Cleaning up True Type font ?????

[MHope67]

Hello All!

I have a project and need to use True Type Fonts (using Acme font at the moment). I usually send this out to my digitizer, but that is proving costly and takes time. I would like to know how to clean the text up to look as nice as his does (he assured me it was not hard to learn myself) I have Design Shop Pro and can not find any videos or webinars to help me with this. I know it should not be difficult. Any and all help is very appreciated!!

[Juli in Kona]

What do you need to do to make it look better?

[MHope67]

When I sew the letters out they are not crisp around the edges, they look jagged and not smooth looking. You can also see the material thru the stitches, just not professional looking at all. My guy that cleans them up makes them look great!! Just trying to figure out how to do this myself. Sewing out samples on 2 pieces of cut away backing and not pleased with the way they look at all.

[levelbest]

When I sew the letters out they are not crisp around the edges, they look jagged and not smooth looking. You can also see the material thru the stitches, just not professional looking at all. My guy that cleans them up makes them look great!! Just trying to figure out how to do this myself. Sewing out samples on 2 pieces of cut away backing and not pleased with the way they look at all.

Best to start playing with thread density and underlay. Doing everything "auto" rarely works.

What density and what underlay setting is best will be determined by the size of the type.

[MHope67]

Thank you. I will play around with that and see what it does.

[Greenwing]

can you send me a file of the lettering that in issue?
make sure it is in OFM format..
Also What level of DS do you own?

[MHope67]

I will have to send it thru my personal email. I can't seem to get this email link to work. I have put it back to its original form when I pull it from the alphabet list. No matter what I play with it doesn't look professional.

I have Design Shop Pro. I also am having problems with downloaded embroidery fonts - not being able to get in to edit them except tie in - tie out, scale, color view and style. I even tried putting it into wireframe and still couldn't do anything more.

I really want to learn how to do this since I have people that want items embroidered with true type fonts and other digitized alphabets.

Thank you so much.

Mary

[Hidden Cottage]

As long as we are on the subject of using TT Fonts, the digitizer I use does and excellent job too, but when using larger TT Font letters, I get little gaps between the stitches. I do work for an interior designer, lots of large pillows, shower curtains, etc, but now have fabric for game chair slip covers, 3 letter monogram on back, using Gabriola font, center letter is M - 7" high. Any suggestions as to being able to fill in those little gaps?
The more I read posts, the more I realize I know basically nothing about digitizing, have always "farmed it out"
Thanks,
Susan
@Hidden Cottage

[Juli in Kona]

It depends where the gaps are occuring as to what will fix them.
1. If the gaps occur where the stitching is coming down and then goes down and stitches up to fill and where the 2 meet there is a gap - the fix is to go to Properties, Top Stitching, Advanced. Where it says Fill Overlap lines, put a number - 1, 2 or 3. That will put in extra lines of stitching to fill any gaps.
2. If you just have random gaps, you could increase the density. OR you can slightly change the wireframe points and that will slightly change the fill angles and might solve your problem.
3. Do you have an underlay? If not, that could improve things by using the default underlay.

Hope this helps.

[Juli in Kona]

Not all TTF are created equal!!! Some are horrible.
1. Change it to wireframe and get rid of or adjust the points.
2. Use a #10 needle
3. Use underlay
4. adjust the density.
5. Try a similar but better font.
6. Adjust the distance between letters. It always looks better with the letters closer together.
7. Usually it will look better with "Closest Point" connection

[Juli in Kona]

Want an example of a terrible font? Check out Brennan font. Talk about terrible! BUT, this could be a good font for Puffy Foam. Notice that almost all edges have needle points to cut the foam.

And BTW, if you want a good 3D Puff Foam design, use a #80 needle (or bigger) and an astronomical density. I always want to limit the number of stitches and therefore the time to stitch it out, but it is simply not worth it. MUCH better with the big needle and really heavy density, like .17 (my normal is .40). It will take longer, but it is perfect.

[Mama Kass]

Sometimes gaps also occur where two perpendicular columns meet, e.g. "T". Overlapping doesn't always help here because the stitches on the second column to be stitched will pull apart the stitches on the first column regardless of where they intersect . I have solved this by applying a small section of underlay to the first column where the joint occurs so that the underlay stitches lay parallel to the stitches of the second column. The underlay effectively disguises where the stitches pull part.

Rod Springer gave me some good general digitizing advice which I think is what Juli is referring to in her #1 above. In order to avoid the fabric scrunching at the tips of pointed pieces (which is actually the fabric being pushed away by too many stitches rather than puckering), try to digitize so that the stitches run across the tip of the point rather than following around the edge of the point - think capped end rather than fan-shaped ends.