The Embroidery Column
Perfecting fine details and clarity in embroidered logos
This just happens to be her favourite area of embroidery… Madeira UK’s marketing manager, Natalie Greetham, provides you with all the advice you need to perfect fine details and clarity in your clients’ logos.
B
randed apparel is a powerful marketing tool that enhances visibility, reinforces business identity, and fosters trust and recognition.
A logo is one of the key elements that customers use to identify and form perceptions of a brand, making it essential to ensure it is presented with professionalism and consistency. High-quality branded apparel not only conveys credibility but also creates a sense of unity among employees and leaves a lasting impression on customers. By investing in well-designed and professionally branded clothing, businesses can effectively communicate their values, elevate their brand image, and stand out in competitive markets. Sometimes converting artwork into an embroidery design can be challenging, especially a design with fine details and small text on badges or logos. However, the solution is simpler than it might seem – making a few strategic adjustments to your embroidery setup can significantly enhance the quality of your designs.
Take a look at this comparison Design 1: Stitched with 40-weight thread, a 75/11 ball point needle, and a tearaway backing. Design 2: Stitched with 60-weight thread, a 60/8 needle ball point, and high stability Weblon cut away.
No changes were made to the digitising – just a better combination of finer thread, a smaller needle, and a backing that offers more stability on stretchy fabrics. Sometimes, small changes make all the difference.
Key tips to consider 1) High-quality thread
For designs with fine details and small text, switching from standard 40-weight to finer 60-weight threads ensures greater precision and clarity. For a print-like finish, threads such as Madeira’s Frosted Matt
| 90 | February 2025
provides an alternative modern option. 2) Digitising for fine details Appropriate digitising is essential as smaller letters require less density. If using different thread weights, inform your digitiser who will be able to adjust the design. It’s also worth mentioning the type of fabric to be embroidered. Madeira threads offer an advantage: 60- and 75-weight threads match the 40-weight colours, allowing seamless use of varying weights within a design. 3) Selecting the right stabiliser Select a tear-away backing for stable fabrics and for stretchy or knitted fabrics, use a cut-away backing for added stability. On pile fabrics, a water-soluble topping is a good idea to prevent stitches from sinking, ensuring a clean, crisp finish. 4) Choose a finer needle A finer needle creates smaller fabric penetrations, allowing threads to fill holes for greater detail. Regularly replace needles to avoid issues like puckering, thread breaks, or downtime. If there’s an opportunity to dedicate one needle to 60- or 75-weight thread for standard text colours (e.g. black or white) this will simplify transitions for fine details.
5) Streamline production with smart digitising • Minimise trims, the trim function should only be used between widely spaced letters or words, as it slows the machine down and wastes time.
• Connect objects where possible, for closely spaced letters, use closest-point connection stitches. Excessive tie-offs and knots on the back of the embroidery can be uncomfortable for the wearer. • Limit colour changes by completing one colour before switching. Look at the digitising sequence to ensure stops and starts don’t slow down production. • Reduce unnecessary overlaps – stitches should only overlap enough to prevent gaps. • Optimise underlay stitches to avoid excess, no one wants a bullet proof embroidery!
Take your time
Testing designs can be a bit of trial and error but it’s worth taking the time to get it right before a large production run. Design 1: stitched in 40 weight thread with a tearaway backing and size 75/11 needle. Design 2: as the T shirt is quite fine and stretchy, we opted for a high- stability cut away backing (Weblon), switched the 40-weight thread to finer 60-weight and changed to a smaller size 60/8 ball point needle. By making these simple changes it’s clear to see the difference. The finished results are vastly improved without altering the digitising.
Design 1
Design 2
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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