Three Things to Remember When Selecting Embroidery Software

August 16, 2010
By Steven Batts, Contributing Writer

For the last three issues, we have discussed what to look for when buying a commercial embroidery machine. It is only fair to discuss the key features to look for when selecting software to go with your machine.

A shift occurred some years ago with embroidery software. It used to be that few people had embroidery software of any kind in their shops. That’s because at that time, digitizing software cost about $50,000. As software and computer prices began to decrease, shops began buying software. Nowadays, most shops have some sort of software — whether it is just for editing designs and adding lettering or for digitizing.

Now, with the popularity of home embroidery, software prices continue to fall as more features get packed into the low-end software programs. There are more features in software packages that cost less than $2,500 today than there were in those $50,000 programs back in the early 1990s.

Many features have become pretty standard and used universally, such as automatic underlay, pull compensation, variable densities and even tying in and out when trimming the thread. I use these features daily and rarely think about them. But that’s the point: to increase productivity by having the software calculate routine factors.

There are other automated features that I rarely use, such as automated digitizing tools — which are rarely used by experienced digitizers — and True Type font conversion and wizards that automatically create designs from digital artwork. There are problems with relying on this as your main method of digitizing, but that’s another topic for the future.

What’s Your Preference?
The key thing to remember when shopping for software is to find something you are comfortable using. Each person has different preferences of how tools and menus operate. For example, I like a few buttons that open sub-menus. That way, my screen doesn’t get too crowded with buttons. Other people like all the options right there on the toolbars. Some embroiderers like floating menus. It’s subtle preferences like this that constitute some of the differences among embroidery software programs.

Once you get into the software’s operation, things like how the lettering program functions and how the different digitizing tools work will become factors. Even smaller factors, such as how you input points or nodes, vary from program to program. For instance, to make a corner point in a shape (as opposed to a curve) some programs require you to left-click, some programs require a right-click, some require that you hold the control key down while you click, yet others require that you left-click for a slightly longer time.

Don’t Fence Me In
As you can see, there are many things that will simply take time for you to become familiar with them from one program to the next, but they work in the same manner. However, not all software is created equal. Some are more user friendly than others, even though such is a subjective consideration. The final verdict rests in how well you like the software and, more importantly, how well it generates the stitches for the design.

For this reason, I always recommend that embroiderers shop around for software in the same manner in which they shop for their machines. Most of the time, people simply get the software that is offered by the dealer who sold them the machine. Try to avoid this practice because the machines work independently from the software. You can get the machine you like at one place and the software you like somewhere else.

While software is not as big of an investment as the machine, it is still somewhat costly. More importantly, it is the origination point for the designs that feed you machines. You could end up spending more time using the software than running the machine. That fact alone would make me want to fully investigate my options when it comes to software regardless of what it costs.

On the Cheap
Depending on what you plan to do with the software and how much time you will spend digitizing, the software you want may be more economical than ever. As the home hobbyist market continues to grow, the demand for better software has followed suit. The same companies that make commercial embroidery software also make software for the home market.

During the past few years, software suppliers have added more features to their home programs instead of stripped-down versions of their commercial packages. Only the most advanced features that aid in productivity remain exclusive to the commercial versions.

If you are only planning to use the software for editing, lettering and some digitizing, then a home version of the program will work just fine. You can do the same thing with those that you can do with any commercial program. Sometimes, however, it may take you a little longer.

Hopefully these pointers will help in your selection of software. It is an important decision, whether you’re spending $50,000 or $1,500. It pays to shop around to find software that works for you.

Steven Batts, a consultant with 17 years experience in the embroidery industry, owns Righteous Threads, Greensboro, N.C., which offers digitizing, embroidery and machine maintenance services. Steven regularly leads seminars at ISS shows and is an industry speaker and consultant. For more information or to comment on this article, e-mail Steven at righteousthreads@gmail.com.



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