What's all this software

There has been quite a bit of discussion on the various lists regarding what software does what so here's my two cents worth

A very brief description of the various software packages for the home embroidery machine enthusiast. There may be some errors or omissions - please let me know so that I can correct them.

This page was last updated April 4th 2002

 

Manufacturer Specific Digitising / Design management Software:

Product Manufacturer Formats - Comments
PC Designer Pfaff PCS (PC), PCM (Mac)
Creative Software
4 Parts

Customizer
Stitch Editor

Digitizer
Cross Stitcher
Pfaff






PCS, VIP


Viewer, flips, mirrors etc. adds lettering.
Modify stitch types, Split designs, Re-Color
manual / semi auto digitizing
auto / manual XS creator
??? Poem / Singer CSD, XXX
PE Design
4 Parts :-
Design Centre
Layout & Edit

File Utility
Programmable Stitch Creator
Brother PEL, PEM, PES, PEC

semi auto design creation
manual digitizing / lettering, combining etc
read / write cards
Create fills and lines
Wizard (similar to PED) Bernina Deco PEL, PEM, PES, PEC
Palette (similar to PED) BabyLock (Brother clone) PEL, PEM, PES, PEC
PE Scan Brother Hand Scanner PES, PEC
Scan Soft Janome / New Home / Elna SEW, ARR
Personalizer 2000
2 Parts:
Easy Edit
Easy Layout
Janome / New Home / Elna SEW, ARR (Upgrade of Scansoft)
Customizer 2000 Janome / New Home / Elna SEW, ARR (Similar to above but with read / write box)
Digitizer 2000
Full featured Digitizer
Janome / New Home / Elna SEW, ARR (full digitising) - requires Personalizer or Customizer)
Customizer 10,000 Janome / New Home / Elna JEF, MEM
Digitizer 10,000 Janome / New Home Requires Customizer 10,000
Utilities Janome / New Home / Elna Smartfixer - repairs designs
Easy Hoop - for multiple position hoops
System 5 Husqvarna / Viking (for D1) HUS, CAN, SHV
Prof Embroidery System
(Multi functional )
Husqvarna / Viking HUS, CAN, SHV
Artista Designer Bernina Artista ART (plus all others)
? Tajima (Industrial standard) DST
EDS IV …xtreme Melco (Industrial Standard) EXP

 

 

The Niche Programs (or at least some of them)

These are either non format specific or have been created to fill a real or perceived gap in the features provided by the machine manufacturers. Where known, I have included a URL in the first entry of each manufacturer.

(Please send me details of others so I can add them, also any amendments (I don't have all these products so am guessing a bit on some) or any links I have got wrong

NOTE - I have included a few programs that are not Machine Embroidery but are allied to it in various ways.

Manufacturer Product Format Brief outline of features
Buzz Tools Buzz Catalog All but ART*

*
convert From ART, not to it
Catalog viewing and printing, Design Unzipping, Batch Format conversion, Text file creation, can correct some faulty designs
http://www.buzztools.com/
Buzz Tools Buzz Edit All but ART* Design Editor (Flips, Mirrors etc) Resizing, stitch and colour editor
Buzz Tools BuzzXplore Most Enhanced Buzz Catalog but in a format similar to Windows Explorer®
Two versions - Embroidery and Cross Stitch
Great Notions SmartSizer Most Design Combining, Colour Editing, Flips, Mirrors, resizing Format Conversion
http://www.greatnotions.com/ also http://www.amazingdesigns.com
Great Notions SmartSizer Gold Most As for Smartsizer but with enhanced colour edit features, also batch format conversion
Great Notions SmartSizer Express All? Add on to Gold - full featured design and stitch editor,
Great Notions Magic Box / Amazing Box Most Software / hardware combination
Multi format card reader / flashcard writer - for people with more than one brand of machine.
Great Notions Click n Stitch   Auto Digitizing program
Balarad Embird Plus Most Design management, Unzipper, Format converter, create BMP/JPG from designs, Design, point & colour editor, splitter / joiner , thread catalogs
http://www.balarad.sk/
Balarad Sfumato NA Plug in for Embird Plus which creates a variable density stipple pattern from an image file
Balarad Fonts NA Plug ins for Embird Plus - provides for adding text to designs - Fonts seperately purchaceable
Balarad Iconizer NA Plug in for Embird Plus - interacts with Windows Explorer to make design icons small thumbnails of the designs
Husq / Viking Resize Plus Most Resizing with stitch re-count
http://www.embroiderynetworks.com/
Husq / Viking 3D Convert & Sort Most Similar to SmartSizer Gold
Husq / Viking Cross Stitcher Most Development of Uli's Cross Stitch program - extensive XS creation tools,
Husq / Viking CD Editor HUS Design Editor (Comes with CD DesignCatalog)
Rudolf Veit Atomizer EXP Design Splitter (freebie)
Rudolf has some other free software
http://hometown.aol.com/beacoqui/index.html
Rudolf Veit Exxxterminator   Format converter utility (freebie)
mainly for Pfaff users
Rudolf Veit Kwik Draw PCS Creates simple geometric shape designs
Uli Tessel Kruez (Cross Stitch) KRZ PCS Simple, easy to use XS creator freebie (no longer available)
Fulford Software Turbo Cross Most Full featured Cross Stitch creator - inc. clip gallery
http://www.turbocross.co.uk/
Fulford Software Easy Cross NA Counted Cross Stitch Pattern Creator
knitandsew PEDS   PEDesign (& clones) simulator - does away with need to have read / write box connected.
http://www.knitandsew.demon.nl/index.htm
knitandsew PES2Card PEC, PES, HUS, SHV Software / hardware combination
Card reader / writer for high capacity cards
Utility functions available as a free download
http://www.knitandsew.demon.nl/index.htm
Sewing Room Easy View SEW Viewer for Janome Designs
http://www.sewingroom.com
Johchims Freebies EMBCopy PES Design management / cataloguing
http://www.lorissa.de/
Joachims Freebies PES View PEC, PES, PCS, DST Quick design viewer and format converter
Joachims Freebies EasyPEC PES Converts PES files to earlier version PEC
Needleheads Stitch Shop   Professional Digitising Software
http://www.needleheads.com/
OESD Simon Jnr ? Basic features editor / re-sizer?
http://www.embroideryonline.com/
OESD Sizing Magician ART Resizing utility for ART designs - provided free with OESD catalogue CD
 Cactus Punch LetterEZ ? Professional Lettering Software for digitising standard fonts.
http://www.cactus-punch.com/
 Echidna  Easy Sizer  Import / Export most formats  Design Editor and re-Sizer-
http://www.echidnasewing.com.au
 Echidna  Easy Lettering  As for Easy Sizer  Lettering Software
Echidna Easy Writer SEW Software / hardware Card writer (single design) for Janome 8000,9000,5000,5700 users
 Thredworks  Thred    Digitising Program, similar to Pfaff
? Autodigitizer   Automatic Digitising program
Origins Software Origins most Fully featured Auto (and manual) digitising Software
http://www.ostsoftware.com
Cybertex Win Stitch NA Counted Cross Stitch Design Creator
http://www.sharewarejunkies.com/8zwd9/winstitch.htm
? Patternmaker ME   Cross Stitch Design Creator ?
M&R Technologies PC Stitch NA Low cost Counted Cross Stitch Design Creator
Compucraft Stitch Craft Gold   Counted Cross Stitch Design Creator
RoboStitch RoboStitch most fully featured Auto Digitizing Program
http://www.robostitch.com
Dakota Dakota Sizer   Design Editing and Resizing
Bri Ton Leap
thru BabyLock
Designers Gallery most except ART Design management and editing Utilities. Thumbnails, format conversion, create pictures from designs, create basting, .....Add on Utilities include
Colour Sequencer, DensityWorks, SizeWorks, Hoopworks (auto design splitting) and Project advisor
http://www.babylock.com
Bernina Artista Cross Stitch add-on   optional add-on for Artista Version 3
Pulse Pulse Publisher   Embroidery Catalog Creator
http://www.pulsemicro.com
 Melco  Sizer  Most  Resizing / Editing program
www.melco.com
 Melco  Letera  Most  Lettering Software
       
JASC Paint Shop Pro   Shareware Graphics program allowing for picture file format conversion, picture retouching, resizing etc. available from shareware dealers, Computer Magazine CDs etc,

 

I hope that I've been able to clear a few cobwebs.

Any amendments, Please E-mail me

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