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Most bang for your buck (Moderated by Pyrose)
Posted on: 4/11/14 11:29 PM ET
So I just got a Viking Designer Topaz 30, and I want to be able to make my own designs. Therefore, I need software. So I have seen a lot of compatible software but they are all pretty pricey and I spent all that I saved on my machine. So I want to get the most bang for my buck. I have seen a few things like sewart and digitize it. What does everything think?
Posted on: 4/12/14 0:22 AM ET
As far as making your own designs- that is called digitizing. That software runs near $1000 or more.
Most new embroidery users are content with and editing type of software. You would use it to merge 2 or designs, form words from letters and copy stitches to add or cut them out. That runs about $100 or more.
The third type is a viewer. If you buy design files, your computer cannot display them without a viewer. Some are free and others cost a modest amount. The viewer will let you see what your design looks like on a computer screen. It may also send it to your printer or USB device.
HTH.
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Most new embroidery users are content with and editing type of software. You would use it to merge 2 or designs, form words from letters and copy stitches to add or cut them out. That runs about $100 or more.
The third type is a viewer. If you buy design files, your computer cannot display them without a viewer. Some are free and others cost a modest amount. The viewer will let you see what your design looks like on a computer screen. It may also send it to your printer or USB device.
HTH.
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Needlework brings joy and meaning to my life...member of ASG
Now using: Singer 301, Pfaff 6152 & BL Enlighten serger
Now using: Singer 301, Pfaff 6152 & BL Enlighten serger
Posted on: 4/12/14 1:50 AM ET
In reply to vanna664
If you got the freely downloadable Wings My editor program here:
http://www.wingsxp.com/index.php/my_editor/
and you already knew how to hand embroider pretty good, you probably could use it to make some embroidery designs from scratch. But mostly sort of single line kind of ones. In just more the way you would hand embroider anything instead.
Just because that free editor program, actually in even editing an existing embroidery design, does let you add, delete and move stitches. Which is pretty neat.
And if you bring up any embroidery design into it, and delete all the existing stitches in it except for maybe the first few of them, and save that out with a new file name, then you really can even manual punch your own embroidery designs with it conceivably. Just stitch by stitch though, but that is still kind of big deal even that way.
So if you spent all you had and are dead broke, it's free and you probably can't get more bang for your buck than free at all. Also would be kind of limiting though, and better used for that kind of thing, if you actually already knew how to do that, in some other kind of digitizing program first.
But it is the only kind of free editing program I have ever seen anyplace, that would actually let you really do that too.
-- Edited on 4/12/14 1:55 AM --
I can really do satin stitched filled in shapes, satin columns, straight stitch, triple straight straight stitch, lacy fills, and any stitch underlay I wished or pretty much anything I wanted to do with that program, if used in that way. Except for more flat step fill, as I just would not have the patience for that one probably. But that is how, by each mouse click or such for each single needle drop and stitch, people used to have to manual digitize long ago. Learn to even do it that way, with just that free little program first, and anything you taught yourself or learned while doing that, would never go to waste, just knowledge wise at all, no matter what other digitizing program you ever got afterwards really.
I don't have to do that there though, just since I do have some other digitizing programs too. But if I had no money, and they all just vanished, that is what I would be using.
-- Edited on 4/14/14 2:57 PM --
-- Edited on 4/14/14 3:01 PM --
http://www.wingsxp.com/index.php/my_editor/
and you already knew how to hand embroider pretty good, you probably could use it to make some embroidery designs from scratch. But mostly sort of single line kind of ones. In just more the way you would hand embroider anything instead.
Just because that free editor program, actually in even editing an existing embroidery design, does let you add, delete and move stitches. Which is pretty neat.
And if you bring up any embroidery design into it, and delete all the existing stitches in it except for maybe the first few of them, and save that out with a new file name, then you really can even manual punch your own embroidery designs with it conceivably. Just stitch by stitch though, but that is still kind of big deal even that way.
So if you spent all you had and are dead broke, it's free and you probably can't get more bang for your buck than free at all. Also would be kind of limiting though, and better used for that kind of thing, if you actually already knew how to do that, in some other kind of digitizing program first.
But it is the only kind of free editing program I have ever seen anyplace, that would actually let you really do that too.
-- Edited on 4/12/14 1:55 AM --
I can really do satin stitched filled in shapes, satin columns, straight stitch, triple straight straight stitch, lacy fills, and any stitch underlay I wished or pretty much anything I wanted to do with that program, if used in that way. Except for more flat step fill, as I just would not have the patience for that one probably. But that is how, by each mouse click or such for each single needle drop and stitch, people used to have to manual digitize long ago. Learn to even do it that way, with just that free little program first, and anything you taught yourself or learned while doing that, would never go to waste, just knowledge wise at all, no matter what other digitizing program you ever got afterwards really.
I don't have to do that there though, just since I do have some other digitizing programs too. But if I had no money, and they all just vanished, that is what I would be using.
-- Edited on 4/14/14 2:57 PM --
-- Edited on 4/14/14 3:01 PM --
Posted on: 4/12/14 7:39 AM ET
You might give Embird a look. You can start with editing software, then add digitizing when you are ready. All for well less than $1000.
It's a very capable system, with a lot of online instruction available, and the updates are very inexpensive. It's what I started with, and I've been able to grow with it very well.
It's a very capable system, with a lot of online instruction available, and the updates are very inexpensive. It's what I started with, and I've been able to grow with it very well.
Posted on: 4/14/14 1:45 PM ET
In reply to vanna664
I Embird is a good program and its priced pretty reasonable.
Posted on: 4/14/14 2:34 PM ET
In reply to vanna664
Look for free trials to see if you really want to digitize. It can be time consuming as well as expensive.
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