The quality of a DST file is decided before conversion, in the source file. A blurry logo will produce blurry embroidery, whatever tool you use. The distinction to understand comes down to two words: vector and raster.
Two ways of describing an image
A raster image (JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP) is a grid of pixels. Each pixel has a colour. Enlarge it and the pixels grow: edges turn into staircases, then blur.
A vector image (SVG, AI, EPS, vector PDF) is a mathematical description of shapes: curves, anchor points, fills. It has no resolution. Enlarge it to 10 cm or 10 metres and the outline stays crisp.
For embroidery this difference is decisive: the machine needs outlines. It cannot stitch a pixel, only a shape.
What conversion does with a raster image
The tool reads pixels, detects colour areas, derives outlines, then fills. It is a reconstruction, not a reading. Three things are lost on the way:
- edge sharpness — a soft edge becomes an approximate edge, with steps;
- fine details — a 1-pixel line disappears;
- gradients — impossible to render in thread, they become flats or noise.
Hence the rule: the cleaner the image, the more faithful the conversion. A sharp 3,000-pixel-wide image gives a good result; a 300-pixel screenshot does not.
Why the logo found on Google is a bad start
A logo grabbed from a website is almost always:
- low resolution (often 200 to 600 pixels wide);
- JPEG-compressed, with halos around letters;
- on a white or transparent background, sometimes with a subtle gradient;
- carrying effects (drop shadow, reflection, gradient outline).
Each of these complicates conversion. The most damaging is the background: a JPEG logo on white produces outlines that wrap the white rectangle, and therefore a useless fill around the design.
How to tell what you have
Simple test: open the file and zoom to 400%. If edges turn blurry and pixelated, it is raster. If outlines stay crisp, it is vector.
Another test: the extension. .svg, .ai, .eps are vector. .jpg, .png, .gif, .webp are raster. Note that a .pdf can hold either.
Decisive test: a vector file often weighs a few tens of kilobytes, even for a complex logo. A JPG of the same logo weighs several hundred kilobytes.
What to send
In order of preference:
- SVG or AI — the best case, exact outlines and separated colours.
- Vector PDF — just as good, if the logo is not flattened.
- High-resolution PNG (2,000 pixels minimum on the long side), flat or transparent background.
- High-resolution JPG — acceptable if compression is light.
- Screenshot, screen photo, social media image — avoid.
If you only have raster
Three options, in order:
- find the original from the designer, printer or brand owner;
- re-vectorise the logo from a clean image (designer work, or an automatic vectoriser followed by cleanup);
- convert anyway, accepting a loss on fine details.
The second option is often cheapest in the long run: a re-vectorised logo serves embroidery, printing, cutting and web.
What embroidery demands on top
Even a perfect vector is not enough. The drawing must also be stitchable:
- no line thinner than 1 mm;
- no text below 5 mm in height;
- at least 1 mm between shapes;
- three to five colours maximum;
- solid shapes rather than hatching.
A designer preparing a logo for print does not think about those constraints. That is the digitizer's job — or the settings applied before conversion.