Registered businesses: your first design digitised free (Simple or Medium, standard turnaround). See terms →
Stitch and colour files for Coloreel

Coloreel Digitising

Coloreel digitising prepares designs for a Coloreel unit, which dyes white thread as it sews so one needle can stitch gradients and unlimited colours. We build the DST for smooth blends and create the matching CSE colour file in Coloreel Studio. Coloreel digitizing, as it's often written, comes at one flat price per design with a VAT invoice.

DST and CSE colour file delivered together
Transitions kept within the CCP tolerance
VAT invoice on every order
Upload your Coloreel design → See all prices
Digitising since 2015
Send your gradient design
Stitch file planned for blends, coloured in Coloreel Studio
From £20 per design
Fill directions set for continuous colour runs
CSE colour file made in Coloreel Studio
Preview image and list of colour references

Free quote, nothing to pay now. Need rush, formats or notes? Use the full form

Unlimited
Revisions, no time limit
CSE
Colour file for the unit
~5mm
Text below this stays flat
4
Items in every delivery
4–8h
Standard delivery
At a glance

Coloreel digitising at a glance

What you getA stitch file laid out for colour blends and the CSE colour file your Coloreel unit reads
SuitsEmbroidery businesses with a Coloreel unit fitted to their machine
Colour fileCSE, produced in Coloreel Studio (Coloreel's software) from the stitch file we digitise
CCPColor Change Precision: Coloreel Studio shows a MIN/MAX value for how precisely colour changes land; our transitions stay within it
Best useLarge fills, bold shapes and bigger lettering
Stays flat colourLettering under roughly 5mm and fine detail
DeliveredDST (or your machine format), CSE colour file, preview image, colour reference list
What to sendArtwork, size in mm, where colour should change and your colour references
PriceFlat rate per design; rush +50%; VAT invoice. See the price table below
TurnaroundStandard 4–8 hours · Rush 2–4 hours · Super rush 1–2 hours, 24/7
Why Coloreel needs its own file

Blends depend on where the stitches travel

On a standard multi-needle machine, every colour is a separate needle, so a design is digitised as blocks of solid thread divided by trims. A Coloreel unit dyes one white thread on the way to the needle, which means colour can change gradually within a single run of stitches.

Getting a smooth gradient is therefore a digitising job as much as a colouring one. We build the stitch file, colour it in Coloreel Studio, set the colour transitions within the CCP (Color Change Precision) tolerance and review the preview before delivery.

Keep a standard multi-colour embroidery file for machines without a unit, and if your client's mark also runs on polos, a solid-colour logo file sits alongside the Coloreel version.

Colour needs stitch length to show. Lettering under about 5mm is left in flat colour, since a gradient across such a small letter can't be seen and makes it harder to read.

What we build in
01
Long, continuous runs
Sequencing and fill angles are arranged so a gradient can travel without being cut by trims.
02
Coloured in Coloreel Studio
The CSE file is produced in Coloreel's software from our own stitch file, so both files match.
03
Colour changes with margin
Where a change has to meet an edge, we allow for the CCP MIN/MAX range rather than assuming exact placement.
What a Coloreel unit can sew

Colour effects from a single needle

Because the unit dyes the thread as it sews, one fill area can change colour without a thread change. These are the effect types we plan stitch paths for.

Linear gradient
A smooth blend from one colour to another across a fill area.
Multi-colour gradient
Three or more colours blending in sequence, for example green to blue to purple.
Radial gradient
Colour that blends outward from a centre point, for glows and halos.
Shadow and depth
Dark to light shading that makes flat logo shapes look lit and rounded.
Noise and texture
Controlled colour variation across a fill for a mottled, textured look.
Stripes and patterns
Alternating bands of colour inside one fill area, sewn without stopping to change thread.

Swatches are colour illustrations, not photos of sewn work.

In every delivery

Four things you receive

ItemPurpose
DST (or your machine format)Runs the embroidery machine: paths, density and stitch order
CSE colour fileRead by the Coloreel unit to dye the thread; produced in Coloreel Studio
Preview imageThe planned colours and blends, for approval before you stitch
Colour reference listEvery colour in the design, including your Pantone or thread chart references where you gave them

Need a thread reference for a brand colour? Start with the thread colour matcher and send the result with your artwork.

Suitability

Which elements suit a gradient

If part of your design would look better in flat colour, we say so before we start.

ElementUse a gradient?Reason
Big fills and solid shapesYesEnough stitching for the colour change to develop and show
Bigger letteringYesThe blend runs through the letters without softening their outline
Lettering under about 5mmNo, flat colourThe change is too small to see and costs legibility
Thin outlines and fine detailNormally flat colourVery short runs give a colour change nowhere to land
Studio and CCP

Coloreel Studio and CCP, explained

Coloreel Studio is the software Coloreel provides. The stitch file is imported into it, colours and gradients are assigned there, and it outputs the CSE colour file for the unit.

CCP means Color Change Precision. The amount of thread used varies a little between runs, so Studio displays minimum and maximum CCP values showing how precisely colour changes will land. Our transitions are set within that range, especially where colour must stop at an edge.

Pricing

Coloreel digitising prices

A flat price per design that covers the stitch file and the colour file.

DesignPriceNotes
Coloreel design: DST + CSE colour file£20Preview image and colour reference list included
Rush (2–4 hours)+50%Added to the base price of the design
Super rush (1–2 hours)+50%Added to the base price of the design

Flat rate per design, not per 1,000 stitches. Every price includes all machine formats, a stitch simulation preview and unlimited revisions with no time limit, with a VAT invoice on every order. Standard delivery is 4–8 hours, 24/7.

Get a price for this design → See the full price list
Common problems

Recoloured multi-needle file vs built for Coloreel

Coloreel can only blend along the paths the stitch file gives it.

What goes wrong
Gradient cut by trims. Paths designed for solid colour blocks.
Stepped, banded colour. Changes squeezed into short runs.
Small text hard to read. Blends applied to tiny lettering.
Changes land off the edge. No allowance for the CCP range.
Colours off-brand. No references recorded for the design.
How we build it
Runs laid out for colour. Gradients travel uninterrupted.
Blends where there is room. Placed on long stitch runs.
Flat colour below about 5mm. Lettering stays legible.
Transitions within CCP. Edge changes allow for the tolerance.
Reference list supplied. Your colour references travel with the files.
What to send

What we need for Coloreel work

  • Artwork: a vector file or high-resolution image showing the blend
  • Finished size in millimetres
  • Where colour changes: direction of the gradient and the colours at each end
  • Colour references: Pantone, thread chart numbers or brand guidelines
  • Garment and position, for example chest, full back or cap
  • File format your machine uses
Upload your Coloreel design →
How it works

From artwork to DST and CSE

1
Send artwork and colour plan
Size in mm, where the gradient runs and any references. No account or minimum order.
2
We digitise and colour
Stitch file built for blends, then coloured in Coloreel Studio within the CCP tolerance.
3
Review and run
Approve the preview, request any changes, then load the DST and CSE file. VAT invoice included.
FAQs

Coloreel digitising questions

The DST (or your machine format) for the embroidery machine, the CSE colour file for the Coloreel unit, a preview image and a list of the colour references used.
CCP is Color Change Precision. Thread use varies slightly between runs, so Coloreel Studio shows minimum and maximum CCP values for how precisely colour changes land. We keep colour transitions within that tolerance.
We do. After digitising the stitch file, we import it into Coloreel Studio, Coloreel's own software, assign the colours and gradients there and export the CSE file, so it matches the DST you receive.
It can be coloured in Coloreel Studio, but its stitch paths and trims were planned for solid blocks of colour, so gradients often break or band. Designs meant to blend work best when the stitch file is built for Coloreel.
As a rule, lettering under about 5mm and fine outlines stay in flat colour, because a blend across them can't be seen. Large fills, bold shapes and bigger lettering are where gradients show.
Send your Pantone references, thread chart numbers or brand guidelines and we use them when colouring the design, listing them on the colour reference list. Sew a first piece on the actual garment before a full run.
They can be, but the cap front is small and still needs a centre-out cap file, since Coloreel changes the thread colour, not how the cap behaves. Keep the gradient on the largest element and tell us it's for caps.
A Coloreel design has one flat price covering the DST, CSE colour file, preview image and colour reference list, with unlimited revisions and a VAT invoice; see the price table on this page or the UK price list. Rush (2–4 hours) and super rush (1–2 hours) add 50%.
Related Coloreel pages

Send your gradient design for Coloreel

Tell us the size in mm and where the colour should change, and we'll send a DST and CSE colour file with a preview, at a flat price per design.

DST and CSE colour file together
Colour reference list with every order
VAT invoice on every order

New registered business? Your first design is free: one Simple or Medium design at standard turnaround. How the free first design works
Ordering for clients or in volume? See trade & distributor accounts.

1
Standard: 4–8 hours
Flat price per design, 24/7
2
Rush: 2–4 hours
+50% on the base price
3
Super rush: 1–2 hours
+50% on the base price
Upload your Coloreel design →

VAT invoice from Zorixo Ventures Ltd · VAT GB 506 4612 12

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