Quick tips to ensure you get the best embroidered logo.

Your logo as beautiful as it looks is more than just a picture. It conveys your message and makes your brand memorable and instantly recognizable. They look great on you computer screen or in print, but you should also consider how it will look when transferred to embroidery. Try reducing the logo’s size to 3-4” for left chest embroidery, this being the most common embroidery. This will help you visualize your embroidered logo and see how well the small details show up and what really stands out when viewed from a distance. You may have to simplify your logo so that it embroiders well and still conveys your message. It is best to keep the logo simple for embroidery.

For most logos, the font size should not be smaller than ¼”. Smaller fonts do not translate to thread very well. Avoid using to many types of font in your design. Your company name should be visible and legible at a reasonable distance. If you have text in you logo that’s to small we may adjust it to a size that permits a cleaner stitch out. Or if the design permits, consider placing it on the sleeve or other location that will allow for a larger font and cleaner stitch out.

Create differently sized mock-ups and try them on different items. Get feedback from your visitors and employees. Save the logo image in different formats both vector and raster.

Here are other tips to keep in mind to prepare your business logo for embroidery.

Raster files also known as JPG, Tiff, PNG BMP,GIF and even some PDF files. These files are made up of pixels or dots. And so resizing them usually doesn't work well unless you're going from a large file down to a smaller file. For best results a file of this type should be the same size you want for your logo or larger. Larger is better and 300dpi preffered.

Vector files also known as AI, EPS, SVG, and PDF files are made up of lines instead of dots. This type of file can be resized without issues. These files are preferred for most promotional, advertising work, and for digitizing. These files can be submitted in any size.

The process of turning art file into a sewing or stitch file that can be embroidered on apparel is known as digitizing. The digitizer will take your art and apply different types of stitch patterns to each element of the logo. Duplicating the art in thread. Creating contours, adding depth, and dimension to your logo. Small details may be removed if they are to small to duplicate with thread.

You have to consider the colors of the logo as well as the colors of the apparel you want to be embroidered. If you’re flexible in your logo colors, you can enjoy a more extensive selection of apparel colors to pick from. You also need to consider the fact that there are not enough thread shades to match all Pantone colors. We match or very closely match thread colors to logo colors. We can adjust some elements of your logo to various thread colors based on apparel color. Example, if you have red text and you want to put your logo on a red shirt we might change the text to white for red apparel. Or you might consider outlining the text with a different color if the design permits.

Many designs have color blending for shading and color transitions. For embroidery the color blending is done with different color thread segments, each catching the light at different angles making the thread appear lighter or darker in areas, while it's possible to be done on embroidery, the effect is not the same as in print. And on small designs it's near impossible. So for small logos we don't recommend color blending.

Larger sizes of art are better for digitizing. Using a smaller size raster file is not advisable, as it has to be enlarged for digitizing. As the image is enlarged the dots get blurry (rasterized) and detail is lost. Try reducing the logo’s size to a width of 3-4” for left chest embroidery, this being the most common embroidery. This will help you visualize your embroidered logo and see how well the small details show up from a normal distance and what really stands out when viewed from 6 feet away.

It’s also important to know the materials you want to have embroidered. The stitch density and underlay stitching depends on the material to be embroidered. For instance, fewer stitches will be used on t-shirt designs as the fabric is not heavy and cannot hold many stitches. So an embroidery meant for cotton sweatshirts may not look as good when embroidered on a polyester t-shirt.

Fine lines are are digitized with a running stitch. When applied in lighter thread colors it looks like a line of ants. Because you have a dark spot where the needle penetrates and the light color thread between each penetration. With darker colors the penetration marks are less visible. Giving you a cleaner looking line.

Bold lines are digitized with a satin stitch. Satin stitches are a column of stitches running back and forth next to one another forming a thick line. You don't see the same issue with satin stitches as running stitches because the penetration are on either side of the column. Because this type of stitch works better for outlines it's used most often. There are however physical limitations to the length or the thickness of the column.

Tags: Logo embroidery, custom embroidery, corporate logo, Vector, raster