using software other than Design Shop

[Joanie]

I'm new to my XTS, it is my first multi needle. I have 2 home embroidery machines, plus digitizing software Bernina, and Software 7. (Software 7 is a scaled down version of Wilcom)

Bernina software prefers .art files. I assign colors, modify the design etc as a .art file. Save it, then save as a .exp file for the Amaya.

The design loads in the Amaya OS - looking bad, colors are all wrong, some times the stitch count is off, etc.

I flip back and forth between the 2 software programs & hope the design will stitch out correctly. Sketch designs that I've stitched with success on my Home Machines, do not stitch out very well.

How do those of you who do not have Design Shop work around this type of a problem? Does anyone use Bernina software?

What if you have different machines? Then does each have to have it's own software program?

It does frustrate me to have to purchase Design Shop, to have to learn another digitizing software and to lose the software I've used in various forms of upgrades for the last 7 years.

Thank you for your advice and thoughts,
Joanie
Montana

[John]

EXP Files do not save color information. If you can save from your software to an OFM you might have luck. Having used the bernina software many moons ago - there really is no comparison between the two. Likewise, sewing on a home machine is totally different than sewing on an Amaya. There are many threads here that can talk about the difference. Unfortunately, I didn't try to use any files that we created in the Bernina software on our Amaya so I can't speak to that. For most client jobs, we use a good digitizer to do it for us. I could do it - but would rather spend my time in production and pass the digitizing cost along to the client.

What is a Sketch design? One that is autodigitzed from a photo?

[Joanie]

Thank you John,
I did decide that I'm not going to digitize, I'm slow and not that good! I somewhat mis-used digitizing, I'll do lettering, and cutting/pasting of design parts, that is my level of "digitizing" :-)

So . . . am I trying to ride a pony at the Kentucky Derby? (Bernina design, to my Amaya)

Since you don't digitize do may I ask what software you use to interact with designs and the Amaya OS?

A sketch design, is a digitized (not by me) pencil/charcoal like drawing. 3 shades and they are pretty nice looking. Sketch is more than likely my wording.

Thank you, I really appreciate your thoughts,
Joanie

[John]

Well, when we came from using a Brother ULT-2002D with the Bernina Artista software many moons ago - lets say we had enough problems that I think I called Melco and was about ready to have them pick the machine up or throw it out the window. That was until I believe it was Ed (the Embroidery Authority) called me and talked me off the ledge. I expected to hit the ground running without real training. He got us stated and then my wife took training and I went for tech training for 2 weeks. It certainly was enlightening to say the least. Lets just say that the majority of what I thought I knew and the way I had learned to operate my home machine just didn't translate. I don't think the sales folks tell you that

We use Design Shop. It really is a great program and operates (to me) more akin to what I was used to with graphic design editing tools.

Are you trying to ride a pony at the derby? Don't know how to answer that... as I haven't tried to translate one thing to another. But I can tell you, simply putting designs that worked great on your home machine on the Amaya and expecting the exact same results will probably leave you frustrated.

These machines will run circles around a lot of what is out there - but you REALLY NEED TO BE TRAINED on them. Caps for emphasis there

What may be happening with your designs when you load them into the OS is they are being filtered. This may remove stitches (as you mentioned). I believe there are ways around that - but I can't tell you as I've never had to turn off that filtering. Poking around the menus will probably yield results.

Digitizing wise, look at Sal from TexInc and Artwork Source (others may suggest people they use as well). In my mind - these folks spend all of their day doing just that - they are the experts and for the price they pay, it's not worth it for me to spend my time worrying about things. I'll obsess over details....

Lettering, Design Shop comes with specific embroidery fonts - along with the ability to use true type fonts. I can't remember what Artista did. 95% of the time, we don't use True Type fonts for lettering or if I do, I lay it out as part of a design and then have them digitized.

I am guessing you *should* be able to get lettering from Artista to work fine - though it may take some tweaking and experimenting to figure out how best to do it.

[Joanie]

Thank you for the information, all very good. I've been playing with a demo of design shop pro, it is very nice, I understand what you mean about the similarities between graphic design software.

I appreciate the time you took and the information, thank you very much,
Joanie Carl
Sew Many PawsAbilities

[John]

Thank you for the information, all very good. I've been playing with a demo of design shop pro, it is very nice, I understand what you mean about the similarities between graphic design software.

I appreciate the time you took and the information, thank you very much,
Joanie Carl
Sew Many PawsAbilities

Feel free to contact / call me if you run into a wall. Ed did it for me and now I'm glad to do it for others.