How do I digitize a logo with Illustrator or Photoshop 2B embroidered? 1

[bobiton65]

Hello, My parents are starting a small business of embroidering clothing with logos and names and stuff. They asked me to figure out how to digitize logos (drawings and or pictures) using adobe illustrator or adobe photoshop. I need to figure out how to turn the image into stiches or somthing like that. It needs to be saved into a .dst file, to be used with tajima machines or ultramatic machines. I would really appreciate it if someone could lead me through the process, or even lead me into the right direction, or a place that I could learn to do it. Thanks a lot.

 

[songsungpurple]

bobiton65 -

I can't help you from the technical side but suggest that you go lurking around in some groups on Yahoo! or MSN. I am a quilter and so know first hand how many sewing/quilting/embroidery enthusiasts are out there posting like mad. They will definitely have the answers you're looking for.

http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=embroidery

Personally, I go to Yahoo! chat to get the answers I'm looking for, but you need Yahoo!'s messenger installed. I'm sure MSN has a similar chat circle.

Good luck!

 

[GrandmaJ]

Sorry, but all you can do in AI (or any other graphics program) is to get the artwork ready - as clean and crisp as possible.

Then you have to have a program designed for embroidery. My favorite is "Embird 2004" (for editing stitch files, resizing,, converting file formats, etc) with its "Digitizing Tools" plug-in needed to digitize an embroidery stitch file. Digitizing is a matter of creating vector objects which the program can them use to create stitches. You can download a trial program of Embird 2004 (30 days or 100 uses)[$99 when purchased] and of Digitizing Tools (6,000 stitch/20 object limits in trial) [$150 when purchased. Go to the Downloads page at www.embird.biz

There are a number of programs out there, with "professional" programs being priced as much as $20,000, but Embird is comparagle for a fraction of the cost of some of the others.

The so called "automatic" programs such as Viking/Praff's "AutoDigitizing", "Generations", "Origins" and Corel's "DraWings" only create a decent design if the artwork/graphics are "camera ready" perfect and in a vector graphic such as WMF or EMF or CMX.

There are about 30 groups dedicated to Embird on Yahoo.

 

[GrandmaJ]

Additional info re: the Yahoo Groups - you do not need to use Messenger. The groups are not "chat rooms" - they send out e-mails to the mailbox you specify. You can choose to receive individual E-mails or a Daily Digest (sent once per day or when messages posted total 25) or you can go "No mail" and just read the messages on line using your regular browser like Internet Explorer.

No attachments are allowed to go to the group from individuals or from the group to its members.