EMBROIDERY WHAT file format??

[Vinylman]

What is the best file format to use to have embroidery made for a shirt front? Any embroidery specialist on here that can let me know how to set up a file for conversion to embroidery? Thanks in advance.

 

[Shadowglen]

Every manufacturer uses a different type of file it needs to be digitized by the embroiderer or whoever they outsource to for their digitizing. You will most likely want to save file as an eps or AI file and get that to the embroiderer. Complexity and size will dictate the cost of digitizing.

 

[Dennis422]

Good digitizer can work from a jpg.
When I digitize, I use AI and then convert shaped to the artwork pieces in my digitizing software and then manually digitize.
It saves me from drawing all the shapes on a top of the jpg file.

So, if the guy is good, everything will work

 

[WildWestDesigns]

What is the best file format to use to have embroidery made for a shirt front? Any embroidery specialist on here that can let me know how to set up a file for conversion to embroidery? Thanks in advance.

Any file format of good resolution should work. I do prefer to work with vectors as I like to work at 6:1. Having said that though, some programs don't import blends in vector files well, so if you want to see about having blends done (may or may not be able to be done, but it is possible to do blends in embroidery) you might want to send a high res raster file.

Actually DST files are the most common raw stitch file used by most all embroidery machines (the ones that don't are typically home machines). DST files are Tajima files specifically, but most commercial machines should accept them. Now having said that, some machines when using their own native file can be programmed to do other things with the file depending on if the machine is able to read those codes and the software being used can insert those codes. That's when knowing the specific machine comes in handy. Being able to insert codes like slow/fast codes help with quality, while not having to have the operator babysit the machine (to my knowledge only available on Barudan machines and I use that all the time when needed). However, DSTs are your universal file formats and probably the one that will be used in most circumstances.

Not everything does translate in embroidery. This is a physical process that has size minimums working with thread and needle and even the limitations of the machines. So be aware that no matter how well your source file may be setup, some things just don't translate due to limitations. Especially the smaller you go.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Good digitizer can work from a jpg.
When I digitize, I use AI and then convert shaped to the artwork pieces in my digitizing software and then manually digitize.
It saves me from drawing all the shapes on a top of the jpg file.

So, if the guy is good, everything will work

How are you manually digitizing when you aren't creating the objects on top of the source file (regardless if it's a vector or raster source file)?

 

[Vinylman]

PDF file enclosed

This is the current file. It is an Illustrator file which I can give to my client in either EPS, PDF, or jpg. what would you suggest?

 

[WildWestDesigns]

This is the current file. It is an Illustrator file which I can give to my client in either EPS, PDF, or jpg. what would you suggest?

Any one of those as a source file would work. For EPS, I would either do version 3 or 8 as that translates well into most digitizing software. JPG just as long as it's a good high resolution.

Just make sure that they understand that size is the enemy. That is going to directly affect what is able to be translated and how (stitch type mainly (running, satin, fill etc)) it is translated.

 

[Dennis422]

How are you manually digitizing when you aren't creating the objects on top of the source file (regardless if it's a vector or raster source file)?

Manually applying parameters, underlay, angles, and so on.
I use Pulse and I can import shapes to it through Corel Draw.
Saves me from drawing each shape. I do not have Master version of Pulse, only a Creator. I have limited access to the drawing tools and that is my way of working around that.
I do all my overlaps and all the sequencing in Illustrator, bring the vector file in and then I click on each shape and assign colors, type of stitching, underlays, pulls......

Do not like to let the Pulse do Auto Digitizing, but bringing in shapes is a huge plus for me.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Manually applying parameters, underlay, angles, and so on.
I use Pulse and I can import shapes to it through Corel Draw.
Saves me from drawing each shape. I do not have Master version of Pulse, only a Creator. I have limited access to the drawing tools and that is my way of working around that.
I do all my overlaps and all the sequencing in Illustrator, bring the vector file in and then I click on each shape and assign colors, type of stitching, underlays, pulls......

Do not like to let the Pulse do Auto Digitizing, but bringing in shapes is a huge plus for me.

That sounds a lot like auto conversion to me.

Can you change start/end points and stitch angles? This is a huge plus in being able to get rid of some of the ales of trying to directly converting vectors into embroidery shapes.

You say that you setup your sequence, overlaps etc in Ai. Do you also do your connecting line segments as well? This is a huge thing in making the most in efficient production time.

I can do what your describing in Wilcom as well, but post converting cleanup would just take too much time, because it just doesn't do a good enough job compared to manually doing it all. Now there are some exceptions to that with other software. Draw Stitch software does a really good job of auto conversion especially with text, but sequencing is horrible (Wings Modular is that product) when left alone to the computer unless you are able to set up the vector files very exact.

I'm too old school when it comes to this though, I wish that they would actually take out all the auto converting abilities out of the software.

 

[Dennis422]

That sounds a lot like auto conversion to me.

Not really.
I can set it to convert all the shapes from Illustrator to "Artwork" how Pulse calls it. No embroidery parameters to it whatsoever.
I set starting points, densities, underlays, pulls, type of stitch pattern, ends, does it trim or if not, i can connect the shapes with a running stitch in between.

Like I said, it saves me from drawing each shape, and when you do not have all drawing tools, it is a huge plus.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Not really.
I can set it to convert all the shapes from Illustrator to "Artwork" how Pulse calls it. No embroidery parameters to it whatsoever.
I set starting points, densities, underlays, pulls, type of stitch pattern, ends, does it trim or if not, i can connect the shapes with a running stitch in between.

Like I said, it saves me from drawing each shape, and when you do not have all drawing tools, it is a huge plus.

If you can change start/end points relative to the stitch angle, then you can clean up everything needed in case the direct conversion to the embroidery object goes bad. The lower levels of Wilcom (if you are using E2 or E1.5 versions, do not allow for changes after you do the conversion process), especially true of DecoStudio users.

Attached is the most common "problem" when someone uses the auto convert function and cannot change stitch angles. Now some shapes with a fill stitch will still have that issue just due to how the shape is, but on simple shapes like this, that shouldn't be an issue and all that you have to change is the end point and stitch angle

 

[Dennis422]

In Pulse, even if you do auto stitch, you can still change all the parameters.
But I have learned that it takes more time to do that than when you do it yourself.

When I got the software and started in embroidery I did a few like that, and noticed that the quality was crap.
Now, I just send the stuff out, do not even bother with digitizing. Except the 3D, I still do those myself.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

In Pulse, even if you do auto stitch, you can still change all the parameters.
But I have learned that it takes more time to do that than when you do it yourself.

In Wilcom, if you are using E1.5 or E2, it's only on the upper levels of the software that you'll be able to change all of the settings post conversion. In E3, you just need to have all the respective modules to do everything, so cost will vary on the module based system, depending on what other modules you get. For DecoStudio users (Wilcom's entry level package, still powerful though), you don't have the ability to change start/end points or stitch angles when you do the auto convert.

It does take more time to do post conversion cleanup. When I got into this (be twenty yrs this summer when I did my first digitizing, not as a freelance though), you didn't have auto conversion of vector or raster files, it was all mainly converting. Also didn't have a bunch of consumer level software out there as well. Good times back then. Back then too, we only had the manual input stitch, so everything was done one stitch at a time (~7k stitch count design (usual logo crest stitch size) took 7k mouse clicks to create), which means if edits need to be done it was one stitch at a time. Edits to do back then, cost big bucks to do. Depending on what type of edit you were talking about determined who was paying for the edit.

Manual stitch is still needed for things today (especially if you are talking the really detailed realistic designs with blends at the logo crest size) and depending on the size that Vinylman's customer wants this file within the LC field, some of those details are going to be manual if they are going to get in there. I can see some just being just about only tie in and tie off stitches.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Except the 3D, I still do those myself.

How is this for timing.

One of my regular embroidery shops that I digitize for just sent me a file that was customer supplied and wanted to make sure that it was setup correctly for puff.

Compared to what I normally do when I digitize for puff, about the only thing that was done the same with the sequence (regular embroidery first, then the puff elements).

No stop code before puff was to be embroidery. Incorrect use of underlay, density and push comps even for 2mm puff. Also no capping (or pinching) of the end points that needed to be sealed off. There are also a few other things that I do to help on the production end that may not really be necessary, but they certainly help out in instances that could really use the help.

This is mainly why I add the caveat that I do with customer supplied files. With digitizing, if not done properly can really take you for a ride and even screw up your machine in the process. Most prevalent in the cheaper vendors of digitizing. It can happen even in the most expensive ones, but the odds of getting the file like this are greater with the cheaper ones. A file that's a flat rate $10s can cost you so much more in production time and waste then that same file costing you $35.