Embird Embroidery Software
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Lettering - Text Tools

Embroidery lettering has special requirements if compared to graphic applications. Besides filling letters with stitches, it should also allow a nearest-point connections, sewing from center out, adjustment for very small text and number of other features.

Studio includes such lettering tool with multiline text support.

Multiline embroidery text

Multiline text

Main Features

Alphabets versus Font Engine

There are two different font kinds supported by Studio:

  1. Alphabets system : Embird's proprietary pre-digitized embroidery fonts
  2. Font Engine system : common TrueType and OpenType fonts widely used in various text and graphic programs. In further text they will be referred to as system fonts

Alphabets are manually pre-digitized scalable embroidery fonts. They are optional plug-in modules for Embird software. Most Embird alphabets are digitized with satin (column) stitches, the rest are in center outline (redwork type) form.

Studio also allows to use system TrueType and OpenType fonts. These fonts are automatically converted into vector format of Studio and can be filled with plain fill, motif fill or auto-column stitches and/or outlined with all types of outlines available in Studio.

Both font kinds are converted to embroidery objects and stitches and become part of digitized design.

Support of TrueType and OpenType fonts in Studio requires registered Font Engine, which is an optional plug-in for Embird software.

How to Use Lettering

To start lettering mode, use main menu > Text and select whether you want to create Text (Alphabets), Font Engine Text (system fonts) or if you want to edit some existing text.

Selection of existing text for editing works only with text created in Studio version 6.0, build 8.8 or later. It does not work with files from older versions of Studio.

If you create a new text, click the Work Area on a place where you want to place the new text. Lettering tool allows to insert and edit text directly in the work area of Studio, on top of the background image (template) and the rest of embroidery design.

In case of the system fonts, if you install new fonts or add fonts to archive folders, use main menu (Lettering mode) > Font > Find Fonts command to load installed system fonts and also optional folders with font archives.

Icon of Find Fonts command

Icon of Find Fonts command

Lettering supports multiline text and adjustable baselines. Predefined text baselines include circle, lines and spirals. All baselines can be transformed (moved, scaled, rotated and slanted) as well as edited node-by-node. Baseline scaling allows to create ellipse from circle. Baseline transformations can be done either with 'spider' control on the work area, or with controls on the main control panel at the side of the screen.

Lettering Working Modes

As mentioned above, lettering allows to modify the text baseline. It also allows to modify individual letters. Therefore, there are three different lettering working modes available:

  1. Baseline transformations
  2. Baseline node-by-node editing
  3. Characters transformations

Use the pop-up menu or mode buttons to switch between baseline and characters working modes.

Mode 1 - Baseline Transformations

Baseline transformations: move, scale, rotate, slant

Mode 1: baseline transformations: move, scale, rotate, slant. The spider control allows to make transformations with its handle nodes.

This mode allows to modify (especially move, scale and rotate) whole baseline at once. When moving the baseline, the text moves as well. Scaling baseline does not scale the text. Text scaling must be performed separately either with characters spiders or via controls on the main control panel. Baseline transformations are performed with spider control similar to the spider controls of individual characters (see Mode 3 below), with exception of missing slider 2.

Mode 2 - Baseline Node-by-Node Editing

Baseline nodes editing

Mode 2: baseline nodes editing. Baseline is a vector path composed from curves and straight lines. In this mode the baseline can be modified with control nodes.

Baseline is composed from straight lines and bezier curves. User can add and delete baseline elements in a similar way as when digitizing objects in Studio. In case of multiline text, all text lines use the same shape of baseline which is copied from the top line.

Shortcuts available in this mode:

Mode 3 - Characters Transformations

Characters transformations: move, scale, rotate, slant and baseline offset

Mode 3: characters transformations: move, scale, rotate, slant and baseline offset of individual characters. Select respective letter and make transformations with its spider handle nodes.

Studio allows to transform individual characters or all characters at once (see below shortcuts). Transformations are accessible via nodes of the spider control. Spider control serves to transform characters in two axes (horizontal and vertical). As the text is placed on the baseline and baseline can be curved in any direction, below definitions refer to direction 'along' and 'perpendicular' to the baseline, rather than horizontal and vertical.

Spider control

Nodes of the spider control are numbered 1-8.

Moving of nodes transforms character in a following way:

  1. Select character, move character (adjust spacing)
  2. Slider to shift character above (below) baseline (ALT+click=reset position to baseline)
  3. Rotate (with CTRL depressed=change by 15 degrees, ALT+click=reset angle to 0 degrees)
  4. Scale along the baseline (with CTRL depressed=constrained proportions, ALT+click=reset character width)
  5. Scale perpendicularly to the baseline (with CTRL depressed=constrained proportions, ALT+click=reset character height)
  6. Scale in both axis (with CTRL depressed=constrained proportions, ALT+click=reset character size)
  7. Slant along the baseline (CTRL+click=flip character horizontally, ALT+click=reset slanting) Slant perpendicularly to the baseline (CTRL+click=flip character vertically, ALT+click=reset slanting)
  8. Slant perpendicularly to the baseline (CTRL+click=flip character vertically, ALT+click=reset slanting)

Shortcuts

Following shortcuts can be applied simultaneously with spider nodes movement:

Controls

Lettering Tool provides number of controls located on several panels:

  1. Main menu on the top of the screen
  2. Horizontal button bar on the top of the screen
  3. Vertical button bar on the splitter panel
  4. Vertical tool box
  5. Main control panel with tabs

1. Main menu

Main menu contains commands and switches. Commands include: load, save, copy, paste text. Switches include: bold, italic, vertical text, placing lettering on opposite side of the baseline. There are also commands for baseline nodes like insert, delete, smooth.

Load and Save commands work with lettering project files, which allow to store lettering session and open it in another design, i.e. copy lettering from one design to another.

Please see respective Menu chapters for more detail:

Main Menu - Lettering Mode - Tools

Main Menu - Lettering Mode - Font

Main Menu - Lettering Mode - Nodes

Vertical text

Example of vertical text

Unicode glyph set option is available for system fonts only (not for Alphabets). It allows to use wider range of characters. It has effect on cell count in the characters table.

2. Horizontal Button Bar

Horizontal button bar is just next to the main menu. Its buttons allow to Cancel lettering mode, Finish and apply lettering to the design or Generate Stitches , which is same as Finish command but it also creates stitches.

There are also several combo boxes in this bar, which allow to modify the paragraph alignment , sewing order , stitch kind , outline kind and connection options .

Text Paragraph Alignment

Text Paragraph Alignment - Left
Left
Text Paragraph Alignment - Center
Center
Text Paragraph Alignment - Right
Right
Text Paragraph Alignment - Justify
Justify

Sewing Order of Text

Text Sewing Order - left to right
From left to right
Text Sewing Order - center out
From center out
Text Sewing Order - center out (without splitting words)
From center out (without splitting words)
Text Sewing Order - right to left
From right to left

Stitch Kind

Stitch Kind - Autocolumn fill
Columns
Stitch Kind - Plain fill
Plain Fill / Auto-Column / Motif Fill
Stitch Kind - Center outline (double-layered center path)
Center-Line (double-layered center path)
Stitch Kind - Mesh fill
Mesh Fill

Note : mesh fill is working only on large lettering.

Outline Kind

Outline Kind - no outline
No Outline
Outline Kind - single-pass outline
Single-Pass Outline
Outline Kind - double-pass outline
Double-Pass Outline

A double-pass outline is thin outline composed of simple stitches which run forward and backward into each leg of the outline. This kind of outline allows seamless connection of all outline parts without any trim.

A single-pass outline does not have second (backward) layer and therefore allows to use samples, borders or other fancy outline stiches. This kind of outline requires trims or connection stitches between separate outline parts.

Center outline (redwork) lettering

Example of center outline lettering.

Connection Options

Learn about connection in Connections chapter.

Connection - Nearest point connections between all objects
Nearest point connections between all objects
Connection - Nearest point connections only inside characters
Nearest point connections only inside characters (example: between dot on "i" and main part of "i"), but not between respective characters
Connection - Separate objects (no connection objects)
Separate objects (no connection objects)

3. Splitter Panel

Some buttons on the splitter panel duplicate functions from the main menu.

However, there are also some buttons important for use with the touch screen, i.e. without mouse. These buttons are: pop-up menu button, zoom-in and zoom-out buttons and undo / redo buttons.

4. Tool Box

Tool Box at the side of the screen contains combo box with list of pre-defined baselines and mode buttons for switching the lettering working mode .

Switch to baseline transformation mode
Switch to baseline transformation mode
Switch to baseline nodes editing mode
Switch to baseline nodes editing mode
Switch to individual letters transformation mode
Switch to individual letters transformation mode

5. Tabs on Main Control Panel

Main Control Panel at the side of the screen contains those lettering controls that require more space. Controls are organized into several tabs.

Tab diagram

When you click the font combo box, the list of fonts will drop down. To get to required font faster, you can press key (on keyboard) representing the first letter of the font's name. List will scroll to section with font names beginning with selected letter.

Click or tap the character table to insert character that is difficult to type with keyboard.

Folders Tab is available only for TrueType and OpenType fonts (i.e. not for pre-digitized alphabets). Controls on this tab allow to specify paths to folders with non-installed fonts. Lettering tool normally scans only fonts installed in operating system. If you have other fonts stored on your device, specify paths to folders with these fonts and use Find Fonts command from the main menu. Scanning process will include these folders. Besides font files, these folders may contain also font archives (zipped files).

Baseline Tab is available only in mode 1 (baseline transformation).

Transform Tab is available only in mode 3 (characters transformation). When "All Letters" option is selected, transformations are performed on all characters in the text. Below example shows rotation performed on all characters at once.

All letters transformed at the same time

Please note : current version of program does not work well if center outline style is used for a very thick font. We recommend to use it only for thin fonts. Center outline style can be combined with the 'Nearest Points' option.

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