Digitizing with Coloreel - Short Guide May 13, 2024 07:54 Updated Digitizing for Coloreel ITCU The Coloreel ITC unit will work together with your ordinary embroidery procedures to feed colored embroidery thread adapted to your design. The ability to create embroidery thread in any color you like and make it work with the design, there are a few things embroidery digitizers need to know: one or several of the following need to be considered. One color design Using Coloreel with one solid-colored design will not affect the digitizing at all. Just go ahead as with any normal embroidery design. Be happy that you always have the right color available without an excessive stock of threads. Also, you will have the possibility to fine-tune the color to match the color of the artwork. There is no need to choose from the closest available or to order special-colored threads. Design with two or more solid colors All parts of the design are to be connected. Traditional embroidery designs are created color by color, and each color is closed with end-lock stitching and trim command. The Coloreel technology will use only one needle, and the Coloreel ITC unit will change the color of the thread instead of changing the color by moving the needle bar on the embroidery machine. That is why no trims are needed; you should connect all parts. We need to introduce and understand Color Change Precision to ensure that the change of color appears at the expected place in the design. The Coloreel ITC unit will estimate the thread usage based on the stitch information of the stitch design used by the embroidery machine. The actual thread usage will differ due to many factors, like thread tensions, fabric thickness, stitch type and angles, needles, backing, etc. The unit's software is constantly calculating the actual thread usage. It will adjust the thread's coloring in real time at every given moment. The thread coloring takes place early on its way through the Coloreel ITC unit, and that distance will make it hard to calculate the exact point where the color change of the thread takes place. The difference between the expected color change point and the position of the color change in the stitching will vary. That difference is what we call CCP, Color Change Precision. To ensure that the thread color change matches the design, you need to place some extra thread running beneath the top stitching in the design. Typically, regular underlayer stitching of 100-200 stitches will be enough to ensure that the color change is given enough room to deviate, but that is also design-dependent. Traditional pathing, where tiny design elements are digitized to be embroidered at the end of embroidery, can cause problems since space for underlying stitches becomes increasingly limited. To overcome this, use Multi-thread (where you use a mix of traditional embroidery thread and the Coloreel dyed thread). Creative thinking will be your best friend. Effect colored designs When using color effects, like gradients, stripes, noise, etc., the same properties will apply as for multi-colored designs. Furthermore, it takes some artistic skills at the design creation stage to make color effects the way you want them. Most important are the stitch directions and the way each segment is embroidered. Every segment should run from start to end in one flow. A normal pathing of segments in traditional embroidery designs might give interruptions and flaws in those segments if the flow from end to end is interrupted. Again: Creative thinking will be your best friend. Start simple and build competence with the new technique.