Digitising is a craft, not a file conversion. Whether you buy it in or do it yourself, the quality of the brief decides whether you get one round or three, and how many rejects the job produces later.
The brief
Vector artwork. AI, EPS, PDF or SVG. If all you have is a raster image, say what it is and expect either a redraw charge or a compromise.
Final stitch size, in millimetres. Not "left chest", a number. A logo digitised for 90mm and run at 60mm loses its small detail and gains a density problem.
The exact garment and fabric. Brand, style, and fabric type. Piqué polo, jersey tee, 300gsm fleece, softshell, structured cap. Digitising decisions are fabric decisions.
Position. Left chest, centre back, sleeve, cap front, with placement measurements if you have a standard.
Thread brand and colour numbers. Madeira, Isacord or whatever you run, with actual numbers. "Dark blue" produces a colour conversation on the sew-out.
Stitch count ceiling, if you have one. If your price assumes 8,000 stitches, say so, and let the digitiser make the density decisions that keep it there.
Anything with small text. Flag it. Text under about 5mm cap height needs specific treatment or it fills in and becomes an unreadable smudge.
What good digitising gives you
| Property | Why you care |
|---|---|
| Correct pull compensation | Circles stay round, text does not distort |
| Appropriate density | No puckering, no thread breaks, no board-stiff patch |
| Sensible sew sequence | Fewer trims and colour changes, less machine time |
| Correct underlay | Stitches sit on the fabric rather than sinking in |
| Efficient stitch count | Lower cost per garment on every reorder, forever |
That last line is the one to internalise. Two files of the same logo can differ by 20 percent in stitch count with no visible difference. On a customer you sew for years, that difference compounds; see pricing embroidery by stitch count.
Always sew out before the order
A sew-out on the real garment, checked for registration, density, small text, pull distortion, and the appearance of the underside. Then approve the file. A file approved on screen is a file approved on hope.
Charge for it, and only once
Digitising is a one-off per design per garment type. Charge it as its own line, then never charge it again for that combination. Reorders that skip the charge are one of the easiest goodwill wins available, and they cost you nothing because the work genuinely is not there.
Keep the file with the customer, not in a folder
The reason digitising gets paid for twice is that nobody could find the file. Attached to the design and the customer record, a reorder in two years is instant.
Printer's Friend keeps the digitised file on the design so reorders reuse it, holds stitch count per position for pricing, and stores the sew-out approval with the order. Terms like pull compensation, underlay and backing are in the glossary.