Should I Digitize?

Bringing digitizing in-house is a big decision. Here are some of the factors to consider.


Back in 1990, when we purchased our first embroidery machine, I was totally fascinated with the mechanics of the designs that we stitched out, and knew immediately that what I wanted to do was to create the designs. I wanted digitizing software in the worst way, and there was no one who would sell it to me at that time.

The advice given to me was, “Embroider. Watch the machine stitch. Watch good designs run. Watch bad designs run. Determine what works. Determine what doesn’t work. When you know all that, then you are ready to digitize and then you can purchase digitizing software.” Looking back and remembering how frustrated I was at the time, I can smile and think those were some of the sagest words that anyone could have given me.
Digitizing is not a cakewalk, as many sales reps and software trainers would lead you to believe. You might see it that way during a sales demo or a training session where the trainer stands over your shoulder and leads you through every command. However, in the confines of your home or shop, there is much learning to be done to become comfortable and competent with the tools in the digitizing software and what they will accomplish.

Though a trainer or technical help may be just a phone call or e-mail away, they are not always available at the precise moment that one needs them, and it’s extremely frustrating to be stuck. Often you do not know what to do next and you’re taxing your memory to recall the details of the training class that overwhelmed you with information.

Should You Or Should You Not Become A Digitizer?


“To be or not to be, that is the question,” to steal a line from Shakespeare. Herein lies a question that only you can answer. Digitizing is very personal. You can tell that from the many stock design companies from which designs are now available. It’s amazing how many different styles there are and how recognizable each digitizer’s approach is.

What does one need to be a digitizer? First of all, you need the software. There are about as many brands and different levels within each brand of digitizing software these days as there are would-be digitizers. The choice is difficult for a newcomer to the industry, particularly if price is a consideration. Digitizing programs start at about $50, a manageable price on most any income, and go upwards to around $20,000, a price even someone with a substantial income thinks about more than once before laying the money on the table!
Obviously, there are major differences in each of the programs, and one considering digitizing either for fun or profit should seriously analyze what aspects of the programs they need, want, and can afford before making any purchase.

Secondly, the would-be digitizer needs time. I know many people who own digitizing software, purchased at the same time they bought their embroidery machines, who do not digitize for lack of time. Running a business and performing the mechanics of embroidery are in themselves time consuming, and finding the extra minutes or hours required to set up the designs is often impossible.
Third, a digitizer needs experience. It’s kind of like looking in the newspaper for a job. Many jobs look enticing, but often the ad will contain the tag line, “Experience Required.” Just the other day, my son and I were talking about that, and wondering just how you get experience in a job if no one is willing to take a chance on you the first time around.

It’s a bit like that with digitizers. Everyone wants the best, and it’s hard to be the best when you are new to the job. A prudent word of advice…practice! The only way to gain experience is to do the job, again and again and again. You may not be able to sell those first designs, but you will definitely learn a lot with every click of the mouse.
A digitizer needs patience. I always say that digitizing is a lonely job. For me to concentrate on digitizing, while I don’t need total quiet, I do need a space of time without interruptions, particularly if the design is challenging. Some designs take hours, even days, to set up, while others can be done in just a few minutes.

Perfectionism is a good quality for a digitizer to possess, particularly if you enter the realm of custom digitizing. When a design is imperfect, the digitizer will definitely hear about it from a paying customer. The design must be organized, sew well without thread breaks, have as few trims as possible, and look great in the end. That takes a lot of planning, as well as knowledge of embroidery.

And last, but certainly not least, I think a digitizer must be artistic. He or she needs to be able to view a picture and see it in another aspect. He must look at a printed or computerized version of a design and see it in stitches. He must have the ability to think, not just how something will work mechanically, but about how it will look on the finished product. He must be able to take a two-dimensional design and give it life. This is the quality, I believe, that sets the master digitizers apart from the pack.

By: Barbara Geer
Published: February 2007