§ GLOSSARY · REGISTRATION
REGISTRATION
How precisely the design lines up across multiple stitches, color changes, and hoopings.
Embroidery vocabularyPlain-English definition
WHAT IT MEANS
Registration is the alignment of every stitch in a design to its intended coordinate. Loss of registration is what you see when the second color outline lands a fraction off-center inside the first color fill. Causes include hoop slip, push-pull deformation, fabric stretch, and drift between hoopings on multi-hoop designs.
WHEN IT MATTERS
Registration drift is more visible than density issues — even an untrained eye spots a misaligned outline. Tight registration is the difference between 'looks expensive' and 'looks home-stitched'.
SEE ALSO