Wilcom “Auto Kerning” Isn’t Magic—It’s a Saved Rule: Fix Ugly AV Gaps Once and Never Nudge Letters Again

How to Fix "Cheap-Looking" Lettering in Wilcom: The AVATAR Kerning Method

If you’ve ever typed a name in Wilcom, stared at the screen, and thought “Why does this look amateur?”—you’re not imagining things.

Letter spacing can be mathematically consistent according to the software, yet look completely wrong to the human eye. This is especially true with diagonal keystrokes like A, V, W, and T. In the typography world, we call this the "Optical Gap." In the embroidery business, we call it a quality control issue.

As an embroiderer, you are selling visual balance, not mathematical equality.

In this industry whitepaper, we’ll take a font with no kerning table (where Wilcom’s "Auto Kerning" is greyed out), manually fix the spacing using the “AVATAR” stress test, and—crucially—save that data back into the font so you never have to do the work twice.

1. The "AVATAR Test": Proving the Gap Is Real

Why do we use the word AVATAR? Because it is the ultimate stress test for diagonal intersections. It exposes the illusion where the measured distance between the bottom of an 'A' and the top of a 'V' is vast compared to vertical letters like 'H' or 'M'.

The Diagnostic Move

Drag a vertical guide line from your ruler bar and place it between the letters.

You will observe that while the bounding boxes of the letters might touch, the visual center of gravity is miles apart. Because embroidery creates raised satin columns with distinct shadows, this gap is exaggerated on the final shirt compared to a printed page.

Expert Insight: Spacing is a visual problem, not a numeric one. Customers paying for team jerseys or corporate branding notice these gaps from six feet away. Mastering this separates the "home hobbyist" from the precision studio.

2. Why "Auto Kerning" Is Greyed Out (And Why You Shouldn't Panic)

Select your lettering object and look at the Object Properties panel. In this tutorial, we are using the font Castle.

Scroll to the bottom. You will likely see the Auto kerning checkbox is greyed out/unavailable.

This simply means the digitizer who created the font did not assign a logic table for how specific letter pairs (like A and V) should interact.

• The Bad News: Wilcom can't fix it automatically right now.
• The Good News: You can build that table yourself in about 60 seconds.

3. The "Hidden Prep": Stabilization Before Digitizing

Before you start moving nodes, we must standardize the environment. Kerning needs to be adjusted at the size you intend to stitch.

Expert Rule of Thumb: Adjusting kerning on a 7mm letter is different than a 50mm letter. For this guide, the height is set to 14.57 mm.

We also need to mention the physical reality here. You can digitize perfect spacing, but if your production environment is chaotic—if your hoops are slipping or your stabilizers are weak—the fabric will shift, and those gaps will reappear on the machine.

Many professionals stabilize their physical workflow using a hooping station to ensure that every shirt is placed with identical tension and alignment. Digitizing consistency means nothing without hooping consistency.

Prep Checklist: The "Pre-Flight" Routine

• Font Verification: Confirm you are editing the correct font (e.g., Castle).
• Size Lock: Set distinct letter height (e.g., 15mm) and do not scale during the test.
• Stress Word: Type "AVATAR" (or "WAVE", "TAX"). Do not test with "MOM" or "HELLO"—they are too easy.
• Visual Aids: Turn on specific rulers and grids in Wilcom.
• Hidden Consumables Check: Do you have your grid paper or a digital caliper handy? Sometimes measuring the screen helps train your eye.

4. The Reshape Tool: Manual Tightening

Now, we apply the fix. Activate the Reshape tool (shortcut H in most configurations).

You will see Pink Diamond Control Points appear in the visual center of each letter. These are your handles for kerning adjustments.

The Procedure

Click the pink diamond of the 'V' and drag it horizontally toward the 'A'. Watch the negative space—the white gap between the letters. You want that gap to visually match the gap between the 'A' and the 'T'.

Sensory Cue: Do not just look at the gap; look at the rhythm. Read the word. Does your eye stumble? If yes, adjust. It should feel smooth, like a continuous stream of water.

Warning: The "Crash" Hazard
Be careful not to Over-Kern (overlap letters too much).
* The Risk: If satin columns overlap improperly without underlay adjustment, you create a "bulletproof" dense spot.
* The Consequence: This creates needle deflection, thread breaks, or broken needles.
* The Safety Check: Leave at least a stitch-width (0.4mm) of visual breathing room unless you are intentionally welding letters.

5. "Update Kerning Settings": The Profit Lever

This is the step most beginners miss. They fix the word, stitch it, and forget it. Next week, they have to fix it again. Do not do this.

1. Select the specific letters you adjusted (drag a box around the pink diamonds).
2. Go to the Object Menu.
3. Select Update Kerning Settings.

A dialog box will appear warning you that this affects new objects. Click OK.

By doing this, you have programmed Wilcom to remember: "Whenever User types 'A' followed by 'V' in the Castle font, tighten the gap by X amount." You are building a smarter software tool with every job you create.

6. The Proof Test: Verify the Automation

Never fast-forward without verifying the data save.

1. Delete the "AVATAR" text you just manually fixed.
2. Open the Lettering Tool.
3. Type "AVATAR" again.
4. Select the Castle font.

The Result: The text should appear instantly with the tightened spacing you just defined. No manual dragging required.

The Confirmation: Look at the Object Properties. The Auto kerning box is no longer greyed out—it is active and checked.

Setup Checklist: Verification

• Deletion: Remove the manually edited test object.
• Re-Creation: Generate fresh text string.
• Visual Audit: Does the new text spawn with the corrected "tight" spacing?
• Property Check: Is "Auto Kerning" available and checked in the properties panel?

7. Troubleshooting: Symptoms & Cures

If things still look wrong, verify against this table before blaming the software.

8. Bridging Software Precision with Physical Production

You have perfected the digital file. Now you must ensure your machine delivers that perfection.

The number one reason for distorted lettering (where spacing looks uneven after stitching) is instability during embroidery. If the fabric ripples or the hoop tension is uneven ("Hoop Burn"), your precise kerning will be lost.

This is why many production shops upgrade from standard plastic hoops to magnetic embroidery hoops.

1. Uniform Safety: They hold the fabric with consistent magnetic pressure, preventing the "pull-in" distortion that ruins lettering spacing.
2. No Burn: They eliminate the circular ring marks (hoop burn) that are difficult to steam out of performance wear.
3. Speed: They allow for faster re-hooping, which complements the time you just saved by automating your kerning.

Warning: Magnetic Safety
If you upgrade to magnetic embroidery frame systems (like those from SEWTECH), treat them with respect.
* Pinch Hazard: The magnets are industrial-strength. Keep fingers clear of the contact zone.
* Medical Devices: Keep strong magnets at least 6 inches away from pacemakers or insulin pumps.

Decision Tree: When to Upgrade Your Workflow?

Use this logic flow to determine if your problem is Software or Hardware.

1. Do gaps look wrong on the screen?
   • YES: Use the AVATAR Method above. (Software Fix)
   • NO: Proceed to Step 2.
2. Does the spacing distort only after stitching?
   • YES: This is a stability issue. Check your stabilizer choice (Cutaway for knits!). If stabilizer is correct, your hooping tension is likely inconsistent. Consider how to use magnetic embroidery hoop systems to standardize fabric tension.
   • NO: Proceed to Step 3.
3. Are you spending >20 minutes per day fixing text?
   • YES: You have a volume bottleneck. Automate font kerning rules immediately. If the bottleneck is mechanical (thread changes), assess if your volume justifies a Multi-Needle Machine (like the SEWTECH high-value series) to increase throughput.

9. Conclusion: The "Set & Forget" Philosophy

Professional digitizing is about compounding efficiency. Every time you fix a diagonal pair like A-V or W-A and save it, you make your future self faster.

Combine this software discipline with robust hardware choices—like using a correct hooping station or high-quality Stabilizer—and you build a production line that is not just "lucky," but predictable, profitable, and professional.

Operation Checklist: Final Production Run

• Tension Check: Pull thread to ensure "smooth resistance" (like flossing teeth) before starting.
• Needle Check: Use a sharp 75/11 needle for crips lettering.
• Hoop Check: Ensure fabric is "drum tight" without stretching the grain.
• Watch Layer: Watch the first 200 stitches. If the fabric ripples between letters, stop and re-hoop.

FAQ

• Q: Why is Wilcom Object Properties “Auto kerning” greyed out when using the Wilcom Castle font?
  A: This usually means the Castle font has no built-in kerning table, so Wilcom cannot auto-correct letter pairs yet—manual kerning can still be saved into the font settings.
  • Open Object Properties for the Castle lettering object and confirm Auto kerning is unavailable.
  • Type a stress word like “AVATAR” at the intended stitch size, then adjust spacing manually with Reshape (H).
  • Use Object > Update Kerning Settings to store the corrected pair behavior for future text.
  • Success check: retyping “AVATAR” in Castle immediately generates tighter spacing and Auto kerning becomes active/checked.
  • If it still fails: save the design as a working embroidery file format first (the font/design may be read-only), then repeat the update.
• Q: How do I manually kern A-V diagonal letter pairs in Wilcom using the AVATAR kerning method so the lettering stops looking cheap?
  A: Use Wilcom’s Reshape tool to move the pink diamond kerning handles until the visual white space looks even, then verify the rhythm by “reading” the word.
  • Type “AVATAR” (or “WAVE”, “TAX”) and turn on rulers/grids for consistent visual reference.
  • Press H (Reshape) and drag the pink diamond on the problem letter (often V) horizontally toward A.
  • Compare the negative space so the A–V gap visually matches a “normal” pair like A–T.
  • Success check: the word reads smoothly without the eye “stumbling” at A–V, and the gap looks balanced even with satin-column shadows.
  • If it still fails: you may be judging by bounding boxes—use a vertical guide line between letters and kern by the visual center of gravity.
• Q: How do I save manual kerning in Wilcom Castle lettering using “Update Kerning Settings” so Wilcom remembers A-V spacing next time?
  A: After adjusting the specific letters, run Object > Update Kerning Settings so Wilcom stores the letter-pair rule for new text objects.
  • Box-select the specific adjusted letters (select the diamonds you moved, not just the whole word).
  • Click Object > Update Kerning Settings and confirm the dialog.
  • Delete the test word and retype the same word using the Castle font to confirm the automation.
  • Success check: newly created Castle text appears with the corrected spacing immediately, and Auto kerning is no longer greyed out.
  • If it still fails: you likely didn’t select the correct diamonds/letter pair—reselect only the adjusted interaction (e.g., A+V) and update again.
• Q: In Wilcom lettering, what causes letters to overlap and look muddy after kerning (over-kern “crash hazard”), and how do I avoid dense bulletproof spots?
  A: Over-kerning can force satin columns into each other and create an overly dense area that may cause needle deflection, thread breaks, or broken needles—leave breathing room unless intentionally welding letters.
  • Reopen Reshape (H) and pull the letters apart slightly where satin columns collide.
  • Avoid tightening past a safe visual minimum; keep at least about a stitch-width of breathing room unless you are deliberately overlapping.
  • Restitch a small test of the problem pair (A–V, W–A, etc.) before committing to a full garment run.
  • Success check: the overlap area no longer feels “hard” or overbuilt in stitch-out, and stitching runs without repeated deflection/breaks.
  • If it still fails: reduce how aggressively the pair is tightened and re-save the kerning settings again.
• Q: Why does Wilcom lettering look perfect on screen but stitch spacing looks uneven on the shirt (fabric shift / hoop burn), and what is the fastest fix?
  A: This is usually a stability problem (fabric shift, inconsistent hoop tension, hoop burn), not a Wilcom kerning problem—stabilize the fabric first.
  • Confirm the distortion appears only after stitching, not on-screen (that separates physics from software).
  • Use an appropriate stabilizer choice for the fabric; for knits, cutaway is commonly used as a stable option.
  • Improve hooping consistency so fabric tension is repeatable and the garment does not ripple during the first stitches.
  • Success check: during the first ~200 stitches, fabric stays flat between letters and the stitched spacing matches the on-screen kerning.
  • If it still fails: standardize hoop tension and alignment with more consistent hooping methods; inconsistent hooping is a common root cause.
• Q: What is the correct pre-flight checklist for Wilcom kerning tests (font verification + size lock) so kerning adjustments don’t fail later?
  A: Lock the test conditions—correct font, fixed letter height, and a diagonal stress word—because kerning behavior changes with size and inconsistent setup.
  • Verify you are editing the correct font (for example, Castle) before changing any spacing.
  • Set the lettering height to the intended production size (the blog example uses 14.57 mm) and do not scale during the test.
  • Type a stress word like “AVATAR” (not “MOM” or “HELLO”) and turn on rulers/grids for consistent visual comparison.
  • Success check: retyping the same word at the same height reproduces the same spacing behavior every time (before and after saving kerning).
  • If it still fails: you may be changing size mid-test—restart with a fresh text object at the locked height.
• Q: What are the key magnetic embroidery hoop safety rules when upgrading to an industrial-strength magnetic frame system for production stability?
  A: Magnetic hoops improve consistency, but the magnets are strong—treat them as a pinch hazard and keep them away from certain medical devices.
  • Keep fingers clear of the contact zone when closing or seating the magnetic ring (pinch hazard is common).
  • Keep strong magnets at least 6 inches away from pacemakers or insulin pumps.
  • Set the hoop down on a stable surface before separating magnets; do not “snap” them together in mid-air.
  • Success check: hooping feels controlled with no sudden snap events, and fabric is held with consistent pressure without excessive struggle.
  • If it still fails: stop and reset the approach—forcing magnets is when pinches happen; review the frame’s handling steps before continuing.