Brother PE-DESIGN User Manual

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION: REGULATIONS

Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) Declaration of Conformity

(For USA Only)

Responsible Party: Brother International Corporation

100 Somerset Corporate Boulevard Bridgewater, NJ 08807-0911 USA

declares that the product

Product Name: Brother USB Writer Model Number: PE-DESIGN

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

- Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer or local sales distributor could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.

Canadian Department of Communications Compliance Statement

(For Canada Only)

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emission from a digital apparatus as set out in the interference-causing equipment standard entitled “Digital Apparatus”, ICES-003 of the Department of Communications.

Radio Interference

(Other than USA and Canada)

This machine complies with EN55022 (CISPR Publication 22) /Class B.

Congratulations on choosing our product!

Thank you very much for purchasing our product. To obtain the best performance from this unit and to ensure safe and correct operation, please read this Instruction Manual carefully, and then keep it in a safe place together with your warranty.

Please read before using this product

For designing beautiful embroidery patterns

• This software program allows you to create embroidery patterns and text patterns with the capability of changing the sewing attribute settings (thread density, direction, etc.). However, the final result will depend on your particular sewing machine model. We recommend that you make a trial sewing sample with your sewing data before sewing on the final material.

For safe operation

• Avoid dropping a needle, a piece of wire or other metallic objects into the unit or into the card slot.

• Do not store anything on the unit.

For a longer service life

• When storing the unit, avoid direct sunlight and high humidity locations. Do not store the unit close to a heater, iron or other hot objects.

• Do not spill water or other liquids on the unit or cards.

• Do not drop or hit the unit.

For repairs or adjustments

• In the event that a malfunction occurs or adjustment is required, please consult your nearest service center.

Notice

This Instruction Manual does not explain how to use your computer under Windows®. Please refer to the Windows

manuals.

Windows® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Other product names mentioned in the Instruction Manual may be trademarks of registered trademarks of their respective companies and hereby acknowledged.

Important

Using this unit for unauthorized copying of material from embroidery cards, newspapers and magazines for commercial purpose is an infringement of copyrights which is punishable by law.

Caution

The software included with this product is protected by copyright laws. This software can be used or copied only in accordance with the copyright laws.

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

This product is intended for household use.

For additional product information and updates, visit our web site at:

http://www.brother.com/ or http://solutions.brother.com/

Table of Contents

Table of Contents......................................... i

Before Use ................................................... 1

What you can do with this software .................. 1

Introduction ....................................................... 1

Package Contents......................................... 1

Optional Supply .............................................2

Principal Parts ............................................... 2

Installation......................................................... 3

Please Read Before Installation .................... 3

System Requirements ................................... 3

Installing the Software................................... 4

Technical Support.......................................... 8

Online Registration........................................ 8

Uninstallation................................................. 8

Tutorial ......................................................... 9

Understanding the Window and Using Tools.... 9

Adding Text and Converting an Image to an

Embroidery Design (Auto Punch Function)..... 10

Step1 Entering text .................................... 10

Step2 Adjusting the text layout................... 13

Step3 Importing image data ....................... 13

Step4 Automatically converting the image

to an embroidery pattern .................. 14

Step5 Specifying the sewing color and

direction............................................ 15

Step6 Changing the sewing order .............. 17

Step7 Displaying a preview of the

embroidery ....................................... 17

Step8 Saving the embroidery design.......... 18

Step9 Transferring the design to an

original card...................................... 19

Automatically Converting an Image to an

Embroidery Pattern ................................... 20

Importing Image Data ..................................... 20

Importing image data................................... 20

Importing image data from a scanner.......... 20

Importing image data from the Clipboard .... 21

Changing the Image Settings.......................... 22

Changing the display of the background

image........................................................... 22

Changing the size and position of the

image........................................................... 22

Automatically Converting an Image to an

Embroidery Pattern (Auto Punch)................... 23

Arranging Embroidery Designs ............... 25

Opening/Importing Embroidery Designs......... 25

Creating a new embroidery design.............. 25

Opening a PE-DESIGN Lite file................... 25

Importing embroidery design files................ 27

Specifying the Design Page Size and Color ... 29

Saving the Image Data ................................... 30

Editing Embroidery Designs............................31

Selecting patterns........................................31

Moving patterns ...........................................31

Scaling patterns...........................................32

Flipping patterns horizontally or vertically.... 32

Rotating patterns .........................................32

Selecting patterns individually .....................33

Adding Text.....................................................34

Entering Text ...............................................34

Selecting text attributes ...............................35

Editing entered text...................................... 36

Specifying text arrangement........................37

Applying Sewing Attributes to Text and

Regions...........................................................39

Setting the thread color and sew type ......... 39

Specifying sewing attributes ........................41

Zooming ..........................................................43

Zooming in................................................... 43

Zooming out.................................................43

Displaying at actual size .............................. 43

Displaying selected patterns to fill the

window......................................................... 43

Zooming Design Page to window ................ 43

Checking and editing the sewing order/color ..44

Displaying a preview of the embroidery .......... 46

Checking embroidery design information........ 48

Saving and Printing.........................................49

Saving..........................................................49

Printing.........................................................52

Changing Software Settings............................55

Changing the grid settings ...........................55

Changing the measurement units................ 55

Tips and Techniques................................. 56

Sewing Direction .............................................56

Sewing Order ..................................................56

Sewing Wide Areas.........................................56

Menus/Tools............................................... 57

List of Tool Box Buttons...............................57

List of Menus ...............................................57

Troubleshooting ........................................ 63

Index ........................................................... 64

Before Use

What you can do with this software

This software provides digitizing and editing capabilities, allowing you the creative freedom to design original embroidery. Easily combine images and text to create embroidery patterns that can be written to an original card. The images may come from clip art, scanned images, or created with computer based drawing program.

After assembling the different parts of your embroidery pattern, you can use the layout functions to adjust their relative position, orientation and scale.

When an embroidery design is complete, you can save it and write it to an original card.

The original card can then be inserted into your embroidery machine for the embroidery design to be sewn.

Introduction

Package Contents

Check that the following items are included. If anything is missing or damaged, contact your authorized dealer or Brother Customer Service.

1. 2. 3.

No. Part Name No. Part Name

1 USB card writer module 3 Original card 2 CD-ROM* 4 Instruction manual

*Contains the software and Instruction Manual (PDF format).

Before Use

Optional Supply

Original card

a Note:

The only original cards that can be used with this USB card writer module are those like the one enclosed or optional original cards of the same type.

b Memo:

Additional blank original cards can be purchased through an authorized dealer.

Principal Parts

a LED indicator

This indicator lights up when the unit is turned on, and flashes when the USB card writer module is communicating with the computer.

b Card slot

Insert an original card/embroidery card here.

c USB connector

Connect to the computer.

a Note:

Never remove an original card or unplug the USB cable while this indicator is flashing.

b Memo:

• Since power is supplied to the USB card writer module through the USB connection to the computer, there is no power supply cable or power switch.

• Be sure to keep original cards away from high humidity, direct sunlight, static electricity and strong shocks. Furthermore, do not bend the cards.

Before Use

Installation

Please Read Before Installation

● Before beginning the installation, check that the computer meets the system requirements.

● In order to install the software on Windows

account with administrator privileges. For details on logging on to the computer using an account with administrator privileges, refer to the Windows manual.

● If the installation is canceled before it is completed or if the procedure is not performed as described, the software will not be installed correctly.

● Do not remove the CD-ROM from the CD-ROM drive of the computer while the installation is being performed. Remove the CD-ROM after the installation is completed.

● Before turning on the computer, be sure to disconnect the USB card writer module.

Operating System, you must log on to the computer using an

System Requirements

Before installing the software on your computer, make sure that the computer meets the following minimum PC requirements.

Computer IBM-PC or compatible computer Operating system Processor Pentium III 800 MHz or higher

Memory 128 MB (512 MB or more is recommended.) Hard disk free space 100 MB Monitor SVGA (800 x 600), 16-bit color or higher Port 1 available USB

Printer

CD-ROM drive Required for installation

Windows

A graphic printer that is supported by your system (if you wish to print your images)

2000, XP, Vista™

a Note:

• Power is supplied to the USB card writer module through the USB connection. Connect the USB card writer module to a USB connector on the computer or to a self-powered USB hub that can supply enough power to the card writer module. If the card writer module is not connected in this way, it may not operate correctly.

• This product may not operate correctly with some computers and USB expansion cards.

Before Use

Installing the Software

This section describes how to install the application software.

a Note:

• If the installation is interrupted or not performed as described, the software will not be installed correctly.

• Before turning on the computer, be sure that the USB card writer module is DISCONNECTED.

• In order to install the software, you must log on to the computer using an account with administrator privileges.

1. Insert the enclosed CD-ROM into the computer's CD-ROM drive.

■ For Windows® XP or 2000 users:

→ After a short while, the Choose Setup Language dialog box automatically appears.

Continue with step

4. on page 6.

b Memo:

The following installation procedure includes descriptions and dialog boxes for Windows® XP. The procedure and dialog boxes for other operating systems may be slightly different.

b Memo:

If the installer does not automatically start up:

1) Click the Start button.

2) Click Run.

→ The Run dialog box appears.

3) Type in the full path to the installer, and then click OK to start up the installer.

For example: D:\setup.exe (where "D:" is the name of the CD-ROM drive)

Before Use

■ Windows Vista™ users only

→ After a short while, the Auto Play dialog box automatically appears.

b Memo:

If the Auto Play Dialog does not automatically start up:

4) Click the Start button.

5) Click All Programs –> Accessories –> Run.

→ The Run dialog box appears.

6) Type in the full path to the installer, and then click OK to start up the installer. For example: D:\setup.exe (where “D:” is the name of the CD-ROM drive)

2. Click Run setup.exe.

→ The User Account Control dialog box appears.

3. Click Continue.

→ After a short while, the Choose Setup Language dialog box automatically appears.

Before Use

4. Select the desired language, and then click OK.

→ The InstallShield Wizard starts up, and the first dialog box appears.

5. Click Next to continue with the installation.

→ A dialog box appears, allowing you to select the folder where the software will be installed.

b Memo:

• To install the application into a different folder:

1) Click Browse.

2) In the Choose Folder dialog box that appeared, select the drive and folder. (If necessary, type in the name of a new folder.)

3) Click OK.

→ The Choose Destination Location dialog box of the InstallShield Wizard shows the selected

folder.

4) Click Next to install the application into the selected folder.

• To return to the previous step, click Back.

• To quit the installation, click Cancel.

Before Use

6. Click Next to install the application into the selected folder.

→ When the installation is completed, the following dialog box appears.

7. Click Finish to complete the installation of the software.

a Note:

This procedure also automatically installs the card writer driver. The card writer may now be connected to your computer. Make sure that PE-DESIGN Lite starts up correctly.

b Memo:

If the dialog box calling for restarting the computer appears, it is necessary to restart the computer.

Before Use

Technical Support

Contact Technical Support if you have a problem. Please check the company web site (http://www.brother.com/) to find the technical Support in your area. To view the FAQ and information for software updates, visit the Brother Solutions Center at (http://solutions.brother.com/).

a Note:

Before contacting web site:

1) Please have your Windows

2) The make and model number of the computer that you are using as well as the Windows Operating System version.

3) Information about any error messages that appear. This information will help expedite your questions more quickly.

Operating System updated to the most current version.

Online Registration

If you wish to be contacted about upgrades and provided with important information such as future product

developments and improvements, you can register your product online by following a simple registration

procedure.

Click Online Registration on the Help menu of PE-DESIGN Lite to start up the installed Web browser and

open the online registration page on our Web site.

The online registration page on the Web site appears when the following address is entered in the Address bar of the Web browser.

http://www.brother.com/registration/

b Memo:

Online registration may not be available in some areas.

Uninstallation

1. Click the Start button in the task bar, and then click Control Panel.

2. In the Control Panel window, double-click Add or Remove Programs.

3. In the dialog box that appeared, select this software, and then click Remove.

b Memo:

• The uninstallation procedure is described for Windows XP.

• For Windows 2000, click Settings in the Start menu, and then click Control Panel. In the Control

Panel window that appeared, double-click Add/Remove Programs.

• For Windows Vista™, click the button, then Control Panel. Click Uninstall a program

under Programs. (It is to open Programs and Features.) Select a program, and then click Uninstall.

Tutorial

Understanding the Window and Using Tools

The default value for the design page size in this example is 100 × 100 mm.

1 2 3

1 Title bar

2 Menu bar

Provides access to the functions.

3 Toolbar

Provides shortcuts for the menu commands.

4 Sewing Attributes bar

Sets the sewing attributes (color and sew type) of regions in the pattern.

5 Tool Box

Used to select and zoom objects, add text, and convert image data into embroidery data.

6 Status bar

Provides helpful information.

7 Design Page

The actual part of the work area that can be saved and sewn.

8 Work area

9 Minimize button

10 Maximize button

11 Close button

10 9

Tutorial

Adding Text and Converting an Image to an Embroidery Design (Auto Punch Function)

In this section, we are going to use the Auto Punch function to automatically create an embroidery pattern from an image. This procedure will go through each step of the basic operation.

Step 1 Entering text

Step 2 Adjusting the text layout

Step 3 Importing image data

Step 4 Automatically converting the image to an embroidery pattern

Step 5 Specifying the sewing color and direction

Step 6 Changing the sewing order

Step 7 Displaying a preview of the embroidery

Step 8 Saving the embroidery design

Step 9 Transferring the design to an original card

Step 1 Entering text

First, we will start up PE-DESIGN Lite and enter text.

Enter the text.

Start up PE-DESIGN Lite.

Click , then select All Programs, then PE-DESIGN Lite, then PE-DESIGN Lite.

Click on the Tool Box.

→ The shape of the pointer changes to ,

and the Sewing Attributes bar appears as shown below appears.

Font

Text S i ze

Text body

color

Text body

sew type

b Memo:

The default value for the Design Page size in this example is 100 x 100 mm.

Select the font. For this example, use the default font, 01.

Tutorial

Specify the size. For this example, use the default size of 10.0 mm.

b Memo:

The value indicates the height of the characters.

Select the color. For this example, use the default color, BLACK.

Select the sew type. For this example, use the default sew type, Satin Stitch.

Type in “Tulip” using the keyboard.

b Memo:

• To move the dialog box to a more convenient place on the screen, move the pointer over the title bar, and then drag the dialog box.

• Press the key to enter a new line of text.

• You can also enter a character by selecting it in the character table, then clicking Insert, or simply by doubleclicking it. This is particularly useful if you have to enter accented characters that are not available on your keyboard.

• An enlarged image of the character appears below the pointer, providing a better view of the character, when the pointer is moved over a character in the character table.

Enter

Move to where you want to add the text, and then click.

→ The Edit Text Letters dialog box

appears, containing a chart of all characters available with the selected font.

Click OK.

→ The text appears in the Design Page.

Tutorial

b Memo:

• If you want to edit the entered text, click

on the Tool Box, click the text to

select it, and then select the menu command Text - Edit Letters. Edit the text in the Edit Text Letters dialog box that appeared. (For more details, refer to “Editing entered text” on page 36.)

• If you want to delete the text, select it, and then press the key.

• If you want to change the text color, font or other attributes after entering the text,

click on the Tool Box, click the text

to select it, and then change the settings on the Sewing Attributes bar. (For more details, refer to “Applying Sewing Attributes to Text and Regions” on page 39.)

Adjust the text size and position.

Delete

Click the text , and then drag a handle to adjust the selected text to the

desired size.

b Memo:

• The shape of the pointer changes to ,

, , or , depending on the handle

that the pointer is over.

• is for scaling the width.

• is for scaling the height.

• and are for scaling both

dimensions at the same time. (The height-to-width proportion is maintained.)

• If the key is held down while a handle is dragged, the text is enlarged or reduced in both width and height from the center of the text. (The height-to-width proportion is maintained.)

• If the handles have disappeared, click the text to show them again.

Click on the Tool Box.

→ The shape of the pointer changes to

Handles

The status bar shows the dimensions (width and height) of the text.

Move the pointer over the selected text. The

pointer changes to . Drag the text to the

desired position.

Tutorial

Step 2 Adjusting the text layout

Next, we will change the text arrangement.

Click Text, then Text Layout, or click on the

toolbar.

→ The Text Layout dialog box appears.

b Memo:

If you want to change the text arrangement

afterwards, click on the Tool Box, click

the text to select it, and then change the settings in the more details, refer to “Specifying text arrangement” on page 37.)

Click in the upper-right corner of the dialog

box to close the dialog box.

Text Layout

Step 3 Importing image data

Next, we need to import the image that will be converted into an embroidery pattern. For this example, we will use the tulip image (tulip.bmp) provided with this application.

dialog box. (For

b Memo:

• To move the dialog box to a more convenient place on the screen, move the pointer over the title bar, and then drag the dialog box.

Move the top and bottom sliders, or click a button to select the desired text curving and spacing.

→ The text is displayed with the selected

characteristics.

Import the image.

Click Image, then Input, then from File.

Double-click the ClipArt folder to open it.

Select the sample file tulip.bmp, and then click Open, or double-click the file’s icon.

→ The image appears in the Design Page.

Tutorial

Move the pointer over the selected image, and then drag the image to the desired position.

Step 4 Automatically converting

the image to an embroidery pattern

Next, the image will automatically be converted to an embroidery pattern.

Adjust the image size and position.

Handles

The Status bar shows image dimensions (width and height).

Drag the handle to adjust the selected image to the desired size.

b Memo:

If the handles have disappeared, right-click the image, and then click menu that appeared.

Modify Image

in the

Start Auto Punch.

Click on the Tool Box.

→ The Auto Punch dialog box appears.

Convert the image to an embroidery pattern.

Check the Result View of the conversion, and then click Finish.

Tutorial

Step 5 Specifying the sewing

color and direction

Next, we will change the sewing color and direction.

Change the region color

b Memo:

For details on the settings in the dialog box, refer to “Automatically Converting an Image to an Embroidery Pattern (Auto Punch)” on page 23.

→ The generated embroidery pattern is

displayed.

Auto Punch

Select the region whose color you want to change by clicking it while holding down the

key.

Alt

Click on the Sewing Attributes bar.

→ The Region Thread Color dialog box

appears.

Tutorial

Specify the color. For this example, click

to select HARVEST GOLD, and then click OK.

b Memo:

• To move the dialog box to a more convenient place on the screen, move the pointer over the title bar, and then drag the dialog box.

• For details on specifying the thread color, refer to “Setting the thread color and sew type” on page 39.

→ The color of the selected region changes

to HARVEST GOLD.

Click Sew, then Sewing Attribute Setting, or

click on the toolbar.

→ The Sewing Attribute Setting dialog box

appears.

Change the sewing direction.

To add contrast and improve the appearance of the embroidery, we can use different sewing directions for different regions.

Select the region whose sewing direction you want to change by clicking it while holding

down the key.

Alt

To change the direction of the fill stitching, click Constant, move the pointer over the red arrow inside the circle, drag the red arrow to the desired angle, and then click Apply.

b Memo:

• To move the dialog box to a more convenient place on the screen, move the pointer over the title bar, and then drag the dialog box.

• When the pointer is moved over the red

arrow, its shape changes to .

• If you want to set underlay stitching on or off, set the number of lines per millimeter, or change the sewing Direction to Variable, refer to “Specifying sewing attributes” on page 41.

Repeat the steps above until the desired sewing direction has been applied to each region, and then click Close.

Tutorial

Step 6 Changing the sewing

order

Next, we will change the sewing order so that the black text and the black tulip outline are sewn together. This feature is also used when you want to change the overlapping order of patterns so that the desired color comes forward.

Click Sew, then Sewing Order / Color, or

click on the toolbar.

→ The Sewing Order / Color dialog box

appears.

b Memo:

When a frame in the Sewing Order / Color dialog box is selected, the buttons at the bottom of the dialog box become available. The sewing order of the selected pattern can also be changed by using these buttons. (For more details, refer to “Editing the sewing order” on page 45.)

Click OK.

→ The text will be sewn last, after the black

tulip outline.

Step 7 Displaying a preview of the

embroidery

Preview the finished embroidery.

To display in one frame all patterns of the same color that will be sewn together, click

b Memo:

The dialog box can be made longer so that all parts of the pattern can be viewed.

Click the frame containing the text, to select it, and then drag the frame to the right of the tulip outline. (The text will be sewn last.).

Click Edit, then Select All.

Click Display, then Realistic Preview, or

click on the toolbar.

Tutorial

Step 8 Saving the embroidery

design

Once the embroidery design is finished, you may want to save it in order to retrieve it later.

Click File, then Save, or click on the

toolbar.

Select the drive and the folder, and then type in the file name.

To return to the normal view, click Display,

then Realistic Preview, or click on the

toolbar , or press the key.

Click Save.

Tutorial

Step 9 Transferring the design to

an original card

By writing a design to a media that can be used in your sewing machine and transferring it to your sewing machine, you can actually sew the design. For this example, we will transfer the design to an original card.

b Memo:

You can also use Floppy Disks, Compact Flash Card, and USB Media to save designs. For the types of media that can be used with your sewing machine, refer to your sewing machine’s user’s manual.

Insert an original card into the USB card writer module.

a Note:

The original card is inserted correctly when you hear it snap into place.

→ The following message appears.

Click OK.

a Note:

Before using the original card, make sure that the designs on the card are no longer needed.

→ The following message appears.

Click OK.

a Note:

• If the card writer module is not correctly connected or powered, an error message of “No card writer module is connected. Please connect card writer module.” will appear.

• If the original card is not inserted or is defective, an error message of “No original card is inserted. Please insert an original card.” will appear.

Quit PE-DESIGN Lite

Transfer the embroidery design.

Click File, then Write to Card, then Current

Design, or click on the toolbar.

Click File, then Exit.

Automatically Converting an Image to an Embroidery Pattern

Importing Image Data

Importing image data

Different types of clip art can be imported into PEDESIGN Lite to create embroidery patterns. There are many different types of files that can be imported:

Windows bitmap (.bmp)

Exif (.tif, .jpg)

ZSoftPCX (.pcx)

Windows Meta File (.wmf)

Portable Network Graphics (.png)

Encapsulated PostScript (.eps)

Kodak PhotoCD (.pcd)

FlashPix (.fpx)

JPEG2000 (.j2k)

To get the best results, use clip art that are clear and have a distinguishable outline or color borderline for importing.

1. Click Image, then Input, then from File.

→ An Open an image file dialog box similar

to the one shown below appears.

b Memo:

• Double-clicking the file name also opens the file and closes the dialog box.

• To quit the operation, click

• If the image was saved at a specific resolution, it is displayed at that resolution.

• If the image currently displayed in the Design Page has not yet been saved, you will be asked whether you want to save it.

• To display, hide, or display a faded copy of the image that remains in the work area,

Image

, then

click click the desired display setting.

• The displayed image can also be imported into PE-DESIGN Lite by dragging the image file into the PE-DESIGN Lite window.

Display Image

Cancel

, and then

a Note:

• With .pcd and .fpx files containing many pages, only the first page can be opened. Tiff files with LZW compression cannot be opened.

• You can change the size and position of an imported image, and then save that information with the .pes file. The next time that you import the same image into the saved .pes file, a message appears, asking whether to input the image at its previously saved position and size or at its original position (the center of the Design Page).

• Only one image can be added to the work area. If you try to display a different image, it will replace the previous one.

2. Select the drive, the folder and the desired file.

b Memo:

If the

Preview

contents of the selected file will appear in the

Preview

3. Click Open to open the file.

→ The image appears in the work area.

check box is selected, the

box.

Importing image data from a scanner

Images can be imported into the current Design Page from a scanner (TWAIN device) to create an embroidery design using the Auto Digitizing Wizard.

b Memo:

TWAIN is an application interface (API) standardization for software that controls scanners and other devices.

Automatically Converting an Image to an Embroidery Pattern

1. Check that the scanner or other TWAIN device

is correctly connected to your computer.

2. Click Image, then Select TWAIN device.

→ A Select Source dialog box similar to the

one shown below appears.

3. From the Sources list, click the desired device

to select it.

a Note:

If no TWAIN device is installed, there will be no names displayed in the First, install the driver software for the TWAIN device that you want to use.

4. Click Select to choose the selected device

and to close the dialog box.

Sources

list.

b Memo:

To quit the operation and close the dialog box,

Cancel

click

5. Click Image, then Input, then from TWAIN

device.

→ The driver interface for the device selected

in the Select Source dialog box appears.

b Memo:

• If the image currently displayed in the Design Page has not yet been saved, you will be asked whether you want to save it.

• To display, hide, or display a faded copy of the image that remains in the work area,

Image

, then

click click the desired display setting.

• To hide the original image, click

Display Image

, and then

Off

a Note:

Only one image can be added to the work area. If you try to display a different image, it will replace the previous one.

Importing image data from the Clipboard

Image data can be imported into the Design Page from the Clipboard. This allows you to import an image without saving it first.

1. Click Image, then Input, then from

Clipboard.

a Note:

This can only be done when there is image data on the Clipboard.

→ The image is displayed in the Design

Page.

6. Specify the necessary settings for importing

an image, and then import the image.

a Note:

For information on using the driver interface, refer to the help manual for that interface, or contact the manufacturer of the interface.

→ When the image transfer between the

scanner (or other device) and the driver is completed, the imported image will be pasted into the Design Page at its original size.

b Memo:

• The image is displayed with a resolution of 100 dpi for both the height and width.

• If the image currently displayed in the Design Page has not yet been saved, you will be asked whether you want to save it.

Automatically Converting an Image to an Embroidery Pattern

Changing the Image Settings

Moving an image:

Changing the display of the background image

The image that remains in the work area can be displayed or hidden, or a faded copy of the image can be displayed.

1. Click Image, then Display Image, and then

select the desired setting.

To display the original image, click On (100%).

To display a faded copy of the image, click the desired density (75%, 50% or 25%).

To hide the original image, click Off.

b Memo:

• This function is not available if no image has been imported into the Design Page.

• Press the shortcut key ( ) to switch between displaying the image ( to displaying it faded at each density (

50%

and

25%

) to hiding the image (

On (100%)

75%

Off

) ,

Changing the size and position of the image

The size and position of the image can be adjusted.

1. Click Image, then Modify.

→ A red line and handles appear around the

image.

1. Move the pointer over the image.

→ The shape of the pointer changes to .

2. Drag the image to the desired location.

Scaling an image:

1. Move the pointer over one of the handles.

→ The shape of the pointer changes to ,

, or , depending on the handle

that the pointer is over.

b Memo:

• is for scaling the width.

• is for scaling the height.

• and are for scaling both

dimensions at the same time. (The heightto-width proportion is maintained.)

• If the key is held down while a handle is dragged, the image is enlarged or reduced from the center of the image.

2. Drag the handle to adjust the image to the

desired size.

Deleting an image:

1. Press the key, or click Edit, then

Delete.

→ The image will be deleted from the Design

Delete

Page.

b Memo:

• The status bar shows the dimensions (width and height) of the image.

Automatically Converting an Image to an Embroidery Pattern

Automatically Converting an Image to an Embroidery Pattern (Auto Punch)

The Auto Punch gives step-by-step instructions for converting an image into an embroidery pattern.

1. If no image is displayed in the Design Page,

use one of the commands on the Input submenu of the Image menu to display the image that you want to convert to an embroidery pattern.

2. Click Image, then Modify, and then re-size

and re-position the image for creating the embroidery pattern.

3. Click on the Tool Box.

→ After the image has been analyzed by the

software, an Auto Punch dialog box similar to the one shown below appears.

Use the following sliders to specify the settings for analyzing the image. Noise reduction: Sets the level of noise (distortions) that is removed from the image. Segmentation sensitivity: Sets the sensitivity for the image analysis. Max. Number of Colors: Sets the number of colors used.

From the Thread Chart selector, select the desired thread color chart. The most appropriate thread colors from the selected thread chart are selected.

To display the original image, click the Original View tab.

b Memo:

• After changing the settings, click display the image with the new settings

Retry

applied. If settings are not applied.

• To quit the operation and close the dialog box, click

is not clicked, the new

Cancel

5. On the Result View tab, click the areas of the

image to select whether or not they are to be sewn.

Retry

a Note:

The dialog box will not appear if no image is displayed in the Design Page. Instead, a dialog box appears, allowing you to open an image file.

4. Select the desired settings.

To display the resulting analyzed image, click the Result View tab. The embroidery pattern will be created with this image.

To adjust the zoom ratio that the image is

displayed in, move the slider between

and . To display the outline extracted from the

analyzed image, select the Show Outline check box.

b Memo:

Areas not set to be sewn are shown filled with a crosshatch pattern.

This area will not be sewn.

Automatically Converting an Image to an Embroidery Pattern

6. If necessary, in the Omit Colors list, click the

colors to select whether or not they will be sewn.

b Memo:

Colors that are crossed out are set to not be sewn.

7. After selecting the desired settings, click

Finish.

→ An embroidery pattern is created from the

analyzed data, the appropriate thread colors and sew type settings are applied, and then the pattern is displayed in the Design Page.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Opening/Importing Embroidery Designs

Creating a new embroidery design

Toolbar button:

1. Click , or click File, then New.

→ If the current Design Page has already

been saved or has not been edited, a new Design Page immediately appears.

→ If the current Design Page has not been

saved, you will be asked whether you want to save the changes.

b Memo:

• To save the Design Page, click Yes.

• To abandon the Design Page, click No.

• To return to the Design Page, for example, to modify it or save it with another file name, click Cancel.

2. Specify the Design Page settings.

b Memo:

For more details, refer to “Specifying the Design Page Size and Color” on page 29.

a Note:

If a .pes file created with PE-DESIGN version 7 or earlier is opened with this software, the message “This file will be imported onto a new Design Page.” appears before the embroidery design is displayed on the new Design Page.

Toolbar button:

1. Click , or click File, then Open.

→ A File Open dialog box similar to the one

shown below appears.

2. Select the drive and the folder.

b Memo:

• If the Preview check box is selected, the contents of the selected file will appear in the Preview box.

• To quit the operation and close the dialog box, click Cancel.

Opening a PE-DESIGN Lite file

An embroidery design that has previously been saved as a PE-DESIGN Lite file (.pes file) can be opened.

a Note:

• Be sure to select a folder that contains .pes files.

• If a .pes file is saved with Pattern extending off the Design Page or with the number of stitches or number of colors for the design exceeding the Design Page limitations, a preview of the image cannot be displayed.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

3. To view the contents of the .pes files in the

currently selected folder, click Browse.

→ A Browse dialog box similar to the one

shown below appears.

b Memo:

• To return to the File Open dialog box, click Cancel.

• To see a more detailed design, select a file, and then click Preview. A Preview dialog box similar to the one shown below appears.

4. To open a file, select it, and then click Open,

or double-click the file’s icon.

→ If the current Design Page has already

been saved or has not been edited, the contents of the selected file immediately appear in the Design Page.

b Memo:

An embroidery design that is displayed in Explorer can also be opened by dragging to the PE-DESIGN Lite window.

→ If the current Design Page has not been

saved, you will be asked whether you want to save the changes.

b Memo:

• To save the Design Page, click Yes.

• To abandon the Design Page, click No.

• To return to the Design Page, for example, to modify it or save it with another file name, click Cancel.

• To open the displayed file, click

• To return to the

Cancel

click

Browse

Open

dialog box,

a Note:

If a .pes file is saved with objects extending off the Design Page or with the number of stitches or number of colors for the objects exceeding the Design Page limitations, a preview of the design cannot be displayed.

“Saving” on page 49.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Importing embroidery design files

Embroidery designs from embroidery cards (.pec), and files created in the Tajima (.dst), Melco (.exp), Pfaff (.pcs), Husqvarna/Viking (.hus, .vip, .shv), Janome (.jef, .sew), Singer (.csd, .xxx) and embroidery sewing machine (.phc) formats can be imported and added to the current Design Page.

With this function, you can also add .pes files to the Design Page, allowing you to combine several files created with this application.

Toolbar button:

1. Click or File, then Import from File.

→ An Import from File dialog box similar to

the one shown below appears.

3. To view the contents of the files in the

currently selected folder, click Browse.

→ A Browse dialog box similar to the one

shown below appears.

b Memo:

• This dialog box can be resized so that the folder contents can be viewed better. The size of the dialog box is retained until it is changed again.

• To return to the Import from File dialog box, click Cancel.

• To see a more detailed design, select a file, and then click Preview. A Preview dialog box similar to the one shown below appears.

a Note:

Be sure to select the correct file name extension from the Files of type box.

2. Select the drive and the folder.

b Memo:

• If the Preview check box is selected, the contents of the selected file will appear in the Preview box.

• To quit the operation and close the dialog box, click Cancel.

• To import the displayed file, click

Import

• To return to the click

Cancel

Browse

dialog box,

Arranging Embroidery Designs

4. To import a design, select it, and then click

Import, or double-click the file’s icon.

→ The embroidery design is displayed in the

Design Page.

a Note:

• When importing designs from other makers, be sure to choose a design that will fit in the Design Page.

• The colors of designs imported from .dst, .exp, .pcs, .hus, .vip, .shv, .jef, .sew , .csd, .xxx and .phc files will be slightly different. If this happens, you can change the color with the menu command Sew – Sewing Order/Color.

b Memo:

• To quit the operation and close the dialog box, click Cancel.

•

Single or multiple embroidery designs displayed in Explorer can also be included by selecting them while holding down the

key and dragging them to the PE-

Ctrl

DESIGN Lite window.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Specifying the Design Page Size and Color

The color and size of the Design Page in addition to the color of the background can be changed. You can select a Design Page size according to the size of hoop that you will be using with your embroidery machine.

1. Click Option, then Design Page Property.

→ The Design Page Property dialog box

appears.

2. Select the Design Page size.

To adjust the Design Page size according to the hoop size, select the desired hoop size from the Hoop Size selector.

b Memo:

• The preview area shows the setting changes that you make.

• When Hoop Size is selected, the embroidery machine image shows the orientation of the Design Page (hoop) in relation to the machine.

5. Click OK.

a Note:

Do not select a hoop size larger than the embroidery hoop that can be used with your machine.

b Memo:

• To return to the default settings (100 × 100 mm (4" Default.

• To close the dialog box without applying the changes to the settings, click Cancel.

• The measurements for values displayed in the application can be in either millimeters or inches. For more details, refer to “Changing the measurement units” on page 55.

4") of Hoop Size), click

3. From the Page selector, select the desired

color for the Design Page.

4. From the Background selector, select the

desired color for the background.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Saving the Image Data

The image can be saved as a file or output to the Clipboard.

■ Saving as a file

1. Click Image, then Output, then to File.

→

A dialog box similar to the one shown below appears.

2. Select the drive, the folder and the format in

which you want to save the image data.

3. Type in the file name.

b Memo:

• The correct extension is automatically selected.

• The image data can be saved in either of the following formats: Windows bitmap (.bmp), Exif (.jpg).

4. Click Save to save the data.

b Memo:

To quit the operation, click Cancel.

■ Outputting to the Clipboard

1. Click Image, then Output, then to Clipboard.

→ The image data in the Design Page is

copied onto the Clipboard.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Editing Embroidery Designs

■ Selecting patterns in the created

Selecting patterns

order

To apply settings to an existing pattern, you must first select it. The Select Object tool is used to select one or more patterns. Once a pattern is selected, you can move it, scale it, and change its direction by rotating it or inverting it.

1. Click on the Tool Box.

→ The shape of the pointer changes to

2. Click the pattern that you want to select.

→ Handles appear around the pattern.

Handles

b Memo:

• The status bar shows the dimensions (width and height) of the pattern.

• To deselect the pattern, select a different pattern, click a blank area of the Design Page.

3. To select an additional pattern, hold down the

key and click the other pattern.

Ctrl

b Memo:

• You can also select patterns by dragging the pointer across the pattern that you want to select. As you drag the pointer, a selection frame is drawn. All patterns that are contained in that selection frame are selected when the mouse button is released.

• If you selected patterns that you did not want, click a blank area of the Design Page to deselect all patterns, and start again.

With selected, press the key to select

the next object that was created. Hold down the

key and press the key to select the

previous object that was created.

Tab Tab

If the key (or the and keys) are pressed:

• and no object is selected, the first object (or the last object) that was created is selected.

• and multiple objects are selected, all objects are deselected except the first (or last) object that was created.

• and the last (or first) object that was created is selected, the first (or last) object is selected.

Tab

■ Selecting all embroidery patterns

All patterns in the Design Page can easily be selected.

1. Make sure that on the Tool Box is

selected.

2. Click Edit, then Select All.

Moving patterns

1. Move the pointer over a selected pattern or

group of selected patterns.

→ The shape of the pointer changes to

2. Drag the pattern to the desired location.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

b Memo:

• To move the pattern horizontally or vertically, hold down the key while

dragging it.

• Pressing the arrow keys moves the selected pattern 0.5 mm (about 0.02 inch) in the direction of the arrow on the key. Holding down the arrow key for the desired direction continues moving the outline in that direction.

•If Snap to Grid is selected, each press of an arrow key moves the pattern one grid mark in the direction of the arrow on the key. Refer to “Changing the grid settings” on page 55.

■ Moving embroidery patterns to

the center

The selected patterns can easily be moved to the center of Design Page.

1. Select one or more patterns.

2. Click Edit, then Center.

→ All selected patterns move to the center of

Design Page.

3. Drag the handle to adjust the selected

pattern(s) to the desired size.

b Memo:

As you drag the handle, the current size is displayed on the status bar.

Flipping patterns horizontally or vertically

1. Select the pattern that you want to flip

horizontally (up/down) or vertically (left/right).

2. To flip the pattern horizontally, click Edit, then

Mirror, then Horizontal, or click on the

Toolbar. To flip the pattern vertically, click Edit, then

Mirror, then Vertical, or click on the

Toolbar.

Rotating patterns

Scaling patterns

■ Scaling manually

1. Select the patterns that you want to resize.

2. Move the pointer over one of the handles of a

selected pattern or group of patterns.

→ The shape of the pointer changes to ,

, or , depending on the handle

that the pointer is over.

b Memo:

• is for scaling the width.

• is for scaling the height.

• and are for scaling both

dimensions at the same time. (The height-to-width proportion is maintained.)

• If the key is held down while a handle is dragged, the pattern is enlarged or reduced from the center of the pattern.

■ Rotating manually

1. Select the pattern that you want to rotate.

2. Click Edit, then Rotate, or click on the

Toolbar.

→ The handles around the selected pattern

are replaced by smaller squares at the four corners of the selected pattern.

3. Move the pointer over one of the four rotation

handles.

→ When the pointer is moved over a rotation

handle, the shape of the pointer changes

to .

Arranging Embroidery Designs

4. Drag the rotation handle clockwise or

counterclockwise to rotate the pattern in 1° increments.

b Memo:

To rotate the pattern in 15° increments, hold down the key while dragging the

rotation handle.

Selecting patterns individually

After an embroidery pattern has been created with Auto Punch, each individual region within the pattern can be edited.

1. To select an individual region within a pattern,

hold down the key while clicking the region. To select multiple regions within a

pattern, hold down the and keys while clicking the regions.

b Memo:

The color and attributes of the selected pattern can be changed. For details, refer to “Applying Sewing Attributes to Text and Regions” on page 39.

Alt

Alt Ctrl

Adding Text

Entering Text

Arranging Embroidery Designs

4. Type the text.

b Memo:

1. Click on the Tool Box.

→ The shape of the pointer changes to ,

and the Sewing Attributes bar appears similar to the one shown below.

2. If necessary, change the font, text size, color

and sew type.

b Memo:

• You can change the font, text size, color, and sew type either before or after creating the text. For more details on changing these settings, refer to “Font” on page 35, “Text Size” on page 36, “Color” on page 39 and “Sew type” on page 40.

• You can also use the settings in the Sewing Attribute Setting dialog box to define other attributes of the text. (For more details, refer to attributes” on page 41 change these settings at this time, the current settings will be applied, however you can modify them later.

3. Click in the Design Page where you want the

text to appear.

→ The Edit Text Letters dialog box

appears, containing a chart with all characters available with the selected font.

“Specifying sewing

.) If you do not

• Press the key to enter a new line of text.

• You can also enter a character by selecting it in the character table, then clicking Insert, or simply by double- clicking it. This is particularly useful if you have to enter accented characters that are not available on your keyboard.

• An enlarged image of the character appears below the pointer when it is moved over a character in the character table, providing a better view of the character.

Enter

5. Click OK.

→ The text is displayed in the Design Page.

b Memo:

• To quit the operation, click Cancel.

• If you want to edit the entered text, select it, and then select the menu command

Text – Edit Letters. Edit the text in the Edit Text Letters dialog box that

appears. (For more details, refer to “Editing entered text” on page 36.)

a Note:

If you entered a character that is not available for the selected font, an error message appears. Click OK to close the message and return to the Edit Text Letters dialog box, where you can correct the text.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Selecting text attributes

■ Font

Use this selector to select a font for the text.

b Memo:

The Font selector appears when on the Tool Box is selected. It also appears

when text in the Design Page has been selected.

1. Click in the Font selector.

→ A list of fonts appears when clicking on

the menu arrow at the right.

The available fonts and the types of characters available with each font are listed below.

Font

number

Font sample

Types of characters

available

2. Click the desired font.

→ The setting is applied to all text patterns

that you will create, until the setting is changed.

→ If text patterns were selected, the setting

is also applied to the selected text.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

• Built-in Fonts

Uppercase letters of the English alphabet

Lowercase letters of the English alphabet

Numerals

Punctuation marks, brackets and other symbols

Uppercase and lowercase accented letters

“Entering Text” on page 34.

■ Text Size

Use this selector to select the size of the text.

b Memo:

The Text Size selector appears in the

Sewing Attributes bar when on the Tool Box is selected. It also appears when

text in the Design Page has been selected.

Editing entered text

Text that has been entered can easily be edited.

1. Select the text that you want to edit.

2. Click Text, then Edit Letters.

→ The Edit Text Letters dialog box

appears.

1. Click in the Text Size selector.

2. Type the desired height (5 to 100 mm (0.20 to

3.93 inches)) and press the key, or click the desired value.

→ The setting is applied to all text patterns

that you will create, until the setting is changed.

→ If text patterns were selected, the setting

is also applied to the selected text.

“Entering Text” on page 34.

Enter

a Note:

You cannot edit more than one text pattern at a time. If you select more than one text pattern, this menu command is not available.

3. The selected text is displayed in the text field.

4. Edit the text as needed.

b Memo:

• Press the key to enter a new line of text.

• An enlarged image of the character appears below the pointer when it is moved over a character in the character table, providing a better view of the character.

Enter

Arranging Embroidery Designs

5. Click OK.

→ The edited text is displayed in the Design

Page.

b Memo:

To close the dialog box without applying the changes, click Cancel.

a Note:

“Entering Text” on page 34.

Specifying text arrangement

A line of text can be arranged along a curved line.

4. Click one of the bottom buttons or move the

bottom slider to select the desired spacing.

→ The text is displayed with the selected

characteristics.

b Memo:

To cancel the text arrangement, select the center button or move the slider to the center.

5. Click in the upper-right corner of the

dialog box to close the dialog box.

Toolbar button:

1. Select the text.

2. Click or Text, then Text Layout.

→ The Text Layout dialog box appears.

3. Click one of the top buttons, or move the top

slider to select the desired curving.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Curving Sets the shape of curving.

Spacing Sets the spacing between characters.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Applying Sewing Attributes to Text and Regions

The Sewing Attributes bar allows you to set the following attributes:

• text attributes (font, size)

• embroidery attributes (thread color and sew type)

The sewing attributes that are available depend on the tool selected in Tool Box, and the type of embroidery pattern selected.

Example 1: When the Select Object tool is selected, and an object or pattern is selected

Example 2: When a text tool is selected, or text is selected

When the pointer is positioned over a button or selector in the Sewing Attributes bar, a label indicating the name of that element appears. In the following instructions, we will refer to the elements of the Sewing Attributes bar according to these labels.

Embroidery attributes

Region color, Text color: Sets the

thread color for inside regions and text. (For more details, refer to “Color” on page 39.)

Special colors (For more details, refer to “Special colors” on page 40.)

Region sew type: Sets the sew type for an inside region and text. (For more details, refer to “Sew type” on page 40.)

b Memo:

To change the attributes of a pattern within a set of patterns created with Auto Punch,

hold down the key while clicking the pattern to select it , and then apply the new attributes. For more details, refer to “Selecting patterns individually” on page 33.

Alt

Setting the thread color and

As a general rule, the different characteristics available for a given pattern can be set either just before creating the pattern, or after the pattern is created. For example, when creating text, you can set the font and size immediately after entering the text input mode, or when creating text is finished. You can select the created text and change its characteristics afterwards.

Text attributes

Font: Selects a font for text. (For

more details, refer to “Font” on page 35.)

Tex t Siz e : Selects the size for text. (For more details, refer to “Text Size” on page 36.)

sew type

■ Color

Click this button to set the thread color for inside regions and text.

b Memo:

When you enter text input mode, or select an existing pattern, the color button for the corresponding pattern appears.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

1. Click the Color button.

→ A Thread Color dialog box similar to the

one shown below appears.

b Memo:

• If the View Details check box is selected, the dialog box shown on the left appears. If the check box is cleared, the dialog box shown on the right appears.

• In the View Detail mode, to display the colors arranged according to their tones (from warm colors to cold colors), click Color in the heading for the list of thread colors. Click Color again to reverse the order (from cold colors to warm colors). To return the list to its original display, click Index in the heading.

2. From the Thread Chart selector, select a

thread brand.

3. From the list of thread colors, select the

desired color.

■ Special colors

NOT

DEFINED

APPLIQUE MATERIAL

→ NOT DEFINED: Embroidery machines

that feature automatic thread color display will automatically switch the display to the specified color. If you are using such a machine and if you want to be able to select manually the color for a monochrome pattern, you can select NOT DEFINED.

• The following buttons are not available when creating embroidery data with PE-DESIGN Lite.

APPLIQUE MATERIAL APPLIQUE POSITION APPLIQUE

APPLIQUE

APPLIQUE POSITION

■ Sew type

4. Click OK.

b Memo:

• The color can also be selected by doubleclicking it.

• For details on the four buttons under the list, refer to “Special colors” on page 40.

b Memo:

To quit the operation, click Cancel.

→ This setting is applied to all patterns of the

same type that you will create, until the setting is changed. The color button of each category shows the current color for that category.

→ If a pattern is selected, the setting is

applied to the selected pattern.

Use these to set the sew type for inside regions and text.

b Memo:

• The Region sew type selector appears in the Sewing Attributes bar when the Select Object tool is selected.

• When you enter the text input mode, or select an existing pattern, the sew type selector for the corresponding pattern appears.

1. Click in a sew type selector.

→ The available settings that appear differ

depending on the object that is selected.

Object type

Te xt Satin Stitch, Fill Stitch,

Others Satin Stitch, Fill Stitch.

Region sew type

settings

Arranging Embroidery Designs

2. Click the desired sew type.

→ This setting is applied to all patterns of the

same type that you will create, until the setting is changed.

→ If a pattern is selected, the setting is

applied to the selected pattern.

a Note:

You can set the sewing attributes for the selected region sew types in the Sewing Attribute Setting dialog box.

“Specifying sewing attributes” below.

Specifying sewing attributes

Various sewing attributes for regions can be set in the Sewing Attribute Setting dialog box

Toolbar button:

1. Select the object.

2. Click in the Toolbar

→ The Sewing Attribute Setting dialog box

appears.

Text Others

3. If necessary, change the sewing attributes

displayed under Region Sew.

b Memo:

• In some cases, you may need to scroll through the settings, or resize the dialog box by dragging one of its corners in order to view all of the sewing attributes.

• If appears, click the button to return to the default setting.

For details on the different sewing

attributes and settings, refer to “Region sewing attributes” on page 42.

a Note:

All settings made in the dialog box are retained and will be applied regardless of the mode, until they are changed.

4. Click the Apply button in the dialog box to

apply the new sewing attributes.

5. Click Close to close the dialog box.

b Memo:

An alternate method to start this dialog box is to select the menu command Sew- Sewing Attribute Setting.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

■ Region sewing attributes

The available attributes differ depending on the selected sew type.

Satin stitch

Sets underlay stitching on or off. Use underlay stitching in order to prevent shrinking during

Under sewing

Density

Direction

Fill stitch

Under sewing

Density

Direction

stitching. On: Underlay stitching will be sewn. Off: Underlay stitching will not be sewn. Default: Off

Sets the number of lines per millimeter. Range: 1.0–7.0 lines per mm (25–178 lines per inch) Default:

- Non-text pattern: 4.5 lines per mm (114 lines per inch)

- Text pattern: 5.0 lines per mm (127 lines per inch)

[Type] Specifies the type of sewing direction. This setting can be specified for non-text patterns..

Constant: Sews at a fixed angle. The angle is specified by the angle setting. Variable: Varies the sewing direction according to the object being sewn.

[Angle] Specifies the sewing angle. Available only when the sewing direction type is set to Constant. Range: 0–359 degrees Default: 45 degrees

Sets underlay stitching on or off. Use underlay stitching in order to prevent shrinking during stitching. On: Underlay stitching will be sewn. Off: Underlay stitching will not be sewn. Default: Off

Sets the number of lines per millimeter. Range: 1.0–7.0 lines per mm (25–178 lines per inch) Default:

- Non-text pattern: 4.5 lines per mm (114 lines per inch)

- Text pattern: 5.0 lines per mm (127 lines per inch)

[Type] Specifies the type of sewing direction. This setting can be specified for non-text patterns.

Constant: Sews at a fixed angle. The angle is specified by the angle setting. Variable: Varies the sewing direction according to the object being sewn.

[Angle] Specifies the sewing angle. Available only when the sewing direction type is set to Constant. Range: 0–359 degrees Default: 45 degrees

180°

225°

180°

225°

135°

90°

270°

90°

270°

45°

0°

315°

45°

0°

315°

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Zooming

You can zoom in to work on details of the embroidery pattern or you can zoom out to work on any part of the embroidery pattern that cannot be viewed in the work area.

Zooming in

1. Click on the Tool Box.

→ Five buttons appear: .

2. Click .

→ The shape of the pointer changes to

3. Click the area that you want to view enlarged.

b Memo:

To zoom in on a specific area, move the pointer near the desired area, and then drag the pointer diagonally over the desired area.

Zooming out

1. Click on the Tool Box.

Displaying at actual size

1. Click on the Tool Box.

→ Five buttons appear: .

2. Click .

→ The Design Page is displayed at its actual

size.

Displaying selected patterns to fill the window

1. Select the patterns that you want to zoom on.

2. Click on the Tool Box.

→ Five buttons appear: .

3. Click .

→ The Design Page is zoomed to display

only the selected patterns.

→ Five buttons appear: .

2. Click .

→ The shape of the pointer changes to

3. Click the area that you want to view reduced.

Zooming Design Page to window

1. Click on the Tool Box.

→ Five buttons appear: .

2. Click .

→ The entire Design Page is displayed to fit

within the window.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Checking and editing the sewing order/ color

The sewing order of pattern colors as well as the sewing order of the patterns within a combination of patterns of the same color can be checked and modified as necessary.

Toolbar button:

1. Click , or click Sew, then Sewing Order/

Color.

→ A Sewing Order/Color dialog box similar

to the one shown below appears.

b Memo:

The dialog box can be made longer so that all parts of the pattern can be viewed.

To enlarge each pattern to fill its frame, click

To display in one frame all patterns of the same color that will be sewn together, click

2. Click OK to apply the settings and to close the

dialog box.

b Memo:

• When multiple patterns are combined into

one frame, appears to the left of the number of that frame.

Click to display the combined patterns in separate frames.

appears under the first frame, and each frame is displayed with a subnumber following the first, to indicate its sewing order within the patterns of the same color.

Click to recombine all of the patterns back into one frame.

• To close the dialog box without applying the changes to the settings, click Cancel.

Selecting a pattern

1. Select a pattern in the Sewing Order/Color

dialog box.

→ The selected pattern has a pink line

around it, and “marching lines” appear around the corresponding pattern in the Design Page.

b Memo:

• To select multiple patterns, hold down the

or key while clicking the frames for the desired patterns. In addition, multiple frames can be selected by dragging the pointer over them.

• When the Sewing Order/Color dialog box is closed, the pattern that was selected in the dialog box remains selected in the Design Page.

Ctrl

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Editing the sewing order

The sewing order can be changed by selecting the frame containing the pattern that you want to move, then dragging the frame to the new location. A vertical red line appears, indicating the position where the frame is being moved.

An alternative method for moving the frames is by clicking the buttons at the bottom of the dialog box.

To move the selected pattern to the beginning

of the sewing order, click .

To move the selected pattern ahead one

position in the sewing order, click .

To move the selected pattern back one

position in the sewing order, click .

To move the selected pattern to the end of the

sewing order, click .

b Memo:

When dragging a frame containing combined patterns, the patterns will display in separate frames after you release them.

Click to the left of the first pattern for that color to recombine them into one frame. Dropping a frame containing combined patterns next to another frame containing combined patterns of the same color displays all patterns in separate frames.

Combining patterns of the same color

When a Design Page contains a combination of patterns, those patterns with the same color can be grouped together from the Sewing Order/Color dialog box. Simply drag the frame of the patterns with the same color to position them beside each other.

Editing the color

1. Select the frame for the pattern whose color

you want to change, and then click .

→ The Thread Color dialog box appears.

b Memo:

• To switch between displaying the thread color number and brand and the thread color name in the list of thread colors, select the View Details check box.

• To display the colors arranged according to their tones (from warm colors to cold colors), click Color in the heading for the list of thread colors. Click Color again to reverse the order (from cold colors to warm colors). To return the list to its original display, click Index in the heading.

2. Select the desired color, and then click OK.

→ The object appears in the new color in the

Sewing Order/Color dialog box and in the Design Page.

3. Click OK.

→ The pattern is displayed with the new

color.

b Memo:

To close the dialog box without applying the changes to the settings, click Cancel.

b Memo:

Check the stitching after changing the sewing order to be sure that overlapping patterns will not be sewn in the wrong order.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Displaying a preview of the embroidery

Once the embroidery design is complete, you can display a preview of it in order to see how the stitching is connected, or you can display a realistic preview of it in order to see how the design will appear once it is sewn.

1. To display a preview of the embroidery

design, click Display on the menu bar, and then click Preview. An alternate method is to click the Toolbar button indicated below.

Preview

→ A preview of the embroidery design

appears.

b Memo:

To zoom in (or out), click on the Tool

Box, click (or ), and then click the desired area of the embroidery design.

3. To display a realistic preview of the

embroidery design, click Display on the menu bar, and then click Realistic Preview. An alternate method is to click the Toolbar button indicated below.

Realistic Preview

→ A realistic preview of the embroidery

design appears.

b Memo:

To zoom in (or out), click on the Tool

Box, click (or ), and then click the desired area of the embroidery design.

2. To leave the preview display, repeat step 1.,

or press the key.

4. To leave the realistic preview display, repeat

3., or press the key.

step

a Note:

The embroidery design cannot be edited while the realistic preview is displayed.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

■ Changing realistic preview

settings

Set the realistic preview settings for the desired realistic preview display.

1. Click Display, then Realistic Preview

Attribute Setting.

→ A Realistic Preview Attribute dialog box

similar to the ones shown below appears.

When a realistic preview is displayed

When a realistic preview is not displayed

2. Use the Thread Width slider to set how wide

the thread will appear.

3. If necessary, use the Contrast slider to set the

contrast.

4. If necessary, use the Brightness slider to set

how bright the display is.

5. Click Apply to display a realistic preview of the

patterns with the new settings (when the realistic preview is displayed).

Or, click OK to save the settings for the next time that the Realistic Preview function is select (when the realistic preview is not displayed).

b Memo:

To close the dialog box without applying the changes to the settings, click Close or Cancel.

“Displaying a preview of the embroidery”

on page 46.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Checking embroidery design information

Sewing information such as dimensions, needle count, color count and color order of patterns can be checked in the Design Property dialog box.

1. Click Option, then Design Property.

→ The Design Property dialog box

appears.

b Memo:

• You can select and check the properties of individual patterns within a set of embroidery patterns by selecting the pattern before opening this dialog box.

• To display the colors as the machine’s preset color names, select the With Basic Color check box.

• This dialog box can be resized. The size of the dialog box is retained until it is changed again.

• To close the dialog box, click Close.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Saving and Printing

Saving

■ Overwriting

Once the design has been saved, changes can easily be saved so that the latest version can be retrieved later.

Toolbar button:

1. Click , or click File, then Save.

→ If the design has already been saved at

least once, the file is saved immediately.

→ If no file name has been specified or if the

file cannot be found, the Save As dialog box appears.

■ Saving with a new name

The current file can be saved with a different file name in order to keep the original unchanged or to keep various versions of the same image or design. The files are saved as .pes files.

1. Click File, then Save As.

→ A Save As dialog box similar to the one

shown below appears.

3. Click Save to save the data.

b Memo:

• To quit the operation, click Cancel.

• If a file already exists with the name specified in the Save As dialog box, the following message appears.

• To overwrite the file, click

• If you do not want to overwrite the existing file, click enter a different file name.

→ The new file name appears in the title bar

of the PE-DESIGN Lite window.

Yes

. You can then

■ Writing an embroidery design to

an original card

You can save a displayed embroidery design onto an original card in order to transfer it to an embroidery machine.

b Memo:

For details on writing two or more files to an original card, refer to “Writing multiple embroidery files to an original card” on page 50.

2. Select the drive and the folder, and then type

in the file name.

a Note:

Saved files can be opened with this software or PE-DESIGN version 7; however, they cannot be opened with version 6 or earlier.

a Note:

Be sure that the hoop size of the design does not exceed the hoop that will be used on the embroidery machine.

Toolbar button:

1. Insert an original card into the USB card writer

module.

a Note:

• The original card is inserted correctly when you hear it snap into place.

• It is not necessary to turn off the computer when original cards are inserted or removed from the USB card writer module.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

2. Click or File, then Write to Card, then

Current Design.

→ The following message appears.

a Note:

• If the original card is not brand new, make sure that the designs already stored on the card are no longer needed.

• If no original card is inserted, the following message appears

• Insert an original card, and then click

Retry

Cancel

• To quit the operation, click

• If a .pes file is saved with objects extending off the Design Page or with the number of stitches or number of colors for the objects exceeding the Design Page limitations, the design cannot be saved on an original card.

■ Writing multiple embroidery files

to an original card

You can save multiple .pes files to an original card at the same time.

1. Insert an original card into the USB card writer

module.

a Note:

• The original card is inserted correctly when you hear it snap into place.

• It is not necessary to turn off the computer when original cards are inserted or removed from the USB card writer module.

2. Click File, then Write to Card, then Other

PES files.

→ The following dialog box appears with the

contents of the last folder accessed displayed in the available patterns list.

3. Click OK.

→ The message “Now transmitting” appears

while the current embroidery design is transferred to the original card, and then the following message appears.

b Memo:

To quit the operation, click Cancel.

4. Click OK to close the message.

b Memo:

“Overwriting” on page 49 and “Saving with a new name” on page 49.

Selected patternsAvailable patterns

b Memo:

Patterns that are either too large or have too many stitches for the embroidery hoop size selected with the Hoop size selector, are displayed with a red crossed-out hoop

().

Arranging Embroidery Designs

3. From the Hoop size selector, select the

appropriate size of embroidery hoop.

b Memo:

• Do not select a hoop size larger than the embroidery hoop that can be used with your embroidery machine. Otherwise, the created original card will not work correctly with the embroidery machine.

• Make sure to select a hoop size that is the same or larger than the largest hoop size of the files you want to write to the card, otherwise the pattern cannot be written to

a card and “ ” appears.

4. Click , and then select the folder where

the desired pattern file (.pes) is saved. The available pattern list displays the image of the embroidery pattern files (.pes).

b Memo:

If an original card was selected, the patterns saved on the inserted card are displayed.

5. In the available patterns list, click the pattern

that you want to write onto a card to select it.

b Memo:

• To deselect a file, click the white area around the pattern.

• To switch between the large and small display size of the embroidery pattern

6. To add the embroidery pattern selected in the

available patterns list to the selected patterns

list, click .

b Memo:

• To remove the embroidery pattern selected in the selected patterns list, click

7. Continue until all embroidery patterns that you

want to write to an original card are selected.

b Memo:

During this process, the card capacity indicator allows you to plan which patterns you would like to save on an original card. The space used by patterns in the selected patterns list appears in blue. The space used by the files selected in the available patterns list appears in light blue. If several files exceed the available space, the progress bar appears in red.

images shown in the lists, click .

• To display the information (size, number of stitches, and colors) for the pattern

selected in either list, click . (This

button is available only if a single pattern is selected.)

• To display a three-dimensional image of the pattern selected in either list, click

. (This button is available only if a

single pattern is selected.)

• shows the capacity of the patterns selected in the

selected patterns list.

8. After the embroidery patterns to be written to

the original card appear in the selected

patterns list, click to write the patterns

to the card.

→ The patterns are written to an original

card in the order that they are listed after all data already on the card is erased. After the patterns are written to the original card, the card containing the patterns can be used with the embroidery machine.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

a Note:

• Since original cards are erased completely before patterns are written to it, it is useful to keep a copy with the contents of each card in the card folder that comes with the software so that you can easily recover the files that were on the card.

• To check the contents of the original card, open the Browse dialog box, and

then click , which appears at the top

of the list in the Browse window. The patterns saved on the inserted card appear in the available patterns list.

• Do not remove the card or unplug the USB cable while patterns are being written to the card (while the LED indicator is flashing).

9. Click in the upper-right corner of the

dialog box to close the dialog box.

■ Adding comments to saved .pes

files

You can enter comments and information about the pattern to a saved .pes file.

b Memo:

• The entered information will be saved to the file the next time that it is saved.

• To quit the operation and close the dialog box, click Cancel.

Printing

■ Specifying print settings

Before printing, you may need to change the print settings for the embroidery design files that you want to print.

1. Click File, then Print Setup.

→ A Print Setup dialog box similar to the

one shown below appears.

1. Click File, then Property.

→ The File property dialog box appears.

b Memo:

The stitch count is the total of all stitches.

2. To enter or change the information, type it in.

3. Click OK to save the entered information.

2. Under Paper and Orientation, select the

appropriate settings.

3. Under Print type, Print option and Stitch

image, select how the data is to be printed.

Print type

Actual Size: Select this option to print the

design in actual size and the sewing information (dimensions of the embroidery, the sewing color order and the stitch count, the hoop position) on separate pages.

Reduced Size: Select this option to print a reduced image together with all of the abovementioned information on a single page.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Print option

Print sewing area box & center axes: Select

this check box to print black lines for indicating the sewing area and the center axes of the data. (This setting is only available when

Actual Size is selected.)

Print template grid: Select this check box to

print green lines to represent the grid printed on the embroidery sheet included with the hoop.

Stitch image

Normal: Select this option to print the design

as lines and dots.

Realistic: Select this option to print a realistic image of the design. To change the settings of the realistic image, click Attributes. (For details, refer to “Changing realistic preview settings” on page 47.)

4. Click OK.

b Memo:

• To change the printer settings, click Properties.

• To quit the operation, click Cancel.

“Displaying a preview of the embroidery”

on page 46.

b Memo:

• To enlarge and reduce the page, click Zoom In or Zoom Out. Enlarge the image either by clicking Zoom In, or by clicking directly the location that you want to enlarge. To reduce the size of the image, click Zoom Out.

• To display the following page, click Next

Page. (For Design Pages set to Hoop Size, this button is not available if Reduced Size was selected in the Print Setup dialog box.)

• To go back to the display of the embroidery, click Prev Page. (For Design Pages set to Hoop Size, this button is not available if Reduced Size was selected in the Print Setup dialog.)

• To display two pages at the same time, click Two Page. (The Two Page button becomes the One Page button.)

• To display one page at a time, click One Page.

• To open the Print dialog box, click Print.

• If you need to view an image in detail, displaying only one page at a time allows you to enlarge it more. If you want to check the sewing information for individual objects in your embroidery design, select the menu command Option – Design Property.

■ Checking the print image

You can preview the contents of the Design Page and check the sewing color order, the dimensions and the stitch count before printing.

1. Click File, then Print Preview.

→ If Actual Size was selected in the Print

Setup dialog box, the PE-DESIGN Lite

window appears as shown below.

“Specifying print settings” on page 52,

“Printing” on page 54 and “Checking embroidery design information” on page 48.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

■ Printing

You can print the Design Page together with its sewing information.

1. Click File, then Print.

→ A Print dialog box similar to the one

shown below appears.

2. Select the necessary settings.

3. Click OK to begin printing.

b Memo:

• To change the printer settings, click Properties.

• To quit the operation, click Cancel.

4. Follow the instructions for the printer to finish

printing.

→ Depending on the Print type setting, one

or two pages will be printed for one pattern.

Arranging Embroidery Designs

Changing Software Settings

6. Click OK to apply the changes and to close the

Changing the grid settings

A grid of dotted lines or solid lines can be displayed or hidden, and the spacing for the grid can be adjusted.

dialog box.

b Memo:

To close the dialog box without applying the changes to the grid, click Cancel.

1. Click Display, then Grid Setup.

→ The Grid Setting dialog box appears.

2. To display the grid, select the Show Grid

check box. To hide the grid, clear the Show Grid check box.

3. To use the grid for aligning patterns or creating

patterns of the same size, select the Snap to Grid check box.

b Memo:

The pointer will move by the amount set in Grid interval.

The snap feature works whether or not the grid is displayed.

Changing the measurement units

The measurements for values displayed in the application can be in either millimeters or inches.

1. Click Option, then Select System Unit, and

then select the desired measurement units (mm or inch).

“Changing the grid settings” on this page

and “Specifying the Design Page Size and Color” on page 29.

4. To set the grid spacing, type or select a value

in the Grid interval box. (The setting range is

0.1 to 25.4 mm (0.004 to 1.0 inch).)

5. To display the grid as solid lines, select the

with Axes check box. To display the grid as dotted lines, clear the with Axes check box.

a Note:

When the Show Grid check box is selected and the with Axes check box is cleared, only the intersecting points of the grid will be displayed.

Tips and Techniques

This system allows you to create a wide variety of embroidery patterns and supports wider ranges for the setting of the sewing attributes. However, the final result also depends on your particular embroidery machine model. We recommend that you make a trial sewing sample with your sewing data before sewing on the final material. Remember to sew your trial sample on the same type of fabric as your final material and to use the same needle and the same machine embroidery thread.

Sewing Direction

In order to limit shrinking, select a stitch direction perpendicular to the larger edge of the area.

Shrinking more likely to occur Shrinking less likely to occur

Sewing Order

After creating an embroidery pattern made of several different parts, be sure to check the sewing order and correct it if necessary.

The default sewing order is the order in which the elements are drawn.

Sewing Wide Areas

• For best sewing results, set Under sewing to On when sewing wide regions.

For more details, refer to “Specifying sewing attributes” on page 41.

• When sewing multiple regions, changing the Sewing Direction setting for each region prevents shrinkage of the stitching.

• Be sure to affix stabilizer material to the back of the fabric. If no stabilizer material is used, especially when embroidering on thin or stretch fabrics, the needle may break or bend, the fabric may become overstretched, or the embroidery may not be sewn correctly.

• When satin stitching is sewn in a wide area, the stitched area may shrink after sewing, depending on the material and the type of thread used. If this happens, switch to this alternate method: Select the fill stitch and use stabilizer material on the reverse side of the fabric.

Pattern

a Note:

When using the satin stitch in a wide area, the needle may move out of position by about 10 mm with some machines. In order to avoid this, use the above-mentioned alternate method.

After sewing

Menus/Tools

List of Tool Box Buttons

Too l Box Purpose Reference

Sets the pointer in selection mode. When you start up the application, the selection mode is selected. Pointer shape:

Sets the pointer in zoom mode. Pointer shape: or

Sets the pointer in text input mode. Pointer shape:

Converts image data into embroidery data.

p. 31

p. 43

p. 34

p. 23

List of Menus

b Memo:

Many menu commands are available as buttons on the Toolbar or in the menu that appears when the right mouse button is clicked.

■ File menu

The File menu contains commands for handling file input/output, such as opening, saving and printing.

Menu Toolbar Purpose Shortcut key Reference

New Creates a new Design Page.

Open Opens a previously saved embroidery design.

Imports embroidery designs from embroidery cards (.pec) , files created with PE-DESIGN (.pes), files created in the Tajima (.dst), Melco (.exp), Pfaff (.pcs),

Import from File

Husqvarna/Viking (.hus, .vip, .shv), Janome (.jef, .sew), Singer (.csd, .xxx) and embroidery sewing machine (.phc) formats, to be added to the current Design Page.

Ctrl + N p. 25

Ctrl + O p. 25

F8 p. 27

Menus/Tools

Menu Toolbar Purpose Shortcut key Reference

Save

Save As

Current

Write to Card

Property Used to enter comments in the .pes file being edited.

Print Setup

Print Preview

Exit Exits the application.

Design

Other PES Files

Saves your embroidery design on the computer’s hard disk as a PE-DESIGN Lite file.

Saves your embroidery design on the computer’s hard disk under a new file name.

Writes your embroidery design to an original card.

Writes multiple .pes files to an original card at the same time.

Allows you to change the printing settings for previewed embroidery.

Allows you to preview the contents of the Design Page and check the sewing color order, the dimensions and the needle count before printing.

Prints your Design Page and some sewing information.

Ctrl + S p. 49

p. 49

F4 p. 49

Shift + F4

p. 50

p. 52

p. 53

Ctrl + P p. 54

Alt + F4 p. 19

■ Edit menu

The Edit menu contains commands for performing simple actions on selected patterns, such as cutting and pasting.

Menu Toolbar Purpose Shortcut key Reference

Undo Undoes the last operation.

Redo Cancels the effect of the last Undo.

Cut

Copy

Duplicate Makes a copy of the selected pattern(s).

Paste Pastes the contents of the Clipboard on the screen.

Delete

Removes the selected pattern(s) from the screen while saving a copy in the Clipboard.

Saves the selected pattern(s) in the Clipboard without removing them from the screen.

Removes the selected pattern(s) from the screen without saving them in the Clipboard.

Ctrl + Z

Ctrl + A

Ctrl + X

Ctrl + C

Ctrl + D

Ctrl + V

Delete

Menus/Tools

Menu Toolbar Purpose Shortcut key Reference

Horizontal

Mirror

Vertical Flips the selected pattern(s) left/right.

Rotate

Center

Select All Selects all of the patterns.

Flips the selected pattern(s) up/down.

Allows you to manually rotate the selected pattern(s) by an arbitrary angle.

Moves the selected pattern to the center of the Design Page.

Ctrl + H

p. 32

Ctrl + J

Ctrl + Y p. 32

Ctrl + M p. 32

Ctrl + E p. 31

Menus/Tools

■ Image menu

The Image menu contains commands for importing and exporting image data and creating embroidery data from image data.

Menu Toolbar Purpose Shortcut key Reference

Imports image data from an existing file so that it can be used as a guide for creating embroidery data.

a Note:

The file name extension must be one of the

from File

Input

from TWAIN device

from Clipboard

to File Saves the image data as a file.

Output

to Clipboard

Select TWAIN device

Modify Adjusts the size and position of the image data.

following: Windows bitmap (.bmp), Exif (.tif, .jpg), ZSoftPCX (.pcx), Windows Meta File (.wmf), Portable Network Graphics (.png), Encapsulated PostScript (.eps), Kodak PhotoCD (.pcd), FlashPix (.fpx), JPEG2000 (.j2k).

Operates a TWAIN standardized scanner or other device to import an image.

Imports image data from the Clipboard.

Copies the image data onto the Clipboard.

Selects which TWAIN device installed in the computer to use.

p. 20

p. 21

p. 30

p. 21

p. 22

Display Image

On (100%)

75%

50%

25%

Off Hides the template image.

Displays the template image (density: 100%).

Displays a faded copy of the template image (density: 75%).

Displays a faded copy of the template image (density: 50%).

Displays a faded copy of the template image (density: 25%).

p. 22

Menus/Tools

■ Text menu

The Text menu contains commands for performing actions on text patterns.

Menu Toolbar Purpose Shortcut key Reference

Edit Letters Allows you to edit entered text.

Text Layout Arranges the curving and spacing of a line of text.

■ Sew menu

The Sew menu contains commands for controlling the way each pattern will be sewn.

Menu Toolbar Purpose Shortcut key Reference

Sewing Attribute Setting

Sewing Order/Color

Sets the density, under sewing and direction of the stitches in a region, or sets the density and under sewing of the stitches in text.

Allows you to check and change the sewing order of pattern colors as well as the sewing order of the patterns within a combination of patterns of the same color.

■ Display menu

The Display menu contains commands for modifying the appearance of the screen.

Menu Toolbar Purpose Shortcut key Reference

Grid Setup Controls the display and characteristics of the grid.

Ctrl + L p. 11

p. 34

Ctrl + T p. 37

Ctrl + W p. 41

F10 p. 44

p. 55

Preview

Realistic Preview

Realistic Preview Attribute Setting

Specifies whether the patterns appear as stitches or in the normal view.

Displays a realistic image of how either selected patterns or all patterns will look after being embroidered.

a Note:

The Realistic Preview function cannot display a clean preview of the pattern if the monitor is set to 256 colors or less. The monitor should be set to at least 16-bit High Color (65536 colors).

Sets the preview attributes for the Realistic Preview function.

Shift + F9

p. 46

p. 47

Menus/Tools

■ Option menu

The Option menu contains commands for providing additional options.

Menu Toolbar Purpose Shortcut key Reference

Design Property

Design Page Property

Select System Unit

mm Allows you to change the system units to millimeters.

inch Allows you to change the system units to inches.

Displays a dialog box containing sewing information for the selected pattern(s).

Allows you to change the size of the Design Page, and the color of the Design Page and the background.

■ Help menu

The Help menu contains commands for accessing the on-screen help information system.

Menu Toolbar Purpose Shortcut key Reference

Instruction Manual

Starts up the Instruction Manual (PDF format) for this application.

a Note:

To view the Instruction Manual, use Adobe® Reader® or Adobe® Acrobat® Reader®.

Opens the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page on our Web site.

p. 48

p. 29

p. 55

p. 8

Customer Support

Online Registration

About PE-DESIGN Lite

a Note:

This function cannot be used if there is no Internet connection.

Displays the online registration page from our Web site.

a Note:

This function is available only if the Internet browser is correctly installed and an Internet connection can be established. *Online registration is not possible in certain countries and regions.

Gives information about the version of this application.

p. 8

Troubleshooting

If a problem occurs, visit the following Web site to find causes and solutions to those problems and answers to frequently asked questions.

http://welcome.solutions.brother.com/bsc/public/midlink2.aspx?prod=pe-design-lite&lang=all

Index

APPLIQUE ..................................................................40

APPLIQUE MATERIAL ...............................................40

APPLIQUE POSITION ................................................40

Auto Punch ..................................................................14

Card slot ........................................................................2

CD-ROM ........................................................................3

centering ......................................................................32

checking

sewing order ........................................................44

Color button .................................................................39

combining

pattern colors ......................................................45

Computer .......................................................................3

copying

images .................................................................30

Density ........................................................................42

Design Page size ........................................................29

Direction ......................................................................42

Display

Grid Setup .....................................................55, 61

Preview .........................................................46, 61

Realistic Preview .....................................18, 46, 61

Realistic Preview Attribute Setting ................47, 61

Display menu ...............................................................61

displaying

images .................................................................22

Edit

Center ...........................................................32, 59

Copy ....................................................................58

Cut .......................................................................58

Delete ..................................................................58

Duplicate .............................................................58

Mirror

Horizontal ..............................................32, 59

Vertical ..................................................32, 59

Paste ...................................................................58

Redo ....................................................................58

Rotate ............................................................32, 59

Select All .......................................................31, 59

Undo ....................................................................58

Edit menu ....................................................................58

editing

pattern colors ......................................................45

sewing order ........................................................45

embroidery patterns

adding comments ................................................52

centering .............................................................32

from images ..................................................10, 23

information ..........................................................48

previewing ...........................................................46

printing ................................................................54

saving ..................................................................49

Entering

text ......................................................................10

File

Exit ......................................................................58

Import from File ...................................................27

New ...............................................................25, 57

Open .............................................................25, 57

Print ...............................................................54, 58

Print Preview .................................................53, 58

Print Setup ....................................................52, 58

Property .........................................................52, 58

Save ..............................................................49, 58

Save As .........................................................49, 58

Write to Card

Current Design ............................................49

Other PES Files ..........................................50

File menu .....................................................................57

fill stitch

sewing attributes .................................................42

Font selector ................................................................35

grid ..............................................................................55

Hard disk free space .....................................................3

Help

About PE-DESIGN Lite .......................................62

Customer support ................................................62

Instruction Manual ...............................................62

Online Registration ..........................................8, 62

Help menu ...................................................................62

Image

Auto Punch ..........................................................23

Display Image .....................................................22

Input

from Clipboard .......................................21, 60

from File ..........................................13, 20, 60

from TWAIN device ...............................21, 60

Modify ............................................................22, 60

Output

to Clipboard ...........................................30, 60

to File ....................................................30, 60

Select TWAIN device ....................................21, 60

Image menu ................................................................60

images

converting to embroidery patterns ...........10, 14, 23

moving ...........................................................14, 22

outputting ............................................................30

resizing ..........................................................14, 22

saving ..................................................................30

scaling .................................................................22

Importing

images .................................................................13

importing

Clipboard images ................................................21

embroidery patterns ............................................27

Index

images .................................................................20

TWAIN images ....................................................21

Installing

Software ................................................................4

LED ...............................................................................2

measurement units ......................................................55

Memory .........................................................................3

Monitor ..........................................................................3

moving

embroidery patterns to center .............................32

images ...........................................................14, 22

NOT DEFINED ............................................................40

opening

.pes file ................................................................25

Clipboard images ................................................21

embroidery patterns ............................................27

images .................................................................20

new Design Page ................................................25

PE-DESIGN Lite file ............................................25

TWAIN images ....................................................21

Operating system ..........................................................3

Option

Design Page Property ...................................29, 62

Design Property ............................................48, 62

Select System Unit ..............................................55

inch ..............................................................62

mm ..............................................................62

Option menu ................................................................62

pattern information ......................................................48

adding comments ................................................52

patterns

colors ...................................................................45

combining colors .................................................45

selecting ..............................................................44

Port ................................................................................3

previewing ...................................................................46

Printer ............................................................................3

printing

embroidery patterns ............................................54

preview ................................................................53

settings ................................................................52

Processor ......................................................................3

realistic previewing ................................................18, 46

settings ................................................................47

region color ..................................................................15

region sewing attributes ..............................................42

Registration ...................................................................8

resizing

images ...........................................................14, 22

satin stitch

sewing attributes .................................................42

Saving

embroidery design ...............................................18

saving

embroidery patterns ............................................49

images .................................................................30

on card ..........................................................19, 50

scaling

images .................................................................22

selecting

all embroidery patterns ........................................31

embroidery patterns

in sewing order ............................................31

patterns ...............................................................44

Sew

Setting Attribute ...................................................41

Sewing Attribute Setting ................................16, 61

Sewing Direction .................................................16

Sewing Order ......................................................17

Sewing Order/Color .......................................44, 61

Sew menu ...................................................................61

Sew type selector ........................................................40

sewing attributes .........................................................39

fill stitch ...............................................................42

satin stitch ...........................................................42

setting ..................................................................41

sewing direction ...........................................................16

sewing order ..........................................................17, 44

editing ..................................................................45

special colors ...............................................................40

System Requirements ...................................................3

Technical Support .........................................................8

Text

Edit Letters ....................................................36, 61

Text Arrangement ...............................................37

Text Layout .............................................13, 37, 61

Curving ........................................................38

Spacing .......................................................38

text attributes ...............................................................35

Text menu ...................................................................61

Text Size selector ........................................................36

thread colors

APPLIQUE ..........................................................40

APPLIQUE MATERIAL .......................................40

APPLIQUE POSITION ........................................40

NOT DEFINED ....................................................40

transferring to card ................................................19, 50

Under sewing ..............................................................42

uninstallating .................................................................8

units of measure ..........................................................55

USB card writer module ............................................1, 2

USB port ........................................................................3

Read the following before opening the CD-ROM package

Thank you for purchasing this software. Before opening the CD-ROM package for this software, carefully read the following Product Agreement, which has been provided for this product. Use this software only if you agree to the terms of this agreement. By opening the CD-ROM package, you agree to the conditions of its use. This product cannot be returned after it has been opened.

Product Agreement

1) General terms This is an agreement between you (the end-user) and our company for this product.

2) Use of this product You may install and use this product on only one computer.

3) Limitations on duplications You may not duplicate this product, except for backup purposes.

4) Limitations on modifi cations You may not modify or disassemble this product in any way.

5) Limitations on transfer This software may not be transferred to or used in any other way by a third party.

6) Warranty We accept no responsibility for your choice or use of this product or for any damages that may arise out of its use.

7) Others This product is protected by copyright laws.

English

XE2656-001

Printed in China

Brother PE-DESIGN User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual