ANYdigitizing.com Blog

Design digitized files

Digitized embroidery design files can be either purchased or created with industry-specific embroidery digitizing software. Embroidery file formats broadly fall into two categories. The first, source formats, are specific to the software used to create the design. For these formats, the digitizer keeps the original file for the purposes of editing. The second, machine formats, are specific to a particular brand of embroidery machine. Here, the files are available for use with particular embroidery machines and are not easily edited or scaled.
Embroidery machines generally have one or more machine formats specific to their brand. However, some formats such as Tajima’s .dst, Melco’s .exp/.cnd and Barudan’s .fdr have become so prevalent that they have effectively become industry standards and are often supported by machines built by rival companies.
Machine formats generally contain primarily stitch data (offsets) and machine functions (trims, jumps, etc.) and are thus not easily scaled or edited without extensive manual work.
Many embroidery designs can be downloaded in popular machine formats from embroidery web sites. However, since not all designs are available for every machine’s specific format, some machine embroiderers use conversion programs to convert from one machine’s format file to another, with various degrees of reliability.
A person who creates a design is known as an embroidery digitizer or puncher. A digitizer uses software to create an object-based embroidery design, which can be easily reshaped and edited. These files retain important information such as object outlines, thread colors, and original artwork used to punch the designs. When the file is converted to a stitch file, it loses much of this information, rendering editing difficult or impossible.
Software vendors often advertise auto-punching or auto-digitizing capabilities. However, if high quality embroidery is essential, then industry experts highly recommend either purchasing solid designs from reputable digitizers or obtaining training on solid digitization techniques.

ANYdigitizing’s first group activity in 2012

2012-3-25, all staff of ANYdigitizing visited the scenic spot, Rural landscape, which is located in Guanlan, in the city suburb. After about one-hour drive, we arrived the destination, once we went out from the car, all the beauty attracted our eyes deeply.

From 10 am to 12 am, we are divided into different groups to take part in the entertainment projects. That is the first outdoor activities this year, so all of us are very happy and excited. Except the scenery, there are a lot of entertainment projects, such as water revolving boat, water cannon shooting, boat racing, walking on chain bridge, cylinder rolling, animal show and so on. The whole morning, everywhere is full of our laughter.

At 13:30 pm after we have the lunch in the local farm, all staff attended the water expanding project, for encouraging all of us to take part in the activity positive, company organized some prize activities, all staff was divided into many groups, and we contest. The fiercest is the boat racing, all the boats lined in a line in the water, two of us in a boat, every team forward stroke to win the first place, the water splashed in all directions, it looks magnificent. Finally, a team of 2 boys won and get the award. But all of us were very happy as we know “Friendship first competition second”. Through these activities, we become more unitive.

At 17pm, the sun is shining down, and the landscape is enveloped in the golden sunshine, it is so moving and amazing. But the time is late and we have to go back, in the mood of the attaching, we left.

In a world, that is a nice place, it is a nice day, nice activity.

Materials for embroidery

The fabrics and yarns used in traditional embroidery vary from place to place. Wool, linen, and silk have been in use for thousands of years for both fabric and yarn. Today, embroidery thread is manufactured in cotton, rayon, and novelty yarns as well as in traditional wool, linen, and silk. Ribbon embroidery uses narrow ribbon in silk or silk/organza blend ribbon, most commonly to create floral motifs.
Surface embroidery techniques such as chain stitch and couching or laid-work are the most economical of expensive yarns; couching is generally used for goldwork. Canvas work techniques, in which large amounts of yarn are buried on the back of the work, use more materials but provide a sturdier and more substantial finished textile.
In both canvas work and surface embroidery an embroidery hoop or frame can be used to stretch the material and ensure even stitching tension that prevents pattern distortion. Modern canvas work tends to follow very symmetrical counted stitching patterns with designs developing from repetition of one or only a few similar stitches in a variety of thread hues. Many forms of surface embroidery, by contrast, are distinguished by a wide range of different stitching patterns used in a single piece of work.

Computerized machine embroidery

Free-motion machine embroidery

In free-motion machine embroidery, embroidered designs are created by using a basic zigzag sewing machine. As it is used primarily for tailoring, this type of machine lacks the automated features of a specialized machine.

To create free-motion machine embroidery, the embroiderer runs the machine and skillfully moves tightly hooped fabric under the needle to create a design. The operator lowers or covers the “feed dogs” or machine teeth and moves the fabric manually. The operator develops the embroidery manually, using the machine’s settings for running stitch and fancier built-in stitches. In this way, the stitches form an image onto a piece of fabric. An embroiderer can produce a filled-in effect by sewing many parallel rows of straight stitching. A machine’s zigzag stitch can create thicker lines within a design or be used to create a border. Many quilters and fabric artists use a process called thread drawing (or thread painting) to create embellishments on their projects or to create textile art.

Free-motion machine embroidery can be time-consuming. Since a standard sewing machine only has one needle, the operator must stop and re-thread the machine manually for each subsequent color in a multi-color design. He or she must also manually trim and clean up loose or connecting threads after the design is completed.

As this is a manual process rather than a digital reproduction, any pattern created using free-motion machine embroidery is unique and cannot be exactly reproduced, unlike with computerized embroidery.

With the advent of computerized machine embroidery, the main use of manual machine embroidery is in fiber art and quilting projects. Though some manufacturers still use manual embroidery to embellish garments, many prefer computerized embroidery’s ease and reduced costs.

The History of Embroidery and Its Modern Development

Most people associate embroidery with a boring way to fill up a housewife’s daily life. But, once you learn more about it, you may come to discover how incredibly fascinating it is.

Embroidery has a long history, which dates back to more than 3000 years B.C.It is probably the first form of art, as man has used decoration with aesthetic purposes as early as the invention of the needle and thread themselves. What is more, you may not be aware but actually embroidery was a man’s not a woman’s invention! In ancient cultures from every part of the world, embroidery and needlework was regarded as a priority only for the chosen and talented boys. The embroiderers-to-be had to study the fine craft under the supervision of a master. It took them more than ten years’ apprenticeship until they were approved to practice on their own.

Embroidery has not only a long history. The most amazing fact is that it had evolved simultaneously in almost every part of the world where people practiced sewing. Different cultures formed different embroidery types. The development of needlework also depended on the various materials used by a certain culture. The styles of embroidery is different nations invented, were passed on generations to generations and many of them have survived till nowadays.

We know of the embroidery work practiced by the ancient Egyptians. It was done with white threads on a white canvas. This embroidery is so sophisticated that even nowadays the modern technologies have difficulty doing it the same way. Another type of finest quality was the Chinese silk embroidery, known as the two-sided embroidery. It is amasingly intricate and it takes years of hard efforts to complete. Also famous is the “raised” embroidery, practiced in the 16th century. It is better known as the Elizabethan embroidery. It involved stitching decorations like butterflies, leaves and other beautiful designs with the usage of wool, leather and wood padding. Still popular today is the Western European embroidery called crewel. This technique uses two-ply wool stitching on linen twill and is practiced when making decorations on different household cloths, such as counterpanes, wall hangings, draperies, chair coverings.

What strikes most in these embroidery styles is that they are incredibly difficult to produce and many people lose their patience before completing one canvas. Nowadays, embroidery has developed so far, that even the clumsiest novice can try and stitch something beautiful by using computer software or high-tech sewing machines. That makes things more pleasant for the new beginner. Despite the available technology, artistic embroiderers prefer authenticity and still spend their time doing everything themselves. The finest details cannot be produced by technologically-based machines, because embroidery is most of all a kind of art, and all art needs its talented artists.

About digitizing/embroidery

Embroidery: It is a decorative stitching on fabric. Generally involves non-lettering designs but can also include lettering. Evidence of embroidery exists during the reign of Egyptian pharaohs, in the writings of Homer and from the Crusaders of the 12th century. Evolved from hand work to manual sewing machines and from hand-looms and schiffli machines with hundreds of needles to high-speed, computerized multihead machines.

Embroidery Digitizing: Embroidery Digitizing or Embroidery Punching is the process of converting artwork into digital data that tells a computerized embroidery machine how to move during the embroidery process.

Digitizing Tape: For embroidering a shirt or baseball cap, etc. the customer need a digitizing file sometimes called a tape. This is because the old embroidery machines used punched paper tapes and a tape reader to operate. With the advancements of new technology and the use of computerized embroidery, 3.5″ floppy disk is very common in the industry. An Embroidery Disk and a Digitizing Tape are similar references. A digitizing tape/disk contains all the instructions which tell the embroidery machine what to stitch on the garment.

Lettering: Embroidery using letters or words, made completely with stitches, or a combination of cutout appliqué pieces and stitching. It is a very common content of digitizing.

Monogram: Embroidered design composed of one or more letters, usually the initials in a name.

Push and pull: The terms push and pull are used together so often, it seems at times people believe they happen together. They do sometimes, but in most cases the element and/or the fabric are causing either push or pull, but not both. The exception to this rule tends to be in satin stitch columns, whether in a letter or otherwise. Satin columns can pull in on the ends and out on the sides.

Scanning: Scanners convert designs into a computer format, allowing the digitizer to use even the most primitive of artwork without recreating the design. Many embroidery digitizing systems allow the digitizer to transfer the design directly into the embroidery digitizing program without using intermediary software.

Vector Art

We offer vector art processing service too!

Vector Art conversion, convert your logo to vector format, or create high resolution vector artwork from low resolution art files, which can be used for screen printing, digital printing, vinyl plotting or any other sort of promotional or personal printing.

Before                                     After

Pricing:

$12 – Flat Rate for most files to be converted.

$18 – a) If artwork is complicated with imperfections such as blurriness.

b) If artwork requires layout changes, such as, moving objects or changing text.

c) Extremely complicated artwork requiring more than 3 hours.

Basic Machine Embroidery Knowledge

• When an individual digitizes a picture or design the types of stitches an embroidery sewing machine produces needs to be taken into consideration. There are three basic stitches – the Running Stitch, the Satin Stitch and the Fill Stitch.

  When digitizing the design, it is the digitizers job to understand how the embroidery sewing machine works concerning the density of the stitches. New digitizers should use more stabilizer under the design so less stitch density needs to be used. With practice, understanding the combination of stitch direction, design path and stitch density will begin to make more sense.

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