What is Digitizing?

 Digitizing is to embroidery what architecture is to construction.  We all know that a great architect can make a building into a showplace, rather than just a store room.  In the same way, a good digitizer can create three dimensional art out of your printed logo or design.  In addition, a great digitizer will make that design so that it runs efficiently on the embroidery machines.

But can’t you just scan my logo into the computer?
Yes and no.  We start by scanning in your camera-ready art.  Then we start creating your embroidered image using the scanned image as a backdrop.  Unlike a silkscreen image, your embroidered logo will have direction, dimension and texture.  The extent of these features is a result of the quality of the digitizing process.

Why do different shops give varying prices on digitizing the same image?
Each digitizer is an individual, with differing experience, motivation and talent.  Each may see your logo in a different light, with more or less attention to detail.  The lowest price is usually not the best digitized image.

What is stitch count and how does it affect the design?
Stitch count is the total number of stitches in your design.  The average embroidery machine can stitch about 30,000 stitches per hour, so the higher the stitch count, the longer each garment spends on the machine.  Your price  per garment is directly proportional to the stitch count and is usually measured “per thousand stitches”.

 Should I always choose the embroiderer with the lowest price per thousand stitches?
Again, usually not.  Price is always a consideration, but there are two other factors that you must consider: quality and time.  The three of these form the basic purchasing decision.  The primary reason most customers choose an embroidered image is to project a quality image of their company or group, so you should verify that the embroiderer will pay close attention to detail in both digitizing and embroidery.

Why is there a wide variation in prices for embroidery and digitizing?
There are huge shops, medium sized shops and tiny shops.  The huge shops are generally very inexpensive per thousand stitches, but you need to have a ton of work just to get their attention.  Even when you do, they tend to do all of their orders the same, so don't be expecting special treatment (fine needles & thread, extra trimming, special handling, etc) because they are busy pounding out a million.