Interesting instructions for your digitizer

Client: "Hi, please make this design 2.5 inches tall"

we do that, no problem.

Client comes back: "Hi, my machine can only sew 2 inches tall, why is this design 2.5 tall?!?

geez, I do not know... so sorry. (Really?)

today:

client wants to know why her glow-in-the-dark thread is not bright enough and is blaming digitizing! cause she saw it at an ISS show where it worked fantastic... so WE as her digitizer must be at fault.

may I please have an iced tea? just to relax on the front porch? please

so this morning a client wants a design done at 2.5 inches wide with lettering that would require this to be 4.25 inches wide IF they used thinner 60 or even 75 wt(bobbin) thread. we go back and forth and she is upset with my responses... "do you know who I am?!~) why yes mam a client who doesn't know crap about what you are selling... please go away as I would LOVE to send you to some competitors...here is a list! Sorry same old diatribe on my part... they are salespeople but they know nothing about the medium. Not their fault but actually it IS... learn, it is simple... just look at any design at the size requested from your client and I bet both you and your client will instantly think "oh geez I have never seen embroidery that size" It isn't rocket science.

client: "This image that I attached seems to have only 2 outline instead of two."

I know she meant one outline instead of 3 the art had... no harm , just thought it funny... you know we digitizers take what you send as the rule...we have to

now she wants to know my boss's name. Oh bleach me now

Seriously:

Client: "why can you not provide a 3.5 inch tall design that will work on a hat?"

Even here in Texas with our big heads and egos and all .... oh honey child... lol

As my Dad still says: " Do you ride the bus or bring your lunch to school?" To this day it still makes no sense to me but he still says it. Mountains of North Carolina speak. not bad

today another case of "I have had this done before why can't YOU do it?!?!"

Sorry, may we see an image I am sure we can match whatever they changed to get this design to work on a hat.

Image sent

SCREEN PRINT

ah 2020 with a BANG!
Client: "May I please have you rotate the icon so that the blue crescent faces left towards Mind Springs and that will cause the green crescent to face right towards west springs this will keep the blue crescent stacked first and the green crescent next in line"

this actually makes sense but thought all the writing was a bit excessive as "rotate 90degrees to the right" would have worked fine.

but I want green first and blue can flip off! lol

Yes Virginia... I did see Mommy kissing Santa Clause as you were skipping down the YellowBrick Road.

They are good clients, most in this industry are, but I just get so darn frustrated that they do not know what they are doing and seem to have no desire to figure it out! Oh the embroidery is in the wrong color... must be the digitizers fault. lol
Be like me working in an auto parts store... sorry sir this is the carburetor I found on the shelf it should fit your engine (yes I added the .......s cause I know how you love that! lol! Hope you are having a great beginning to 2020!)

embroidery1 I hope our clients are not seeing this as a "hobby" although you may be correct in the sense you pick it up and do it at your leisure. If it is a "hobby" then I am proud to say this Nov. will be my 30th anniversary making a SOLE living off said "hobby"!! Hey if you love what you do then do you really ever work a day?

What interests me about your post is the thread count issue which sounds to me that you are experienced in hand embroidery. If this is the case please start a thread as I am sure many of us would love to learn and in my case blending hand with machine (like quilting). Please share what you know. Thanks!

Finally I agree with the learning curve but other than by trial and error where should anyone go to actually learn? ISS shows possibly? Forums such as this?

Client: Hi, why did you digitize the design upside down?

Me: I am sorry but we did not digitize it upside down, have you rotated it on your machine for some reason?

Client: Ah yes, probably so, can you rotate it 180 degrees for me?

Yesterday a client asked for a design to be quoted 4 inches wide. I do so. Quote is then sent back wanting to know what the height would be.

you guessed it. design is a circle

gee, do we have incorrect art? Bet they never even looked at the art just sent a pdf to us for a quote.

wow, that is a tough one. Depends on how "good" the client is I suspect? Maybe split the difference and each eat half? Or let it all go and chalk it up to "goodwill"? Let us know how this works out for you.

I don't think that is the case I think just lazier. Oh I can take a 6 week course and become a realtor and make millions OR I can take NO course and sell embroidery! Both are equally moronic

OH we got some bright ones out now Charlie Brown. Lets take a perfectly good/safe PPE and put 4000 to 20,000 holes in it so you can have a pretty embroidery on your face! Yep adding holes makes perfect sense I think we should even use a button hole attachment so we can insert a straw so you can drink through it. I mean one more hole can't hurt. right?

ayugup

I feel and understand your pain.

I do not deal with "cheap" sorry. Today is my birthday and I did a design for 2200.00 My time and experience is worth something. Sometimes you have to raise your prices to weed out some clients and attract a different TYPE.

What end users see at WalMart etc... well those embroiderers tend to use thinner threads...slow the machines down for parts, etc.... we typically do not do either. HOW DO WE COMPETE without doing the same and MORE? we cannot.

oh did I mention today is my birthday? lol thought that was funny.

Instructions: "This logo must sew out in a Tajima 15cm Hoop Please make it as large as possible keeping within the 15cm hoop size."

Quote the design a bit over 5 inches wide... client : "WHY THE HECK IS THIS DESIGN SO LARGE??@!!!!??!!!"

huh? What size would your prefer it to be?

Client: "less than 3.25 inches wide"

Scratching my head? bi polar ? two people working same order? or simply clueless?

question: "do you bring your lunch or ride the school bus?"

question: "did your parents have any kids that lived?"

Design is a diamond shape with lettering inside it. I ask if the diamond is to be solid embroidery or the fabric showing through and if the small lettering inside the diamond can be enlarged and placed below the diamond OR abbreviated to fit within the diamond at a larger size.

Client: "what diamond?"

me: "I am sorry, maybe I have the wrong art? there is a shape around the lettering, a diamond no?!"

Client: "Yes, this is the correct art and there is a diamond shape around text. I am just confused by what you mean about the diamond being solid embroidery?"

me: "do you want the diamond filled with thread (solid) or do you want the fabric to show through?"

Client: "The diamond should be a solid embroidery and should not show through the garment."

ARGGHH...... wonder if I should ask about the lettering again? Took several times to get PART of the original clarification answered.

this happens DAILY... we will clarify multiple items on a design and the client will answer ONE of those items. Like they have to go find out the answer of that first part... they leave then return when they have the answer and quickly send it to us... part 2 or 3 are ignored or forgotten in the excitement of getting one off the list!

After a few back and forths we have all the info.. but this process can take longer sometimes than OUR LEAD TIME! So now the client wants to know why is the design taking so long? lol, seriously! (common response... : "couldn't you have started on all the parts that did NOT need clarifying?") yes, if mapping for production efficiency is not important.

did a quote.. client then asks if there would be an additional charge for the "face" to be a different color.... no.. but do you mean ONLY the face or the ENTIRE body attached to the face?

Answer: "YES"

"client" sends in a tagline change request for a 14 year old design. not a problem but "client" has not ordered a single design from us for 8 years. sorry, I am not going to do the work, have another person send you a bill and then wait 30+ days for 5 bucks. OH you think they will come back to us for a tagline? NO My point to them was why just not have whomever has been doing your digitizing for the past 8 years make this change? HOW RUDE! lol oh have I lost you as a customer>? Sorry I guess my frustration is in the concept that there is no statute of limitations on a design? Thankfully they and we are still in business 14 years later but on my part it is not on my people skills...but on my digitizing skills. Thoughts? (other than I am a Pri..) ? I am sorry but no contact in 8 years after 498 previous designs... kinda hurts. went cheaper I guess so let them do this. off my soapbox. lol

today a Client wants to know why a 10 inch wide design could be 25 inches tall. well lets see...LOOK AT IT. 25 inches is doable but prolly not for most.

client today: "why did you change the design for the left chest version?"

Me... "sorry did you not read during the quote process what changes we would need to make to allow the lettering to be legible? Did you NOT approve the quote?"

Client: "Oh I don't have time to read that cra#"

UH UH UH ??????????

I would tell you my response but

Client.... "here is the art layout and the instructions are on the art but we would like to change the wooden leg on the pirate to his left leg"

OK, but art already has the wooden leg as his left leg? "NO I mean as you look at the art put the wooden leg to the left" so I actually had to LOL so you actually mean RIGHT leg.... ?

we get this all the time. same as on a hat do you mean left side as wearing or left side as looking at the front of the hat. honestly it goes either way so there is no greater percentage on either answer.

As digitizers we kinda have to follow instructions. Please give instructions that cannot be misconstrued. Who would be at fault if you ran 30 jackets with the wooden leg on the pirates left leg as the art stated? I would think you would be. Thoughts? I mean I understand always better to ask but you could tie up a design with multiple back and forths if you Heaven Forbid have more than 1 question. Invariably we will receive and answer on one then have to send it back for the answer to the others. This can go on for a few days and NOW the design is an Emergency Rush they feel they should not have to pay rush fees for.

Thanks again for allowing me to vent a little with my peers as I have NEVER mentioned a client company.

My question on a quote: "what white parts in the design get embroidered? the small lettering in the banners would just be running stitches and probably not legible at the size they are wanting, just too small for embroidery"

answer from client: "What size would this need to be in order to be all seen? Remove the small lettering inside the banner, do as running stitches."

white parts?

Remove the lettering AND do them as running stitches???

are there any areas of the design that you can let the fabric show through on? maybe change some of the detailing from satin stitch to running?(most do not like that but if stitchcount is more important than quality your client might go for it)

IF NOT.... politely tell them this is it.... OR they can join the HogWarts School of Magic and when their wand picks them they can just "poof" and it will make it happen!!

Client: "HI! please digitize this 24 inches wide for a tablecloth, thanks!"

We ask: "Hi there!, can you sew something 24 inches in width or should we split into 2 or more sections for you? thanks"

Client: "no, our largest sash is 22 inches wide so we will just reduce on the machine, thanks!"

hmmmm (do ANY machines remove or add stitches when sizes are changed at that point? ) My machines will keep the same stitchcount when reducing... not the best for quality I would think, depending on the design of course.

I agree but I would still think the company they work with would have some sort of rudimentary training so they look knowledgeable to their clients? now if they are a small 2 person shop I would still think they have read trade mags, googled things, and even spent some time on an embroidery floor and talking to a digitizer or two? At least??

I really think there is a perception out there by many that what a digitizer does is simply press a button or two and voila! And all an embroidery machine is is a printer that uses thread instead of ink.. just hit the SEW button and it all comes out GREAT!

BTW the client with the 10k vs 50k issue has ordered 68 designs from us. (not sure if there will be a 69) but the point is she was not NEW to the medium.

Client: please redigitize this so it sews in blue instead of black. (one color design)

funny ltpemb I think we should ALL just start sewing everything at angles start bottom left to top right...then bottom right to top left. then add as many trims as we can... poor operators though!!! not their fault.