Method, system, apparatus, and program for instantly estimating the number of stitches for an embroidered design

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program, which, when executed by a computer, performs a method for determining an estimated number of stitches for an embroidered design, said method comprising the steps of:

• flattening a file containing a design comprised of at least one of art and text;
• determining a number of pixels that are non-transparent in the flat file;
• determining a percentage of non-transparent pixels in a total pixel area available for decorating;
• estimating a measurement of an area to be decorated using the percentage of non-transparent pixels;
• and
• determining the estimated the number of stitches in the design using the measurement of the area to be decorated.

A method implemented on a computer having a processor and a memory coupled to said processor for providing a cost estimate for an embroidered design, comprising the steps of:

• a) uploading a design created or selected by a user;
• b) adding text or art to the design if instructed by the user;
• c) editing the design if instructed based on user inputs;
• d) determining an estimated number of stitches for the design;
• e) determining an estimated cost for the design based on the estimated number of stitches;
• f) displaying the estimated number of stitches and the estimated cost;
• and
• g) returning to step c) if instructed by the user,
• wherein steps a to g are performed using said processor.

A system implemented on a computer having a processor and a memory coupled to said processor for providing a cost estimate for an embroidered design, the system comprising:

• a design creator module for creating a design;
• a stitch estimator module for determining an estimated number of stitches for the design;
• and
• a cost estimator module for determining a cost estimate for the selected design based on the estimated number of stitches.