you make your own. Be sure of your rights of usage before you send anything to an embroidery digitising service. It is much better to spend the time necessary to cover your interests than to pay for Digitized Embroidery Designs that will be useless. Whatever designs you use, be sure to file documentation that shows you have the right to use them.

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