Manual Lettering
Small letters
The smallest letters you can sew: 6 mm with 40 wt thread, 4 mm with 60 wt, and how to make small text sew clean.
Thread has thickness. Make letters small enough, and the thread fills the gaps inside the letters ("e" and "a" turn into blobs).
The limits#
| Thread | Smallest letter height |
|---|---|
| 40 wt (standard) | 6 mm |
| 60 wt (fine) | 4 mm |
Height here means the height of a capital letter.
Lilo checks this for every font. If your letters are shorter than the limit, a warning shows under the height box and in the warnings tray. It offers to switch to 60 wt thread.
How to sew small text clean#
- Use 60 wt thread. Change Thread weight in the Sewing setup. Then use a 65/9 or 70/10 needle.
- Choose Premium quality. It spaces narrow columns a bit wider (0.45 mm) so they do not clog.
- Pick a plain, sturdy font. Skip fonts with hairlines.
- Use cut-away stabiliser. It gives the cleanest detail. Read Embroidery basics.
- Sew a test on scrap cloth first.
Do not swap the thread without redigitizing#
If you design for 40 wt and then put 60 wt thread on the machine, you lose coverage. Change Thread weight in the Sewing setup instead, so Lilo tightens the spacing.
Letters on the inside of a jacket#
A 5 mm "JK" on a shirt-weight lining: Shirting / lining, 60 wt, Premium, a font that suits 5 mm. Expect the letters to shrink slightly in the wash and the pull of the thread.