What is Textile Software?

Textile software is a computer application that is used to help those in the textile industry create, develop and organize designs for textile making. It also can serve the logistics side of the textile business, such as organizing details of clients, orders and shipping. Depending on the particular software selected, users can enjoy digitizing each aspect of the textile industry, from the creation of digital patterns to shipping completed orders through third-party delivery solutions.

Many think of clothing when they hear about textile software, but it also can be applied to the making of other types of products. Weaving, knitting, quilting and embroidery are just a few of the other textile-related activities that can be aided with textile software. Not all textile software is equipped to handle the monitoring of each of these activities, though. Before purchasing or downloading a particular software, users have to make sure to select a software that is capable of meeting their needs. Textile software intended to guide the quilt-making process, for example, probably will not be beneficial for users who want to enter the fashion industry.

Many software packages allow users to design original patterns. They also can help users visualize how a garment will look at each step of the development process. Some software can let users view a textile design in multiple dimensions before creating it out of physical materials. Virtually every part of the textile development process can be monitored, logged and anticipated using textile software.

In addition to supporting users during the textile-making process, some versions of software can help them open a textile business and sell completed wares. The logistics of creating a client base, taking orders and delivering items can be completed with a software package that boasts these features. Reordering supplies and organizing inventory also can be done with this software. Integrated tools can allow users to ship products easily through third-party shipping systems. These features can radically reduce the amount of time that a textile-maker needs to take care of the business side of things, thereby giving him or her more time to create and develop products.

Potential users of textile software should know that they can use the software on more than one type of platform. Users can install the software on a standard personal computer, but some software packages can be run on mobile devices. Users will have to check for compatibility between the mobile device's operating system and the supported systems of the software for this to occur.