Digitizing is the process thatconverts your image file into a workable embroidery file. The commonmisconception in the industry by the end customer is that their artwork isalready digitized (unless it has been digitized for embroidery). In the age of thePC the word digitizing has come to mean many things. It is the hopes of thisarticle to clear up what digitizing means to the embroidery field.
Modern day embroidery is done bystitching machines that must have a proper embroidery format to complete thetask. Many types of formats are accepted by embroidery digitization artist.There are therefore to many to mention within this article but for the sake ofexplaining we can narrow this down into two groups: Bitmap & Vector arttypes.
Bitmap Artwork is verycommon through out the Internet. The definition of bitmap is: "The methodof storing information that maps an image pixel, bit by bit". This can bea bit confusing. Bitmap image are simply 10-1000's of pixels (dots) used tocreate an image (digital cameras typically use a bitmap format). With the useof pixels there are limitations. Size & resolutions being one of the majordrawbacks. When working with websites, graphics are often made for one size andone size only. Bitmaps work great for this and are typically smaller in bytesize then any other form of artwork which can be used on websites. However itis not common place to use bitmaps in print work as they cannot be resized withany efficiency. Jpeg is a common format for bitmap artwork.
Vector Artwork is a muchmore recent technology. The definition of vector artwork is: "Artwork thatuses a mathematical language to describe color, shape, and placementinformation of the individual components of an image". This is confusingas well, but fairly simple to understand. Vector uses math to create itsimages. Therefore it can resized to any sizes (smaller or larger) withoutlosing its quality. This makes vector the perfect medium for print work as oneoriginal piece of artwork can be used for business cards as well as billboards.EPS is a common format for vector artwork.
Vector artwork is much more preferred in the embroidery image as it can typically be imported into the digitizers software.This is not to say bitmap cannot be accepted or that the digitizers job isdone once receiving vector artwork. All artwork whether bitmap or vector mustbe manually converted into a stitch file. A stitch file actually contains thestitch patterns and thread colors for the sew out. You see an image must bemanually worked up to threads. This process is called digitizing. This is whyyou will often see a one time price for artwork digitization. It is suggestedyou have your digitization done by the same company you will be getting your
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Matthew Hurst of Nu Emage contract embroidery
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