group name function

[signman]

Has anyone used the group name feature successfully? We had disastrous results 2 years ago-and haven't dared to try it since.
Haven't heard anyone mention it-I'm running Designshop 6.
I know it's in there...would like to use it-but don't know if the bugs were ever cleaned out of it with any of the upgrades since 2004 version.
Problems we had included failure to stop after doing a name-going right onto the next one, compiling stitch totals so thread would get
tighter and tighter until it would break every 10 stitches, if used with a design around it, it would stop after every color change...
so it would be nice to hear if anyone has used it and gotten it to work right. Also curious if anyone has used the redundant needle feature (if thread breaks, it can be set to automatically move to another needle to continue).

[Wishes]

We usually do about five names at a time. That way to design doesn't take too long to load and I feel a little more secure. When you send it to OS it will act as one large design. You have to put pauses inside the color schedule after you complete the end of one design and then each on after that. We usually get the name sent to us in word. Make all the changes like caps in word and them copy into the box for the name change. We usually have the design stitch first and then the name. Send the design to OS and as I said put a pause inbetween each new design. The machine will stop and you change shirts. We have not had any problem with the stitches getting tigher or breaking. We have not used the redundant needle feature yet. Margaret

[Jeff]

Roland,

As far as bugs with this feature, (at least the ones you list) there was really only 1. That was the problem with the thread feed increasing after each name. This issue was corrected in version 6.08.001 and above. The issue of it not stopping after a name has to do with how you program the colors and use a STOP after the last color. The problem of it stopping after each and every color sounds as though you used a PAUSE, which will pause the sewing after each and every color change after its first occurrence. Make sure you use a STOP and only program in the colors for one complete design and name, then a STOP.

Another thing to remember when using this feature is the spacing of the lettering for each name. As each name is different, the spacing may be different for each one as well. Make sure you set it up and adjust the spacing for each one before you sew it. Spacing can be adjusted for each name by clicking on the Group Names in the Lettering Dialogue and going into the setup box, click on the name on the right side under Selected Names then click on OK and now the name will be in the lettering box so you can add spacing as needed and then click ok to see it on screen.

Also. just so you know, you could have still used this feature before if you had set it up to create separate files in the setup. Then when it was saved as EXP it would have created a separate file for each name that would have sewn correctly. Not the same as loading the one OFM file, but is a way to use it if the OFM file does not work as you need it to. People that have more than 1 machine may use in this manner so that different names can be sewn on different machines instead of all of them on 1 machine.

Jeff Banks