An embroidery stitch preview shows what your machine will sew, in order, before you use a blank. In SatinSmith, the preview in the middle of the studio is the real stitch-out, needle by needle, in sewing order and thread colors. Next to it, the Checks tab flags common problems that spoil a sew-out: stitches that are too long or too tiny, thread piled too thick, and a design that won't fit your hoop.
The preview controls
| Control | What it does | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| Play | Sews the design stitch by stitch, in machine order | See the sewing order and spot odd jumps |
| Drag | Moves to any stitch | Inspect one detail, like a small letter, as it forms |
| Speed 1×, 20×, 100× | Changes playback speed | Skim at 100×, study details at 1× |
| Hoop / Design | Shows the design in a hoop or on its own | Judge size and fit |
| View: density map | Highlights thick areas | Find spots where thread piles up |
| View: travel moves | Shows the moves between separate pieces, where the thread is cut | See how many trims the design needs |
| View: fabric color | Changes the background to your garment color | Check contrast and thin outlines |
How to check a design, step by step
Play it once at 100×
Open your design in the studio and watch it sew from start to finish. Look at the order: does it build up sensibly, with background shapes first and fine details and outlines on top?
Slow down on the details
Drag to the smallest text or the finest part of the logo and play it at 1×. Small letters should form cleanly, and outlines should land on the edge of the shape they surround.
Show the travel moves
Open View and turn on travel moves. Each line is a move from one separate piece to the next, where the thread is locked and trimmed. Inside solid shapes, SatinSmith hides travel stitches under later stitching, so moves should only appear between pieces that don't touch. Lots of moves mean lots of trims and a slower run.
Set the fabric color
Pick the garment color under View. A thin light outline that looks fine on white can vanish on a heather gray polo, and it's better to know now.
Open the density map
Amber and red areas show where thread stacks up thickest. A little amber where two colors overlap is usually fine; large red patches are worth fixing (see the table below).
Check the hoop
Switch to Hoop view. The preview shows the smallest standard hoop the design fits: 4×4 in, 5×7 in, 6×10 in or 8×12 in. The check allows a few millimeters of clearance, so a design exactly 100 mm (3.9 in) wide is matched to a 5×7 in hoop, not a 4×4 in.
Read the Checks and Details tabs
Checks covers stitch length, tiny stitches, density, hoop fit and small lettering. Details gives the stitch count, machine time, thread changes, trims and stitch types.
What each check means and what to do
| Check | When it warns | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Stitch length | Over 7 mm (0.28 in) may snag when worn. Over 12.1 mm (0.48 in) exceeds the DST limit. | Find the long stitches in the preview. They usually sit in wide satin shapes. On a garment that's worn and washed, try a slightly smaller size or simpler artwork. |
| Tiny stitches | Stitches under 0.3 mm (0.01 in), which can shred thread or break needles | They come from details too small for the size. Go up a size, lower Colors to detect, or clean up the artwork. |
| Density | Amber or red on the density map; the check reports the thickest spot in layers of thread | Merge or remove a color that sits under another, simplify overlapping shapes, and make sure the fabric setting matches the garment. |
| Hoop fit | The design is bigger than 8×12 in | Reduce the size, or use a larger hoop if your machine has one. |
| Small lettering | Letters under 6 mm (0.24 in) tall, or a fine script under about 25 mm (1 in) | Make the text bigger or switch to a block font. |
One more warning to know: specks smaller than the minimum sewable area are dropped, and SatinSmith tells you when that happens. Usually it's noise from a blurry image, while real dots and periods are kept. If a dropped speck was a real detail, make the design bigger or clean up the artwork first.
For hoop fit, the preview compares the design with four standard hoops:
| Hoop | Sewing area (approx.) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 4×4 in | 100 × 100 mm | Left chest logos, names, small badges |
| 5×7 in | 130 × 180 mm | Larger chest designs, towels, totes |
| 6×10 in | 160 × 260 mm | Tote bags, larger towel designs |
| 8×12 in | 200 × 300 mm | Jacket backs and large pieces |
Machine time and stitch count
Details shows the stitch count and a machine time estimated at 700 stitches per minute. A 7,000-stitch left chest logo works out to about 10 minutes of sewing. That figure covers the stitching only: color changes, trims and hooping come on top, and on a single-needle machine every color change means rethreading by hand. That's why thread changes and trims are listed too: fewer of each means a faster run. For quoting jobs, see stitch count and pricing.
Checking a file someone else made? The free DST viewer plays any DST file stitch by stitch in your browser and checks stitch length, density and hoop fit, with no sign-up and nothing uploaded.
Questions
How do I check an embroidery file before sewing?
Watch a stitch-by-stitch preview, then check stitch length, density and hoop fit. SatinSmith does this for every design you make, and the free DST viewer does it for DST files you already have. Then sew one test piece on the same fabric and stabilizer.
What is the maximum stitch length for embroidery?
A DST file can't hold a single stitch longer than 12.1 mm (0.48 in). For garments, a common rule of thumb is to keep stitches under about 7 mm (0.28 in), because longer ones can snag when worn and washed.
What does the embroidery density map show?
It highlights the areas where layers of thread stack up. Amber areas are getting thick and red areas are the thickest. Very thick areas can make a design stiff, pucker the fabric or break needles.
How long will my design take to sew?
Divide the stitch count by your machine's speed. SatinSmith estimates at 700 stitches per minute, so 7,000 stitches is about 10 minutes of sewing. Add time for hooping and color changes.