digitizing letterin

[Impressive Threads]

I am looking for quidence on how to digitize a small column outline around letters. Not embroidery or true type fonts but lettering that has to be digitized from scratch. I am getting pretty decent at doing the letters themselves but I have a couple of lettering designs that have a border around them. When I add a singleline column stitch around the lettering it looks uneven and not real polished. Any hints?

Cindy in Phoenix

[Linda]

Cindy,

If I am understanding you correctly, you want to outline a hand-digitized lettering? If so you select the letter (area) you want to outline, hold down your shift key and use single-line center icon, wallking stitch icon or bean stitch icon.

When you have digitied an area like a circle, square, special shape, etc., that is how I put an outline around it insteasd of adding it separately. If you want it a different color just go the project window and put a color change before the outline.

Does this make any sense? Hope it helps.

Linda Webster
[email protected]

[cbireley]

Funny how Cindy asked a similar question I was just getting ready to ask. I have a hat that has a school name on it in script...around it is a "shadow" type outline, that is off centered a bit. Is this the type of font they used or can I add a "shadow" to my lettering?

Thanks so much!

[signman]

In Design shop, look at the toolbar...there is an icon with a symbol (I don't have it open so I can't tell you if it's a triangle, circle, or something) and behind that red icon is a dropped 'shadow' image. Click on your typeing (name, whatever) and
click this 'button' and it will automatically generate a 'shadow' behind the lettering. You CAN manipulate this as to angle, up or down, width, etc.
but without the program running I can't tell you exactly. It also works on graphics.
The shadow generated does not sew underneath the letters-so you haven't created 'double' thickness of sewing.
Roland

[Aaron]

When you say it looks uneven or unpolished is this on the screen or when sewn out? You need to remember that sometimes if it doesn't look perfect on the screen it may still sew out great. ALso when dealing with outlines or borders you have to overcompensate to get them to look right becasue they seem to pull alot. For instance if I am using Full Block with an outline I will make the singleline for the out line on a .75" letter around 18pts. It will look like the outline covers way too much of the inside of the letter but once sewn out it actually is perfext. Now this needs adjusted according to how wide you want the border but if you try to go too thinn thats when its gets hard to get your registration just right. It takes alot of practice and trial & error to get bordered lettering down. I can do it pretty well but 80% of the time if I have a design with 2 color lettering I send it off cause my digitizer does a way better job, especially if the lettering is small. I would have to say small lettering and lettering with borders are 2 of the hardest parts of digitizing to get to look right. You have to do things that look pretty bad on the screen for them to sew out right. Took me a long time to figure out it doesn't have to look like it will work on the screen for it to actually work good.

Design SHop Pro+ (not sure which other versions) have a feature for Shadow and for Auto Borders. Although both of these are great tools and work very good you stil have to take a close look and usually do some editing, especially on the auto borders and in particular on sharp corners or you end up with strange angle stitches and long triangles in the corners that need to be shortneed. I always convert my auto bordered letters to wireframe and take a close look and do some editing before sewing them.

Hope this helps and if I touched on something a little but you need more help or info let me know and I can try to fill in the blanks

[cbireley]

Thanks so much Aaron. What I meant was that the "shadowing" was a little to the right of the letters, creating that effect. It is supposed to be that way. So I will try this and hopefully have some luck! Thanks, again, for your time and explanation! It was perfect!

[Impressive Threads]

Aaron tried your suggestion on increasing the point size of my border around my lettering and it did the trick. I was decreasing it but using your advise I have a great sew out now. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I really appreciate everyone that puts time in on this userslist.

Cindy in Phoenix

[signman]

At some point Aaron must have posted the same about increasing a border 'line'...because last week I was having trouble with a shirt design shrunk to a hat...borders were down around 6 pt...increased them to 12, in design shop it looked huge...sewed a sample...and it was perfect! No where near as wide as the image looked on the screen.
Good suggestions!

[Aaron]

I'll be sending out some sonsultation bills out next week. Im gonna need your addresses [img]smile.gif[/img]

Just Kidding. Glad to help when I can. Half the time I get so busy sewing by the time I get around to answering stuff its been a week or 2 and I actually try to keep up on this list. I have 1300 messages to catch up on on my other embroidery group.