Welcome back to All About Machine Embroidery. If you are visiting for the first time, catch up with the series here.
If you are new to machine embroidery or just curious and want to know more, you will eventually come across the word digitize.
When I first started looking at embroidery machines, this word was constantly bandied about. Dealers would say, “This embroidery machine can digitize on-screen; that is why it costs $7,000.”
I had no idea what the word digitize meant within the context of machine embroidery, but I did know that $7,000 was not in the cards for me.
So, to keep you in the loop, I want to make sure you understand the what and why of digitizing.
First, almost all digitizing should be done with software, thus the need for some type of software. If the actual machine has these capabilities, it is still limited.
Digitizing (as it refers to machine embroidery) is simply taking a drawing or artwork like Van Gogh’s Sunflowers…


I would love to learn to digitize, but cannot afford Embird or any other digitizing software. I’m stuck with Auto Punch and haven’t learned to use it yet.