I have clients that ask me to do keyboard lettering. Not really all that strange except they have their own software and don’t need to pay me to do it. If they have the software I wondered why don’t they do it themselves? The response I get is that mine looks better. How is that possible when we are working on the same software? What I have found is they haven’t taken the time to understanding and learn both the software and embroidery. The software is a tool and it is the way you use that tool that makes all the difference. The great thing about the Pulse software is that you don’t need to know all the different settings for the different fabrics, they have taken care of that with the recipes. It is so easy. When I start a new design select the type of fabric that it is going on and Pulse will then provide the recipes their experts have determined work well on that fabric. The underlay, top stitch density and pull compensation will automatically apply to the design I create. It will do it for all areas of the design, including the keyboard lettering.

So let’s say Bob wants his name on all his running gear. All I do is start a new design and select the first fabric. I then select the font being sure it is the appropriate size for the font I have chosen and type in his name to create the file. Bob does a lot of running so he wants a T-shirt, towel, sweat shirt and a fleece vest. No Sweat! (sorry, couldn’t resist) After the first file has been created I can just select the design, Shift L will bring up a drop down menu with all the styles. Select another style and the software will then change all the settings to match the new fabric. The top density, underlay and pull compensation will all change to meet the needs of the new fabric. Just remember to save the file with a different name each time if you want to use it later.

Now everyone knows how to easily make keyboard lettering as good as a professional digitizer without having to hire them to do it for you. Hmmmm not sure this was the smartest thing I’ve ever done.

The Embroidery Dinosaur

Beverley Field