What file format is best for embroidery digitizing?

A vector file such as AI, EPS, SVG or PDF is ideal because the shapes are exact at any size. A clear PNG or JPG works too, as long as the logo is sharp and not tiny. Screenshots and photos of printed items are the hardest to work from.

What resolution should my logo be for digitizing?

Aim for something close to 300 dpi at the size you want it stitched, or at least around 1,000 pixels across for a simple logo. The goal is clean edges and readable text when you zoom in.

Do I need to tell the digitizer my thread colours?

It helps. Send Pantone references or thread brand and colour numbers if you have them. Otherwise the digitizer picks the closest match from the artwork, and you can adjust colours on the machine since a DST file doesn't store colour.

Artwork Requirements for Digitizing

Send the cleanest version of your logo you have (vector AI, EPS, SVG or PDF is ideal, but a sharp PNG or JPG is fine), plus the finished size in inches, the garment and placement, your machine's file format, and thread colours if you know them. Missing size and garment info causes more revisions than bad artwork does.

A digitizer can work from almost anything. What changes is how much guessing goes on, and guessing is where revisions come from. Here's what to send, in rough order of importance.

1. The artwork itself

Vector is best

If you have your logo as AI, EPS, SVG or a vector PDF, send that. Vector files store shapes as exact paths, so the digitizer can see every curve and corner at any zoom level. They're usually in a designer's hand-off folder or with whoever made your website. If you're unsure whether a file is really vector, our explainer on what vector art is covers how to tell.

One catch: a PDF or EPS can contain nothing but an embedded JPG. That's a raster image in a vector wrapper, and it's no better than the JPG.

Raster is fine if it's clear

PNG and JPG work well when the logo is sharp. Some practical guides:

Aim for roughly 300 dpi at the size you want stitched, or at least about 1,000 pixels across for a simple logo
Zoom to 200%: edges should be clean and small text readable
A transparent PNG is easier than a logo on a photo background
Avoid heavy JPG compression, where colours get blotchy around the edges

What makes life hard

Screenshots of a website header, a photo of a printed shirt, a logo lifted from a social media profile picture, or a faxed letterhead. We can still work from these, but the digitizer is redrawing your logo by eye, and fine details may come back slightly different from the original. If that's all you've got, a clean redraw first can help. Our vector art service starts at $8 per image and gives you a file you can use for print too.

2. Finished size

This is the one most people leave out, and it matters more than the artwork. A logo digitized for a 3.5-inch left chest and the same logo for a 10-inch jacket back are different files. Stitch types, density and which details survive all depend on size.

Give one dimension, width or height, in inches or millimetres. "Standard left chest" is fine too; that usually means about 3 to 3.5 inches wide. If you'll use it at two very different sizes, say so and ask for two files.

3. Garment and placement

The fabric changes the underlay, density and pull compensation. Tell the digitizer what it's going on:

Cap (structured or unstructured, front or side)
Polo, T-shirt, fleece, jacket, towel, bag
A patch, and what type
Stretchy or performance fabric, which needs its own handling

Caps especially need a cap-specific build, stitched centre-out. A file made for a flat polo often leans or gaps on a cap front. See embroidery on different fabrics for why fabric matters so much.

4. Machine format

Tell us your machine or the format you need: DST for most commercial machines (Tajima, Barudan, SWF and others), PES for Brother, JEF for Janome, EXP for Melco, VP3 or HUS for Husqvarna Viking. We include every major format at no extra charge, so this is really about making sure you get the right one first.

5. Thread colours

A DST file doesn't store colour, just colour-change stops. So colour info helps the digitizer set the sequence and gives you a reference to thread up with. The most useful options:

Pantone references from your brand guide
Thread brand and colour numbers if you already run specific thread (Madeira, Isacord, Robison-Anton and so on)
A note on the colour count, if your machine has limited needles and you'd like the design kept to, say, 6 colours

If you send none of this, we'll match from the artwork. Screens vary though, so for brand-critical colours, Pantone is safer.

6. The small details that save a revision

Text you want dropped or kept. A tagline that's 2mm tall at left-chest size won't stitch. Tell us whether to remove it or enlarge it. Background in small text in embroidery.
Font names for any lettering, or outlined text in the vector file.
Special effects: 3D puff on some elements, appliqué, or a flat version as well.
Existing files. If you have an old DST that sewed well or badly, send it. It shows what to match or what to avoid.
A photo of a previous sew-out, if you're replacing a file you weren't happy with.

A quick checklist

Copy this into your email:

Logo file (vector if you have it)
Finished width or height
Garment and placement
Machine or file format
Thread colours or Pantone refs
Anything to drop, simplify or add effects to

With that in the first message, a standard logo is usually back in 12 to 24 hours, from $10 for a simple design. Without it, the clock often starts only after the back-and-forth. Full details are on our logo digitizing page.

Not sure your artwork is good enough? Send what you have and we'll tell you honestly if it'll work.

What Artwork to Send an Embroidery Digitizer