Digitising fees and file ownership: what UK buyers should know

This guide explains common practice in plain English. It isn’t legal advice: the terms you agree with your embroiderer are what count.

What does a digitising or setup fee pay for?

Before your logo can be embroidered, someone has to digitise it (or “digitize”, as US sites spell it): rebuild it as a stitch file that tells the machine where every stitch goes. That takes skilled time:

• Simplifying the artwork so it sews cleanly at the finished size.
• Choosing stitch types, angles, density, underlay and compensation for the garment.
• Setting the sewing order, trims and colour stops.
• Checking a preview or test sew-out and adjusting.
• Saving the file in the machine’s format.

Local embroiderers often show this on a quote as a “setup fee”, “digitising fee” or “logo setup”. It’s a real cost of the work, not a hidden extra, but it’s worth knowing exactly what it buys you.

Is the fee one-off, or charged on every order?

Normally one-off, per design and size. Once the file exists, it can be reused for every reorder of that logo on that type of garment. Expect a new charge, or at least a question, if you want:

• A much larger or smaller size, such as a jacket back from a left chest file.
• A cap, which needs a different sewing order.
• A very different fabric, such as towelling or a stretchy sports top.
• Artwork changes, such as a new tagline or colour.

Do you own the stitch file?

It depends entirely on the terms. In practice, embroiderers and print platforms tend to handle it in one of three ways:

None of these is wrong, as long as you know which one you’re agreeing to. If you’ve already agreed terms with an embroiderer, stick to them; this guide is about asking the right questions next time.

Is owning the file the same as owning the logo?

No. Owning the embroidery file and owning the logo aren’t the same thing. Rights in the logo artwork sit with your business or with the designer who created it, depending on your agreement with them, and a registered trade mark belongs to whoever registered it. The stitch file (the DST or PES) is a separate piece of work made by a digitiser, and your embroiderer’s terms decide whether you get a copy and can use it elsewhere. GOV.UK’s intellectual property overview explains the different types of protection, such as copyright and trade marks.

At PlixaLabs, our terms of service state that we retain no intellectual property rights in the stitch files produced from your artwork. In return, you confirm that you own or have the right to reproduce the artwork you send.

What should you ask before paying a digitising fee?

1. Is the digitising fee one-off for this design and size?
2. Will you send us the stitch file after the order, and in which format?
3. Is there a charge for the file?
4. Can we use the file with another embroiderer in future?
5. Are changes included if the first sew-out isn’t right?
6. What will a new size, a cap version or an artwork change cost?

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Can you buy the digitising separately?

Yes. Instead of paying a setup fee as part of your embroidery order, you can have the logo digitised yourself and send the file to your chosen embroiderer. That way you know exactly what you paid for and have the file for future suppliers.

See the full price list, or read how much embroidery digitising costs for how other UK suppliers price it. Not sure your logo is ready? Start with Do I need to digitise my logo?