FAQ’S

Specialized embroidery machines have been designed to work with data from a computer. This data instructs the machine to stitch a particular design, determines the correct stitching order, indicates when to trim threads, and many other functions. In only a few minutes, the computerized embroidery machine will stitch a design that would take your grandmother a week to do by hand…and embroider with precision accuracy that no human can match for near perfect quality!.

The artwork for embroidery design is entered into the computer. The computer transfers the robotics instructions necessary for stitching the design to the NOTION machine. The machine operator places the item, such as a sweatshirt or ball cap on the machine with a holder or hoop. The operator also chooses the colors of thread appropriate to the design. Once the "set up" has been performed, stitching may begin by pressing the "Start" button on the machine. It will precisely and efficiently stitch the design. A typical logo on a ball cap may take five minutes or so to stitch, roughly a dozen caps an hour.

Anyone who seeks unique identification or fashion on garments. You see it everywhere, on practically every work uniform, almost all club and team wear. People collect baseball style caps with embroidered designs, and it has become the standard for corporate wear as corporations become less formal in their offices. Demand is high for bowling alleys, local retail store employees, golf & country club and yacht club members. School teams and local military units always need more. You're likely to have several embroidered items in your closet!

The people you know are your best source for the leads that become sales. Virtually every adult works somewhere and their company needs logos on corporate wear and special event items, such as prizes and awards for top-producing employees. The Yellow Pages of your phone directory always works. Embroidery is so popular that customers will seek you out! Contacts you make through social events can lead to very profitable orders. There is no replacement for working hard and working smart when it comes to building any business. Aggressive canvassing of businesses, schools and organizations in your area produce great results. One entrepreneurial Notions customer brought embroidered samples to a business opportunity show. He conducted a drawing that offered a free digitized logo to the winner. People entered by dropping their business cards into a fish bowl on his table. Guess what? Everybody won! He custom digitized the corporate or occupational logo for free then charged for stitching it on a garment that he also sold to his new customer! He built a repeat customer list sooner than he would have thought possible and invested in additional NOTION machines to handle his growing embroidery business.

Generally, any soft fabric that will fit under the needle of the machine. Shirts, hats and jackets are easy. Horse blankets, travel bags and mattress covers sometimes require special accessories in order to be embroidered. You can stitch any name, logo or ornate fashion embellishment on any suitable garment. The design size can be anywhere from less than a quarter of an inch to eleven by seventeen inches and larger.

NOTION customers are provided with our Customer Success Kit. In it you will find companies supplying a wide variety of items wholesale. You can find golf shirts, hats, jackets, work uniforms, aprons, table linens, team wear, neck ties and many other items at special dealer prices. National brands like Fruit of the Loom, Outer Banks, Hanes, Lee and many more. The manufacturers of these items are anxious to do business with you; most do not require a minimum order and will ship UPS right to your door. They will supply you with color catalogs and confidential dealer price lists. You can show items to your customers, add embroidery, handling charges and charge the retail price you set! It isn't necessary to tie up your money with lots of inventory, just a few samples!

It is customary to mark up any garment you sell; often 50 to 100% or more of its cost. Embroidering that garment is usually priced per thousand stitches. Rs.2.00 per thousand stitches or higher is not uncommon. A single Notion machine can embroider a number of garments in a short period of time. Designs vary in size but a typical shirt logo averages about 5000 stitches. Our NOTION machines are capable of running at speeds of up to 1200 stitches per minute and are normally operated at 900 to 1000 s.p.m. This information presents a general picture on profitability. Embroiderers know that factors like quantity, garment material, the size and quality of the design, thread type and more will affect the time it takes to do a "job" and they adjust prices accordingly. Our Customer Success Kit includes articles with more specific information on pricing and a wealth of other industry tips to help you become very profitable in your new career in the embroidery business.

The computer processes the artwork from your customer in a manner that the machine can understand. The computer allows you to do lettering with a design, such as adding the date to an event such as a golf tournament. The process works like this: • Your computer chooses a design from the selection that you have stored on disk or your customer asks you to prepare his artwork for embroidery using the process known as "digitizing." • The computer program allows you to "input" the artwork so it can be seen on the color monitor. • Add lettering or dates, re-size the design to fit right on the garment or even edit the design for changes. • Once you save the design, it can be directly transferred to the NOTION machine for stitching. The computer has made intricate and complex embroidery available to the public on a scale never thought possible!

No. You don't just load and go. NOTION instructors will train you in embroidery technique. You will learn how to properly thread the machine, adjust tensions, to operate the machine control panel, proper hooping and embroidery placement techniques and more. You will be given new skills that profit you.

Do you have the soul of an entrepreneur, the eye of an artist and the hands of a craftsman? Have you always wanted to work for yourself? Are you willing to get out and meet people…and ask for an order? Do you have strong initiative? Are you willing to take responsibility for the outcome of a business transaction? Will you listen, plan, be resourceful and persistent? If you have read this far, you probably have most of the qualities you need for success. No one will "invite" you to make money or pay you to pursue an opportunity that is designed to make profits for you. You must recognize opportunity and be willing to take some chances. If the above qualities fit you, you can succeed in the embroidery business.

Yes! And Notion will help you do just that. We want you to purchase more equipment and supplies as your embroidery business grows, so we will help you in any way that we can. We can adapt a computer to connect dozens of machines to the same PC. We have accessories that allow you to do tubular stitching on heavy sweatshirts…very popular at universities and resorts. Our wide cap frame lets you embroider on three-dollar ball caps with a few cents worth of thread for a substantial profit! You see these items and the prices in stores everywhere. We will supply you with the tools for success, train you and your staff and