SVC / DIGITIZING
ABC Digitizing
America’s Best Custom Digitizing — artwork turned into stitches, in this building.
Digitising is the step between a logo and a machine: someone decides, stitch by stitch, how thread will be laid down to reproduce your artwork on a specific fabric at a specific size. It is not a file conversion and there is no button for it. We do it in-house, which is why a problem found at sew-out gets fixed the same day instead of going back to an overseas queue.
At a glance
DIGITIZING- Turnaround
- Confirmed with Alphabet before launch.
- Minimum
- Not applicable — digitising is priced per design.
- Artwork
- AI, EPS, PDF, SVG at any size — or PNG/JPG at 300 dpi or better at final size
- Approval
- Sew-out swatch before production
- Blind ship
- Available on every trade order
What it is
- A digitiser assigns stitch types, directions, densities, underlay and sequencing to every element of your artwork.
- The result is a machine file — commonly DST — that is specific to a fabric, a size and a placement.
- Good digitising is why a logo reads cleanly at 3.5 inches on a piqué polo and again at 2.25 inches on a cap front.
- The same artwork usually needs more than one file: flat goods, caps and heavy knits pull differently.
What we do differently
In-house, not brokered
ABC Digitizing™ is a department here, not a vendor relationship. When a sew-out shows a gap in a satin column or text filling in, the digitiser adjusts the file and we re-sew — usually the same day.
Digitised for the fabric you are actually running
Density and underlay that work on a woven oxford will bury a lightweight performance knit. Tell us the garment and we digitise for it.
Your file, your file
Files we digitise for you are yours, stored under a design number so a reorder is a phone call rather than a re-quote.
Bring your own file
Already had your logo digitised? Send it. We will run it as-is, and if we can see it is going to give you trouble we will say so before we sew 400 pieces.
Typical applications
- New logos entering an apparel programme
- Existing logos that never sewed cleanly and need re-digitising
- Resizing a design for a different placement or garment
- Cap versions of a design digitised originally for flats
- Left chest, full back, sleeve, cuff, collar and cap-front layouts
- Name drops and personalisation applied over a stored logo
Materials and substrates
- Piqué and jersey knits
- Woven shirting and twill
- Performance and moisture-wicking fabrics
- Fleece and other high-pile goods
- Structured cap fronts and unstructured crowns
- Towelling and other loop-pile textiles
Artwork we can work from
AI, EPS, PDF, SVG at any size — or PNG/JPG at 300 dpi or better at final size
- Vector is best. A digitiser is redrawing paths in stitches, and clean paths mean fewer decisions made on your behalf.
- Say the finished sewn width in inches. Digitising is size-specific.
- Name the garment and colour so underlay and density are chosen for the right fabric.
- Send Pantone references if colour matters; thread is matched to the nearest available shade, not printed.
- Delivered formats: DST as standard. The full list of formats we deliver on request is confirmed with Alphabet before launch.
The artwork guide covers stitch counts, placements, backings and what does not translate to thread.
Questions we get
- How is digitising priced?
- Confirmed with Alphabet before launch — whether that is a flat fee, free above a piece-count threshold, or quoted per design.
- Why does stitch count matter to me?
- Stitch count drives both price and machine time. A design that reads the same at 9,000 stitches as it does at 14,000 costs less to run and finishes sooner. Part of digitising well is not using stitches you do not need.
- Can you digitise a photograph?
- Photographic detail, gradients and soft shadows do not translate to thread. We can interpret a photo as a stitchable mark, but it becomes an illustration, not a reproduction. See the artwork guide for what holds up in thread.
- I have a DST from another supplier. Can you use it?
- Yes. Send it with a note about what garment it was digitised for, and we will sew a swatch before committing your goods.
Next step
Tell us about the job.
Call the shop and ask for whoever handles contract work, or send the details through and we will come back with a number.
Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM EST