If you spend enough time around embroidery shops, you hear the same question from designers and customers over and over: should the artwork be vector or raster? The short answer is neither and both. Embroidery machines don’t read pixels or anchor points, they read stitches, and the path from art to thread passes through a digitizing step no matter how the artwork starts. Still, the format you hand over influences clarity, speed, cost, and, ultimately, how good the sew-out looks on a real garment. I’ve digitized everything from simple one-color caps to 60-thousand-stitch jacket backs, and the right choice changes with the job.
This guide breaks down how to think about vector and raster when you’re preparing artwork for embroidery, why certain elements convert better than others, and the traps that make a file look great on screen but awful in thread. If you’re working with a local shop like Tanners Embroidery in Brandon, or ordering through an embroidery Tampa vendor, these pointers will help you deliver smarter files and ask the right questions.
What embroidery machines want, and why your file format still matters
Embroidery machines consume a machine format, typically a stitch file like DST, EXP, or PES. That file tells the machine where to put each stitch, what order to sew elements, when to change thread color, and how to tie off. The stitch file comes from a digitizer using software like Wilcom, Pulse, or Hatch. The digitizer does not simply convert pixels or vector paths to stitches; they decide stitch types, densities, compensation, underlay, direction, and sequence. That human judgment is the difference between a clean, durable sew-out and a puckered mess.
So why bother with vector vs. raster? Because the art you supply affects:
- How cleanly edges can be interpreted during digitizing, especially at small sizes. How quickly a digitizer can isolate shapes and prioritize sequence. How accurately fine detail can be simplified into stitchable forms. Whether small type or thin outlines survive reduction from screen to thread.
A strong source file doesn’t replace a good digitizer, but it gives them the leverage to interpret your logo correctly, keep costs down, and avoid extra back-and-forth.
Vector artwork: the usual favorite, with good reasons
Most embroidery shops prefer vector art for logos and simple graphics. Vector formats like AI, EPS, PDF, and SVG store shapes as math, so they scale cleanly without soft edges. That’s exactly what you want when you need to determine hard boundaries for filled regions or satin borders. When I receive a crisp vector mark, I can assign satin columns to strokes, fill types to shapes, and set the sequence from background to foreground in fewer clicks.
Vector excels in three areas that matter for embroidery:
Clarity at small sizes. Thread has width, so a 1-point stroke in vector might translate to a 1 mm satin or a 0.4 mm run stitch line once digitized. When anchor points are clean and corners are well defined, I can simplify without guessing.
Reliable shapes and separations. Logos often have distinct geometric pieces: circles, chevrons, stars, letters. Vector keeps those pieces discrete. That speeds up digitizing and reduces the chance of missing a contour or misreading a color break.
Consistent curves. Curves matter for stitch direction. A smooth vector curve lets me set a stitch angle that flows without jagged edges or sudden turn-stitches. If I’m creating a 10,000-stitch left-chest for a polo, the stability of those long satin columns depends on even curve transitions and smart underlay.
Despite all that, vector is not a magic key. Some vector art arrives with dozens of tiny compound paths, stray points, or clipping masks that hide problems. Overly complex vector work can be worse than a simple, high-resolution raster because it tempts digitizers to chase microscopic details that won’t stitch well. Clean up before you send: merge shapes, remove overlaps that won’t be visible, and expand strokes if you want to communicate stroke thickness explicitly.
Raster artwork: workable, sometimes preferable
Raster formats like PNG, TIFF, and JPEG store images as pixels. They don’t scale up gracefully, and they can hide compression artifacts, especially if saved repeatedly. None of that helps for embroidery. Even so, raster isn’t the enemy. For photographic marks, painterly textures, or custom lettering that began life as hand-drawn art, a high-resolution raster file can be the truest representation.
I’ve digitized restaurant logos where the charm lived in subtle texture. The vectorized version looked sterile, but the original 1200 px artwork contained enough tone and edge definition to guide stitch texture. In those cases, I don’t auto-trace. I place the raster in the digitizing software, reduce it to grayscale or high-contrast layers, and manually map fills and satins based on what will read at size. That process takes longer, yet the result keeps the original character.
If you’re supplying raster art, send the largest version you have. A 300 dpi file at the intended physical size is a good baseline. Bigger is fine. Avoid JPEG artifacts. If you only have a social media thumbnail, ask your shop whether they can redraw or vectorize the logo for a fee. Many embroidery Tampa shops, including smaller teams like Tanners Embroidery in Brandon FL, offer art services that cost much less than redoing a bad sew-out.
Scaling is not resizing: thread has physical limits
Screen design tricks don’t always translate to thread. A line weight that works at 24 inches wide might disappear at 3 inches. A filled gradient in print becomes flat color in embroidery unless deliberately interpreted as varying stitch directions or densities.
For left-chest and cap fronts, the art typically lives in a window around 2.5 to 4 inches wide. On caps, the height is often constrained to roughly 2.25 inches. On a sleeve, narrower still. As you scale the art down, a few rules of thumb kick in:
- Letters under 4 mm tall risk closing up. Satin columns narrower than 1 mm tend to lose coverage or break. Gaps under 0.5 mm often vanish when the fabric flexes or the needle deflects.
When I prep vector art for a small-size job, I convert strokes to outlines at a target thickness I know will stitch as a satin, then I test a virtual scale to the final size. If a shape collapses, I simplify. When I prep raster, I sharpen key transitions and clean noise so the digitizer only sees real edges, not pixel chatter.
Converting art to stitches: what auto-trace gets wrong
There are two forms of auto with embroidery: auto-tracing art to vector and auto-digitizing vector to stitches. Both look fast, both often cost time. Auto-trace can turn noisy raster edges into thousands of micro-paths. Auto-digitizing can fill shapes with inefficient stitch angles, no compensation, and poor sequencing that creates thread nests and puckering.
A seasoned digitizer uses art as a map, not a command. Even with perfect vector lines, they redraw or offset edges to account for push-pull on the fabric. Satin columns aren’t merely filled strokes; they’re engineered structures with underlay types chosen for stabilizer and fabric. A fill angle change of 15 degrees can dramatically alter how light plays across the garment. That’s why a clean source file is so valuable: it frees the digitizer to spend their time on stitch logic, not cleanup.
When to choose vector on purpose
If you have control over how a logo is built, choose vector for:
Simple geometric logos, monograms, and wordmarks. These convert to satin and fill with minimal fuss.
Marks that will be used across sizes. Vector lets you specify alternate lockups. A stacked wordmark might get a wide version with thicker strokes for small embroidery and a thin-stroked version for large back pieces.
One-color designs with borders or outlines. Vector clarity helps the digitizer make crisp satin borders that frame filled areas without gaps.
Any situation where you expect frequent edits. Vectors are easier to tweak. You can thicken a stroke, adjust negative space, and re-export without quality loss.
If your shop is in Brandon or Tampa and you’re working with Tanners Embroidery on corporate polos, caps, and bags, a clean vector logo and a small-size alternate will save time and ensure the brand reads consistently on everything from moisture-wicking knits to structured cap fronts.
When raster is the better starting point
Some designs defy clean vectorization, and in those cases, a carefully prepared raster is the better source:
Hand-drawn lettering with organic wobble. The beauty lives in the imperfect contour. A high-res scan guides a digitizer to emulate the same imperfection in stitch without rounding everything into geometry.
Illustrative marks with deliberate texture. For patches or jacket backs, I promotional products sometimes mimic shading with layered fills at different angles or densities. The original raster helps decide where those transitions occur.
Legacy art where vector files are irretrievable. A large, sharp PNG is enough to digitize well as long as you accept that tiny text and ultra-thin details might be reinterpreted.
If you only possess a small raster file and need embroidery fast, be honest with the shop. A practical re-draw may cost 30 to 90 dollars depending on complexity, and it pays off the first time you avoid a reshoot due to illegible stitching.
What lives and dies in thread
A monitor spoils us with perfect alignment and infinite color. Thread is tactile. It lifts off the fabric, reflects light differently as angles change, and moves under stress. If your art relies on:
Tiny knockouts. The little holes in letters like A, e, and o can disappear at small sizes. A digitizer might simplify the counter shapes or use a single running stitch to suggest an interior opening.
Tight outlines. A hairline outline around small type looks refined in vector. In thread, it can break or saw-tooth. A better approach is to add weight to the outline or drop it entirely and use an underlay to lift the fill.
Gradients. There is no direct gradient in thread. You can simulate with color steps or stitch direction shifts, but each step adds complexity. On left-chest, it often reads as mush. For jacket backs, it can be beautiful if planned.
Micro-details like serifs, fine shadows, and thin interlacing. If they measure under a millimeter at final size, expect to adjust or remove them. Ask the digitizer to propose a version that keeps the brand’s spirit without forcing impossible details.
A good shop will warn you. A great shop will show you a simplified mockup for thread. If you’re near embroidery Brandon FL vendors, pop into a shop with samples. Look at how small text behaves on different fabrics and decide where your brand can flex.
Fabric, stabilizer, and thread make your art honest
A logo that sews sharp on a tightly woven twill can blur on a stretchy performance polo. Fleece eats small detail. Caps challenge with a seam down the front. That’s why we plan art with the target fabric in mind.
On polos and performance knits, expect more push-pull. You may need heavier underlay, a slightly looser density, and bolder stroke weights. Satin columns that are too narrow can sink into the knit texture.
On hats, keep height constraints in mind. Tall narrow letters like M and W can buckle over a cap seam. The digitizer will often change stitch direction across the seam to stabilize, but the art should avoid tiny center counters if you can.
On bags or canvas, you can run denser fills and maintain crisper edges, but heavy fabric can cause thread shine to exaggerate. If your art has large flat fills, consider a pattern fill to break up glare and add visual interest.
If you’re collaborating with a local like Tanners Embroidery, bring the actual garment or specify brand and style. A digitizer who knows the fabric choice will tune underlay, density, and compensation accordingly, and that tuning can save thousands of stitches and minutes on the machine.
Practical file handoff: what to send and how to talk about it
Good handoffs save money and prevent delays. Whether your art is vector or raster, the conversation matters. Here is a short checklist that consistently helps both sides get it right.
- Supply the cleanest source you have: vector files with fonts outlined and strokes expanded where necessary, or high-res PNG/TIFF for raster. Avoid low-quality JPEGs. State the exact physical size for each placement: for example, left chest at 3.5 inches wide, cap front at 2 inches tall. Share color expectations using thread brands if you can: Madeira 1174, Robison-Anton equivalents, or Pantone references with a note that thread is a match by eye. Specify the garments: fabric type, brand, knit vs. woven, any stretch factors. Ask for a proof: either a digital stitch preview with stitch count or a physical sew-out photo before full production.
A digitizer who receives that information can choose stitch types and densities with confidence. It also prevents the familiar “the black looks navy” debate, since thread and monitor colors rarely align perfectly. Shops in the embroidery Tampa market often stock common Madeira and Isacord lines; ask what they carry and request matches in that brand.
The money question: how format affects cost and turnaround
Digitizing fees often scale with complexity, stitch count, and cleanup time. In my experience, a simple one-color wordmark may run 30 to 60 dollars to digitize. A complicated multi-color emblem with shading might run 90 to 180 dollars, and a large back piece can exceed that. Clean vector art tends to lower the time needed for shape interpretation. Dirty vector, or tiny raster, pushes it higher.
Turnaround is similar. If you deliver a print-ready vector with clear notes and size, you might see a stitch file and test sew-out in 1 to 2 business days. If the art is messy or needs to be rebuilt, expect extra days. That’s fine if quality is the priority, but it’s not how you want to discover problems when a corporate event is three days away.
If you’re ordering locally through Tanners Embroidery or another embroidery Brandon FL shop, ask about rush options and whether a previous stitch file can be reused across placements. The same logo digitized for a cap front might need adjustments for a polo left-chest, but many elements can carry over and reduce cost.
Why minimalism often wins on small placements
Most corporate marks weren’t designed for thread at two inches tall. That’s why seasoned designers create alternate marks: a monogram, an icon-only variant, or a thickened wordmark. Vector is your friend here because you can maintain consistent geometry across variants.
At small sizes, a bold satin column Tanners Inc tampa promotional products reads cleanly. A one-color mark looks more premium than a cramped three-color tangle. And a slight spacing adjustment in vector can prevent letters from merging when the stitches pull. If your brand guide is rigid, advocate for an embroidery-specific appendix. Many large brands now include thread-friendly alternates and color translations.
Raster to vector to stitches: the smart path when files are missing
Sometimes you only have a web-resolution PNG and a deadline. The smartest path is often a quick professional redraw into vector, then a manual digitize. I’ve seen clients try auto-trace, then pay more to fix the result later. A controlled redraw preserves intent, straightens geometry only where it helps, and removes noisy bits that won’t sew. Once vectorized, the digitizer can decide which parts become satin, which become fill, and which get omitted at small sizes.
Expect a redraw to take 1 to 3 hours depending on complexity. For a local job in Tampa or Brandon, many shops partner with illustrators who turn it fast. You’ll own a clean master for every medium going forward, not just embroidery.
Testing reality: the overlooked step
A digital preview is not a guarantee. Thread and fabric introduce variables that only a physical sew-out reveals. When stakes are high, I run a test on the same or similar fabric, then I inspect:
Edge smoothness and coverage. Are satins too dense, causing thread to kink? Too loose, showing fabric? Do fills look consistent across angles?
Letter clarity. If counters close or strokes bridge, I adjust density, pull compensation, or remove detail. Sometimes a 0.2 mm tweak rescues the whole mark.
Alignment at color changes. If outlines don’t sit properly over fills, I may resequence stitches or add a narrow underlay to stabilize the first color.
Puckering and warping. Stabilizer choice matters. On a lightweight polo, a cutaway stabilizer might be necessary even if the hand feel is softer with tearaway. Balance aesthetics with longevity.
Your shop should send a photo or allow you to review the sew-out. Keep feedback grounded in what thread can do. If you need exact print fidelity, consider patches or woven patches for certain designs, which can hold smaller detail than direct embroidery.
Patches, appliqué, and other techniques that change the rules
Not every mark needs to be direct embroidery. If your design relies on micro text or tight gradients, consider techniques that expand your toolbox:
Woven patches. They use thread more like weft and warp than standard embroidery, enabling finer detail. They lack the raised texture but read like a crisp label.
Sublimated patches. Print gives you color accuracy and detail on a patch base, then a satin border stitches it onto the garment. Great for complex emblems on caps.
Appliqué. Large filled areas can be replaced with a fabric piece stitched down, reducing stitch count and adding visual interest. For example, a varsity-style letter uses appliqué with a satin border. This technique is fantastic on sweatshirts and jackets.
Chenille and specialty threads. If texture is the goal, chenille can bring a plush feel, though it limits detail. Specialty metallic and matte threads change light behavior in interesting ways, but they require slower speeds and careful digitizing.
These choices live upstream of vector vs. raster, but your source art still matters. Clean, layered vector files let a shop separate areas for appliqué quickly, while high-resolution raster helps plan a sublimated patch with accurate color.
Bringing it together: practical guidance for real jobs
Here is a concise set of decisions I use when advising clients who ask about file formats for embroidery:
- If the logo is geometric or type-forward, deliver vector. Expand strokes if stroke weight matters, or include a note with intended stroke widths at final size. If the logo is textured or hand-drawn, deliver the highest-resolution raster you have. Avoid compression. Where possible, also include a vector with simplified shapes for small placements. For small placements under 3.5 inches wide, plan an alternate mark that eliminates micro-details. Thicken strokes to at least 1 mm where satins are intended. Always specify physical size, fabric type, and color expectations. Ask for sew-out proof before full run. Budget for digitizing as a craft, not an automated conversion. A well-digitized 8 to 12 thousand stitch left-chest is worth more than a rushed 20 thousand stitch file that runs slow and looks bulky.
If you’re in the area and working with a team like Tanners Embroidery, bring your garment, your best art file, and a sense of how the logo will be used. The better the inputs, the fewer surprises in production.
A short case study from the shop floor
A fitness studio ordered 150 polos, 50 caps, and tannersinc.net promotional products 40 hoodies. Their logo had a thin circular ring and condensed text. The only file they had was a PNG from their website, 800 px wide. On screen, it looked fine. At 3 inches wide for the left chest, the ring dropped below 0.7 mm and the inner text reduced to 2.5 mm tall.
We proposed a quick vector rebuild and a small-size alternate. We thickened the ring to 1.4 mm in the small version and swapped the tagline for the monogram on caps. The digitized file came in at around 10,800 stitches for polos and 12,200 for caps due to extra stabilization over the seam. We ran a test sew on a performance polo with a cutaway stabilizer and adjusted pull compensation by 0.2 mm on the ring to keep the circle true. The result read cleanly, the ring caught light nicely at a 25-degree satin angle, and production ran without thread breaks. The client later used the vector master for signage and saved money on future orders.
That job could have gone the other way if we tried to auto-trace the PNG and force the original thin ring. The fabric would have eaten it.
Final thoughts for brand owners and designers
Embroidery rewards clarity and punishes indecision. Vector gives you control over edges and shapes. Raster preserves character in hand-drawn or textured art. Neither is “right” alone, because the real work happens at digitizing, where stitch type, direction, density, underlay, and sequence translate art into thread.
Treat your source art as the first step in a collaboration with a digitizer. If you’re working locally in the embroidery Tampa area, lean on that relationship. Show a real garment, ask for a sew-out, and be open to a thread-friendly alternate. The best embroideries I’ve seen don’t fight the medium. They respect that thread has thickness, fabric moves, and light plays differently across satin and fill. Once you accept those truths, the vector vs. raster debate becomes simpler: choose the format that communicates your shapes and intent most clearly, then let the stitch craft do the rest.