Strikke Knits: The language of embroidery files and the Bumblebee

What is it exactly that has to be done to turn your logo into thread? The language of embroidery comes in many files unfortunately none of them talk in a standard computer language of Mac / PC which gets confusing after you think you have all of your art files ready to go to start your business running.

When you have recieved your logo from your graphic designer or best friend who is really good in Photo shop (or the program of thier choice) those files cannot be read by Embroidery houses, we have to turn that information into an understandable language or as I explain it....you have "English" and the embroidery machine speaks "French".
Embroidery files are in language formats of: CND, DST, EXP, and a whole nother story of WILCOM.
Each of these files have their pro's and con's for reproducing and that's REALLY deep and is the monkey factor (you will just start scratching yer head, heck if you are a roofer I don't need to know how they make every kind of shingle) we'll just skip that part... just ask your embroidery house to choose the best format for your design based on what you are putting the logo on and how big you want the logo.
Embroidery charges are based on how many stitches are involved in the design and on how large you want the image on your garment.
Mary Pokluda's Bumblebee logo http://www.bumblebeepa.com/ is a great logo to explain this, well designed and it translates to thread wonderfully it is 3.75" across and about 2.5" tall a great left crest logo size.
Here's how it breaks down:
Creation of the main file / set up: $45.00 (this is a one time creation fee)
Cost per stitch: $1.00 per 1000 stitch @ 6,500 stitches = $6.50
(embroidery houses have a minimum cost based on how many clothing items you are embroidering; ASK this question when placing your order)
every time a garment is embroidered is costs $6.50 per garment, of course large qantities are "quoted" to help out the customer. You are charged on the cost of the shirt plus the cost of the embroidery for a total of the finished garment (example: shirt $14.50, embroidery $6.50 TOTAL = $21.00 per shirt)

Tips for good results: when designing your logo or having it designed for you keep in mind everything that you see in ink needs to be in thread. When you have many color variations, shadings and fine details this refelcts on how it stitches onto fabric (sooo tell yer buddy to keep those shading boxes in control or the zillion colors inside of the text).
Bumblebee Personal Assistants is an example of a well designed logo that works in thread on the fabric. It looks great, we can change the colors to suit different color garments and we can increase the size a bit to put it on a jacket.

A Valentine Project: funny how some days you can just pull a project out of yer...head when you feel creative. Here is the project that I did this summer which would work great as a Valentine gift for a special friend.