I have had this problem too. For me it is the hooping. When the design is stitched out it draws the fabric up just a little bit then the outline is off. Practice on hooping has helped me, even though I'm still not perfect. Go to annthegran.com and look on her blog (at least I think that's where I found good information) and look for hooping. That's a great site for embroidery people. Good luck!