Instructions for creating print design templates / PV files with interchangeable colors and texts

The following describes how to create design templates for the online designer in the Print section for optimal finishing. The mostly strict naming and specifications of the data system are mandatory for the technical further processing.
For a general understanding, the following terms are used. The overall design, which is applied to a textile or another carrier, is the motif. The motif contains exchangeable texts, here called free texts.

Creation of the motif file
A motif file is always created in Adobe Illustrator. It is necessary to change the document color mode to RGB. The same color profile must be used for a consistent representation of all motifs. Therefore, the Adobe RGB (1998) color profile is defined as the working color space.
When using pixel graphics, please note that the resolution should be 300dpi if possible (minimum requirement is 150dpi) and should be created in RGB mode. The size of the image file is limited to 10MB. The maximum print area is 35cm wide and 45cm high, this must be taken in account when creating pixel graphics. The created size of the motifs or the drawing area is not relevant.

For the object type Graphic, no specific names of the object groups are necessary so far. Several layers of a type can be created if necessary for the design (e.g. when objects are superimposed).
Contour styles used must be converted into paths, since these cannot be processed technically and are ultimately represented in the online designer as simple contours.

Use of colors
For all designs in which colors are to be interchangeable, the colors must first be created in the system (shop backend).
Backend -> Menu item Catalog -> "Colours".
These can be added as desired. The RGB value of the motif must correspond to the value of the color created in the backend.
Each yarn color already created globally has an equivalent printing color with RGB value. Printing inks, on the other hand, only refer to RGB. With the button "Add" I get a large selection of embroidery threads - for each of which there is an RGB value for the print process.

Color gradients
Objects can be filled with a color gradient. Color swaps are also possible if the colors created in the system (backend) are used. In the case of radial gradients, you should note that a filled object must not be rotated because the gradient angle created cannot be processed technically. Rotated objects can be converted into a composite path to neutralize the rotation of the object. Unfortunately, the position of the gradient slider is not taken into account; it always remains centered (50%).
Color gradients

Create free texts   
Only embroidery typefaces may be used for motifs that are later to be prepared as embroidery. Approximately 20 digital equivalents to the embroidery fonts are provided.
Additional fonts may be used for designs which should not be embroidered in any case.
(List of currently installed fonts: https://smake.zendesk.com/hc/de/articles/360028217491-Schriftarten-f%C3%BCr-PV-Dateien)

All exchangeable texts must be stored in the Text layer. Each text in the motif file must be named accordingly: Text_1, Text_2, etc. Here, too, the objects are numbered consecutively. If several free text objects are to exchange each other at the same time, they must also have the same name. The general number of exchangeable text objects is freely selectable.
The alignment of the text in Illustrator (left-justified, centered, right-justified) is taken over by the online designer. Please note that the optical border is ignored when exporting. The text is always aligned with the letter cone, which is particularly noticeable with inclined fonts and right-justified text.

Texts may only be created with the 'Path text tool'. For multiline text, the lines must be separated and named as individual text objects. The text may be rotated and the width can also be used as a design element. Text may be tilted artificially with the Bend tool, but only for print motifs, since this function is missing in the stick. Vertical text, justification and baseline offset, on the other hand, are unfortunately not feasible. Contours around free texts are only possible if they are created in a certain way: At the beginning, a text color is assigned to the area of the text as before and named, for example, Text_1. This text is duplicated and placed below in the layer hierarchy. The name of the duplicated text must also be Text_1 and have the same text color. This text is now assigned a contour color, which must already be created in the system.
Texts that do not function as such, but as graphics, must be converted to paths and stored under the Graphics level. These graphic texts then no longer have to follow the guidelines for text creation.

Limit texts
When creating modifiable texts, a text boundary must be created. For path text, the path is the limit. This means that the path should be as long as possible to allow a longer text to be entered. In principle, the maximum text length of a line is currently limited to 30 characters.

With an Illustrator plug-in, additional settings for text limitation must be made internally. This plug-in determines how much a line of text may be compressed and/or reduced if the text entered is longer than the path. The default setting for all texts is "Horizontal Scaling" with a maximum compression of 50% (0.5). A deviation of the value is possible, if it is useful for the draft.