Design Doctor Academy
Four self-guided practice exercises and a short production-fundamentals course: keeping artwork at its real size, reading embroidery estimates, and approving proofs.
DigitEMB University · Learn. Create. Grow. Earn.
Learn embroidery. Create better products. Grow your customization business.
Discover useful tutorials, books, podcasts, software guides, machine resources and practical tools — organized around what you want to make.
Practical learning for embroidery and customization professionals. Free to use — no account needed.
Start here
What do you want to do?
Choose the goal closest to yours and we'll point you to the right tools and reading.
Choose your goal
Pick the one closest to you — we'll suggest where to start.
Learn
Start with guided practice
Hands-on lessons from DigitEMB's own production team.
The embroidery digitizing guide
DigitEMB's long-form guide to how artwork becomes stitches — the decisions a digitizer makes and why they matter on the garment.
Embroidery digitizing glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms you'll meet in quotes, proofs and machine files.
Tools
Free tools for embroidery and artwork
39 free tools that run in your browser — your files never leave your device.
Artwork Analysis
Artwork Doctor
Upload artwork once — get a full health check for print, vector and embroidery.
Free · runs in your browser
Embroidery Tools
Embroidery Size Converter
Convert design sizes between inches, centimetres and millimetres.
Free · runs in your browser
Embroidery Tools
Embroidery Stitch Calculator
Estimate the stitch count for a design from its size and coverage.
Free · runs in your browser
Embroidery Tools
DST File Viewer
Open and preview Tajima DST files free — stitch count, size and colors.
Free · runs in your browser
Embroidery Tools
Thread Color Matcher
Match artwork colors to the nearest embroidery thread numbers.
Free · runs in your browser
Patch Tools
Patch Size Calculator
Work out your patch's trade size, area and per-order totals.
Free · runs in your browser
Library
Books
BookBeginner
The Handmade Marketplace, 2nd Edition: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, and Online
Kari Chapin
A fully revised guide to turning craft skills into income. Chapin covers branding your business, building a customer base, selling your work locally, globally and online…
BookBeginner
Selling on Amazon For Dummies
Deniz Olmez, Joseph Kraynak
An overview of building a business on Amazon: getting started in Seller Central, deciding what to sell, product research, sourcing, shipping and returns, fees, sales tax…
BookBeginner
Shopify For Dummies
Paul Waddy
Takes you from an empty Shopify account to a working store: products and collections, bulk image uploads, payments, currency options, shipping rules, email sign-ups, tag…
BookBeginner
Starting an Etsy Business For Dummies
Kate Shoup, Kate Gatski
A step-by-step guide to opening and running an Etsy shop, updated in this fourth edition for recent changes to the site. It covers setting up the shop, photographing pro…
Library
Podcasts
PodcastBeginner
Print On Demand Podcast
Adrian Vonarx & Carlos Colon
Adrian Vonarx and Carlos Colon, who build their own print-on-demand apparel brands and coach other sellers, share quick episodes on niches, design ideas, Shopify stores…
PodcastBeginner
The Maker's Money Podcast
Dina Anaya
Dina Anaya, a QuickBooks ProAdvisor who ran her own embroidery and custom apparel business, hosts this new show about the money side of selling handmade products. Episod…
PodcastIntermediate
Printavo PrintHustlers Podcast
Printavo
Printavo, the maker of print-shop management software, has published this show since 2017 for owners of screen-printing and decorated-apparel shops. Most episodes are lo…
Podcast
Apparelist Podcast
Apparelist
The podcast of Apparelist, a trade publication for the decorated-apparel industry. Episodes range from short interviews with shop owners, suppliers and industry experts…
Library
Videos
VideoBeginner
How to Price Custom T-Shirts the Right Way (Stop Losing Money!)
Stahls' TV™
Dave from STAHLS' lays out a step-by-step pricing formula that decorators use for custom t-shirts, built so each job covers its costs and still turns a profit. The examp…
VideoBeginner
How to Best Heat Press Patches, Emblems & More Onto Any Apparel
Stahls' TV™
If you sell, order or apply heat-seal patches and emblems, this STAHLS' video has Josh showing ways to heat press patches, logos and emblems onto different kinds of appa…
VideoBeginner
Heat Transfer Vinyl 101
Stahls' TV™
New to heat transfer vinyl? This STAHLS' primer explains what HTV (also called iron-on) is: a single-color vinyl on a carrier, sold in rolls or sheets, used to add desig…
VideoBeginner
Beginner Machine Embroidery, Episode 6: Stabilizers & Hooping
Sulky
Part of Sulky's beginner machine embroidery series, this episode explains what the main types of stabilizer do, how to choose one for a given project and the different w…
Library
From the DigitEMB Journal
Articles by DigitEMB's team on digitizing, patches, vector art and running a decoration business.
Custom Stickers6 min read
Plastic Container Labels: Adhesion, Flexibility and Sample Testing
Match labels to the container’s plastic resin, squeeze movement and use conditions, then assess the finished construction on the actual package.
From the DigitEMB Journal
Custom Stickers9 min read
Custom Packaging Stickers for Boxes, Mailers and Inserts
Plan packaging stickers around the surface, readable artwork and packing routine, with practical guidance for kraft packaging, shipping boxes and ins…
From the DigitEMB Journal
Custom Patches7 min read
Custom Patches for Backpacks: Design, Placement and Attachment
Plan backpack decoration around the bag you use. Test patch size and placement, protect pocket access and confirm attachment compatibility before ord…
From the DigitEMB Journal
Design Doctor
Not sure your artwork will stitch well?
Upload it to Design Doctor for a free readiness check. You get a score for embroidery, patches, vector and print, with plain-English notes on what to change before you order.