small font quality

... Hello ... !:) I think the link Lizd listed above is very useful.
Also I agree with 1965's advice.

Well,I did ask our digitizing supervisor about the " small lettering digitizing " issue.
------ What she said is that " it is really hard to explain without a particular case ... and the more you do,the more skilled you are ...

She tells that," for small letters,usually,we try to keep them at least 3mm high,and there should be less dense in it than big letters.You can use running stitch for the base ( the bottom layer of the stitches ),then put satin stitch on,but not too dense.

" and sometimes,when the font is too complicated,you can change the font to be a simple font if your customer does not care that too much ... "

Well,I belive that there are a lot of other factors like 1965 mentioned,all may effect your sewing result.

------ That is all I can tell for now ... will come back if I got more new info next time ...:)

Link seems good as well as some info from 1965. I believe that 65 has a bit of a hurdle in getting their point across due to language differences.

Truthfully, if you have any designs that have small lettering in them cut and paste the lettering as is into another design, in this design have different sizes, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm etc.

SLOW YOUR MACHINE TO IT'S SLOWEST SPEED AND WATCH IT SEW THE LETTERING WHILE IT IS SEWING TAKE NOTES!!!

Small lettering has it's own issues and rules and all rules can be and are broken. So saying I have found the following to be true for me and my style.

1) 5mm and under I use no font with any tails/serifs etc. Block Plain and no tapers.

2) All I use for an underlay is one perpendicular/center line of small stitches with a line lock.

3) I only trim between words with small lettering all letters are connected with run.

4) My main digitizing program is Pulse Illustrator X2 and I use a -10 or greater (low density in small stitches.).

5) SLOW DOWN THE MACHINE WHEN EMBROIDERING SMALL LETTERS - I go no faster than 600 SPM, normally I'll run 2.5mm - 4mm letters at 500 SPM, 4.5 - 6.5 at 600-650 above 6.5 what ever is best for that item.

6) Polyester thread 40 weight will run at slower speeds in a 65/9 needle, try it you will like the results.

7) Polyester thread 60 weight and 65/9 needle is even better, basically the CATS MEOW!

8) Google, Embroidery Hints and Tips, read whatever you can locate and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE then REPEAT!

I am not trying to be funny, it is the way I have learned so far. I still have a long way to go!

Hope that this helps in your quest! :cool: ;) :D

lots of good advice here, I would only like to stress that if you are using the software you paid lots of money for and trying to keyboard really small lettering you are fighting an uphill battle with most fonts. We, even though we have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past 20+ years on digitizing software and upgrades, STILL hand punch our lettering... no keyboarding is allowed, we still notice too much a difference between skilled handpunching and skilled keyboarding for most applications.
Of course, starting on a Melco digitrac back in 1989 does make me an old dog in digitizing years so I find it hard to learn new tricks, lol... but handpunching works, so why fix it.

hi there,
I think I repeat myself as saying something that have been said already by me here. Hope I will be excused by logo emporium somehow.
I have sugestion - just ask professional to do the job. Payment possibly will not be on a base of stitch count anyway .. :)
One single letter could take half hour to be done with needed quality. At same time it could take only 15 sts..
Here I am attaching some of my lettering designs (in the actual way they have been done) just for refferense for these of you, that are interested how much small it could be done - THE SMALL LETTERING. You may see letters with unique size here - I have some smaller than 2.5mm high. The grid in the image is reffered to 1cm actual size.
For those interested to have that file, in dst, I can be found by mail or PM me (not here as a reply)

its simple then, just ask the digitizer you use to make it happen.
If you want this be done by your hand, you must learn it. No one is born professional in any area. Some are born talents only.
How to proceed anyway if you would like to not pay outside for such a study?
Again simple - just repeat digitizing handred of times these small pieces and make a sew-out. "Mistake&repeat" is the method for me.
--
Somethings are not matter of wish by the way, nor a matter of money. They are matter of long study. Realy long
--
I am realy curious if you have awesome digitizer for use, why not ask him(her) then?
Maybe awesome means not so much informed about that mater?
Dont answer this anyway if you dont want to.

In anyway I hope that my sugestion are very realistic to you. Even with paying (in my first post sugestion) for designs that include small lettering you will be able to LEARN "how-to-do", means its kind of lesson.

Think about
With regards

You never said what do you mean with "small lettering". Is it high 10 mm, or 7 mm, or 4 mm, or less?
So let me say my points again. Lettering matter in the process of digitizing embroideries is one of most difficult matters ever you will have to meet during the time of learning.
Its not like driving a car. There are no rules writen. I didnt go to colege to learn how to do this. I just had the opportunity to work on orders for long years and made myself concentrated over that precise matter, to get better letters at final sew out.
Threars matter, tension too, material on witch to embroider is VERY esential part of the pussel. Density of the satin VERY essential too, but most essential is to know how to trace different fonts and sizes of letters into sigments that you must follow along the way.
Maybe your software doesnt matter at all (not sure but 90% I think it doesnt)
Believe me, not only here in this forum but even nowhere noone with wording only could let you "know-how" (even he or she wants to help you be more prepared for this)
Actualy you dont have to belive person that you dont know and someone that stay in the other side of the planet. However I think with my posts I did help you understand one personal view (no matter if I name myself professional or not, and no matter if you accept my talking as true)

By the way I am curious why some other guys didnt participate here till now, hm..

To go to classes to learn to do this is realy good idea. Is it free of charge by the way?
Such classes I never used to attend to, I am just thinking that they cant make you "more" professional.
The word "professional" could be realy too relative however. Lets stop with this

---

Keep on thinking to learn by looking at embroidery designs with such small letters and to figure out how they are been generated.
Thats final my decision in your case.

Regards again!

The most helpful info I've ever found on the subject is here: http://www.stitchshow.com/Tutorials/tutorial.cfm?estado=tutorial&link=tutorial2

1965's final advice is good advice: if you find a design with small letters that has been digitized well, examine the file closely in your editing software to see exactly how it was put together. You can learn alot by studying well-designed files.

Good luck!