Embroidery digitizing is the work of turning your logo into a stitch file that tells the machine where every stitch goes, which way it runs, and in what order. At French Press Custom in Santa Fe Springs, digitizing is a one-time $45 fee per design, done by a person rather than automatic software, and the saved file means reorders never pay it again.
On a 24-piece order that $45 works out to $1.88 a piece. This guide explains what you are paying for, how the stitch types work, why hats are digitized differently from shirts, and when the fee applies. If your question is how many stitches your logo has and what that does to the price, our guide to embroidery stitch count covers that side.
What does digitizing actually do?
An embroidery machine cannot read a JPG or a PNG. It reads a stitch file (we produce .DST files) made of instructions: move here, stitch there, change to needle 4, trim. A digitizer builds those instructions by hand from your artwork. These are the decisions that go into a file:
| Decision | What it controls | What happens when it is wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Stitch type | Satin, fill or running stitch for each part of the logo | Text that looks lumpy, fills that look thin |
| Stitch direction | The angle the thread lies at | Flat, dull areas with no shine |
| Density | How close together the stitches sit | Too dense puckers fabric, too light shows the garment through |
| Underlay | A base layer of stitches under the visible ones | Stitches sink into fleece or pique |
| Pull compensation | Widening shapes slightly so thread tension does not shrink them | Gaps between outlines and fills |
| Sequence and color changes | The order shapes are sewn and when the needle changes | Extra trims, misaligned outlines, slower runs |
A good file and a poor file can come from the same logo and look completely different on the shirt. That is the reason digitizing is a skilled step and not a conversion.
Live price
What will my order cost?
Quantity
Logo size
Garment
What are the main embroidery stitch types?
| Stitch | What it looks like | Best for | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running stitch | A single line of thread | Fine outlines, small details, underlay | Too thin to carry a bold shape |
| Satin stitch | Long parallel stitches that shine | Text, borders, narrow shapes | Gets loose and snag-prone on wide shapes |
| Fill stitch | Rows of short stitches in a pattern | Large solid areas of a logo | Adds a lot of stitches on big designs |
| 3D puff | Satin stitches sewn over foam | Bold letters on structured hats | Fine text and thin lines do not puff well |
| Appliqué | A fabric piece held down by a satin border | Varsity letters, large areas | Needs a simple, bold shape |
As a rule of thumb, embroidered text should be at least 0.25 inches tall for block fonts, and scripts or serif fonts need more height to stay readable. A digitizer will suggest resizing or a different font when text is too small to stitch cleanly.
Why can't I just use auto-digitizing software?
Auto-digitizing programs exist, and they will produce a file. The trouble is that they make the same choice everywhere: one density, one direction, no thought about the fabric. A logo on a stretchy performance polo needs different underlay than the same logo on a heavy hoodie. Every logo we embroider is digitized by a person, which is what keeps small text legible and fills flat.
Why are hats digitized differently?
A hat is not a flat piece of fabric. The front of a structured cap is curved, often has a seam running down the middle, and is stitched on a hat-specific hoop and backing rather than a flat hoop. That changes how the file has to be built:
- Sewing order. On a cap, designs are generally sewn from the center outward and from the bottom up, so the fabric does not bunch toward one side as the machine works.
- The center seam. Thin details that cross the seam can break up, so lettering is often thickened or moved.
- Height. The usable area on a cap front is short, so a wide logo designed for a shirt may need to be rearranged.
- 3D puff. Puff only works when the digitizer builds the satin columns to wrap foam, so a puff file is built for puff from the start.
Because of this, a shirt file and a hat file of the same logo are usually two different files, and in our quote calculator each design carries its own $45. A crew order of 24 black Gildan 8800 polos plus 24 black Richardson 112 hats has $90 in digitizing, one fee per design. Our guide to hat decoration options compares embroidery, puff and patches on caps.
When does the digitizing fee apply?
| Situation | Digitizing fee |
|---|---|
| New logo, one location (left chest, hat front) | $45 once |
| Same order, a second location (left chest plus back) | $45 per location, $90 total |
| Very large design, 20,000 stitches | Still $45 |
| Reorder of the same logo on file | $0 |
| Updated or redesigned logo | New $45 for the new version |
The fee does not grow with stitch count. A 20,000-stitch back design carries the same $45 as a small chest logo; stitch count shows up in the per-piece stitching price instead. Once your logo is digitized with us, the stitch file is saved and reused on every reorder and new-hire add-on, so the polos you order next year match the first batch.
How much does an embroidered order cost with digitizing?
These are live prices from our quote engine for a left-chest or hat-front logo up to 5,000 stitches, per piece, before sales tax, sizes S to XL. Each price includes the garment and the stitching. Add $45 once per design for digitizing.
| Garment | 24 pieces | 48 pieces | 100 pieces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polo, Gildan 8800, black | $21.69 | $19.94 | $18.62 |
| Hat, Richardson 112 trucker, black | $19.00 | $17.68 | $16.37 |
| Hoodie, Gildan 18500, black | $32.63 | $30.88 | $29.56 |
| Digitizing spread over the order | $1.88 per piece | $0.94 per piece | $0.45 per piece |
With digitizing included, 24 polos come to $565.56 before tax and 24 hats to $501.00. Embroidery starts at 24 pieces per design, hats included. Sizes 2XL and up carry a supplier upcharge on the polo and hoodie. For the full rate card by stitch count, see the embroidery cost guide.
What should I send for digitizing?
- A vector file (AI, EPS, PDF or SVG) gives the cleanest result. A high-resolution PNG at 300 DPI or more also works.
- Your thread colors, as Pantone numbers if you have them. Our guide to choosing thread colors helps if you do not.
- Where it goes and how big. A typical chest logo with an icon and text is about 3 by 2 inches; a full hat front is about 4 by 2.5 inches.
- An existing .DST file, if another shop already digitized your logo. Send it and we will tell you whether it can be reused.
Our take
The most common surprise on our embroidery floor is a logo that was designed for a website, with thin outlines and a tagline in small text. On screen it looks fine; in thread, the tagline turns into a blur. We would rather tell you that at the proof stage than after 24 polos are stitched, so the digitizer will often suggest dropping the tagline or thickening the outline. On a new design or a large order, we can run a test stitch-out on the same fabric before production. The $45 is the smallest line on an embroidery order, and the one that decides how every piece looks. More about our process is on the embroidery service page.
Ordering from Los Angeles or Orange County
- Where we are. 14130 Rosecrans Ave, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, serving Los Angeles and Orange County.
- Minimums. DTG none, DTF 12, embroidery 24, screen printing 36 pieces per design.
- Timing. About 2-3 weeks after art approval. Rush available depending on the schedule. Tell us your date.
- Contact. Mon-Fri 8am-4pm PT, (562) 407-3800, sales@frenchpresscustom.com.
Price your embroidered order now.
Frequently asked questions
What is embroidery digitizing?
Digitizing converts your logo into a stitch file that tells the embroidery machine the type, direction, density and order of every stitch. At French Press Custom it is done by a person and costs a one-time $45 per design.
Why do embroidery shops charge a digitizing fee?
Building a stitch file by hand takes a skilled person time, and that work is the same whether you order 24 pieces or 500. The $45 fee covers it once, and the saved file is reused for every reorder at no charge.
Do I pay the digitizing fee again on a reorder?
No. Your stitch file stays on file, so a reorder of the same logo has no digitizing charge. A changed or redesigned logo needs a new file and a new $45.
Does a bigger logo cost more to digitize?
Not with us. A 20,000-stitch back design carries the same $45 digitizing fee as a 5,000-stitch chest logo. The larger design costs more in the per-piece stitching price instead.
Do hats need a separate digitizing file?
Usually, yes. A curved cap front with a center seam is sewn in a different order than a flat shirt, so in our calculator a hat design and a shirt design each carry their own $45.
Can I use a stitch file from another embroidery shop?
Often. Send the .DST file and we will check it. If it stitches cleanly, it can be reused with no new digitizing fee.
How much does digitizing add per piece?
On 24 pieces, $45 is $1.88 per piece. On 48 pieces it is $0.94 and on 100 pieces $0.45, and on a reorder it is zero.
