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Guides for embroidery shops
How to price your work, how long a design takes, which file your machine reads. Every figure comes with its source.
- How to price embroidery by stitch countHow to work out what to charge for machine embroidery: machine time from the stitch count, your cost per hour, materials and margin, checked against published per-1,000-stitch rates. — Read the guide
- Embroidery price per 1,000 stitches: a pricing chartWhat published guides say about embroidery prices per 1,000 stitches, a chart of price per piece by stitch count, and how to find your own rate from your costs. — Read the guide
- How much to charge for embroidery on hats, shirts and namesTypical stitch counts for names, cap fronts, left-chest logos and back designs, how long each takes on the machine, and how to turn that into a price per piece. — Read the guide
- Embroidery setup and digitizing fees: what to charge and whenWhat embroidery setup and digitizing fees cover, what some shops publish (from US$6.50 to US$49 per design), when they waive them, and how to decide your own policy. — Read the guide
- Free embroidery order form templateA free, printable embroidery order form: customer details, garments and sizes, placement, thread colors, price, deposit and approval. Print it or save it as a PDF. — Read the guide
- What is a DST file and how to open itWhat a DST embroidery file is, why it has no thread colors, and how to open and preview one for free in your browser on Windows, Mac or phone without installing software. — Read the guide
- Embroidery file formats: which one does your machine read?Which embroidery file format your machine reads (PES for Brother, JEF for Janome, DST for Tajima, EXP, VP3), the difference between PES and DST, and stitch files vs design files. — Read the guide
- How long does machine embroidery take?How to estimate how long a design takes on an embroidery machine from its stitch count, color changes and trims, with examples for multi-needle and single-needle machines. — Read the guide
- Embroidery hoop sizes chart (mm and inches)Machine embroidery hoop sizes in millimeters and inches for Brother and Janome, what "hoop size" really means, and how to check that a design fits your hoop. — Read the guide
- Embroidery stabilizer guide: which one for each fabricWhich machine embroidery stabilizer to use for each fabric: cut-away for knits and stretch, tear-away for stable wovens, water-soluble for lace and towels, plus toppers. — Read the guide