Thread has thickness. A logo that looks crisp on screen can turn into a smudge once stitched, and small text is the first thing to go.

Rules of thumb

• Capital letters: aim for at least about 5 mm (0.2 in) tall. Below that, counters (the holes in letters like B and R) fill in.
• Lowercase letters: need more height than capitals to stay readable, so allow extra.
• Thin lines: strokes thinner than about 1 mm are hard to sew cleanly as satin and are usually better as a running stitch.
• Textured fabric: towels and piqué need larger text than smooth twill, because the fabric surface swallows detail.

What to do when text is too small

Make the logo wider, simplify the text (drop a tagline), or use a bolder font. If the text cannot grow, consider leaving it out of the embroidered version.

Check before you sew

A good converter warns you about text it expects will not sew cleanly. embrOwl does this, and recommends a test sew on matching fabric.

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