Design Guidelines – MagicEmbroi

Designing for embroidery

Embroidery isn't printing. Thread has real thickness, so designs that look perfect on screen sometimes need small adjustments before they stitch well. These guidelines help you get the sharpest possible result — and if something needs changing, we'll always tell you before we start.

Keep detail realistic

Very fine lines below roughly 1 mm tend to disappear into the fabric.
Tiny gaps between elements can close up as the thread fills in.
Bold, clean shapes read far better than intricate hairline detail.

Text and lettering

Minimum letter height: about 5 mm for clean, readable text.
Simple, sturdy fonts work best. Very thin or highly decorative scripts can lose their shape.
Keep enough space between letters so they don't merge.
ALL CAPS and bold weights stitch especially cleanly.

Colours

Thread colours are matched from a fixed palette, so we get as close as possible — an exact screen-colour match isn't always achievable.
Fewer colours usually means a crisper result. Most logos look best in 3–6 colours.
Gradients and soft blends can't be reproduced directly; we translate them into layered shading.
Tell us if you have brand colour codes — we'll match as closely as the thread range allows.

Photos and portraits

Bright, well-lit, sharp photos give the best portraits.
Close-up subjects work better than wide shots.
Busy backgrounds are usually simplified or removed so the subject stands out.
A face can carry 8,000–15,000 stitches, so allow a little extra production time.

Size and placement

Left chest: around 7–10 cm wide — ideal for logos and monograms.
Full front or back: up to around 28 cm wide, depending on the garment.
Caps: around 5–6 cm tall — keep designs simple, as curved surfaces limit fine detail.
Sleeves and cuffs: best for small text, initials or icons.

Fabric matters

Stable woven fabrics hold detail best.
Stretchy knits need backing to stop the design distorting — we handle this for you.
Thick or textured fabrics like towelling need bolder designs, since fine detail sinks into the pile.

We'll guide you

You don't need to get all of this right on your own. Send us what you have and our team will flag anything that needs adjusting, suggest fixes, and share a preview before a single stitch is made.