Digitizing Service Requirements

THE MAJORITY OF IMAGES/LOGOS ARE NOT FREE TO USE - YOU NEED TO GET PERMISSION TO USE THEM

Our embroidery department specialists cannot reproduce (digitize and embroider) copyrighted designs or logos on our products unless the customer gets permission from the graphics’ owner, or a copy of the Permission of Use for that particular design or logo. Our specialists do not assume any responsibility for obtaining permissions for the use of the graphics/ logo. You, the customer, must have/obtain permission to use the logo/graphics/art from the copyright holder.

You can do this in one of two ways:

1. Contact the rights holder directly for written permission for each specific instance of reproducing graphics/ logo.
2. If the work is represented by Copyright Agency Limited, obtain a license which allows you to copy the graphics/logo without the need to seek individual permission directly from the rights holders.

Permission can be emailed to: Email: Embroidery@theubiquegroup.com

1. The live embroidery area on most of our business chairs is 6” x 6” diameter. The live embroidery area on church and banquet chairs is around 9”x 9” square.
2. Embroidery conversion (digitizing) is not as simple as converting a computer image from one file format to another. The process of conversion translates pixels into a physical object, with all the substance, beauty, and also the physical limitations of thread. Some images may be turned away because they are too complex, too detailed, contain lines which may be too thin, or in some other way unsuitable for translation into embroidery thread. Solid color line art works best, realistic art and photographs do not translate well. Threads represent flat colorful lines and areas well.
3. Color: Our embroidery machines can hold 16 thread colors at one time. Gradients and shading don’t work very well in small areas of color. Gradients should be reduced to solid colors when possible. Areas of color .25” x .25” and multiple colors in small areas should be avoided. If you have Pantone colors for us to match, please supply the applicable numbers.
4. Lines: For best results in the digitization process, lines and text should be at least 2mm wide. Lines convert best when they are 4mm or greater. Lines should be crisp and not blurred. Thin outlines around letters and objects should be avoided.
5. Shadows and Drop Shadows: Producing shadows in embroidery is difficult. We try to avoid drop shadows less than ¼” in width, or on fonts less than 5/8” tall.
6. Pattern Fills and Transparencies: Customer designs should use solid fills, and avoid patterns, fractals, specialty fills, etc. Transparency effects in images don’t translate in embroidery and should also be avoided.
7. Text: Customers need to keep in mind the size limitations of their design versus the live embroidery area of the chairs. Fonts that are too small will not look good as embroidery. Vector text should be flattened, or the font provided, if possible.
8. Legality: In the event that Classroom Essentials Online is to embroider or imprint at the request of a buyer a likeness of a person, product, logotype, or any other device provided by the Buyer, Buyer hereby represents that said likeness is being produced with the knowledge and consent of the individual or entity having the rights thereto.

On request of Classroom Essentials Online, Buyer shall provide the company with evidence of authority to produce such likeness. Buyer agrees to hold Classroom Essentials Online free and harmless from all liability and indemnify Classroom Essentials Online for any loss, damage or injury, which Classroom Essentials Online, may suffer as a result of producing said likeness.

The obligation of the buyer shall extend to payment for all legal fees and other out-of-pocket costs incurred by Classroom Essentials Online as a result of the reproduction of the likeness requested by the Buyer.

Once received, we will evaluate the image, and let you know if we can work with it, and if additional charges for time will be required. If we proceed, we will then digitize it for embroidery, make a proof of how it will appear on your chair, and send it to you for approval. Note: colors on your monitor may look different than on mine, so if you have specific color requests, please let us know using the Pantone Matching System.

WHAT FORMAT IS YOUR LOGO? BITMAP (RASTER) OR VECTOR ART

Bitmaps are images made up of little squares. Imagine creating your logo using graph paper. There are no lines, no arcs, no shapes, just lots and lots of little squares. So all outlines and edges are ragged and jagged, not smooth. Bitmap files include BMP, GIF, JPEG, TIFF and many more. All paintshop programs and digital cameras use bitmaps only.

 

Bitmaps cannot be scaled very well. Its very difficult to take a bitmap image which looks great when its the size of a postage stamp and make it the size of a wall poster. If you send us a bitmap file, PLEASE, make sure it is sent as large as possible. We need a resolution of least 300 dpi or higher. Copying images from the internet will always result in low resolution 72 DPI images.

 

Vector Art is an image made up of points and lines. It is a mathematical formula which defines the shape. Each line has a start, a finish, a length and a direction. No matter what, math controls the shape, so circles are really circles, and lines are perfectly straight. Re-sizing an image or logo is a snap with vector art because the mathematical formula is built-in and is always working to control proportions, so no matter how small or how large you want your logo to be, it will always be exactly the same.

Vector art works best for embroidery. Almost all corporate logos developed by professional graphic design firms are in Vector Art formats. Vectors are the standard in graphic design, printing and publishing. Vector file formats include: Ai, EPS, CDR and some PDF, there are many others, but those are the most popular formats.

LOGO NO-NO'S

Embroidery is NOT printing, if your logo or artwork includes drop shadows, color gradients or shading, we will have to discuss how to make the color scheme conform to embroidery. Color gradients or shading are not practical in embroidery. We have some tricks, but there are limits on what can be achieved with needle and thread.

We cannot duplicate color gradients within small individual letters, numbers or other small objects, gradient effects can be reproduced only within larger objects or shapes. Certain color gradients can be dealt with. This is done using thread layering and over stitching.. Although this achieves a gradient type effect, it also adds considerable stitching to any logo.

LOGO TEXT AND LETTERING

Letters which are too small or certain font styles do not embroider well. Consider the difference in height between Capital Letters and Lower Case Letters. Fonts with serifs, i.e. little points or thin lines at the ends of the letters, look great on letterhead, business cards and anything that is printed, BUT those fonts do not embroider well especially when they are small. It is very difficult for needle and thread to recreate those. Avoid small lettering using fonts with serifs such as: TIMES ROMAN, BODONI, BOOK ANTIQUA or COOPERPLATE.

Avoid excessive outlining of letters, especially on small letters. Thin lettering including narrow fonts like Times Roman, brush scripts, handwriting styles just to name a few, should not have outlines, unless the letters are at least 1/2" high.

TEXT LETTER SIZES MUST BE AT LEAST 1/4" HIGH OR A FONT SIZE OF 24 AS A MINIMUM AT THE FINAL EMBROIDERED SIZE.

DO YOU HAVE MICROSOFT WORD?

Select any font style you like from Microsoft Word, we’ve got them all and more! When you select text, please let us know the font style, the color, the size and the format of capitalization. Not all font styles can be embroidered, please select solid letter style fonts and avoid fonts with graphic embellishments, built-in outlines, intense internal details or objects.

There are corporate logos and designs which use one-of-a-kind custom or unique fonts which we may not have. When sending a Vector Art File (AI, EPS, PS, PDF, CDR or CMX), convert the TEXT TO CURVES, PATHS, OR OUTLINES to reduce the possibility of font conflicts or send us your custom TTF font file IF you want us to EDIT your test or if you want us to ADD matching text, without your unique font file, we cannot recreate the text properly.

If you are working in Corel, click on the text to be converted, select ARRANGE, then select CONVERT TO CURVES. The text will become a design object and is no longer a text.

If you are working in Adobe Illustrator, to convert text to outlines, select SELECT/SELECT ALL. It doesn’t matter if other graphic elements are selected. Then select TYPE/CREATE OUTLINES. The text will become outlined and can’t be edited as text.

Fonts are found in the folder WINDOWS, subfolder FONTS, simply attach the font to your e-mail for download. If you have trouble attaching a font directly from the font folder, you can create a copy of the font by opening your font file folder in a small window and then drag that font to your desktop where you can then attach it to an email. We can only use font files with a file extension of TTF or OTF. If your font is MAC based, find your FontBook and send us the DFONT file.