Prepare the artwork
Start with a clear design, final size, placement and fabric.
UniversityDigitEMB University · Learn. Create. Grow. Earn.
Learn the craft. Make better products. Build with confidence.
Practical embroidery, digitizing and customization education—organized around the next thing you want to make.
Practical learning for embroidery and customization professionals. Free to use—no account needed.
Artwork to stitches
39 free toolsLearn, test and make in one place
Choose your route
Start where you are
Follow a guided path, find one trusted resource, or open a practical tool.
New to embroideryLearn step by stepStart with guided lessons, practical exercises and production fundamentals.Explore Build your knowledgeExplore trusted resourcesBrowse courses, educators, books, podcasts and videos chosen for the work you do.Explore Ready to makePut learning into practiceCalculate sizes, inspect stitch files and prepare artwork with free browser tools.Explore
The idea at a glance
From artwork to embroidery
Understand the three decisions behind every successful embroidered result.
Plan the stitches
Choose stitch types, direction, density and sewing order.
Check a sewn sample
Test on the intended material and review detail, alignment and movement.
Personalize your learning
What do you want to do?
Choose the goal closest to yours and get a focused set of 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 production experience, followed by selected guides for your next skill.
Design Doctor Academy
Work through artwork sizing, embroidery estimates, production basics and proof approval.
The embroidery digitizing guide
Understand how artwork becomes stitches and why each digitizing decision matters on the garment.
Embroidery digitizing glossary
Learn the terms you will meet in quotes, proofs, production notes and machine files.
Continue with a focused guide
Guide
Ink/Stitch Lettering
Ink/Stitch
A practical starting point for adding text to an embroidery project.
GuideBeginner
Your First Ink/Stitch Design
Ink/Stitch
Start here to understand the basic path from vector artwork to an embroidery design.
Tools
Free tools that turn learning into action
39 private browser tools for sizing, artwork, stitch files and production planning.
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
Courses
Learn with a clear next step
Choose a skill, follow the official lessons and put it into practice.
CourseBeginner
Machine Embroidery 101
Hatch Academy / Wilcom
Build a vocabulary for discussing objects, stitches, underlay, density and related decisions.
Course
Digitize a Basic Patch
Hatch Academy / Wilcom
Study a basic patch workflow using the software’s digitizing tools.
CourseBeginner
Hatch 4: Digitizing Basics
Hatch Academy / Wilcom
Explore the transition from artwork into auto and manual digitizing tasks.
Course
Hatch 4: Set Up and Get Oriented
Hatch Academy / Wilcom
Set up the workspace, manage files and find designs.
Educators
Meet your next teacher
Explore 24 independent educators and organizations across machine embroidery, textile art and business.
SHTextile arts
Educator
Sarah Homfray — Traditional hand-embroidery tuition
Sarah Homfray
Sarah Homfray provides hand-embroidery teaching and project resources.
PTTextile arts
Educator
Poppy Treffry — Freehand stitching and sewn accessories
Poppy Treffry
Poppy Treffry’s work is useful for exploring expressive line and product-focused textile design.
LSMachine embroidery
Educator
Lisa Shaw / SewBubbles — Embrilliance education with Lisa Shaw
Lisa Shaw / SewBubbles
SewBubbles is a place to explore Lisa Shaw’s machine-embroidery teaching.
ECMachine embroidery
Educator
Erich Campbell — Commercial digitizing and embroidery thinking
Erich Campbell
Erich Campbell’s writing is useful for operators who want to understand why digitizing choices matter.
Library
A useful mix for your next project
Read, listen or watch—each resource is matched to a real embroidery or customization task.
Book
The Complete A-Z of Embroidery Stitches
Inspirations Studios
A hand-embroidery reference for finding and comparing stitch techniques.
Book
Raffia Embroidery
Tihara Smith
Explore raffia as a decorative hand-embroidery material with a distinctive surface character.
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…
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…
DigitEMB Journal
Fresh guidance from the production floor
Practical articles on digitizing, patches, vector art and running a decoration business.
JournalCustom 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
JournalCustom 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
JournalCustom 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.