How to Digitize Flats vs Caps

In this educational Embroidery Hub episode, Willy teaches you the key differences between digitizing for caps and flats. Not only will he tell you the difference, but he’ll also show you exactly how to digitize for each item and embroider them so you can see how they come out. So if you’re ready to take your digitizing to the next level, make sure you don’t miss a single minute of this episode.


Timestamps

1:09 – Differences between digitizing for flats and caps

1:49 – Digitizing for a flat garment

5:10 – Setting up the EM-1010 and the flat garment

6:01 – Embroidering the flat garment

6:25 – Embroidering the cap

7:30 – Digitizing for the cap

9:07 – Embroidering the cap with the correct design

9:25 – Final product

10:15 – Tips for flat and cap digitizing

Digitizing the design to embroider on flats is pretty simple. Just auto digitize the design and set the design height to 2.5 inches. Then, use the shaping tool to make sure the design embroiders from the top down and from the outside to the center. This is the opposite of how you would set the embroidery sequence for cap embroidery. Now, choose a flat garment like a sweater or polo shirt, hoop it, put it in the embroidery machine, and press Start. The final product should have no issues.

Next, set up the machine for cap embroidery. Hoop and insert the cap into the machine and embroider the flat design onto the cap. You will see registration issues and puckering on the cap.

To digitize a design for cap embroidery, use the shaping tool in Chroma to make the machine embroider the design from the bottom up and from the center out. When you embroider another cap with this edited design, there should be no issues.

Most of the time, if you want to use the same design on a cap and a flat, ask your digitizer to digitize the design for a cap only. A design digitized for a cap can be used on a flat but not vice versa.

Otherwise, it’s best to let the digitizer know where exactly you’re planning on putting the design so they can create separate files.

It’s always better to get two versions of the design for flats and caps if they are going to be different sizes, as stretching or shrinking the design usually doesn’t lead to great results.

Finally, always test the design on any scrap garment or cap before embroidering it on a client’s garment just to make sure it’s exactly like you want it to be.

[rebecarodriguez]

omg I've been looking for a video like this !! thanks soo much, , wish me luck on my first hat digitizing!

[bradhunter]

Hopefully the team at Digitizing Empire watch this. Got into an argument with one of them about hats. They had no idea what needed done on a hat.

[mylissamaynard]

Thanks for this video it will help me as I am learning to digitize my own designs

[renemiranda]

Could you explain why you can't use the cap design for the shirts? Would it cause registration issues as well?

[SML.Explainer]

Appreciate the video. But there was no side by side comparison from one to the other on the caps. Would like to see that.

[zehcnas]

When I use the frame out on my Ricoma MT 1501 when it comes forward it makes a loud grinding noise like it’s hitting the embroidery head. Help! How do I fix this? I have never been able to use this.

[luishondas]

Is that set up will be applied to all digitizing? Also can you do border with that software? Thanks

[jameskent]

How do you get the start and stop points to show on the design? On mine they are one blob in the design and I cannot move them.

[qzd]

how do you know where it will start and how to make the disigh in the middle if the desighn is not the same on the sides ?

[carlosfuentes]

I don't really have the time to design or digitize like Willy does in the video, does anyone have any recommendations for r where I can buy pre-made digitized designs?

[renemanandise]

I have tried to change the start and stop points in a design, I'm useing luxe and I always save but the program in the sewing application where it show how the machine will stitch it out always goes from top to bottom instead of bottom to top and I'm setting it to go from bottom top, I need help because it's for a customer who wants hats at least 20

[vilmaanderson]

Where can I Get digitizing caps or cap designs software, affordable software.

[dannyguzman]

i missed the part where they compared the 2 side by side so we could see the differences

[leannawillis]

I purchased a design for flats but I am new at embroidery and do not know how to convert it for hats is there anyone who can do this for me? it is just a fish no text.

[fernandokhounphithach]

Where is the final product? I couldn’t see the results, and see that he thinks is better but didn’t show the details and difference

[jmscott]

Great video, but dude, you didn't show a side by side comparison of the two :( :( :(

[elevated-apparel]

But you should not use auto digitizing and do it manually. Auto will give you thread breaks, registration issues, and lots more.

[mdashcube]

Sorry but haven’t seen the difference because you haven’t show us an up close view on the hat.

[reggie]

Actually I can’t see how it turned out you put it on too fast lol