Prepare Artwork for Premium Custom Embroidery

Quality embroidery starts with the right artwork. Follow our detailed guidelines and make the most of our Design Creator to ensure your designs translate well onto garments.

Sidestep Common Design Mistakes

When designing your image, please avoid the following issues, as they can cause confusion for our digitizers during the digitization process and may result in suboptimal outcomes. Addressing these in advance will help reduce unnecessary back-and-forth and avoid delays and inefficiencies in the process.

Don't use photographs Avoid complex details or small
text Don't use gradients or blend
effects Avoid negative spaces and
small gaps

embroidery design with complex detail and small text

Incorrect

Correct

Complex designs that work perfectly for Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printing may not work well for embroidery. Fine details can be lost due to texture size limits, and extremely thin elements and small text often don't turn out well in embroidery.

Not sure if your design has too much detail for embroidery? Try uploading it to our Design Creator. If the details are hard to see in the preview, they likely won't appear clearly in the final embroidery. If your intricate design doesn't suit embroidery, consider printing it instead! You can also explore our exclusive DTG and embroidery combination for a unique result.

Basic Design Requirements for Digitization

Follow these key embroidery guidelines and double-check every detail to ensure your design is optimized for embroidery digitization

Image format

You can upload files in JPG or PNG format. We recommend using PNG, as the format supports transparent backgrounds, allowing you to easily control which areas do not need to be embroidered, in order to reduce the overall stitch count and lower costs.

Size and placement

Consider the embroidery area and confirm the exact placement on the garment. Ensure your design fits within the designated embroidery frame dimensions.

Resolution

Use images with a resolution of 300 DPI or at least 150 DPI. Low-resolution images may distort shapes and colors, preventing accurate recognition by the Design Creator.

Color choice

You can use up to 15 thread colors in a single design. We recommend using our thread colors when creating your design to preview the corresponding color effects in advance.

Download high-resolution color palette.

Unlock the Full Potential of Your Embroidery Designs

Since a direct image-to-stitch preview may fall short of the exact effect you're aiming for, we offer this powerful markup feature in our Design Creator, allowing you to achieve richer effect after digitizing. Learn how our four markup tools can help you reach your desired outcome and start experimenting!

Define Your Design's Shape with Outline Stitching

Want to make your design's edges more defined? Use this feature to create a clear outline around any section of your image. Take this cat design as an example: if you want the cat's eyes to stand out, use the"Outline stitching" marker and the edge will be wrapped with a fine stitching outline, giving it extra definition.

The marked area will have an added outline.

Add Depth and Texture with Raised Stitching

This feature adds an extra dimension to specific areas of your design by layering thread. Consider using it on elements you want to emphasize. For example, applying the 'Raised Stitching' marker to the cat's nose creates a raised, textured effect, making it stand out from the rest of the design.

The marked area will have a raised, 3D effect.

Segmenting Color Areas to Assign Different Thread Colors

Our Design Creator allows you to assign thread colors based on the color blocks in your design. The "Segmenting" marker enables you divide elements within the same color zone into separate areas, so you can assign different thread colors to each marked zone. For instance, you can make the cat's nose a different color from its mouth using this feature.

This function serves as an alternative when you want to change thread colors in certain areas after digitization. We recommend considering and determining the color of each element during your initial design process.

Elements of the same color will be considered as a single color block by our digitizer, therefore you cannot separate areas within the same color block to assign different thread colors after digitization.

You can assign thread colors that differ from the original design to marked areas after digitization.

Remove Segment to Simplify Your Design

Sometimes, less is more. This feature lets you remove elements from your design. Consider parts that may be distracting or unnecessary. For example, if you decide the cat's tail doesn't fit with the rest of the design, simply mark it for removal, and it will be excluded from the final embroidery file.

Start designing

What You Get with PODpartner

Limitless Creativity

Leveraging embroidery markup features and multiple design combinations with up to 15 thread colors, your creativity knows no bounds.

Free Revisions

Enjoy up to two free revisions to ensure the embroidery digitization result meets your expectations.

Reusable Design

Once your design is digitized, you can reuse it across all our products without any additional adjustment fees.

See how digitization works

FAQs

Will the mockup match the final embroidered garment?: The mockup may differ from the final embroidered product. During the digitization process, our design team might modify the artwork based on your requirements and optimize the embroidery file. While the mockup gives a visual impression, it cannot guarantee an exact match in every detail. We strongly recommend ordering a sample to confirm the design's quality and appearance on the actual garment before adding it to your store.

Can my design be rejected?: Designs are rarely rejected. However, if a design appears to infringe on existing copyrights, we may request copyright proof materials from you. Our goal is to ensure original and legally compliant embroidery artwork.

Can I get a refund if I'm not satisfied with the digitized file?: We offer two free revisions opportunities during the digitization process. If you're still not satisfied after these revisions, you can request a refund.
However, once you approve the embroidery preview and the order enters production, refunds are no longer possible.

Can I use the same digitized file on different products?: Absolutely! Once a design is digitized, you can use the embroidery file across our entire product range without additional digitization fees or adjustment charges.

Can I download the digitized embroidery file?: Yes. After digitization is complete, your embroidery files will be available in the file library under the embroidery category in your dashboard.

How many revision requests are allowed?: You have two free revision opportunities. Please provide specific and detailed feedback to ensure the changes meet your expectations.

How many images can be added to one embroidery frame?: You can add up to 5 images within a single embroidery frame.

Can I use my own digitized file for embroidery?: Yes, PODpartner supports uploading your own embroidery files in .DST format. However, you are responsible for ensuring the quality of the uploaded file.

How can I ensure embroidery quality?: To guarantee the best results when creating embroidery artwork for machine stitching, always order samples to verify how the embroidery translates onto the fabric. Carefully examine the stitched design for clean stitching, accurate colors, and precise details. Remember that embroidery is more complex than printing, so even small adjustments can significantly impact the final look.