Frequently Asked Questions
Do you use Computers?
Of course we do. Doesn't every one? A computer is a tool - like a needle or a paintbrush. We admitted using computers when we started over 11 years ago, long before the cross stitch computer programes flooded the market. Many of our designs were originally designed on an Atari ST tm! And that includes our best selling dolphin.
Do you use a scanner?
Yes. But usually only grey scales. We reduce pictures down to 7 shades of grey and re-colour them. This reduces the number of colours used and prevents unusual colours finding their way into designs like red grass or bright pink in the sky. We started using a scanner several years ago to help ensure the proportions are correct. Screen resolution and shape tend to distort images slightly so a scanner is a great help. There is no replacement for the artist. Computers cannot draw, neither can they accurately read colour. If you scan a pure red piece of paper the computer will still find over 1 million shades of red in it! Colours are chosen by People not the computer, as are the symbols.
How can I get a new design made?
Stitch Pics have basically stopped their Personalised Service due to costs and Competition. We now use the DMC "Stitch-a-Chart" Service. Why can I not find pictures of famous people?
In the Uk you cannot copyright a face, but in some countries even this is restricted. Despite this, the picure or photograph will almost certainly be copyright protected. Copyright is infringed by anyone who reproduces a photograph using electric or mechanical means and that includes scanners. To legally produce a portrait of a famous person you must draw by hand. This takes between 6 and 12 hours, which is not economical commercially. If permission is given by the copyright owner then there is no problem. Our terms and conditions state that Are there any designs for Star Wars?Star Trek?etc.
No. To our knowledge no one has the license for Star Trek, Star Wars or many other film or tv favourites. Disney is availabe for Designer Stitches or Royal Paris but this is the exception not the rule. We are trying to obtain a license for Star Trek but have had no luck at present.
I am looking for a picture of "Diana Princess of Wales", "Princess Diana", "Queen of Hearts", can you Help?
Due to copyright restrictions imposed by the Spencer family we are not allowed to advertise any of the Proper or popular names of this Princess. However you might like to consider PCD01 Portrait of a Princess. Are you sure your links are OK?
Pictures should appear as new windows - If using Internet Explorer (tm) it may only open twice and replace the background version with each new window. You can use the "Back" to review the pictures you have requested. My dog breed is not listed. Can you help?
Yes. We have charts and kits for all breeds of dog. Many of the rarer are not listed on our design lists. If in doubt please ask.
I was wondering what the 'Portrait of a Princess' looked like and which
princess it was of?
Please see Question 9 your question should be answered.
How do I place an Order?
We have an on-line cart system please see Do you have on-line trading? or you can order by phone or fax using a credit card, or by conventional mail with a cheque, Postal Order, or Credit Card. If you wish to use E-mail we advise that you split your credit card details between two separate mails to reduce the risk of interception.
How do I get the size of picture from the stitch count?
We use stitch count rather than inches because people prefer different fabrics. If you sew a design on 14 hpi adia it wil turn out different from sewing on 32 count linen and so on.
My Computer will not view your pictures
Choose a question and click on it to find the answer or just scroll through.
Full details can be found at Stitch Pics Supplies and Services
Any photograph submitted for designing is accepted on the asumption that the sender is the copyright owner or has obtained the appropriate permission.
If you put the catalogue on your Favourites you will have to go on-line to get the pictures as they do not have full www. links
only partial ones. This applies to many of our links, so as to keep the file size down and to
ensure a fast download.
There are no window splashes on our site or banners outside the Links page
See also Question 16
Kits from £9.99. Charts from £1.95. Please see Design List For the breeds listed.
Please see How to Order
By using stitch counts you can calculate the size for different fabrics easier than if we speicfied one specific fabric.
For an explanation of how to calculate go to Instruction Manual " How much fabric do I need" or
Use our Size calculator
The proliferation of "Pop Up" windows and other systems that attempt to open extra windows on your computer has created the need for "Pop Up Blocker". We use a separate window to view pictures so that the original document is faster to load. We have become aware that some computers will not allow this to happen and therefore prevent the viewing of our pictures. To get round the problem you need to manually open a second version of your browser and load the following page
This page will accept all the picture files and display them for you.
NB Each new file will overwrite the previous one. You must keep this window open until you have finished viewing the catalogue
