Free tool · Names · Monograms · Lettering

Text to Embroidery

Type a name, a monogram or a line of lettering, see it stitched, then download a Tajima DST machine file. Stitch AI by Dynamic Mockups sizes it in millimetres, plans satin where the height allows, and warns you when it will not sew clean.

  • Four fonts, 3 to 60 mm
  • Two lines, one thread colour

Free preview, no account. Height is the finished cap height of the capital letters.

In short

How does text become embroidery?

Embroidered lettering is planned stroke by stroke. Where a letter is tall enough, each stroke becomes a satin column with an underlay beneath it so the edges stay sharp on fabric; where it is not, the plan uses a run stitch and says so. The height decides everything: below 5 mm satin cannot hold. Stitch sizes the word in millimetres, plans it from the font's outlines, and shows it at real size before you download.

Try a name

How it works

Type it, size it, sew it

  1. Type the text

    Up to two lines of 40 characters: a name over a title, initials, a slogan. Pick one thread colour for the design.

  2. Pick the font and the height

    Sans, serif, script or varsity, from 3 to 60 mm cap height. The tool warns when a font will not hold at your height.

  3. Preview and download

    Look at the lettering at real size, then download the DST with a free account. Test-sew on the same fabric first.

The height rules

Letter height decides how lettering sews

Cap height in millimetres is the one number that matters more than the font. These are the thresholds digitizers work to.

Cap height What the plan does Fonts that hold Typical use
3 to 4 mm Run stitch only; flagged Plain sans Care labels, tiny taglines. Expect legibility loss.
5 to 6 mm Satin with reduced density; flagged at the floor Plain sans, bold Taglines under a logo, small names on caps
7 to 10 mm Standard satin columns with underlay Sans, serif, varsity; script from 8 mm Names on polos, caps and beanies
11 to 25 mm Satin; columns split at 7 mm width; puff possible All four Team names, jacket fronts, bold statements
26 to 60 mm Columns split to fill; stitch counts climb All four Jacket backs, banners

Fonts

Sans, serif, script, varsity: what changes in thread

Sans (block) Even strokes, wide counters. Holds from 6 mm. The safe choice for small names and knit fabrics.

Serif Serifs are thin and disappear under about 8 mm. Above that they read as classic; below, choose sans.

Script Connected letters share columns at the joins. Needs 8 mm and up, and a stable fabric; loops close on knit at small sizes.

Varsity Collegiate block letters with a heavy stroke and an inner outline. Needs 10 mm and up so the outline holds; it sews in one colour.

Counters (the holes in a, e, o) close first at small sizes; that is what the warning is telling you when it fires at 5 or 6 mm.

Personalization

Names at scale, from a roster to files

Personalized names are the most repetitive job in embroidery and one of the most profitable. Suppliers and team-store decorators commonly charge several dollars per piece for a name or a set of initials on top of the decoration.

For a team of 24 that is 24 files with the same font, height and colour and a different word. The API does that as a batch; this page does it one name at a time, free, so you can check the font and the height first.

Monograms and two lines

  • Three initials in serif or script at 15 to 25 mm read as a classic monogram; keep the centre letter larger by using two lines.
  • A name over a title: line 1 at 12 mm, line 2 at 7 mm, one thread colour for both.
  • Left chest names sit at 8 to 10 mm; cap names at 7 to 9 mm; beanie names at 10 to 12 mm on knit.
  • Spacing is set in the plan for the height you chose; do not tighten it below what the preview shows.

Who uses it

Everyone who sews a name

  • Team stores

    A roster of names, one font

    Check the font and height here; run the roster through the API.

  • Promo suppliers

    Personalization that sews clean

    Names and initials as a line item, planned to the garment, without the per-piece digitizing.

  • Monogram shops

    Initials on towels, robes and totes

    Terry needs more underlay, and the plan sets it.

  • Gift sellers

    A name on a beanie before the season

    Preview on the mockup for the listing, sew from the file.

Side by side

Machine fonts, software fonts, Stitch lettering

Built-in machine fonts Digitizing software fonts Stitch lettering
Where you type On the machine screen In Hatch, PE-Design, Wilcom In the browser, with a preview on the garment
Fabric-aware underlay Fixed You set it Set from the fabric you pick
Warns when the height will not hold No No Yes, before the download
Batch of names One at a time Scripted in some tools One here; a roster through the API
Price Included with the machine $900 and up Free preview; the DST with a free account, free right now

Text to embroidery questions

Heights, fonts, monograms and formats. Interested in something else?

Book a call →
What is the minimum letter height for embroidery?

About 7 mm cap height for standard satin lettering in a plain sans font. At 5 to 6 mm the plan keeps satin at reduced density and warns you; at 3 to 4 mm it switches to run stitch. Script and serif fonts need 8 mm or more, and knit fabrics want a millimetre extra.

Can I do two lines?

Yes, two lines of up to 40 characters each, for example a name over a title. Both lines sew in one thread colour, and the second line can be smaller.

Can I make a monogram with three initials?

Yes. Type the initials in serif or script at 15 to 25 mm; use two lines if you want the centre initial larger. Traditional monogram order (first, last, middle) is your call; the tool sews what you type.

Can I use my own font?

Not on this page yet: the four fonts here are prepared for stitching so the results are predictable at every height. If your logo has a custom wordmark, upload it as artwork on the logo to embroidery page and it is digitized as shapes.

Can I change the spacing?

Spacing is planned for the height you chose, because tight spacing at small sizes makes letters merge when the thread pulls. Change the height or the font rather than the spacing; the studio exposes the plan if you need finer control.

Can each word have a different colour?

One thread colour per lettering file. For a second colour, export a second file for the other word, or digitize the text as artwork on the logo page, where each region keeps its own colour.

Which format for a Brother machine?

Brother PR-series and Babylock multi-needle machines read the DST you download today. PES, which carries the thread colour and a thumbnail to the machine screen, is written from the same plan and appears in the menu once it is verified on a Brother machine. Every export after the first is free.

Does the lettering change with the fabric?

The file does, the picture does not. Knit and terry get more underlay so the letters do not sink; twill gets less. Pick the fabric you will sew on and test-sew on a scrap of it.

A name that sews clean, checked before the needle drops.

Free preview at real size, the height warning when a font will not hold, a machine file you keep. Test-sew the first one on the same fabric.

Preview a nameTalk about names at scale

Watch

Stitch AI by Dynamic Mockups, in action