Issue link: https://docs.hic.us/i/403552
with the result being poor registration. If for example, you used one layer of tear- away backing with a typical sweatshirt, chances are it would not provide the necessary stability for the embroidery, and the finished design would be of inferior quality. Typically, you want to use cutaway backing for stretchy, unstable materials, not tearaway. It should be noted however, that multiple layers of tearaway backing can be used to achieve stability, without the bulk of cutaway backing. Just be sure that each layer is completely hooped. Textured fabrics may need a topping to ensure proper registration of the design. If the sewing surface is not smooth, then the stitches will not lay down flat and even. In cases such as corduroy, pique mesh, terry-cloth, etc, it's imperative that you use a topping, preferably water soluble, to prevent misalignment of stitches. Improper Digitizing The third area of influence for poor registration, is of course digitizing. It should be noted that for purposes of this article, digitizing will include keyboard lettering and the use of stock designs. Digitizing problems can be broken down into the following categories: incorrect setup for the given garment, improper manipulation of the design parameters, applying the design to a different fabric than the one it was digitized for. Typically, an incorrect setup means that the digitizer either didn't know what they were doing, or didn't pay attention to the job details. The most significant factor of the digitizing process is push-pull compensation. That begins with an understanding of the characteristics of the fabric that the design will be sewn on. Some fabrics are more stable than others. For the unstable ones, certain elements must be added to the design to ensure that quality and registration are maintained at the highest levels. Inexperienced Digitizers may not have a thorough understanding of the push-pull phenomenon, and thus may not have predicted and compensated for it, which is a leading cause of poor registration. In some cases, the Embroiderer takes a well-digitized design and then tries to resize it or change some of the parameters to suit their own needs. By altering the original design, the very features that ensure top quality sewing, are changed and the quality level decreases. Finally, sewing a design on a different garment/fabric than the one it was digitized for, can cause all kinds of quality issues. Like it or not, no design sews great on everything. Since each fabric has different characteristics, a design needs to be digitized differently for each one. But in the real world, no one wants to pay to have several versions created. Instead they take the design and apply it to every fabric and hope that it works. When it doesn't, they assume the digitizing is flawed. www.hsi.us care@hsi.us 175