"Good digitizing is the difference between embroidery that looks crisp and professional and embroidery that puckers, gaps, or wears out. It's a one-time step per design. Once your logo is digitized, we can stitch it again and again with no setup needed."
Digitizing & Embroidery Fees
What is digitizing?
An embroidery machine can't read a logo the way your eyes do. Before it can stitch your design, your artwork has to be translated into a special file that tells the machine exactly where to place every stitch, in what direction, in what order, and in which color. That translation is called digitizing— and it's skilled, hands-on work, not the push of a button.
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You send your artwork
A logo, image, or design in just about any format.
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We digitize it
We map your design into precise stitches, then test it on real fabric and fine-tune until it looks right. We will create 2 versions (light and dark) for free with any order over $400.
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It's ready to stitch
Your design now embroiders cleanly and identically, every time. On this order and every future one.
Logo Digitizing
We specialize in left chest logos or marks. The majority of our customers logos fall in the 4,000-8,000 stitch count and there are no additional fees for embroidery when customers purchase apparel from us. Bigger, more detailed artwork takes more digitizing time, so the fee scales with it. No surprises, no per-hour billing.
$FREE
1,000 – 10,000 stitches
Included with garment purchase*.
This includes: Simple text, small left-chest logos, basic shapes, standard logos, most corporate marks
*oders over $400 (a $45.00 setup on orders that do not meet that threshold)
$70
10,001 – 15,000 stitches
Detailed logos, multiple colors or elements
$90
15,001 – 20,000 stitches
Complex artwork, fine detail, layered fills
Embroidery Fees
Our apparel is priced for left chest logos under 10K stitches. Larger, more complex designs take longer to stitch and use more resources, so there is a small additional fee per garment.
$FREE
1,000 – 10,000 stitches
Included with garment purchase.
This includes: Simple text, small left-chest logos, basic shapes, standard logos, most corporate marks
+$3.90
10,001 – 15,000 stitches
Additional charge per item
Detailed logos, multiple colors or elements
+$5.35
15,001 – 20,000 stitches
Additional charge per item
Complex artwork, fine detail, layered fills
Not sure how many stitches your design is?
Just send it over. We'll tell you the count and exact price before any work begins.
A few extras
Most jobs are just the flat fee above. These come up now and then.
Setup Fee
$45.00
This will apply to any order under $400
Rush turnaround
+50%
Need it fast? We'll prioritize your order.
Major revision
$25
Your digitizing fee includes up to two edits. Edits beyond that will incur fees.
Ordering Portal
$99
A curated ordering portal, built for your company or organization.
What your digitizing fee covers
One fee. Done right.
Expert Digitizing
Expert manual digitizing of your artwork. No auto-tracing shortcuts.
Stitch Test
A stitch-out test and adjustments so it looks right on real fabric.
Revisions
Up to two minor revisions to get the details just right.
Use
Unlimited embroidery of your design on future orders with us.
Light and Dark
Up to two different color versions of your logo. A light and dark version.
Good To Know
About the digitized file
The digitizing fee covers our craft and your embroidery. It isn't a sale of the file itself. We keep the production file on hand so we can stitch your design perfectly, order after order. Most customers never need the file; we've got it covered.
If you'd like a copy of the digitized stitch file, for example, to keep a backup or have it on hand, we're happy to license it to you. Helmsman retains ownership of the file as our original work, and you receive a written license to use it for your own products. It's available as a separate add-on, granted in writing once paid.