Two tools at opposite ends of the spectrum. One Saturday. Run one at a time.
These are two independent technologies, not one technique, so we teach them separately.
Morning is Coloreel: instant thread coloring, running on our fastest machine, the ZSK R9. Afternoon is cording: a premium look for a small investment on the entry-level 12-needle ZSK Classic. Both let you sell decoration your competitors can't quote against.
Both tools only look as good as the file behind them, so the day opens on the shared foundation: a clean vector logo taken into Wilcom and converted to a machine-ready stitch file, then manipulated for the nuances that make embroidery read as custom rather than clip-art, including stitch types, directions and underlay.
Submit a logo when you register and it might be the one we digitize live.
Coloreel fits over any embroidery machine and dyes one white thread in real time as you stitch. One needle, millions of exact colors, no reel changes and no re-threading.
Stops, trims and setups eat your throughput, and matching a customer's brand color means buying and storing cones you may never use again. Coloreel gives you exact color matching (RGB, HEX, L*a*b, Pantone), gradients and mid-run color changes on demand, and far less thread inventory. It is an accent-and-effect tool, not an every-stitch tool, and we cover where it wins and where it doesn't.
Cording is a ZSK-only attachment, shown here on the budget-friendly 12-needle Classic. It produces a cord-looping look that reads as premium, custom decoration.
A newer shop needs visual differentiation it can charge for without buying a flagship machine. Cording is high perceived value for a small investment: something to sell now as an entry buyer, and a module to grow onto a multi-head later.
One thesis runs through the whole day: these are two independent tools, not one technique. Coloreel is the high end, instant color on our fastest machine. Cording is the entry point, a premium look for a small investment. Both are ZSK-dealer differentiators that let you sell decoration your competitors can't. We run them one at a time so each stands on its own.
Coloreel and cording only look as good as the file behind them. We take a clean vector logo into Wilcom and convert it into a machine-ready stitch file, and show where good digitizing is won or lost.
Then we manipulate the file to add the nuances that make embroidery read as custom, not clip-art: stitch types, directions, and underlay that give a logo real dimension. Submit your logo when you register and it might be the one we digitize live.
What Coloreel actually is: instant direct-to-embroidery thread dyeing. One white thread, one needle, millions of exact colors, dyed in real time as the machine runs, no reel changes.
Fewer stops, trims, and setups; exact brand-color matching (RGB/HEX/L*a*b/Pantone); gradients and effects; less thread inventory. We cover where it wins, and where it doesn't. It's an accent and effect tool, not an every-stitch tool.
Coloreel sitting on our fastest embroidery machine: speed plus on-demand color, together. Watch a sample sew-out and see the workflow your operators would actually run.
The cording attachment on the budget-friendly 12-needle Classic. See the setup and the output: the cord-looping look that reads as premium, custom decoration.
The output is the differentiator: a high-perceived-value look for a small investment. It's a decoration you can charge for now as an entry buyer, or a module you grow into on a multi-head later. Cording is a ZSK-only attachment.
A Coloreel gradient and a cording sew-out to show customers, recipe cards and cheat sheets for both, simple ROI notes, and a direct line to us for follow-up.
Anyone who wants a decoration their competitors don't offer, at either end of the budget. Newer shops and first-machine buyers get the low-investment cording path; busier shops and multi-head owners get the Coloreel throughput-and-color story. You tell us your experience level and what you're most interested in when you reserve, and we pitch the room accordingly.
No. We cover the fundamentals of each tool from the ground up. If you're already running production, the Coloreel half goes deeper into workflow, color matching, and throughput.
Just yourself. Everything you need is on the floor. When you register you can submit a logo for our live Wilcom digitizing demo; we pick one to run through the process on the day. Bring the other jobs you're trying to crack into the conversation too, and we'll talk through exactly how you'd run them with Coloreel or cording.
We keep the demos moving so everyone gets the full day, so we don't do custom sew-outs on the spot. If your project's a fit, that's exactly what we'll set up a dedicated sample session for afterward. Full details land in your confirmation email.
Yes. Lunch is on us, and you tell us about any dietary needs when you reserve so there's something good for everyone.
We're at our Santa Fe Springs showroom. Parking and arrival directions are sent in your confirmation email a few days before the workshop.
Reach out and we'll sort out a transfer to a future date. Refund and transfer terms are confirmed at checkout and in your confirmation email.
Ready to book? See upcoming dates.
Twenty seats per session. Pick a date on the workshops page, or tell us what you're decorating and we'll point you to the right session.