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How To Deal With Machine Embroidery Fonts
Introduction To Embroidery Monogramming
As you've probably noticed, the "built-in" fonts that are found in embroidery machines and software, are very simple. So if you need a bit more fancy letters, you purchase 3-rd party embroidery alphabets. Third-party fonts work exactly like regular designs - in fact, each letter comes as a separate embroidery design, in it's own file. So, to embroider a monogram or word, it's necessary to line up two or more letters properly.
The methods of lining up designs (including letters) vary. To embroider super-size letters, which can be stitched only one by one because of hoop size limits, "template positioning" method is usually used to position them properly. However, if more than one letter fits inside a hoop, it's fast and easy to line up as many letters as possible in embroidery software, save them as one design, and then embroider that design in one hooping.
In this tutorial, we'll show how combine and line up designs using embroidery software. The main steps are identical no matter what software to use, so read them anyway. And when we'll move to showing the exact steps in Embird software, if you're not using Embird, just skip that part. Good luck!
P.S. By the way - we carry a huge selection of fancy alphabets and monograms. So if you need some lovely monograms or just well digitized new alphabets - welcome to our little embroidery fonts heaven.
Joining Letters (or Other Designs) In Embroidery Software
1. Backup the original designs/letters you plan to use.
2. Decide what hoop size will be sufficient for your project, and select it in your embroidery software.
3. Copy all elements of the new word/monogram into a single file (like, if you want to make the name "Ann", you open the letters "largeA.pes" and "smallN.pes", and copy-paste the "A" once and the "n" twice, into one file). Arrange the letters/designs on PC screen according to your needs, while making sure they fit within your chosen hoop size.
4. Do all last moment adjustments, such as:
- Sorting colors to eliminate unnecessary color changes
- Centering design in hoop
- Re-coloring design to match your project
- Resizing the whole composition.
If resizing, remember that there might be a serious loss in quality. Always test stitch resized files, and save the originals aside, as backup. Resizing fancy stitches & backgrounds, or changing design size to over 10 - 15% is almost always problematic.
5. When everything looks fine - save your new composition in format that fits your embroidery machine. Make sure you save it under a new file name (e.g. yourname.pes), to prevent overwriting an existing design or letter.
6. When the new letter or design combination is ready, just transfer it to the media that your machine reads, and embroider.
"Joining Letters" in Embird - Step-By-Step Guide with Screenshots
1. Open Embird (click "Start" => "Programs" => " Embird"):
2. Enter the editing mode by clicking on "Editor" button, located on Embird's top menu:
3. Update the size of virtual hoop to largest hoop size you can use. To do this, click "Options" => "Hoop Size", and choose your largest hoop from the list.
4. Being in "Editor" mode, click "File" => "Open", to open the designs/letters you want to join together.
5. A file navigation window will pop up. Browse to the folder (folders) where the designs/letters you want to join are located. While holding "Ctrl" key on your keyboard, mark all the files you want to open, using your mouse cursor. When finished, click the "Open" button.
6. The letters we've picked up for this example are L, a, u and r, because we want to create the name "Laura". You see that all these letters got copied (in huge mess) into the virtual hoop. Now, using your mouse, drag each letter. Position them all in correct order, and align well. You see that there's a small problem - one missing "a" to finish the name. To add another "a", mark the first one with your mouse, then click "Edit" => "Copy", and "Edit" => "Paste". Drag the second "a" to it's correct place.
7. Now, let's center the name "Laura" in hoop, and reduce the number of color changes. Since each letter still comes as separate object, there are plenty of unnecessary color changes (see right menu). To eliminate them, do the following:"Edit" --> "Select All" (selecting all objects)
"Edit" --> "Join" (creating single object from multiple ones)
"Edit" --> "Center" --> "Both Axes" (centering the entire word "Laura" in hoop)
"Edit" --> "Sort Colors" (to make all red parts embroider together, and all blue ones - together).
The following warning will pop up:
8. If you're sure that it's ok to sort, continue. In our example it's absolutely safe. But always look at the design and at how you're going to use it, before sorting colors. After you've finished sorting colors, the design is ready. Just save it as separate file, by clicking "File" --> "Save As". Give the new file a significant name (in our case it's "Laura.pes"). It's important to always give significant names to your files, because this way you can easily know what is located inside.
That's all. Transfer the ready design to media that your machine can read, and start embroidering!
As you've probably noticed, the "built-in" fonts that are found in embroidery machines and software, are very simple. So if you need a bit more fancy letters, you purchase 3-rd party embroidery alphabets. Third-party fonts work exactly like regular designs - in fact, each letter comes as a separate embroidery design, in it's own file. So, to embroider a monogram or word, it's necessary to line up two or more letters properly.
The methods of lining up designs (including letters) vary. To embroider super-size letters, which can be stitched only one by one because of hoop size limits, "template positioning" method is usually used to position them properly. However, if more than one letter fits inside a hoop, it's fast and easy to line up as many letters as possible in embroidery software, save them as one design, and then embroider that design in one hooping.
In this tutorial, we'll show how combine and line up designs using embroidery software. The main steps are identical no matter what software to use, so read them anyway. And when we'll move to showing the exact steps in Embird software, if you're not using Embird, just skip that part. Good luck!
P.S. By the way - we carry a huge selection of fancy alphabets and monograms. So if you need some lovely monograms or just well digitized new alphabets - welcome to our little embroidery fonts heaven.
Joining Letters (or Other Designs) In Embroidery Software
1. Backup the original designs/letters you plan to use.
2. Decide what hoop size will be sufficient for your project, and select it in your embroidery software.
3. Copy all elements of the new word/monogram into a single file (like, if you want to make the name "Ann", you open the letters "largeA.pes" and "smallN.pes", and copy-paste the "A" once and the "n" twice, into one file). Arrange the letters/designs on PC screen according to your needs, while making sure they fit within your chosen hoop size.
4. Do all last moment adjustments, such as:
- Sorting colors to eliminate unnecessary color changes
- Centering design in hoop
- Re-coloring design to match your project
- Resizing the whole composition.
If resizing, remember that there might be a serious loss in quality. Always test stitch resized files, and save the originals aside, as backup. Resizing fancy stitches & backgrounds, or changing design size to over 10 - 15% is almost always problematic.
5. When everything looks fine - save your new composition in format that fits your embroidery machine. Make sure you save it under a new file name (e.g. yourname.pes), to prevent overwriting an existing design or letter.
6. When the new letter or design combination is ready, just transfer it to the media that your machine reads, and embroider.
"Joining Letters" in Embird - Step-By-Step Guide with Screenshots
1. Open Embird (click "Start" => "Programs" => " Embird"):
 |
2. Enter the editing mode by clicking on "Editor" button, located on Embird's top menu:
 |
3. Update the size of virtual hoop to largest hoop size you can use. To do this, click "Options" => "Hoop Size", and choose your largest hoop from the list.
 |
4. Being in "Editor" mode, click "File" => "Open", to open the designs/letters you want to join together.
 |
5. A file navigation window will pop up. Browse to the folder (folders) where the designs/letters you want to join are located. While holding "Ctrl" key on your keyboard, mark all the files you want to open, using your mouse cursor. When finished, click the "Open" button.
 |
6. The letters we've picked up for this example are L, a, u and r, because we want to create the name "Laura". You see that all these letters got copied (in huge mess) into the virtual hoop. Now, using your mouse, drag each letter. Position them all in correct order, and align well. You see that there's a small problem - one missing "a" to finish the name. To add another "a", mark the first one with your mouse, then click "Edit" => "Copy", and "Edit" => "Paste". Drag the second "a" to it's correct place.
 |
 |
7. Now, let's center the name "Laura" in hoop, and reduce the number of color changes. Since each letter still comes as separate object, there are plenty of unnecessary color changes (see right menu). To eliminate them, do the following:
 |
8. If you're sure that it's ok to sort, continue. In our example it's absolutely safe. But always look at the design and at how you're going to use it, before sorting colors. After you've finished sorting colors, the design is ready. Just save it as separate file, by clicking "File" --> "Save As". Give the new file a significant name (in our case it's "Laura.pes"). It's important to always give significant names to your files, because this way you can easily know what is located inside.
 |
 |
 |
That's all. Transfer the ready design to media that your machine can read, and start embroidering!