Pull compensation
Pull compensation is a digitizing setting that makes a stitched shape slightly wider than drawn, to offset the way stitches drag fabric inward and leave gaps.
Pull compensation is a small adjustment made when a design is digitized. It stretches a satin column or fill a little wider than the shape you drew, so that after the thread pulls the fabric inward, the stitched result comes out close to the intended size. Like underlay, it is built into the stitch file. Your machine does not add it on its own.
It matters because every stitch tugs the fabric and stabilizer toward itself. The Ink/Stitch documentation notes that satin stitches pull the fabric together, so a column ends up narrower than drawn, and that a fill can do the same. The visible result is a shape that sews out too small, or a gap between a fill and its outline. A related effect called push can make dense stitching spread outward, especially at the ends of a column, which is why some software also offers push compensation that shortens those ends.
You adjust pull compensation in digitizing software, usually per object, as a small amount in millimeters or a percentage of the stitch width. Ink/Stitch offers both a fixed length and a percentage that scales with width, and each can be set differently for the two sides. The right amount depends on the fabric, stabilizer, design size, stitch type, density, underlay, hooping and machine speed. That is why the usual advice is to sew a sample on scrap fabric using the same materials and hoop, measure the result, then adjust and sew again.
Common mistakes: using one value for every fabric, when a setting that suits firm woven cotton may be wrong for a stretchy knit or a towel; adding compensation to hide a problem that really comes from loose hooping or too little stabilizer; and confusing it with density. Density sets how far apart stitches sit. Pull compensation changes how wide the shape is. In a finished stitch file the compensation is already part of the stitch positions, so changing it means returning to the editable design.
Example: Suppose a fill drawn 1 in (25 mm) wide sews out 0.04 in (1 mm) narrower on a T-shirt knit. A reasonable first try is about 0.02 in (0.5 mm) of compensation on each side, then another sample to check. These numbers are illustrative, not rules, because the right amount changes with fabric, stabilizer and density.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between pull compensation and stitch density?
Density is how closely stitches are spaced. Pull compensation widens the shape itself to allow for fabric being drawn inward. They interact, since dense stitching pulls more, but they are separate settings.
Can I change pull compensation on a design I downloaded?
Usually not easily. A finished stitch file is a list of stitches, so the compensation is already built in. To change it you generally need the editable version of the design in digitizing software, or a new digitized version.
How can I tell whether a design needs more pull compensation?
Sew it on scrap fabric with the same stabilizer and hoop as the real project. If the shape comes out narrower than expected, or gaps open between a fill and its outline, more compensation may help. Check hooping and stabilizer first, since they cause similar gaps.