Cap logo digitising

Why a cap file is not a flat file

On a cap driver the fabric is under tension and it only moves in one direction cleanly. Stitch order matters far more than it does on a flat garment: we sew from the bottom of the design upward and from the centre outward, so each block anchors the fabric for the one after it. Take a flat left chest file, load it on a cap frame, and the top of the design drifts a millimetre or two off register. Usually to the right, usually noticeable on the last letter.

The centre seam

A six-panel cap has a seam running straight up the middle of the design area, and a bulky one at that. We keep satin columns from crossing it where we can, and where the artwork forces it we run the column across the seam rather than along it, so the bump does not sit inside a long stitch. Small text straddling that seam is the single most common cause of a cap logo that looked fine on screen.

Height limits, and what we do about them

Most structured cap fronts give you about 2.25 inches of usable height before the crown curve starts fighting the needle. If your artwork is taller than it is wide we will say so and suggest a re-stack: a two-line arrangement, or the icon moved beside the text instead of above it. You get that as a proof image before we punch anything, so there are no surprises.

What lands in your inbox

The stitch file in whichever formats you asked for, a printable worksheet with the colour sequence and stitch count, and a flat preview image you can forward to your client. Ask for the editable source and you get that too, at no extra cost — it is your design.

• EMB
• DST
• PES
• JEF
• EXP
• VP3
• HUS
• XXX
• CND