Putting a company logo into embroidery format requires a technique called digitizing.

There are a few tips for making logos embroidery ready and preparing it for the process of digitizing. By following these few steps and taking time to plan, the outcome of the company logo will be more what you want and less thrown together.

Digitizing is a process that turns the logo into a digital format that only the embroidery machine can use. It tells the machine where to put stitches and in what order. Quality digitizing is better than poor or cheap digitizing. Digitizing is more than just scanning a logo and plotting where the stitches should go. Quality digitizing takes into account the number of trims, walking stitches, and other embroidery jargon that all contributes to a clean and efficient logo.

The organization of the logo and orientation of elements is very important to the embroidery process. As the logo is embroidered by the machine, stitches start is the back of the logo and move to the front. With this in mind, you have to consider colors and designs and how they will play in this process. An effective logo has only 2 or 3 colors in it. This way the needle does not have to stop to change colors and thus the logo is much cleaner and efficient. Using more than 3 colors in a logo causes the needle to make more stops and complicating the embroidery process.

Another consideration for when digitizing font or other elements is pull consideration. Depending on if the stitch is up and down or left to right, the embroidery machine can pull on the fabric which can make it appear uneven. Quality digitizing will take this into account so the letters appear even. Otherwise, you may end up with elements that look out of place, irregular and disproportionate.

Using backing or underlay is another technique that is necessary to create a great looking logo. With enough underlay, the logo stitching does not sink into the weave of the fabric, and adds dimension to the embroidery. Without proper backing, the stitching seeps into the fabric and does not give the stand out effect that people love about embroidered goods.

Saving a few dollars on digitizing is not worth the risk. To have a quality wearable logo, quality digitizing is imperative. As one can see, digitizing is far more than simply scanning an image. It is a complicated process that is necessary for good results and is well worth the money. Make sure your embroidered company logo is something you and your employees can be proud of.