Short and Wide or Sharp Corners
Curved areas in extended fonts generally do not look good. The inside of these areas have too many short stitches and the curve tends to be too sharp to sufficiently cover some underlay.
Extended letters are wider, so the horizontal strokes tend to appear to be more wavey and irregular.
Condensed Fonts
When a font is narrow (also known as condensed), the problem areas many. You may have issues between letters and in the negative spaces (see page...) Condensed fonts are more likely to have narrow strokes or columnst thus limiting the chance for proper underlay.
When using condensed fonts, try to use actual fonts labeled condensed rather than squishing the font manually. You will just end up with narrow vertical strokes, and less space between letters.
Condensed fonts work better on twill and nylon since these fabrics do not have a need for much underlay. Conversely, they do not work well on fabrics such as polar fleece, knits and sweats.
Run-stitch Letters
Most letters are made in a satin stitch (tight zig-zag), but these have limitations in how small you can really get. The shorter the letters, the less room you have for each stitch making for uneven and rough letters.
The best alternative for extremely small letters (around 1/8” high) is using a continuous run stitch. This is a run stitch that does not trim between the letters of the word, but always has a jump stitch. This isn’t the most ideal approach, but when a customer has to have that incredibly small line of text, this is an option.
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| An example of run stitch letters. This style does not work well on fabrics like polar fleece or heavy knits. |
So what fonts do you recommend for small lettering?
ReplyDeleteSan serif fonts are best (the kind without the little feet at the base.) Even, medium strokes will give you a better look. A font that has really thin strokes will go under the minimum required to make this in satin stitching.
ReplyDeleteSome fonts I recommend: Helvetica med., Segoe Med. (this is the font most used for Microsoft logos), Universe Condensed, Helvetica Condensed. If you find you need to make the letters taller but don't have the width available, then a condensed font is your best option. Do not just stretch the letters, this will cause uneven stroke widths that could get too thin.