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No parts of this publication or the accompanying its subsidiaries in Canada, the U.S. and/or other
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protected by the following patents: registered trademarks of their respective companies.
US Patent Nº 4,821,662 This Product is provided under an enclosed license
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Wilcom Pty Ltd. makes no representation or results generated through its use and without any
warranties with respect to the contents of this implied warranty of merchantability or of fitness for any
publication and specifically disclaims any implied particular purpose for which the software is being
warranties of merchantable quality or fitness for any acquired. The purchaser relies on its own skill and
particular purpose. judgement in selecting the software for its own use
and assumes the entire risk as to the results and
Further, Wilcom Pty Ltd. reserves the right to revise performance of the software. Wilcom Pty Ltd.
this publication and to make changes in it from time to specifically does not warrant that the software will
time without obligation of Wilcom Pty Ltd. to notify any meet the purchaser’s requirements or operate without
person or organization of such revisions or changes. interruption or error.
The screen illustrations in this publication are intended
to be representations, not exact duplicates of the
screen layouts generated by the software.
Some artwork for design samples in the DecoStudio
User Manual and Help File kindly provided by Digital
Art Solutions.
Product overview
DecoStudio is a job-based application where you select the type of
decoration you wish to make and the software provides the appropriate
templates and settings to assist you in creating the design. Closely
integrated with CorelDRAW®, DecoStudio is not reliant on any other
software and is fully functional as a standalone system. Capabilities can be
summarized as follows:
DecoStudio offers a simple, controlled approach to embroidery design.
You do not require extensive embroidery knowledge or need to be an
experienced embroidery ‘digitizer’.
Introduc tion 2
Onscreen Tutorials
DecoStudio provides a number of fully worked tutorial projects which can
be accessed from the DecoStudio Startup screen. While these projects do
not cover all product features, they provide a useful starting point.
Access onscreen
tutorials
Onscreen Manual
The Onscreen Manual contains hundreds of step-by-step instructions
together with samples and screen images. These are intended to be used as
a reference, not a tutorial. Before you begin working with the product, read
Designing Embroidery with DecoStudio. This chapter outlines the basic
concepts of digitizing with Wilcom DecoStudio© e1 and provides important
guidelines on how to use the software for best results.
You should also familiarize yourself with Basic Procedures. This chapter
explains how to start the application and how to use some of the essential
tools and features that Wilcom DecoStudio© e1 provides. The chapters
Viewing Designs and Selecting Embroidery Objects contain essential
information about the many ways of viewing designs in Wilcom
DecoStudio© e1 as well as selecting and manipulating design ‘objects’.
Onscreen Help
Onscreen Help provides quick access to general information on DecoStudio
features and step-by-step instructions. There are two types available –
Embroidery Help and Graphics Help. See Viewing onscreen help for details.
Access onscreen
documentation
Introduc tion 4
Fit in Window
Zoom dropdown Actual Size Fit Width
Tip Select Help > Reader Guide from the top of the Reader screen for
comprehensive information about using Reader.
Access onscreen
help in Graphics
mode
Access onscreen
help in Embroidery
mode
Introduc tion 6
3 Click Contents to display the main list of topics.
Topics are grouped under high-level headings with ‘book’ icons.
4 Double-click a book to view the list of topics, then double-click a topic.
Alternatively, click Index or Search and enter keywords to search on a
specific subject.
Access Wilcom
website
Alternatively, once inside the program, click the Quick Launch button
on the Universal toolbar.
Introduc tion 8
Alternatively, select Help > Wilcom on the Web for the same set of
options.
Note You must have a correctly configured web browser on your system
together with web access.
Commands
Commands on a submenu are referred to by both the submenu and
command name. For example the command ‘Open’ on the submenu
‘Embroidery Disk’ is referred to as Embroidery Disk > Open.
Dialog boxes
Dialog boxes are referred to as ‘dialogs’ and are displayed only if they
provide important information on using DecoStudio. The screen images
provided may differ slightly to the layouts generated by the software and
operating system you are using.
Mouse conventions
Shortcut Description
C+S While holding down the Control key (Ctrl), press the lowercase
letter S key.
C+V+H While holding down the Control key (Ctrl), press Shift and the
H key.
For a complete list of keyboard shortcuts, see Keyboard Shortcuts.
Introduc tion 10
Chapter 1
Designing Embroidery with DecoStudio
Planning designs
High quality embroidery starts with good design and forward planning.
Artwork
Electronic artwork in both bitmap and vector formats can be inserted,
pasted or scanned into DecoStudio for use as digitizing templates or
‘backdrops’. Likely sources include:
Internet and CD clipart libraries
Business cards, post cards and wrapping paper
Samples in the DecoStudio Design folder
Books of embroidery patterns
Children’s story books
Printed table cloths or tea towels
Original artwork – e.g. children’s drawings.
1
5
If you are digitizing manually, objects are stitched out in the order they were
created. In other words, the digitizing sequence defines the stitching
sequence. If you have converted an electronic design, DecoStudio uses
powerful automatic sequencing to create the optimum stitching sequence
for a visually appealing stitchout. Auto-sequencing attempts to generate
embroidery designs which are economical to produce, with minimal down
time, and accurate registration of textures and colors. The advantage of
DecoStudio automatic conversion and sequencing of electronic artwork is
that less time is required for planning, allowing more time to be spent on
artistic choices.
If you take a mixed mode approach, you may do the bulk of the design by
means of automatic conversion, and touch-ups and edits using the suite of
DecoStudio embroidery digitizing tools. In addition, you can always
manually adjust the stitching sequence to improve the stitchout, for
example, to minimize color changes.
Note For a full description of the CorelDRAW® tools, refer to the electronic
User Guide available via the Windows Start > Programs group.
Alternatively, use the onscreen help available from the Help menu.
Object-based embroidery
Designs created in DecoStudio are composed of ‘embroidery objects’. They
are called ‘objects’ because they are discrete entities which can be
manipulated independently of each other. Each object has certain defining
characteristics or ‘properties’ such as color, size, position, and so on. The
most important property of an embroidery object is its stitch type.
Viewing designs
DecoStudio provides many viewing modes to make it easier to work with
your designs. Zoom in on an area for more detail or view a design at actual
size. Pan the design to move it across the design window instead of scrolling,
and quickly change between one view and the last.
Stitch types divide broadly into two categories – outline and fill. Satin fills
are generally suited to columns and borders. Tatami stitch is used to fill
larger shapes with solid fields of stitching. Run stitch is considered both a
digitizing method and stitch type. Both Zigzag and E Stitch are used as
outline stitches. Zigzag is frequently used for tacking down appliqués, while
E Stitch is sometimes used as a cover stitch. Both can also be used for
decorative effect. See Stitch Fills and Outlines for details.
Colorway 1 Colorway 2
Motif fills
Motifs are pre-defined design
elements, such as hearts,
leaves or border patterns. They
generally consist of one or more
simple embroidery objects, and
are stored in a special motif set.
Use Motif Fill to create
ornamental fills. Motif fills can
be scaled, rotated and mirrored
in the same way as other
objects types. See Creating Motif fills for details.
Appliqué
DecoStudio lets you generate all the stitching you
need for appliqué using a dedicated Auto Appliqué
tool. Up to four layers of stitching – guide runs,
cutting lines, tack stitches and cover stitches – can
be generated for any appliqué object. You can also
extract appliqué shapes from a design to output to
a cutter or separate file. See Creating Appliqué
Designs for details. See also Outputting appliqué.
Embroidery lettering
Create top-quality lettering quickly and simply. DecoStudio provides a large
range of scalable alphabets to choose from. See Standard Alphabets for
details.
Reshaping objects
There are also techniques available for reshaping
objects. The points you mark when digitizing a
shape become its ‘control points’. These vary
slightly with the object type. Use them to edit or
transform objects – e.g. reshaping, scaling, letter
spacing, changing entry and exit points. Modify
stitch angles of selected objects. Add multiple
stitch angles as required. See Reshaping Objects
for details.
Printing designs
From the same design file, you can
output a production worksheet for
the embroidery machine operator.
Designers frequently want to
distribute their designs for viewing
in real colors, in TrueView or
otherwise, with or without fabric
backgrounds. In DecoStudio you
can save both design images and
production worksheets to disk or
email them direct. You can also
output appliqué designs by printing appliqué patterns or by sending them
directly to a cutter. See Printing Designs for details.
Machine formats
Different embroidery machines
speak different languages. They
have their own control commands
for the various machine functions.
Before you can stitch a design, it
must be in a format which can be
understood by the embroidery
machine. When you select a
machine format, DecoStudio
translates the digitized design into
machine functions that can be
understood by that machine. If required, you can customize machine
formats to meet specific machine requirements. See Machine Formats for
details.
Basic procedures
This section describes how to start DecoStudio, how to open designs, start
new ones, use the basic commands, and save designs. It also explains how
to display the grid and rulers, and measure distances on screen. It also
covers how to select machine formats for different output. See Basic
Procedures for details.
This section describes how to start DecoStudio, how to open designs, start
new ones, use the basic commands, and save designs. It also explains how
to display the grid and rulers, and measure distances on screen. It also
covers how to select machine formats for different output.
Starting DecoStudio
DecoStudio has a clean, uncomplicated user interface, guiding and
prompting wherever possible via an intuitive graphical and wizard-based
Opening DecoStudio
Whenever you start DecoStudio, you are guided through a job-based setup
procedure according to the type of design work you want to carry out. You
can always by-pass the Startup dialog altogether to open a blank design in
Embroidery mode based on the default fabric.
To open DecoStudio
Double-click the DecoStudio shortcut icon on the Windows desktop.
Alternatively, select All Programs > Wilcom > Wilcom DecoStudio
from the Start menu.
Click to close
Startup options
Prompt box
Deactivation checkbox
Graphics mode
DecoStudio Graphics mode includes the entire suite of CorelDRAW®
drawing tools which offer many techniques for drafting outlines and shapes
on screen. Vector objects can then be converted to embroidery designs.
Alternatively, using Graphics mode, you can insert or paste third-party
Depending on options chosen during startup, you are presented with the
Graphics mode or Embroidery mode design window. Here is the Graphics
mode design window:
Menu bar
Universal toolbar
Standard toolbar
Properties bar
Docker window
Toolbox
Design window
Color Palette
Status bar
Note If a document in Graphics mode contains more than one page, when
switching to Embroidery mode, the design window will only display the
contents of the currently active page.
Element Description
Menu bar This contains application menus such as File, Edit, View, etc.
Universal toolbar This contains the universal tools and icons which are visible in both
Embroidery and Graphics modes. It also contains tools which are
only available in a particular mode but in some way influence how
objects behave in the alternate mode.
Standard toolbar This contains commonly used tools and commands which are
specific to and only visible in Graphics mode.
Properties bar This contains the commands and controls that relate to the active
tool in the Toolbox or active object in the design window in
Graphics mode.
Toolbox This contains the creation/editing tools specific to and visible in
Graphics mode.
Design window This contains the main work area where you create and edit
graphics objects as well as embroidery objects when you switch to
Embroidery mode.
Color Palette This contains the graphics color palette which is specific to and
only visible in Graphics mode.
Docker Window In Graphics mode, this contains the graphics-specific ‘docker
windows’.
Status bar This contains the status bar information which is only visible in the
Graphics mode.
Embroidery mode
DecoStudio Embroidery mode offers digitizing methods or ‘tools’
specifically suited to the creation of embroidery shapes or objects. Digitizing
methods divide broadly into two categories – outline and fill. See
Embroidery digitizing methods for details.
When you create an embroidery object, you can accept default settings for
a particular tool, or apply new ones. Default settings are based on the
selected fabric. See also Changing fabrics.
Tip By default, rulers and guides are switched on. When they are switched
off, guides are hidden but are stored in the design and will reappear when
switched back on. See Displaying grids, rulers and guides for details.
Menu bar
Universal toolbar
Standard toolbar
Arrange toolbar
Transform toolbar
Stitch Types toolbar
Docker window
Toolbox
Tab buttons
Design window
Color Palette
Element Description
Menu bar This contains the application menus such as File, Edit, View, etc.
Universal toolbar This contains the universal tools and icons which are visible in both
Embroidery and Graphics modes. It also contains tools which are
only available in a particular mode but in some way influence how
objects behave in the alternate mode.
Standard toolbar This contains commonly used tools and commands which are
specific to and only visible in Embroidery mode.
Arrange toolbar This contains tools for moving, aligning and distributing objects,
including grouping and locking tools.
Transform This contains tools for mirroring, rotating and skewing objects.
toolbar
Stitch Types This contains a variety of tools which determine the stitch types
toolbar which can be applied to embroidery objects, including automatic
underlay.
The two design modes in DecoStudio are accessed by clicking the Graphics
or Embroidery buttons:
Tip You can turn off embroidery objects by toggling off the Show
Embroidery button on the Universal toolbar.
Any existing vector objects are displayed.
You are able to create and edit vector objects.
Tip You can turn off vector objects by toggling off the Show Graphics
button in the Universal toolbar.
Startup options
When activated, the Startup dialog displays each time DecoStudio is
launched or when File > New is selected. It gives you the option of starting
a new project, opening an existing design, accessing the DecoStudio
tutorials – particularly useful for new users – or accessing the DecoStudio
website. See also DecoStudio documentation and training.
Click to close
Startup options
Prompt box
Deactivation checkbox
Opening designs
To open a design
1 Click the Open icon on the Startup dialog or on the Standard toolbar,
or select File > Open.
The Open dialog opens.
Preview
panel
Design
data
Preview
on/off
Tip For more information about a selected file, right-click and select
Properties from the popup menu. See Viewing design information for
details.
6 For file types other than EMB or ESD, click Options and change the
recognition options. See Reading Files of Different Formats for details.
7 Click Open.
Tip You can also open designs from proprietary embroidery disks. See
also Reading and writing to embroidery disk.
Use New (Standard toolbar) to start a new design with the default settings.
Whenever you open a fresh design file, a blank design opens in the design
window with artwork pre-loaded as you choose. The file uses pre-defined
settings according to the project you have chosen to work on. A ‘generic’
option allows you to work with a blank design based on default settings. See
also Creating Embroidery from Artwork.
Note You can change project types at any stage. You can also change
fabrics and machine types at any stage. See Changing project types for
details. See also Changing fabrics.
Click to close
Startup options
Prompt box
Project Description
Garment Use this option if you want to start a new design using presets
suitable for garment work. See below for details.
Emblem Use this option if you want to start a new design using presets
suitable for emblem work. See below for details.
Select fabric
type
Choose color
or pattern for
fabric
Tip If you want to change your selection, you can go back to the
previous screen any time by clicking the Back button. If you want to
apply current selections and go straight to the design window, click
Apply and Close.
From the dropdown list, choose a fabric type matching or nearest to the
fabric you intend to work with – this will ensure optimum quality for your
embroidery.
DecoStudio provides a set of optimized fabric settings so that the
software will take into account the type of fabric you are stitching on.
See also Threads and Colorways.
If you want a plain background to work on, choose Solid Color and click
Choose Color. Use the Color dialog to choose or mix a suitable color
for your background. See Mixing your own thread colors for details.
Choose or mix
color for the
background
Note Pre-defined settings for the selected fabric are applied to all
embroidery objects in the design. The current fabric is displayed in the
Status bar.
Choose
background
color
Click to apply
and close
Tip If you want to change your selection, you can go back to the
previous screen any time by clicking the Back button. If you want to
apply current selections and go straight to the design window, click
Apply and Close.
When you have made your selection, click the Next button to proceed
to the next screen. Clicking the Back button returns you to the Choose
Project dialog.
Choose
background
color
Click to apply
and close
Tip If you want to change your selection, you can go back to the
previous screen any time by clicking the Back button. If you want to
apply current selections and go straight to the design window, click
Apply and Close.
When you have made your selection, click the Next button to proceed
to the next screen. Clicking the Back button returns you to the Choose
Project dialog.
Choose
machine format
for your project
Click to apply
and close
Tip If you want to change your selection, you can go back to the
previous screen any time by clicking the Back button. If you want to
apply current selections and go straight to the design window, click
Apply and Close.
Select your required machine format.
When you select a machine format, DecoStudio translates the digitized
design into machine functions that can be understood by that machine.
The machine format can be changed at any stage. See Machine Formats
for details.
Choose graphic
source for your
project
Options include:
Option Description
From File The Open dialog, showing the contents of the dedicated stock
graphics folder, displays by default. Use one of these, or graphic
of your choice, as your starting point.
From New design is created in Graphics mode with the last item
Clipboard copied into the Clipboard inserted in the center of the design
window.
New Graphic New design is created in Graphics mode.
New New design is created in Embroidery mode.
Embroidery
Tip Whenever you create a new design, save it with a new name. See
Saving designs for details.
Choose project
type
Change
background color
4 Select a color for fabric or background and click Apply and Close. See
also Changing background colors.
Saving designs
Use Save (Standard toolbar) to save the current design. Right-click to open
the Save As dialog.
Tip Save your design early and often. Do not wait until you finish working.
You can also set DecoStudio to save automatically while you work. See
Setting automatic save and backup options for details.
To save a design
1 Click the Save icon in Embroidery mode.
If this is the first time you have saved the design, the Save As dialog
opens.
Folder containing
designs
Design name
Format list
2 Select the folder where you want to save the design from the Save In
list.
3 Enter a name for the design in the File name field.
4 Select a file format from the Save as type list. See Supported
embroidery file formats for details.
5 Click Save.
Keyboard Shortcut
Tip Menu items for which there exist corresponding toolbar icons
display the associated icon next to them – e.g. the New command.
Access onscreen
documentation
Design window
popup menu
Color-Object List
popup menu
Note For all stitch type tools except Auto Underlay and all input method
tools in the Toolbox, both left-clicking and right-clicking simultaneously
activate the tools and invoke the Object Properties docker. See also
Accessing object properties.
Reposition toolbars and change between the docked and floated
statuses by doing the following:
Click and drag title bars to position floating toolbars or dock them in
any of the four quadrants of the design window.
Click and drag the edges of the toolbar to reshape it as required.
Select toolbars
to display
Click Color Palette Editor (Color toolbar) to display the Color Palette Editor
docker. Use this tool to assign thread colors to color blocks in the design.
Docker Description
Object The most important dialog in DecoStudio is the Object Properties
Properties docker. Use it together with the General Properties toolbar to adjust
properties of selected embroidery objects. See Accessing object
properties for details.
Color-Object The Color-Object List provides a sequential list of embroidery
List objects as digitized, grouped by color block. It offers an easy way to
selectively view color blocks and objects. See Viewing color blocks
with the Color-Object List for details.
Color Palette When you create a new design, it includes a single default colorway
Editor called ‘Colorway 1’. This contains 15 default colors, unassigned to
any thread chart. The Color Palette Editor allows you to edit these
default colors, add extra color slots as required, and set up additional
colorways. See Setting up colorways for details.
Click the tab buttons at the side of the docker panel to change. The tabs
only appear when more than one window is open.
Object
Click tab Properties
to open docker hidden
Click the X button at the top right corner of the docker to close
individually.
Shadow tab
indicates window
is ready to be
tabbed
Shadow outline
indicates window
is ready to be
tiled
If you want to tab dockers, adjust until a shadow tab appears. If you
want to tile dockers side-by-side, adjust until the shadow outline only
partially covers the window.
Click to close
Dropdown list
Adjust settings as
required
Click to close
2 Select a tab to access the object properties you want to adjust. See
Changing object properties for details.
3 Close the Object Properties docker by either of the following means:
Click the Object Properties icon.
Use Undo icon (Standard toolbar) to undo an action and Undo Arrow to undo
a range of actions.
Use Redo icon (Standard toolbar) to redo an action and Redo Arrow to redo
a range of actions.
You can undo the effects of most commands. If you change your mind, you
can redo them again.
Click Show Grid (Standard toolbar) to show or hide the grid. Right-click to
change the Grid settings.
Use grid lines to help accurately align or size embroidery objects. You can
show or hide the grid at any time. Default grid spacing is 10 mm x 10 mm.
Show Grid
Select View > Grid and Guides and select the Show Grid option.
Press Shift+G.
To turn off the grid, toggle off the Show Grid icon or press Shift+G
again.
Tip You can change grid spacing, select a reference point and turn Snap
to Grid on or off in the Options dialog. You can also change the color
of the grid lines. See Setting display colors for details. See also Setting
grid options.
Click Show Rulers and Guides (Standard toolbar) to show or hide rulers and
guides. Right-click to change the Guides settings.
Drag the Ruler Zero Point to reset a new ruler zero point.
Rulers are located to the top and left side of the design window. The unit of
measurement – mm or inches – depends on the regional settings in the
Windows Control Panel. The ruler scale, illustrated with numbers and ticks,
depends on the zoom setting. Guides are dotted vertical and horizontal lines
placed across the design window to help you align objects. Each guide has
a yellow guide handle on the ruler that can be used to move or delete it.
Note By default, rulers and guides are switched on. When they are
switched off, guides are hidden but are stored in the design and will
reappear when switched back on.
Select View > Grid and Guides and select the Show Rulers and
Guides option.
Click-and-drag to
reset ruler zero
point
Click-and-drag to
reposition guides
Click ruler to
create new guide
Reset the ruler zero point by clicking and dragging the box in the top
left-hand corner of the design window to the required point in the
design.
The point where you release the mouse becomes the new zero point –
X,Y (0,0). The grid always lines up with the rulers. Whenever the ruler
zero is changed, the Set Reference Point checkbox in Options > Grid
and Guides tab is deselected. See Setting grid options for details.
Enter precise
position
Note The ruler zero and the design zero are not the same and in
general do not coincide. When the zero point of the rulers is changed,
the guides maintain their current displacement from the zero point of
the design, not the zero point of the rulers.
To remove a guide, drag the yellow guide handle off the design window.
Tip You can turn Snap to Grid and Snap to Guide on or off in the
Options dialog. You can also change the color of grid and guidelines.
See Setting display colors for details. See also Setting grid options.
Tip For more accurate results, zoom in before you measure. The
measurement is always the actual size, and is not affected by the zoom
factor.
Measurements
appear as tooltip
4 Press Esc.
The connecting line disappears but the mouse still shows the
measurements from the center of the design in a tooltip.
5 Press Esc again to exit the command.
Select machine
format
Note You can customize or add formats to suit the embroidery machine
you will use to stitch the design. See Machine Formats for details.
3 Click OK.
Note For a full description of the CorelDRAW® tools, refer to the electronic
User Guide available via the Windows Start > Programs group.
Alternatively, use the onscreen help available from the Help menu.
This section describes how to choose suitable artwork for digitizing purposes
as well as tips on scanning and editing before use.
Clean image with Clean image with Complex image, needs editing
well-defined outlines well-defined color blocks to remove background and
improve outlines
Best results are produced with images of the type found in clipart libraries
or created from scratch in CorelDRAW®. DecoStudio can work with images
Scanned images
Images scanned from hardcopy drawings or
existing embroidery typically contain a lot of
introduced ‘noise’. While they can be used as
input to embroidery digitizing, once again, best
results are achieved with relatively clean images
consisting of solid color blocks. Typically, logos
and simple drawings scanned from business
cards, letterheads, books, magazines, cards all
fall into this category.
Noisy images typically need to be prepared by
reducing the color count and sharpening the
outlines. Image containing a lot of
scanner ‘noise’
Dithered images
Dithering is a software technique which combines existing colors in a
checkerboard arrangement of pixels. It is typically used to simulate colors
that are missing from an image palette.
Anti-aliased images
Anti-aliasing is a software technique similar to
dithering which is used to soften hard outlines
where color blocks intersect. It produces
smoother outlines by ‘blurring’ the pixels
where colors join.
Where anti-aliasing is deliberately used to
blur outlines, these need to be ‘sharpened’
before use with automatic digitizing.
Note For a full description of how to scan images into CorelDRAW®, refer
to the electronic User Guide available via the Windows Start > Programs
group. Alternatively, use the onscreen help available from the Help menu.
Scanning resolution
Most scanners require you to enter scanning resolution information.
Resolution determines the number of dots per inch (dpi) used to create an
image. Generally speaking, the smaller the source image and/or more detail
Color mode
Most scanners also require you to enter color mode information. First decide
whether your image is line art (black and white drawing), sketch, color
picture, or black and white or color photograph, then choose an appropriate
mode. Black and white mode produces the smallest files. Color photograph
and grayscale modes generate 256 color images and produce similar sized
files. ‘RGB’, ‘True Color’ or ‘millions of colors’ modes generate 16.7 million
colors and produce the biggest files. Use the table below to decide which
mode is suitable for use with your image.
* Different scanning software uses different terms for the equivalent mode.
* Different scanning software uses different terms for the equivalent mode.
Scanning tips
Do not scan line art images in grayscale mode – grayscale scanning
produces fuzzy edges.
Scan color images in RGB mode (millions of colors) rather than 256 color
mode. You may not notice any difference on screen. The color count can
be reduced once the image is loaded into the software. DecoStudio can
use the extra information to produce a better image than one scanned
at 256 colors.
Scanned in 256
color mode
Do not scan color images in CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black)
mode as this is only used for images that will be printed – colors may be
different to RGB colors.
If the image needs to be rotated, do so while scanning. Rotating
afterwards may distort the image.
Scanned with
sharpening
Scanned without
sharpening
Note For a full description of the editing tools in CorelDRAW®, refer to the
electronic User Guide available via the Windows Start > Programs group.
Alternatively, use the onscreen help available from the Help menu.
Color reduction
Sometimes an image looks clean but extra colors have been introduced
during scanning or in a graphics package. Color reduction means reducing
the actual number of image colors in order to eliminate unnecessary detail
and reduce each block to a single color. Color reduction also cleans the
image, removing any noise and anti-aliasing present. This in turn helps
minimize the number of trims and color changes required in the resulting
embroidery design. Color reduction should only be applied if the loss of
detail does not affect the image shapes. Before reduction, the colored areas
in the image below include many colors. After reduction, each area is
reduced to a single color. The detail is preserved.
Image scanned in
RGB color mode, then
colors reduced to 6
Be aware that some techniques are better for removing noise and
anti-aliasing but not so good for processing dithering in non-outlined
images. See also Choosing suitable artwork.
Outline sharpening
Outline sharpening means more clearly defining the outlines bordering
distinct color blocks or shapes in the artwork. These may have been
indistinct in the original or made so by the scanning process. Outline
sharpening is important for vectorizing because it makes it easier for
Some images have solid outlines but they may be indistinct or incomplete.
These need to be rectified with the CorelDRAW® bitmap editing tools prior
to vector tracing. Refer to the electronic User Guide available via the
Windows Start > Programs group. Alternatively, use the onscreen help
available from the Help menu.
Noise filtering
Noise filtering means restoring the solid color blocks of the original artwork
in scanned images. This is achieved by merging different shades into one
solid color. Noise filtering is important for vectorization because it makes it
easier for DecoStudio to identify solid color blocks to become embroidery
objects in the resulting design. It also cleans up blurred or mottled areas of
color.
Embroidery objects
showing with vector
objects
Only embroidery
objects showing
Vector objects
showing with
embroidery objects
Only vector
objects showing
Note To make sure your design is being displayed at the correct size, you
might need to calibrate your monitor. See Calibrating the monitor for details.
Tip Use TrueView together with a background fabric to see how your design
will look when stitched out. See Changing background colors for details.
Normal view
TrueView ON
Outlines OFF
Outlines ON
Tip Depending on the color of your background, you can change display
colors for Unsewn (stitches), Selected (objects), Object Outline, Grid
and Guide. See Setting display colors for details.
Click Show All (Standard toolbar) to display the whole design in the design
window.
Click Zoom (Standard toolbar) to invoke zoom mode – zoom in or out via left
and right mouse clicks.
Tip Use Auto Scroll to scroll the design automatically while you are
digitizing. This can be more convenient than using panning or the scroll
bars. See Setting auto scroll options for details.
To display a design at actual size, click the Zoom 1:1 icon or press 1.
To return to the previous view, select View > Previous View or
press V.
To view the entire design in the design window, click the Show All icon
or press 0 (zero).
Enter viewing
scale
Tip The Color-Object List and Color Palette Editor also provide
techniques for the selective viewing of color blocks. See Selectively viewing
color blocks for details.
Press
Shift+S
Select viewing
options
Option Description
No Change The display remains the same as before.
Show Whole All embroidery objects in the design are visible.
Design
Show Selected Only objects that are currently selected are visible. This
Objects option is only available when objects are selected.
Tip From this dialog you can also control the display of design elements
such as stitches, outlines, etc. See Setting design element view options
and Setting TrueView options for details.
Note Display settings apply to both the design window and production
worksheet. See also Design viewing modes and Previewing production
worksheets.
Tip The Color-Object List provides another way to view color blocks. See
Selecting objects with the Color-Object List for details.
4 Click OK.
The design appears with only those colors you selected in view.
Note The View By Color command will not work with grouped objects.
Tip To see all other objects again press Esc followed by press Shift+S
or select Unhide All from the popup menu in the Color-Object List.
See Viewing color blocks with the Color-Object List for details.
Use Multi Colorway Box (Color toolbar) to open or close the modeless
Multi-Colorway Box dialog which allows you add and edit colorways.
Tip When you start a new design, Colorway 1 appears as the default color
palette. You can change it by selecting from among any number of
pre-defined colorways saved to the current template.
To view a colorway
Open a design.
Select
colorway
Select
colorway
Tip You can change the background color or fabric color by clicking the
Change Background Color icon next to the colorway name. See
Changing background colors for details.
DecoStudio lets you set the background color of the current colorway for
more realistic previews and presentations. The background color is saved
with the colorway. For the Garment project type you can select different
color for a background fabric. See also Setting up colorways.
Note This tool can be assessed via the Multi-Colorway Box dialog.
Click OK or Cancel
Choose color
swatch for
selected fabric
For the Garment project type, select Solid Color and click Choose
Color. For the Generic or Emblem project type, click Choose
Color. Use the Color dialog to choose or mix a suitable color for
your background. See also Creating new designs.
Choose or mix
color for the
background
Tip You can mix your own background color. See Mixing your own
thread colors for details.
Note The stitching sequence can only be viewed in stitch view, not
TrueView. You can change the display color of unsewn stitches. See Setting
display colors for details.
Tip You can also use keyboard shortcuts to travel through the design by
object. See also Quick Reference.
Travel by
individual stitches
Tip You can also select the object you are currently traveling through
by pressing Shift+O or right-clicking the Select Object tool.
To travel forwards or backwards by 10 stitches, click or right-click
Travel 10 Stitches, or press t or b arrow keys.
To travel to the previous or next stitch, click or right-click Travel 1
Stitch, or press l or r keys.
Use Slow Redraw (Toolbox) to view the stitching and color sequence of a
design in slow motion.
The Slow Redraw tool lets you simulate the actual embroidery design
stitchout on screen. Use it to view design stitching and color sequence in
slow motion. Redrawing can be started from any stitch in the design. Hide
previously stitched parts of the design as required. With larger designs, you
can choose to scroll automatically so that the area being stitched remains
on screen.
Half-stitched
design
Adjust display
options
Go Back to Start
Pause Stop
Tip To redraw only a section of the design, travel to the point where
you want to start Slow Redraw. See Traveling through designs for
details.
Travel to middle of
design, then start Slow
Redraw
Button Function
Pause Pauses the redraw, letting you resume where you left off.
Stop Stops the redraw and returns to the beginning of the design.
Back to Start Redraws from the beginning of the design.
Tip Depending on the color of your background, you can change display
colors for Unsewn (stitches), Selected (objects), Object Outline, Grid
and Guide. See Setting display colors for details.
Note You can use the Color-Object List to group and lock objects. Use it
also to cut, copy and paste, as well as resequence objects. See also
Grouping and locking with the Color-Object List, Copying and pasting
objects, and Resequencing colors and objects with the Color-Object List in
the Online Manual.
Object icon
2 Select the items you want to view in isolation, and hold down Locate.
Select color
block to view
3 Hide selected color blocks and embroidery objects via the popup menu
commands.
To show all items, right-click any object or color block, and select
Unhide All from the popup menu.
To view selected items only, select Hide Others from the popup
menu.
Use Color Palette Editor (Color toolbar) to assign thread colors to color
blocks in the design.
Select color
block
Tip When more than one element appears in the Usage list, you can
select and locate them singly or as a group.
4 To name the design element, click the Usage field and key in a
descriptive name – e.g. ‘Angel Legs’.
Named design
elements listed
here
Tip You can also name design elements in this dialog. See Naming
design elements for details.
Note This same dialog can be accessed from within the Open dialog in
DecoStudio. See also Opening designs.
Dedicated EMB
properties tab
3 Check the design information, or click the other tabs for general file
information.
Tip The Custom tab provides some of the same information entered in
the Design Properties > Summary dialog in DecoStudio. See
Viewing design information in DecoStudio for details.
4 Click OK.
Design properties
extracted from file –
not editable
This tab contains information about the design height, width, stitch
count and colors. The data is extracted from the design and, except for
stitch count, cannot be modified.
Note This tab also provides important information about the file source
– Native Design, Imported Outlines, Processed Stitches, or
Imported Stitches. See Embroidery design formats for details.
2 Click Length Calculation to revise stitch counts according to target
fabric thickness. See Estimating total thread usage for details.
Note There is a stitch count for each element in the design. You can
show this as a stitch count for each element or a cumulative stitch count.
See Setting other general options for details.
4 Select the Summary tab to view or enter summary information about
the design.
5 Click a field and enter any text which will help you identify the design at
a later date.
Tip Click Save to save the revised settings to the current template.
Tip The Usage field in the Color Palette Editor shows a list of selected
color blocks which correspond to design elements. See Viewing color blocks
with the Color Palette Editor for details.
Enter element
names for each
color block
3 In the Element fields, enter names for each color block as required. To
do so, click the field, type the name, and press Enter.
The production worksheet is the link between the designer and the
embroidery machine operator. It contains a design preview and essential
production information, including the size of the design, color sequence and
any special instructions. See also Printing production worksheets in
Embroidery mode.
Click to print
production
worksheet
Production
information and
threadup details
No objects
selected
All objects
selected
OR
Click first object Ctrl + Hold down Ctrl and Shift + Hold down Shift and
click another object click last object
Tip It helps to know the design stitching sequence for this method. See
Viewing stitching sequence for details.
Note Clicking within the object’s extent box but outside its outline does
not select it.
Clicking fill selects the object Clicking fill behind an object Clicking outline of object
even if it is within the bounds without fill selects the object selects the object
of a larger object
Click Select Object (Toolbox) and drag a selection marquee around the
object to select.
With the Select Object tool activated, you can select embroidery objects
by dragging a selection marquee around them. The selection tool is
generally activated by default.
Click Select Object (Toolbox) and press Tab or Shift+Tab to select next or
previous objects.
If an object is already selected, you can select the object before or after it
in the stitching sequence using Tab or Shift+Tab with the Select Object
tool activated. With no object selected, you can select the first or last object
in the design sequence.
Tip Hold down Ctrl and press Tab or Shift+Tab to add the next or
previous objects to the selection.
Object icon
Click to
open/close all
color block nodes
To deselect all objects, click away from objects and color blocks.
Multi-decoration project
In this project we explore the powerful support DecoStudio provides for
multi-decoration design. Here you will combine digital print with embroidery
to create a multi-decoration design. This design is to be both printed on a
digital printer and stitched on an embroidery machine. See Multi-Decoration
Project for details.
Appliqué project
Get the most out of DecoStudio with its purpose-built support for appliqué.
In this project, you will create a large back appliqué using the tools available
both in DecoStudio Graphics and Embroidery modes. Tips, hints and
suggestions provided here will help you along the way in understanding the
techniques used to create professional-looking appliqué with DecoStudio.
See Appliqué Project for details.
In this project we explore the powerful support All steps required to complete the project are
DecoStudio provides for multi-decoration provided here. For further information, however,
design. Here you will combine digital print with you are referred to the Onscreen Manual.
embroidery to create a multi-decoration design.
Getting started
To get started
This design is to be both printed on a digital 1 Open DecoStudio using the desktop icon or
printer and stitched on an embroidery machine. the Windows Start menu.
Printed and sewn sections of the design will be
perfectly aligned. It is intended for a soccer
team called the Pirates. It will be digitally
printed and embroidered in the center of a white
jersey polo shirt. The customer has asked for a
soccer ball and the team name to be included in
the logo. They have also specified the following:
Element Requirements
Digital print • Background graphic of flag with ship
• Text ‘PIRATES’ at the bottom
Embroidery • Pirate head in the middle
• Soccer ball in the left bottom corner 2 When DecoStudio loads, choose New to
create a new design on the Startup screen.
Add the
name of the
soccer team
Transparency
effect increases
at bottom
3 Again using the sizing handles, adjust the
lettering size so that it matches the original
Note Notice that the transparency effect artwork.
increases along the length of the guideline,
meaning that the bottom right blends more
with the dark background of the flag.
3 Adjust the transparency effect as you like by
clicking and dragging the guideline.
Converting design to
embroidery
Digital art and
Use Convert (Universal toolbar) to convert embroidery combined
vector objects to embroidery objects. in the same design
Use Graphics (Universal toolbar) to switch
to Graphics mode.
Aligning embroidery and digital
We’re now ready to convert parts of the design
to embroidery. In this particular design, we print
want the flag, the ship, and the text to be a
digital print. We’ll print this onto the garment Use Embroidery (Universal toolbar) to
first. After this, we over-stitch the pirate head switch to Embroidery mode.
and soccer ball as embroidery. See also Use Auto Start and End (Standard
Digitizing for Embroidery. toolbar) to toggle the Auto Start and End
function on/off according to the current
settings. Right-click to open the Auto
To convert design to embroidery Start and End dialog.
1 Holding down the Shift key, select the pirate Use TrueView (Standard toolbar) to
head and soccer ball together. change between normal view and
TrueView.
Print-only part of
design displays
Click to preview
printable parts of
design
3 For a realistic view click the Print Preview Machinist aligns needle with
button. this point on the P
4 Using the standard CorelDRAW® print 7 To sew out the design, click Stitch to Stitch
options, you can now digitally print the Manager.
design onto your garment. The Stitch to Stitch Manager dialog
5 To sew the design over top of the printed opens.
part, switch to Embroidery mode and
toggle off Show Graphics.
Choose target
machine
Get the most out of DecoStudio with its built-in Element Requirements
support for appliqué. In this project, you will
Bottom layer • Fabric: red
create a large back appliqué using the tools
• Cover: red zigzag
available both in DecoStudio Graphics and
Center • Effect: pattern cross hash
Embroidery modes. Tips, hints and
• Color: grey
suggestions provided here will help you along
the way in understanding the techniques used
All steps required to complete the project are
to create professional-looking appliqué with
provided here. For further information, however,
DecoStudio.
you are referred to the Onscreen Manual.
Getting started
Element Requirements
Top layer • Fabric: white
• Cover: blue zigzag
Choose the
black color
swatch
Select
College-Black
font from the
Font list
Select Interactive
Contour tool
Set second
layer outline
and fill to red
Layers exist as
separate
editable objects
4 In order to change the outline color of the
third layer, again separate it from the
second layer using the Break Contour
Group Apart command in the Arrange
menu.
Creating the third layer The allows you to edit the third layer as an
independent object.
Now we’re ready to create the third layer which 5 Select Outline Pen dialog from the Pen
is the center pattern fill of the ‘C’. flyout menu.
Zigzag stitch
generated to hold
down fabric
Change cover
stitch to Zigzag
Select object to
change cover
stitch
Select
Pre-Cut
Cover stitch to
zigzag with 4mm
Choose none spacing and no
to remove tack tack stitch
stitch
Tack stitch
removed
Press 0 (zero) to
show all stitching Note The EMB file type retains all elements
of the design to a single file – i.e. the design
vectors and all stitch settings together.
Monogramming
This section details the creation of monogram lettering with initials or with
a name, how to add ornaments to monograms, and how to create ornament
layouts. It also covers adding and creating your own borders. See
Monogramming for details.
This section discusses the different design modes and digitizing methods
provided by DecoStudio. It explains how to convert vector graphics directly
to embroidery. It also describes how to digitize shapes manually with the
available digitizing tools and to adjust input settings for best results. It also
explains how to convert between embroidery objects.
Graphics mode
Embroidery mode
Use Fusion Fill (Toolbox) to digitize filled shapes with turning stitch angles.
Right-click to adjust settings for new or selected objects.
Digitizing methods divide broadly into two categories – outline and fill.
Fusion Fill is used to create almost any filled shape. Input C is used to
create filled column shapes of fixed widths. Run is used to digitize outlines
and details. You can adjust the settings of most of these digitizing tools by
right-clicking the associated icon and setting options in the Object
Properties docker.
Note After digitizing, you can convert between Run and Input C objects,
as well as between Fusion Fill and Auto Appliqué. Of course, you can also
convert between vector objects and embroidery objects. See Converting
between embroidery objects for details.
Control points
Once you have selected a digitizing method, you create shapes by marking
points along an outline. DecoStudio uses automatic Bézier curves to create
1 3 5 7
14 8 Click for
corner points
13 2 4 6 9
Right-click for
curve points
12 10
11
2 90° 60°
Connect corners and 45°
curves with a corner point
Curve 30°
point
1 3 180° 0°
Curve Curve
point point Hold down Ctrl to
constrain the line to
270° 15° increments
To constrain the line to 15° increments, hold down Ctrl as you digitize.
This is useful for digitizing straight lines.
For a perfect circular arc, mark three points with a right-click.
Where curves connect – either to a straight line or another curve – click
to mark the connection point.
Entry point
Exit point
Control handle
The reference points you mark when digitizing a shape become its ‘control
points’. These vary slightly with the object type. You use control points to
edit or transform objects. Most control points can be added, deleted, or
Tip You can quickly switch from Fusion Fill digitizing method to Run by
pressing the Spacebar. See also Keyboard Shortcuts.
Use Fusion Fill (Toolbox) to digitize filled shapes with turning stitch angles.
Right-click to adjust settings for new or selected objects.
With the Fusion Fill tool, you can eliminate the need to digitize multiple
objects. This all-purpose digitizing tool allows you to create a single complex
object with multiple stitch angles.
Tip Use the prompts in the Prompt line to help you digitize. If you make
a mistake, press Backspace to delete the last point. Press Esc to undo
all new points. Press Esc again to exit digitizing mode.
To close the shape, you don’t need to mark the last point on top of the
first. Simply press Enter after marking the last point and the shape
automatically closes itself. Depending on the type of first and last points
– i.e. corner or curve – the closing line is either curved or straight.
8 9 4 8 9
4
5 5 7
7
6 6 10
3 10 3
ht
ig 11 2 11
2 t ra e 12 ve 12
s lin r
cu
1 Press Enter – the object is Last point marked on top of
1
closed automatically 13 first with right button
Tip Digitize any additional holes in the same way. See Adding holes to
complex shapes for details.
6 Press Enter to confirm.
You are prompted to accept or discard calculated stitch angles.
7 Press Enter to accept stitch angles.
Alternatively, press Spacebar to discard these stitch angles and accept
a single default stitch angle.
Stitch
angle 2
Stitch angle 1 Stitch angle
Tip You can adjust and/or add stitch angles to embroidery objects using
the Reshape Object tool. See Adjusting and adding stitch angles for
details.
Tip To view stitches better, turn off vector objects by toggling off Show
Graphics in the Universal toolbar. See Displaying artwork and
embroidery for details.
Use Fusion Fill (Toolbox) to digitize filled shapes with turning stitch angles.
Right-click to adjust settings for new or selected objects.
Holes in complex shapes should not overlap or intersect each other. A hole
should not overlap itself and should not have a second hole inside (hole
within a hole). The shapes below cannot be successfully digitized with
Fusion Fill. Where they occur, overlapping holes are ignored and stitches
only generated for the largest defined area.
2 Digitize additional holes making sure they do not overlap. Press Enter
each time. See Embroidery digitizing methods for details.
Tip Use the prompts in the Prompt line to help you digitize. If you make
a mistake, press Backspace to delete the last point. Press Esc to undo
all new points. Press Esc again to exit digitizing mode.
3 When you have digitized all additional holes, press Enter again.
Stitches are regenerated. To view stitches better, turn off vector objects
by toggling off Show Graphics in the Universal toolbar. See Displaying
artwork and embroidery for details.
Use Fusion Fill (Toolbox) to digitize filled shapes with turning stitch angles.
Right-click to adjust settings for new or selected objects.
Where segments within an object meet, the push-pull effect on the fabric
during stitching may cause gaps to appear. These gaps can be prevented by
adding overlapping rows. An overlap of ‘1 row’ means no real overlap. An
overlap of ‘2 rows’ means that the first segment is extended by the addition
of one extra row of stitches.
Enter required
number of rows
4 Press Enter.
Tip You can quickly switch from Input C to Run by pressing the Spacebar.
You can also easily convert between Input C and Run objects. See
Converting between embroidery objects for details.
Digitize columns and borders of fixed width with the Input C tool. You can
leave the shape open, or create an enclosed border by joining the first and
last points. Left and right mouse clicks create reference points – corner
points and curve points respectively.
Tip Use the prompts in the Prompt line to help you digitize. If you make
a mistake, press Backspace to delete the last point. Press Esc to undo
all new points. Press Esc again to exit digitizing mode.
5 Press Enter to finish the line.
Tip To make a border, ‘close’ the shape by entering the last point
exactly on top of the first. If points do not align, stitches will not turn
smoothly around the corner.
6 Specify the column width.
To use the default width (as set in the Object Properties > Special
> Input C docker), press Enter.
Digitize column
width anywhere in
design window
Tip To view stitches better, turn off vector objects by toggling off Show
Graphics in the Universal toolbar. See Displaying artwork and
embroidery for details.
You can set the exact width of Input C columns in the Object Properties
dialog.
Tip You can also change the width of Input C objects by selecting the
Reshape tool, and moving the width control points. See Reshaping
embroidery objects for details.
Tip DecoStudio lets you convert between Run and Input C objects. See
Converting between embroidery objects for details.
Use Run (Toolbox) to place a row of single run stitches along a digitized line.
Right-click to adjust settings for new or selected objects.
Use the Run tool to digitize lines of Run stitching. Left and right mouse clicks
create reference points – corner points and curve points respectively.
Tip Use the prompts in the Prompt line to help you digitize. If you make
a mistake, press Backspace to delete the last point. Press Esc to undo
all new points. Press Esc again to exit digitizing mode.
3 Press Enter to finish the line.
Stitches are generated.
Tip To view stitches better, turn off vector objects by toggling off Show
Graphics in the Universal toolbar. See Displaying artwork and
embroidery for details.
Use Run (Toolbox) to place a row of single run stitches along a digitized line.
Right-click to adjust settings for new or selected objects.
Use Run (Toolbox or Convert popup menu) to convert objects from Input C
to Run.
Use Input C (Toolbox or Convert popup menu) to convert objects from Run
to Input C.
You can quickly inter-convert objects digitized with Run and Input C. This is
useful for creating thicker or thinner columns and borders when scaling
designs.
Converted to
Run object
Tip Alternatively, press Enter to accept defaults at each step. You can
edit the results with the Reshape tool.
Use Fusion Fill (Toolbox or popup menu) to convert objects from Auto
Appliqué to Fusion Fill.
You can quickly inter-convert objects digitized with Fusion Fill to Auto
Appliqué. This is useful when scaling designs and/or adapting the same
design for different purposes.
Frame-out position
Appliqué object
Tip Alternatively, press Enter to accept defaults at each step. You can
edit the results with the Reshape tool.
The most important property of all embroidery objects is stitch type. The
software uses object outlines and the associated stitch type to generate
stitches. Whenever you reshape, transform or scale an object, stitches are
regenerated according to its stitch type and other settings.
This section explains how to apply fill and outline stitch types to your
embroidery objects, as well as how change stitch settings to obtain the best
results.
Use Satin (Stitch Types toolbar) for narrow columns and shapes.
Use Zigzag (Stitch Types toolbar) for long, narrow columns of slanted,
side-by-side stitches in a zigzag pattern.
Use E Stitch (Stitch Types toolbar) for a ‘comb’ effect with long, narrow
columns.
Stitch types divide broadly into two categories – outline and fill. Different
stitch types are suited to different shapes. When you digitize an embroidery
object, it uses the currently selected stitch type. However, you can change
stitch types at any stage. Satin fills are generally suited to columns and
borders. Tatami stitch is used to fill larger shapes with solid fields of
stitching. Both Zigzag and E Stitch are used as outline stitches. Zigzag is
frequently used for tacking down appliqués, while E Stitch is used as the
cover stitch. Both can also be used for decorative effect.
Note Run stitch is considered both a digitizing method and a stitch type.
See Digitizing outlines and details for details.
If an object is too wide, stitches may be loose and not cover the fabric
properly. Conversely, in very narrow columns for example, the stitch density
can be too high, and the needle penetrations can damage the fabric. Stitch
density can be adjusted by setting a fixed spacing value or letting Auto
Spacing calculate the spacing for you.
Use Satin (Stitch Types toolbar) to apply Satin stitch to new or selected
narrow columns and shapes. Right-click to adjust Satin settings.
Adjust density
percentage
Click Tatami (Stitch Types toolbar) to apply Tatami stitch to selected large,
irregular shapes. Right-click to adjust Tatami settings.
Tatami stitch consists of rows of run stitches and is suitable for filling large,
irregular shapes. Stitches are laid in rows going back and forth across the
shape. You can control stitch density in Tatami objects by adjusting stitch
length, and row spacing.
Row spacing
Stitch length
Use Motif Fill (Stitch Types toolbar) to apply Motif Fill to objects using current
settings. Right-click to change settings.
Motif Fill is a decorative stitch suitable for filling large, irregular shapes. It
is generally use to less dense stitching for backgrounds and for special
effects. Motifs are repeated in parallel rows to fill a shape. They can only be
applied to Fusion Fill objects. Auto Underlay is deactivated with this feature
and stitch angle has no effect on motif layout. Select from a wide range of
motifs in the Object Properties docker.
Select motif
Adjust width
Adjust height
6 Adjust the width and height settings of the selected motif as required.
Click Zigzag (Stitch Types toolbar) to apply Zigzag stitch to new or selected
objects. Right-click to adjust Zigzag settings.
When digitizing, you select thread colors for objects from the color palette.
This contains a selection of colors tailored to each design or ‘colorway’. The
particular color scheme represents the actual thread colors in which a design
will be stitched. In fact you can define multiple colorways and switch
between them. This has important implications for sales presentations as
well as production.
For each colorway you define, you can select colors from commercial thread
charts or define your own. Search for particular threads by specific code.
Automatic thread color helps you locate thread colors based on closest
match across one or several thread charts.
Tip You can also print multiple colorways, design backgrounds, and icons
of color blocks in the production worksheet. See Printing production
worksheets in Embroidery mode for details.
This section describes how to select colors from the color palette as well as
how to set up different colorways and split color blocks. It also explains how
to customize and create your own thread colors and charts.
To select a color
Deselect all objects, and then select a color from the palette.
This color becomes current for all new objects.
Note While the selected object/s change color, the ‘current’ color does
not change.
When you start a design, Colorway 1 appears as the default color palette.
Colorways are saved automatically with the design when saving in EMB
format. Colorways cannot, however, be saved with stitch files. See also
Viewing design colorways.
Note While colorways give you different color schemes for a given fabric,
these have no bearing on the fabric settings. As dark-colored threads cover
light-colored fabrics better than vice versa, different densities may be
required when changing from one colorway to another. Colorways do not
automatically compensate for different densities. These have to be adjusted
manually to compensate for light or dark fabrics. See Optimizing Stitch
Quality for details.
Use Add Color To Palette (Color toolbar) to add a new color slot to the
palette. This can be edited by means of the Color Palette Editor.
Use Remove Color From Palette (Color toolbar) to remove the unused last
color slot from the palette.
Use Color Palette Editor (Color toolbar) to assign thread colors to slots in the
color palette.
Use Compact Palette (Color toolbar) to remove all unused colors from
palette.
Click to select
thread chart/s
Select tread
chart/s to use
6 Select a color slot in the Color Palette Editor and match it to a suitable
thread by one of the following means:
Simply click the Match button at the top of the color list to find the
nearest equivalent thread color in the selected charts.
Enter an exact color code in the Find Code field.
Click-and-drag the selection handle and scroll down the color list to
locate a color you want to use.
Click the arrow buttons on top and at the bottom of the color list.
Note The current selection in the Color Palette Editor is not linked to
the current selection in the color palette itself.
7 Select the thread color in the list by clicking the color or the code.
The selected color is highlighted, ready for use.
Note The Compact Palette tool is disabled for machine formats that
use needle addressing – i.e. that have Color Change set as Needle No
in the Machine Format Values dialog. See also Setting color change
functions.
Tip Certain other settings are included as part of the colorway definition –
background color or fabric, as well as display colors for borer symbols,
unsewn stitches, selected objects, object outlines and the grid. See Viewing
design colorways for details.
3 Click New.
Click to choose
colorway
5 Click OK.
The new colorway displays with the colorway you selected to base on.
6 Edit the colors and background of the new colorway using the Color
Palette Editor. See Modifying colorways for details.
7 Select a colorway in the list to view.
This has the same effect as selecting the colorway from the dropdown
list on the Color toolbar.
8 To delete a colorway, select it and click Delete.
You are prompted to confirm the deletion.
9 Click OK.
Modifying colorways
Use Add Color To Palette (Color toolbar) to add a new color slot to the
palette. This can be edited by means of the Color Palette Editor.
Use Color Palette Editor (Color toolbar) to assign thread colors to slots in the
color palette.
Use Compact Palette (Color toolbar) to remove all unused colors from
palette. Unused slots appear gray.
You can modify a colorway by adding or changing colors. New colors can be
selected from any available thread chart. Any modifications to thread colors
only affect the selected colorway. All others remain unchanged. The
modified colorway is saved with the design.
To modify a colorway
1 With a design open, click Multi-Colorway Box.
The Multi-Colorway Box dialog opens.
Select colorway
to edit
7 Assign colors from the current thread chart to selected color slots. See
Setting up color palettes for details.
8 Optionally, click Compact Palette to display only those colors used in
the design once all colors are assigned to objects. See also Viewing color
blocks with the Color Palette Editor.
Use Color Palette Editor (Color toolbar) to modify threads in existing charts.
2 Import threads from the thread chart of your choice. See Setting up
color palettes for details.
3 Select the color slot you want to edit and click the Edit Thread button.
The Edit Thread dialog opens.
Click to select
or mix color
Edit thread
details
4 Click Mix to mix your own thread color. See Mixing your own thread
colors for details.
5 Edit thread details as required. See Adding your own colors to thread
charts for details.
6 Click OK.
Use Color Palette Editor (Color toolbar) to assign thread colors to slots in the
color palette.
Use Split Palette Color (Color toolbar) to create a new color slot with the
same thread specification as the selected slot.
Note The design needs to contain at least two colorways and two objects.
The button is disabled when objects of different colors are selected.
Select colorway
to edit
5 Via the Color Palette Editor, assign a new thread color to the new color
slot in the selected colorway. See Setting up color palettes for details.
The colors of the other colorways remain unaffected.
Consecutive
blocks of same
color remain
separate
Use Color Palette Editor (Color toolbar) to create new thread charts.
DecoStudio lets you define your own thread charts. When you create a
thread chart, you are creating a store of colors to use in future use.
Click to select
thread chart/s
4 Click New.
The New Thread Chart dialog opens.
My Thread Chart
Click to copy
threads from
other chart
6 Click Add to add your own colors. See Adding your own colors to thread
charts for details.
7 Click Copy From to add colors from an existing chart. See Copying
colors between charts for details.
8 Click Close to finish.
The new chart is created and ready for use.
Use the Modify Thread Chart dialog to rename existing thread charts and
remove them entirely from the system. Select names that will help you
remember the charts you need or to help you sort frequently-used charts to
the top of the list.
Warning Be careful when deleting thread charts. If you delete the wrong
chart you will need to reinstall DecoStudio to restore it.
Select
thread chart
Click to modify
selected thread chart
2 Click Modify.
The Modify Thread Chart dialog opens displaying the current thread
chart.
My Thread Chart
My Thread Chart
6 Enter the new name for the thread chart and click OK.
Select
thread chart
Select color
Click to remove
to modify
selected thread color
Click to edit selected
thread details
Tip To delete all the threads from the thread chart, click Clear All.
6 Click Edit to change thread details.
Click to select
or mix color
Edit thread
details
7 Edit thread details as required. See Adding your own colors to thread
charts for details.
8 Click OK.
You can copy colors between different thread charts to create your own
charts from existing colors.
Click to copy
threads from
other charts
2 Create a new chart or open an existing one from the Name list.
3 Click Copy From.
Select
thread chart
Select color
to copy
You can add colors to thread charts using colors from other charts or colors
you mix yourself.
Click to add
own colors to
thread chart
2 Create a new chart or open an existing one from the Name list.
3 Click Add to add your own colors.
The Add Thread dialog opens.
Click to select
or mix color
Enter thread 1234
details
My Brand
Deep Purple
Select thread
thickness
4 Enter code, brand, and description details for the new thread color.
Code is the identification number of a thread color in a brand.
5 Select the appropriate thread thickness:
Thickness Description
D Very fine
Click an area to
select color
Drag arrow to
adjust brightness
Click to
select color
3 From the Basic colors palette, select a color that approximates the one
you require.
4 To further refine your color choice, drag the crosshairs on the color
spectrum.
5 To adjust color brightness, drag the arrow on the slider bar.
6 Alternatively, set the exact HLS or RGB values you require.
DecoStudio lets you generate all the stitching you need for appliqué using
a dedicated Auto Appliqué tool. Up to four layers of stitching – guide runs,
cutting lines, tack stitches and cover stitches – can be generated for any
appliqué object, depending on current settings. You can also extract
appliqué shapes from a design to output to a cutter or separate file. See
Cutting appliqué shapes for details.
Tip Print a copy of appliqué patterns to use in cutting out fabric pieces. Each
appliqué pattern piece is numbered according to the stitching sequence. See
Printing appliqué patterns for details.
This section describes different techniques for creating appliqué including
how to convert vector graphics to appliqué, how to digitize appliqué objects
from scratch, as well as how to convert Fusion Fill objects to appliqué. It also
covers adjusting guide run, tack stitch, and cover stitch settings, as well as
changing frame-out positions.
Tip The CorelDRAW® Object Manager also indicates which objects have
been tagged as appliqué objects. All objects tagged as appliqué objects have
the text ‘Appliqué’ in the object name preceding the object description.
3 Click Convert.
DecoStudio switches to Embroidery mode and automatically converts
the vector object to an appliqué object.
Use Auto Appliqué to produce all the stitching you require for appliqué
objects. Up to four layers of stitching – guide runs, cutting lines, tack
stitches and cover stitches – can be generated for each appliqué object,
depending on current settings. When you stitch out an appliqué object, the
machine stops between layers. When the guide run has been stitched, lay
the appliqué patch over the design and re-start the machine. Or, if using a
cutting line, place the fabric over the guide run then trim in position after
the cutting line has been stitched. Start the machine again for tack and
cover stitching.
Tip Follow the prompts in the Prompt Line to help you digitize. If you
make a mistake, press Backspace to delete the last reference point,
then continue digitizing.
3 Press Enter to close the shape.
Tip You can create another appliqué object at this stage by digitizing
and pressing Enter.
4 Press Enter again.
5 Click the outline to set the entry and exit points or press Enter to accept
the defaults.
6 Click a Frame Out position or press Enter to accept the default.
Adjust settings as
required
Tip Run Slow Redraw or the travel tools to check the appliqué
stitching sequence. See Viewing stitching sequence for details.
You can quickly convert Fusion Fill objects to appliqué by adding entry, exit
points and frame-out position. See also Cutting appliqué shapes.
Select to convert to
appliqué object
3 Click the outline to set the stitch entry and exit points or press Enter to
accept the defaults. See also Digitizing appliqué objects.
4 Mark a frame out position or press Enter to accept the default.
Tip Follow the prompts in the Prompt line to help you digitize.
Each of these layers can be adjusted via the Object Properties dialog.
When you stitch out an appliqué object, the machine stops between layers.
DecoStudio also allows you to pre-set a frame-out movement which shifts
the hoop out from under the needle, making it easier to place and trim
appliqué shapes.
Select cutting
method
Option Purpose
Pre-Cut No cutting line is generated. This option assumes you have
a pre-cut appliqué patch ready to be placed in position.
Trim in Place An additional cutting line is generated.
Guide run
Cutting line
Tack stitches
Cover stitches
The cover stitch is the Satin border around the appliqué shape.
When you stitch out appliqué objects, you can set a frame-out movement.
This shifts the hoop out from under the needle, making it easier to place and
trim appliqué shapes. Depending on the type of machine you are working
with, the frame-out command needs to be specified as either a Stop
function – multi-head machine – or Color Change function – single-head
machine. The distance and direction of the frame-out hoop movement is
pre-set. However, if you need to move it, you can do so by means of the
Reshape Object tool.
Note If you select ‘None’ as the frame-out option for both guide and tack
stitching, the machine will continue stitching without pause.
2 Click and drag the frame-out position marker to the required position.
A monogram is a design
composed of one or more letters,
typically the initials of a name,
used as an identifying mark. The
Monogramming feature offers a
simple way to create personalized
monograms using a selection of
pre-defined monogramming
styles, border shapes and
ornaments, together with a set of
tools to help you place these
elements in creative and
decorative ways.
This section details the creation of monogram lettering with initials or with
a name, how to add ornaments to monograms, and how to create ornament
layouts.
Borders stitched
first – 1, 2, 3
Ornaments
stitched next
Lettering
stitched last
Assuming that all elements are present, the monogram is stitched in the
following order: borders (1, 2, 3, and 4), ornament sets, and lettering
object(s).
The Monogramming dialog is ‘modal’ meaning that you are not able
to select objects or operate any controls outside the dialog while it is
open. However, elements specified in the dialog are displayed instantly
in the design window, and any changes made to settings inside the
dialog are immediately visible. The dialog also contains Undo, Redo
and Zoom buttons. Undo reverses any changes made since the dialog
was opened. The normal shortcut keys – Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Y, Z, Shift+Z –
can also be used while the dialog is open.
2 Select the type of lettering object you want to make:
Initials: Up to three initials can be entered, including special
characters and symbols. See Creating monogram lettering with
initials for details.
3 Click the Ornaments tab and specify the type of ornamentation you
want by clicking Add.
You can add up to ten ornament sets around a monogram. See Adding
ornaments to monograms for details.
4 Click the Borders tab and specify the type of border you want by
clicking Add.
You can add up to four borders of the same shape to a monogram
design. See Adding borders to monograms for details.
5 Click OK to complete.
Tip You can modify selected monograms at any time by adjusting their
settings in the Monogramming dialog. The dialog can be opened with
a single monogram, and no other object, selected. Any modifications to
the settings are applied directly to the selected monogram.
Enter initials in
each field
Note The All Letters option is selected by default. This means that any
changes to lettering properties will affect all initials in the monogram. If
you want to specify different settings for each one, select the button
corresponding to the letter you want to modify before proceeding. This
step is repeated for each letter.
2 Enter the first initial for the monogram in the Letter #1 field.
4 Optionally, click the Style button and select the style you want from the
flyout menu – drag mouse to the desired item and release the mouse
button.
The current height of Letter #1 is used as the ‘base setting’ for the style.
Style 15
Style 1 Style 7
Select alphabet
6 Use the Alphabet dropdown list to change alphabets and adjust the
Letter Height as required.
Initials option
disabled
Select Name
option
Select alphabet
6 Use the Alphabet dropdown list to change alphabets and adjust the
Letter Height as required.
Note The default values for monogram lettering Alphabet and Height
are distinct from those for conventional lettering.
7 Click Create Lettering.
The monogram lettering object is added to the design window, replacing
any that might already be there.
Click to add
ornament set
Select motif
set
Select motif
Choose design
as ornament
1 2 3 Anchor position
4 6
7 8 9
11 Change any ornament set any time by clicking the ornament set and the
Change button.
12 Click the Borders tab if you want to specify a border or borders for your
monogram. See Adding borders to monograms for details.
13 Click OK to complete.
Choose design
as ornament
Select Position #5
Adjust settings
6 Click the Borders tab if you want to specify a border or borders for your
monogram. See Adding borders to monograms for details.
7 Click OK to complete.
Adjust
settings Distance from
lettering
Anchor
position
1 2 3
4 6
7 8 9
Mirrors Cycle
Duplicates
8 Click the Borders tab if you want to specify a border or borders for your
monogram. See Adding borders to monograms for details.
9 Click OK to complete.
To add borders
1 Create the lettering object you want to use in your monogram:
Initials: Up to three initials can be entered, including special
characters and symbols. See Creating monogram lettering with
initials for details.
Name: This option allows unlimited lines of characters to be
entered. See Creating monogram lettering with names for details.
2 Add any ornaments you want. See Adding ornaments to monograms for
details.
3 Click the Borders tab.
Select border
Adjust border
offset
Offset from
lettering object
Tip The software allows you to enter a negative offset. This allows you
to create multiple overlapping borders.
7 Click the Add button again to add up to four more borders.
Click to add
more borders
Click to change
border shapes
Tip If you want to change the border shape, click the Change button
and select a different border from the Select Border dialog. Any change
affects all borders in the design.
8 Use the Offset field to adjust spacing between borders.
Change stitch
type of each
border
Change color
of each border
10 Use the Outline and Fill tool buttons to change outline or fill stitch type
for selected borders.
Fourth border:
Pattern Run
First border:
Pattern Fill
11 Use the Aspect Ratio field to change the ratio of height to width for all
borders.
By adjusting this value, you adjust height and width in relation to one
another and thereby make the border fatter or taller. The default is 1.00
which means that the border height and width are as per the original.
12 Click OK to complete.
4 Click Convert.
Embroidery mode opens in a few moments and the converted
embroidery lettering displays.
Turning Satin
lettering
Parallel Tatami
lettering
Native Wilcom
lettering
Tip If you are not satisfied with the results of lettering conversion and
want to preserve the precise appearance of the original text, try
converting to curves first. This technique, however, causes the lettering
properties to be lost.
Right-click Lettering (Toolbox) to enter text in the docker and adjust settings
for embroidery lettering.
Using the Object Properties docker, you can specify letter formatting
before adding it to the design. This is the more traditional method and is
useful with more complex designs. DecoStudio provides an alphabet range
suitable for many applications. Select from the supplied alphabets or
convert any TrueType font installed on your system. See also Standard
Alphabets.
Edit text
Select baseline
Select alphabet
Adjust formatting
Set justification
2 Enter the text you want to embroider in the text entry panel in Text
Options.
To start a new line of lettering, press Enter.
Tip You can insert a color change between two letters by keying a caret
(^) symbol. Subsequent letters default to the next color in the palette.
3 Select an alphabet from the dropdown list. See Selecting alphabets and
fonts for details.
Scroll to preview
available alphabets
Scroll to preview
available alphabets
Recommended sizes
For best results when stitching, do not exceed the recommended maximum
or minimum sizes. Note, however, that recommended maximum and
minimum heights refer to UPPER CASE letters. Most embroidery fonts are
digitized from an original TrueType Font (TTF), some of which have
lower-case letters – e.g. ‘a’ and ‘c’ – which are about 70% the height of a
Special characters
You can create special characters in each alphabet by holding down the Alt
key on your keyboard and typing 0 (zero), its code, using the numbers on
the keypad. For example, to type ê with the code 234, type Alt+0234. The
accented letter will appear when you release the Alt key. See also Adding
special characters and symbols.
Scroll to preview
available TrueType
fonts
Baselines use default settings to determine their size, spacing and angles.
DecoStudio gives you both interactive and precise numerical control over
many baseline settings. Techniques are available to modify baseline type,
length, radius and angle, as well as baseline position. You can numerically
define the rotation angle of letters relative to the baseline or the design
itself.
Tip You can also create lettering along any shape of baseline in Graphics
mode and convert to embroidery lettering. See Creating lettering in
Graphics mode for details.
Click to open
Select horizontal
baseline – free or fixed
Fixed – Click on
screen to mark start
and end points
Free – Click on
screen to mark
start point
Tip You can adjust baseline settings at any stage. See Reshaping
baselines for details.
Click to open
Tip Hold down the Ctrl key to constrain the line to 15° increments.
Arc clockwise
1 2
Arc counter
clockwise
8 Mark a third point above the first two points for Arc Clockwise, and
below for the Arc Counter Clockwise baseline.
The lettering is generated.
Tip You can adjust baseline settings at any stage. See Reshaping
baselines for details.
Formatting lettering
You can control lettering appearance by changing formatting settings in the
Object Properties docker. Change current formatting settings before or
after adding lettering. You can slant letters to left or right for an italic effect.
Use the justification setting – left, right, center, or fully justified – to align
lettering along the baseline.
To format lettering
1 Create a new lettering object and select it. See Creating lettering with
Object Properties for details.
Change the space between lines in a multiple-line lettering object using the
Reshape Object tool.
Line spacing
increased
DecoStudio gives you interactive and precise numeric control over many
settings affecting lettering objects. Adjust both individual letters and
lettering objects as a whole. Apply horizontal, vertical, and curved
baselines. Modify baseline type, length, radius and angle, as well as
position. You can even define the rotation angle of letters relative to the
baseline or the design itself.
This section describes how to edit lettering text. It also explains how to scale
and transform lettering objects. It also covers adjusting individual letters as
well as reshaping baselines on screen.
With DecoStudio you have the option of editing lettering directly on screen.
I-beam
Edit text
Select baseline
Click to update text
Select alphabet
Adjust formatting
Set justification
2 Make any other adjustments you require. See Formatting lettering for
details.
3 Click the Update Text button.
Letters are updated according to current settings. See also Changing
lettering stitch types.
Scaling lettering
When you first create lettering, it may be too big or too small. Size can be
adjusted in three ways:
By scaling on screen with the Select Object or Reshape Object tools
By adjusting width and height settings in the Object Properties >
Special > Lettering dialog
Drag to resize
Horizontally
Drag
Drag
Note Letter height can vary between roughly 5mm and 200mm. For
recommended sizes, see Standard Alphabets.
3 Enter the width of your lettering object in the Width field as a
percentage of the height.
For wide letters, increase the percentage – e.g. 140%.
For narrow letters, decrease the percentage – e.g. 70%.
Original
Width and
height 125%
Tip When you enter a value in either width or height field, the
percentage is automatically calculated. To resize proportionally, copy
this value to the other field and click the Apply button.
Drag to rotate
Drag
Rotation Drag
point
Drag
Rotation
point
A baseline shows the rotated position of the lettering object as you drag.
You can reposition individual letters in a lettering object using the Reshape
Object tool. See also Adjusting individual letter spacing on screen.
Drag to scale
letter height Drag to scale letter proportionally
Drag to skew
Drag to scale letter width
Drag to rotate
Drag to
skew
Draw selection marquee Hold down Ctrl and click to Hold down Shift and left- or
to select group of nodes select individual nodes right-click to select range
Reshape by adding,
deleting and dragging
reshape nodes
Tip Holding down the Ctrl key, click the outline wherever you want to
place an additional stitch angle line.
7 Adjust the entry/exit points as required and press Enter. See Adjusting
entry and exit points for details.
Adjust
entry/exit points
Tip The Stitch Angle and Reshape Object tools let you add, delete,
or adjust stitch angles in lettering objects. See Adjusting and adding
stitch angles for details.
DecoStudio lets you change the color of individual letters within a lettering
object.
Tip You can also insert a color change between two letters by keying a caret
(^) symbol. Subsequent letters default to the next color in the palette. See
Creating lettering with Object Properties for details.
Reshaping baselines
To reshape a baseline
Select the lettering object and click Reshape Object.
Baseline control
points
Control handles
Drag up or down to
change baseline angle
Drag up or down to
change radius of curve
Tip The exact letter positions depend on the justification – left, center,
or right justified. If the baseline becomes too short, letter spacing is
reduced, and letters may overlap.
Inserting symbols
To insert symbols
1 Right-click Lettering.
The Object Properties > Special > Lettering dialog opens.
Click to insert
symbols
Tip If you already know the keyboard shortcut for a symbol, you can
add it to your lettering by entering the combination on screen or in the
Object Properties > Special > Lettering dialog.
2 Click Insert Symbols.
Show characters
Show pictures and
Show pictures characters
Select alphabet
or symbol set
Select
symbols
Selected characters
displayed
Click to add
Select font
Select symbols
or double-click
Tooltip shows
keyboard
shortcut
Right-click Satin (Stitch Types toolbar) to adjust Satin values for lettering
objects.
By default, lettering objects are filled with Satin stitch. Where a letter is
narrow, stitches are tight, thus requiring fewer stitches to cover the fabric.
Where a column is very narrow, stitches need to be less dense because too
many needle penetrations can damage the fabric. See also Creating Satin
fills.
2 Select the Fills tab and Satin stitch from the Stitch Type list.
Select Satin
3 Select the type of stitch spacing you want for your lettering.
For Fixed Spacing, clear the Auto Spacing checkbox and select a
value (in millimeters) in the Stitch Spacing field. For more open
stitching, select a higher value for decreased stitch density. See
Applying Satin stitch with fixed spacing for details.
For Auto Spacing, select the Auto Spacing checkbox and specify
the amount of adjustment to make to the spacings as a % value.
See Applying Satin stitch with auto-spacing for details.
Auto Spacing ON
Stitch Density 100 %
Auto Spacing OFF
Stitch Spacing 0.6 mm
Auto Spacing ON
Stitch Density 60 %
4 Press Enter.
Right-click Tatami (Stitch Types toolbar) to adjust Tatami values for lettering
objects.
You can fill lettering shapes with Tatami stitching. It is suitable for filling
large, irregular lettering shapes. See also Creating Tatami fills.
2 Select the Fills tab and Tatami stitch from the Stitch Type list.
Alternatively, right-click the Tatami icon with the lettering object
selected.
Select Tatami
5 Press Enter.
Right-click Zigzag (Stitch Types toolbar) to adjust Zigzag values for lettering
objects.
Zigzag stitch is similar to Satin in that the needle penetrates each side of
the column. But while Satin gives a straight line followed by a diagonal,
Zigzag produces two diagonal lines, thereby producing a more open stitch.
It is generally used for decorative effect or where fewer stitches are
required. The density is determined by the stitch spacing setting. See also
Creating Zigzag outlines.
2 Select the Fills tab and Zigzag stitch from the Stitch Type list.
Alternatively, right-click the Zigzag icon with the lettering object
selected.
Select Zigzag
Stitch Spacing 1 mm
Stitch Spacing 3 mm
Stitch Spacing 2 mm
4 Press Enter.
You can specify the sequence in which letters are stitched to minimize
registration problems such as on caps or difficult fabrics. For example,
center-out stitching is especially useful when stitching on caps.
Click to open
Tip Travel through your design to check the stitching sequence. See
Viewing stitching sequence for details.
Reshaping objects
This section describes how to reshape objects with control points, how to
adjust and add stitch angles, as well as how to change entry and exit points
of objects in a stitching sequence. See Reshaping Objects for details.
Inserting designs
DecoStudio lets you insert one design into
another. The two (or more) designs can
then be saved as a combined design. When
you insert a design in another, the two
color palettes are combined. Colors with
the same RGB values are automatically
identified as having the same thread color.
If you want to preserve these as separate
colors, you need to change one or other
before merging. See Modifying colorways
for details.
To insert designs
1 Open the first design.
2 Travel to the position in the stitching sequence where you want to insert
the design. See Viewing stitching sequence for details.
You can insert a design between objects in the sequence, or ‘nest’ the
design within an object. See Nesting objects for details.
3 Select an Insert Embroidery File option as required. See Setting
inserted embroidery file options for details.
5 From the Look In list, select the folder where the design you want to
insert is stored, and select the required format from the Files of type
list.
6 Select the design file to insert, and click Open.
The design is inserted at the current needle position.
7 Move the second design into the required position. See Moving objects
for details.
Tip You can paste between other objects in the sequence, or ‘nest’ the
copied object within an object. See Nesting objects for details.
5 Click the Paste icon.
The object is pasted in the design, according to the current paste
options. Alternatively, use the popup menu to override the current paste
options.
Override current
paste options
Tip Change the default paste option as required. See Setting paste
position options for details.
6 Make sure that there is only one copy of an object at any one position.
Note The object remains on the clipboard and can be pasted repeatedly
until the next Copy or Cut command.
Duplicating objects
Objects can be duplicated rather than copied. When an object is duplicated,
it is not copied to the clipboard. This leaves the clipboard free for you to cut
or copy other objects. See also Mirroring objects.
To duplicate objects
1 Select the object (or objects) to duplicate.
2 Travel to the position in the stitching sequence at which you want to
place the object. See Viewing stitching sequence for details.
You can place the duplicate between other objects in the sequence, or
‘nest’ it within an object. See Nesting objects for details.
3 Select Edit > Duplicate.
The duplicate object is placed directly on top of the original, in the
specified position in the stitching sequence.
4 Move the duplicate object to the required position.
Cloning objects
The Quick Clone feature lets you quickly duplicate selected objects by
right-clicking, dragging and releasing at a new position. See also Mirroring
objects.
Drag-and-drop
Tip For more precise positioning, hold down the Ctrl key while dragging
– movement is thereby constrained to X or Y axes.
3 Release the mouse.
A duplicate object(s) is created at the release point.
Deleting objects
Various methods are available for deleting objects.
To delete objects
Select the object (or objects) to delete, and do one of the following:
Press Delete.
Select Edit > Delete.
Right-click and select Delete from the popup menu.
Nesting objects
DecoStudio lets you ‘nest’ one object inside another at an exact point of the
stitching sequence. This feature is particularly useful with motifs and other
To nest objects
1 Travel through the first object until the needle position marker is
positioned where you want to insert the second object. See Traveling
through designs for details.
Travel to insertion
point and paste object
2 Insert the second object. To do this, either digitize the object, or copy
and paste, or cut-and-paste it.
The second object is ‘nested’ in the stitching sequence of the first object.
All required functions are automatically inserted for the second object.
3 Move the copied object into the required position.
1
5
Note The entry and exit points should also be checked when you are
resequencing objects in a design. See also Adjusting entry and exit points.
Click Cut (Standard toolbar) to cut a selected object or objects and place
them on the clipboard.
You can resequence objects by cutting an object from the design and
pasting it back at a different point in the sequence. This does not change
the physical location of the object. See also Nesting objects.
3 Travel to the position in the stitching sequence where you want to paste
the object. See Viewing stitching sequence for details.
You can paste between other objects in the sequence, or ‘nest’ the cut
object within another object. See Nesting objects for details.
If you do not move the current needle position marker, the object is
pasted at the end of the sequence.
4 Click the Paste icon.
The object is pasted back in the design according to the current paste
options. See also Setting paste position options.
Note The object remains on the clipboard and can be pasted repeatedly
until the next Copy or Cut command.
Note Select each object in the order you want it to stitch out in.
3 With the objects still selected, select Edit > Resequence > By
Selects.
The objects are resequenced in the order they were selected.
Note This technique resequences all color blocks of the same color in the
stitching sequence. If, for any reason, you want to maintain separate color
blocks, you should use the Color-Object List. See Resequencing colors and
objects with the Color-Object List for details.
Select color
block
Use buttons to
resequence
3 Select a color and click Move Up or Move Down to change its position
in the sequence.
4 Click OK.
The Color-Object List provides an easy way to select objects in designs and
access their properties. You can resequence color blocks and objects easily
by changing their position in the Color-Object List.
Tip You can also use it to group and ungroup, lock and unlock, and show
and hide objects. Use it also to cut, copy and paste, as well as branch
objects. See also Grouping and locking with the Color-Object List and
Copying and pasting objects.
Click-and-drag object
to new position
Tip The entry and exit points should also be checked when you are
resequencing objects in a design. See also Adjusting entry and exit
points.
Enter number of
target object
5 In the Object # field, enter the number of the object before which you
want to position your selected object.
You can change the position, size and orientation of objects in a design by
moving, scaling and transforming them. Group objects together to apply
universal changes, or lock them to avoid unintentional modification. Modify
objects directly on screen or using the Object Properties dialog. Access
commonly used functions via the Color-Object List.
Positioning objects
Position objects in your design using the mouse to drag them to a new
position, nudging them with the arrow keys or by specifying the X:Y
coordinates in the General Properties bar. DecoStudio lets you align
Moving objects
The simplest way to move an object in your design is to click-and-drag it to
a new position. Use the arrow keys to ‘nudge’ objects into position.
Note If no objects are selected, using the arrow keys moves the current
needle position.
To move objects
Select the objects to move and click-and-drag it to a new position. See
Selecting and deselecting objects for details.
For more accurate positioning, use the arrow keys to ‘nudge’ the object
into the required position.
For even more accurate positioning, enter the X:Y coordinates in the
General Properties bar.
Enter exact
coordinates
Tip Zoom in to make small adjustments. The distance the object moves
depends on the current zoom factor. The greater the zoom factor, the
smaller the distance moved.
You can align selected objects in a design to the left, right, top, bottom or
center of a specific object. The Arrange toolbar offers a set of buttons to
trigger functions of the same name found in the Arrange menu. The tools
all become enabled when two or more objects are selected.
To align objects
1 Select the objects you want to align. See Selecting and deselecting
objects for details.
2 Select the object you want to align with.
Note Objects are aligned with the last object selected. When all the
objects in the design are selected by using Ctrl+A or a selection
marquee they are aligned with the last object in the sequence.
Align center
1 Align left
2
Align bottom
Note The Align Center tool is only accessed via the Arrange menu.
You can automatically distribute selected objects with even spacing between
them, both vertically or horizontally. The Arrange toolbar offers a set of
buttons to trigger functions of the same name found in the Arrange menu.
The tools all become enabled when three or more objects are selected.
You can group selected objects, or an entire design, to keep them together
for moving, scaling and transforming actions. With grouped objects you can
also apply global changes, saving time and ensuring consistency. When you
have finished making changes to a group, you can ungroup and work with
the component objects.
Note You need to ungroup before you can set properties for any individual
object in the group.
Objects ungrouped
and deselected
Tip To select with a selection marquee, simply drag the mouse over one
or more objects and any objects completely within the selection
marquee are selected when you release the mouse button. See
Selecting objects by selection marquee for details.
Click Unlock All (Arrange toolbar) to unlock all locked objects in a design.
Lock objects to prevent them from being moved or modified by accident. For
example, locking backdrop images holds them in place as you digitize,
transform or reshape the embroidery objects near them. Locked objects can
be unlocked for modification at any time.
Tip Use the Color-Object List also to cut, copy and paste, resequence, as
well as branch objects. See also Copying and pasting objects and
Resequencing colors and objects with the Color-Object List.
Click to open
or close node
Group/Lock
objects
3 Select color blocks or objects and right-click to invoke the popup menu.
4 Group and/or lock selected color blocks and objects via the popup menu.
Scaling objects
You can scale objects by dragging selection handles, specifying the exact
dimensions in the General Properties bar, or by setting the distance
Note Only EMB designs contain the complete set of design information
required for 100% perfect scaling and transformation.
Drag
Scale
vertically
Scale
vertically
Drag
Scale
horizontally
Drag
Shift + drag
Note If you scale a stitch design by more than 5%, changes to stitch
density will affect the design quality. See Embroidery design formats for
details.
Click Apply
Tip To preserve aspect ratio, copy the calculated percentage from one
field to the other.
3 Click the Apply button.
3 Select the Size checkbox, and enter the required distance between the
reference points.
4 Click OK.
You are prompted to enter the start and end points of the reference line.
You will have already decided which two points in the object or design
will form the reference line.
Tip Press Ctrl to constrain the angle of the axis to 15° increments.
Press Enter twice to use the default reference line.
Click Make Same Width (Arrange toolbar) to scale an object or design to the
same width as a reference object.
Click Make Same Height (Arrange toolbar) to scale an object or design to the
same height as a reference object.
Click Make Same Width and Height (Arrange toolbar) to scale an object or
design to the same size as a reference object.
You can scale objects to the same size as a reference object. Resize the
height or width separately or both.
Make same
width
1 Make same
3 height
2
Make same
width and height
Note Objects are resized with reference to the last object selected.
When all the objects in the design are selected by using Ctrl+A or a
selection marquee they are resized with reference to the last object in
the sequence.
Rotating objects
You can rotate objects directly on screen or by setting an exact rotation
angle.
Rotation handle
Anchor point
Click second
time Skew handle
Note If you click too quickly, the Object Properties docker opens.
3 Drag the anchor point to any position required.
Drag corner point to rotate Anchor point Drag corner point to rotate
about the anchor point repositioned about the anchor point
3 To rotate by an exact amount, enter the exact angle in the Rotate field
and press Enter.
Tip Press Ctrl to constrain the angle of the axis to 15° increments.
Click the anchor point. The pointer then aligns itself with the second
reference point.
Click a guide point for the required rotation position. Use the
coordinates on the Status bar for exact alignment.
Select rotation angle – Digitize reference line – align Reference line set to angle
e.g. 0° with base of object specified in dialog
5 Click OK.
6 Click to mark the start and end points of the reference line.
Tip Press Ctrl to constrain the angle of the axis to 15° increments.
Press Enter twice to use a horizontal reference line by default.
Skewing objects
You can skew objects directly on screen or by setting an exact skew angle.
Rotation handle
Anchor point
Click second
time Skew handle
4 To skew by an exact amount, enter the exact angle in the Skew field
and press Enter.
Mirroring objects
In DecoStudio you can mirror objects horizontally or vertically by means of
the Transform toolbar. You can also mirror around a defined axis using a
reference line. See also Duplicating objects. See also Cloning objects.
You can mirror selected objects horizontally or vertically using the Mirror
tools.
To flip objects
1 Select the objects to mirror.
2 Click a Mirror icon.
Select Mirror
Starting object
Mirrored
Tip Press Ctrl to constrain the angle of the axis to 15° increments. If
you just want to mirror your selection around a horizontal axis, press
Enter twice. The mirror axis defaults to zero.
This section describes how to reshape objects with control points, how to
adjust and add stitch angles, as well as how to change entry and exit points
of objects in a stitching sequence.
Entry point
Exit point
Control handle
Tip Before modifying any design, it is good practice to save a copy under a
new name and keep the original in case you want to discard changes and
start again.
Use Show Handles (Reshape toolbar) to toggle Bézier handle display when
using the Reshape Object tool.
Exit point
Note Corner and curve points can be interchanged. Most control points
can be added, deleted, or moved. Entry and exit points, however,
cannot be deleted.
Show Reshape Nodes Show Handles Show Stitch Angles Show Entry/Exit
Tip The Show Reshape Nodes button can be toggled using the hotkey
combination Alt+N. The Show Stitch Angles button can be toggled
using the hotkey combination Alt+A.
To view the next or previous objects, press Tab or Shift+Tab keys.
Change object shapes with the Reshape Object tool. Use it to add, delete,
or move reshape nodes on the object outline. For some objects, you can also
change corner reshape nodes to curves.
Note The Reshape Object tool lets you modify shapes without affecting
the stitch angles and entry and exit points.
Right-click
Left-click
OR
Click to select – hold Drag selection marquee Hold down Shift and right
down Ctrl to select around reshape nodes or left-click to select range
multiple nodes to select of nodes
Drag reshape
nodes
Tip You can right-click and drag a node to perform what is called
‘unsmoothed’ node dragging. Generally, ‘smoothed’ node dragging
preserves the shape of the curve more nearly on both sides of the node.
7 Press Delete to delete unwanted reshape nodes.
Delete reshape
nodes and toggle
between corners
and curves
Tip If you make a mistake, press Esc to remove the changes, press Esc
again to exit Reshape mode.
Note You can also adjust stitch angles as required, as well as change
entry and exit points. See Adjusting and adding stitch angles for details.
See also Adjusting entry and exit points.
Use Show Handles (Reshape toolbar) to toggle Bézier control handle display
when using the Reshape Object tool.
Bézier control
handle
Curve point
Drag control handle
to reshape curve
You can adjust and/or add stitch angles to embroidery objects using the
Reshape Object tool. See also Reshaping embroidery objects.
Click-and-drag stitch
Add stitch angle
angle points
4 Holding down the Ctrl key, click the outline wherever you want to place
a stitch angle line.
5 Press Enter.
The stitch angles change accordingly.
Use Reshape Object (Toolbox) to adjust the entry and exit points of selected
objects.
DecoStudio allows you to change entry and exit points of individual objects.
This is important if you are digitizing manually using the embroidery input
methods. You should always aim to place exit points adjacent to entry points
of adjoining objects in order to minimize connecting stitches and reduce the
number of travel runs. Entry and exit points should also be checked if you
are resequencing objects in a design. See also Sequencing embroidery
objects.
Tip To view the next or previous objects, press Tab or Shift+Tab keys.
Pressing these keys also causes all changes to the object to be accepted.
Embroidery stitches pull fabric inward where needles penetrate. This can
cause fabric to pucker, stitch bunching, and/or unsightly gaps to appear in
the embroidery. DecoStudio includes many techniques for achieving
smooth, even placement of stitches, and the elimination of gaps in designs.
For an object to sew out correctly, it must have correct stitch spacing,
sufficient pull compensation, together with a suitable underlay for the
particular combination of cover stitch type, object type, object shape, and
fabric. DecoStudio provides a set of optimized fabric settings that take into
account the type of fabric you are stitching on. These settings are all object
properties, some of which are entirely automated and some which you have
control over.
This section describes how to change fabrics as well as adjusting object
properties, including automatic underlay. It also covers automatic removal
of small stitches as well as setting automatic start and end points for the
overall design.
Changing fabrics
Normally you choose the required fabric when you first set up the design.
You can, however, change fabric settings at any stage. Choose from a set
of pre-defined fabrics aimed at minimizing stitching defects when designs
are sewn out. These make any necessary changes to object properties such
as stitch spacing and pull compensation. Changed settings affect all object
Note While colorways allow you to set up different colors for a given fabric,
these have no bearing on fabric settings. Conversely, if you change fabrics,
all colorways are updated to include the new fabric. See also Setting up
colorways.
Choose
Garment project
type
Choose fabric
pattern or color
3 From the dropdown list, choose a fabric type matching or nearest to the
fabric you intend to work with – this will ensure optimum quality for your
embroidery.
DecoStudio provides a set of optimized fabric settings so that the
software will take into account the type of fabric you are stitching on.
See also Threads and Colorways.
4 Choose either a pattern or color for the selected fabric. See Creating new
designs for details.
5 Click Apply and Close.
Pre-defined settings for the selected fabric are applied to all embroidery
objects already current in the design. The selected fabric is displayed in
the Status bar.
Dropdown list
Adjust settings as
required
Tools that invoke the Object Properties docker include all digitizing
tools in the Toolbox, i.e. Fusion Fill or Lettering and all stitch type
tools in Stitch Types toolbar, i.e. Satin or Motif.
If the Object Properties docker is open while a tool is left-clicked or
right clicked, a corresponding panel in the Object Properties docker
opens.
If the Object Properties docker is open while an object is selected, a
panel in the Object Properties docker for the corresponding digitizing
tool opens – e.g. selecting a Fusion Fill object with Tatami stitch type
opens Fusion Fill panel.
Note Some object properties can be modified on screen – for example, you
can change size properties by scaling the object with the selection handles.
Other properties, such as stitch spacing or length, are modified in the
Object Properties docker.
Click to close
Dropdown list
Adjust settings as
required
Click to close
6 Select a tab and item from the dropdown list – e.g. Special tab >
Appliqué – to access the object properties you want to adjust.
After clicking
‘swivel’ button, drag Click ‘swivel’ button
popup slider to set to invoke slider
control
Tip The slider control has two operating modes – Normal and
Accelerated. Holding down the Ctrl key puts it in Accelerated mode.
Note Changing the properties of existing objects does not affect the
default settings, nor the properties of objects not currently selected.
See also Changing fabrics.
Larger areas and stretchy fabrics such as knits and pique generally need
more underlay than smaller areas and firm fabrics such as drill or leather.
DecoStudio adjusts these values automatically according to the selected
Without
underlay
Click to toggle
underlay on/off
With
underlay
To turn off the effect, click the icon again or deselect the Use Underlay
checkbox.
Digitized outline
Calculated outline
Pull compensation
Tip Applying underlay stitching, and using appropriate backing and topping
when stitching out can also reduce the push-pull effect. See also Applying
automatic underlay.
Adjust setting as
required
Use Auto Start and End (Standard toolbar) to toggle the Auto Start and End
function on/off according to the current settings. Right-click to open the Auto
Start and End dialog.
The Auto Start and End feature is not an object property, but it is a quality
setting that affects the design stitchout. Before stitching, some embroidery
machines require you to position the starting needle exactly above the first
Click to manually
set start-end
point
2 Select the Use Auto Start and End checkbox to connect the first and
last stitches in the design.
3 Select a centering method:
Method Description
Use Preset End By default, connectors – travel runs or jumps – are created
Point from the start and end points to the center of the design.
Select any one of the nine preset end points.
Digitize Auto Allows you to create connectors from start and end points to
Start/End Point a point you define. If you select this, you are prompted to
select the point after you click OK.
4 Click OK.
Connectors – travel runs or jumps – are inserted as specified before first
and after last stitches of the design.
Printing designs
This section describes how to create production worksheets. It explains how
to send designs as email attachments, as well as how to output designs as
images. Sending appliqué shapes to printer and cutter are also covered. See
Printing Designs for details.
Machine formats
This section describes how to select a machine format for a design, output
it using other formats, and customize machine formats to meet your
machine’s specific requirements. See Machine Formats for details.
From the same design file, you can output a production worksheet for the
embroidery machine operator. Designers frequently want to distribute their
designs for viewing in real colors, in TrueView or otherwise, with or without
fabric backgrounds. In DecoStudio you can save both design images and
production worksheets to disk or email them direct. You can also output
appliqué designs by printing appliqué patterns or by sending them directly
to a cutter.
Note If certain thread colors are not available on your printer, they may be
mapped to a different color, including white. If a color is mapped to white,
it will be invisible on the worksheet. Print the design in TrueView color, or
black and white, or turn off color mapping. See your printer manual for more
information.
Use Print (Standard toolbar) to print production worksheets for the current
design using the current settings.
Tip Preview the production worksheet before you print to check whether it
is correct. See Previewing production worksheets for details.
Select
Production Print Select Production
Summary
Design Summary
table
Colorway Summary
table
Option Description
Outlines Shows design outlines. See also Viewing outlines and
TrueView stitches.
Stitches Shows stitches.
Connectors Shows connectors used in design.
Functions Shows machine functions.
Background Prints design with colored background or fabric color. When
selected, the Crop to Design option becomes available.
TrueView Prints design in TrueView. When selected, the Draft Quality
option becomes available.
Standard Resets printing options to original values.
Option Description
Print in English Deselecting this checkbox prints worksheets in the same
language as the Windows operating system. This feature is
useful when printing to plotters where the device driver does
not support the character set you require.
Extents Box Places an outline around the design.
Around Design
Company Name Prints a specified company name on the worksheet. Select a
company name from the list, or enter a new one.
Color Film Prints color blocks in the design as they appear in the Color
List. Consecutive objects of the same color form a single ‘color
block’. See Printing color film for details.
Customize
production worksheet
information
Blocks Description
Left / Right / Up / The margins between the edges of the design and the edges
Down of the design area.
End X / Y The coordinates of the last stitch.
Max / Min Stitch The maximum and minimum stitch lengths, and maximum
jump stitch length in the design.
Thread Chart The thread chart name used in the design.
Type
Thread Usage Thread usage statistics by color.
Total Bobbin Total bobbin thread length.
End X / Y
Thread Usage
Total Bobbin
6 In the Columns in Stop Sequence panel, select the statistics for each
color block:
Stitch Count
Needle Number
Brand
Element Name
Colors display in
Colorway
Summary table
7 Select the Use Left Side checkbox to include the full information
column on the left side.
By default, this column displays on the right of the page.
8 Click OK.
Select Selected
Colorways
Select to include
background on
worksheet
Tip Select Crop to Design to crop the space around the design.
8 Click OK.
9 Click OK in the Print dialog or Print Now in the Print Preview dialog.
Design Summary
table
Colorway Summary
table
You can attach designs to emails from the design window or via the Open
dialog.
Note You may need to install Microsoft Clipboard Viewer from your
Windows operating system installation CD.
Save outlines as
CLP format
This file can now be opened in any program that supports CLP format.
Select image
selection option
Select Output
option
Select to include
background color or Select Output
fabric format
Option Description
Whole Design Captures the screen image in a ratio of 1:1.
(1:1)
Current design Captures the screen image at the currently selected zoom
window factor.
Custom Lets you specify a capture area. After clicking OK, you are
prompted to enter a ‘rectangle origin’ and ‘rectangle corner’ to
define the area to capture.
Click to enter
rectangle origin
Click to enter
rectangle corner
Option Description
Save to Disk Lets you save the screen capture to disk. After clicking OK, the
Save Capture Screen dialog opens, allowing you to select a
location, name and format for the captured design image.
Send via Email Lets you send the screen capture as email. After clicking OK,
a new email message opens with the image attached.
Both Save and Lets you both save to hard disk and send as an email
Send attachment.
5 Select an output format for the screen image from the dropdown list –
BMP, JPG, etc.
6 Select Include Background/Fabric to include the background color or
fabric with the screen capture.
7 Click OK.
Image captured as
Whole Design (1:1) with
background fabric
Outputting appliqué
DecoStudio lets you generate all the stitching you need for appliqué using
the Auto Appliqué tool. When you digitize an object with Auto Appliqué,
the guide run, tacking and cover stitches are automatically generated using
the current settings. You can print a copy of appliqué patterns to use in
cutting out fabric pieces. You can also extract appliqué shapes from a design
Note Automatically create all the stitching you need for appliqué using the
Auto Appliqué input method. See Creating Appliqué Designs for details.
Select Appliqué
Patterns
Note Before you send appliqué shapes to a cutter, make sure it is set up
on your system with the correct Windows (printer) driver. Some cutters –
e.g. Ioline – use a standard driver for HP-7475 plotters. Once the driver is
installed in Windows, there is no need for a separate hardware setup in
DecoStudio.
Click to preview
worksheet
3 From the Name list, select the appliqué cutter. For more information,
refer to the User Manual for the particular cutter you are using.
4 Click Preview to preview the worksheet.
The Print Preview dialog opens with every appliqué shape in the
design in the order of the stitching sequence.
You can output embroidery designs for actual stitchout in a variety of ways
– sending directly to machine for stitching, or saving to specific machine
formats and/or to embroidery disk.
This section describes how to save designs for machine, how to read and
write to embroidery disk, as well as how to stitch designs out with Stitch
Manager.
Note Before you can send designs for stitching, you must configure the
machine in DecoStudio. See Setting up embroidery machines for direct
connection for details.
2 Open a design.
3 Click the Stitch to Stitch Manager icon.
The Stitch to Stitch Manager dialog opens.
Select embroidery
machine
Select machine
format
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Note This field is automatically updated if the target machine format is
different to the current format. Select the Prompt Changing Machine
Format checkbox if you want to be prompted when the Output as
Machine Format field updates.
6 Click OK to return to the Stitch to Stitch Manager dialog.
7 Click OK.
The Stitch Manager dialog opens listing the files to be stitched out.
Tip To delete a design from the queue, select it and click Cancel.
Select connection
manager
4 From the Connection Manager dropdown list, select the machine type
or relevant propriety connection management software for your
particular machine.
5 Click OK.
The Stitch to Connection Manager dialog closes and the design is
passed with the corresponding machine connection software. For
details, refer to your machine documentation.
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Note For details of how each CND stitch type is converted, see Conversion
of Melco CND format to Wilcom EMB.
DecoStudio has two save as CND output options – Superstar Compatible
and Output Tatami as Complex Fill. Superstar-compatible machines do
not have trimmers. The Output Tatami as Complex Fill option is for
controlling Turning Tatami fills.
Trim functions
If you want to stitch a design to a machine without trimmers, then set
machine values to not output Trim codes. Then digitize the design for
manual trimming. Early versions of CND do not support Melco Trim codes.
In this case, set the machine format values to output Trims as Jumps. See
also Adjusting standard machine format settings.
Select required
option
Option Description
Superstar Converts Turning Tatami to Walk (EDS equivalent of Manual).
Compatible Complex Fill Tatami is output as Normal Fill (EDS equivalent
of Tatami).
Output Tatami Converts Turning Tatami fills to normal Tatami – i.e. with a
as Complex Fill single stitch angle – then to EDS Normal Fill.
Note These functions are also available when you send a CND design
for stitching.
6 Click OK.
7 Click Save.
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Reading and writing to embroidery disk
Paper tape is the traditional medium for storing designs in stitch data
format. Embroidery disks, which have now largely replaced paper tape, are
specially formatted floppy disks used to transfer designs from computer to
embroidery machine. You can format embroidery disks and save designs to
them from within DecoStudio. The format you use will depend on the
selected embroidery machine. You can also open designs from embroidery
disk directly into DecoStudio.
Designs are generally stored in stitch data format, although Melco CND, for
example, is a ‘condensed’ file format. You can open designs from
embroidery disks of various formats directly into DecoStudio. Once read,
you can output designs without change, modify them and output them in
the original format, or save them as an EMB file. You can optionally convert
them into objects. After conversion, a design can be scaled and changed.
See also Opening stitch files in DecoStudio.
This section describes how to read from and write embroidery design files
to embroidery disk.
You can open designs of other formats from specially formatted 1.44 Mb
DS/HD (Double-Sided High-Density) embroidery disks. See also Supported
embroidery disk formats.
Select drive
Select format
Select design
type
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Note If the Options button is available, you can set recognition options
for the design. See Opening Melco CND outline files, Opening stitch files
with object/outline recognition and Opening stitch files without
object/outline recognition.
7 Click Open.
Note Use the disk type required by the embroidery machine, not the
computer.
2 Select File > Embroidery Disk > Format.
The Format Embroidery Disk dialog opens.
Select drive
Select format
Select disk
format
Enter disk
label
Select format
option
Warning This is a Windows system dialog and may vary with the
particular operating system you are using.
7 From the Capacity list, select the disk storage capacity.
8 In the Format Options panel, select the ‘full format’ option:
Quick Format erases all data from the disk but does not reformat it.
Uncheck the option to reformat a blank disk. See your Windows manual
for details.
9 Click Start.
A progress bar appears. You are prompted when formatting is complete.
C ha p ter 1 9 O u t p u t t i n g D e s i g n s fo r M a c h i n e 370
To write designs to embroidery disk
1 Insert the embroidery disk in your computer’s floppy disk drive.
2 Click the Embroidery disk Save As icon.
The Save to Embroidery Disk dialog opens.
Select drive
Select format
Note If the disk is not formatted, or its format is not correct, click
Format. See Formatting embroidery disks for details.
5 In the Design Name field, enter a name for the design.
6 In the Filename field, enter a name for the design file.
Warning Wait until the light on the floppy disk drive stops flashing
before removing the disk.
C ha p ter 1 9 O u t p u t t i n g D e s i g n s fo r M a c h i n e 372
Chapter 20
Reading Files of Different Formats
By default DecoStudio saves to its native file format, EMB. This format
contains all information necessary both for stitching a design and for later
modification. When opening designs created or saved in other formats,
DecoStudio converts the design internally to EMB format. You can then
modify it using the full range of DecoStudio features. Depending on the file
type, you may need to provide additional information to assist DecoStudio
in the conversion process.
This section describes the different conversion options for opening and
saving stitch and outline design formats. It also provides details about the
processing of Melco CND outline files, including color merging, as well as
reassigning colors to both stitch and Melco CND files.
Complex
Fill object
Note Some outline files, such as Wilcom INP and Gunold PCH, contain
incomplete information. Old format ESD designs are somewhere between an
outline and a stitch file. They contain stitch data, information about selected
stitch types, densities, and machine functions. They do not, however,
contain information about shapes and lines. ESD files require object/outline
recognition if you want to perform object editing in DecoStudio. See
Opening stitch files in DecoStudio for details.
Stitch files
Different embroidery machines understand different languages. Each has its
own control commands for the various machine functions. Before you can
stitch a design, it must be in a format which can be interpreted by the
machine. Stitch or ‘expanded’ designs are low-level formats for direct use
by embroidery machines. They contain only stitch coordinates and machine
functions. They are generally created on-the-fly when sending designs to
machine. They can also be output to embroidery disk. See Reading and
writing to embroidery disk for details. See also Supported Machine, File and
Disk Types.
When they are read into DecoStudio, stitch files do not contain object
information such as outlines or stitch types, but present the design as a
collection of stitch blocks called ‘manual objects’. Manual objects are
Manual
object
Stitch designs are generally not suited to modification because stitches are
not regenerated. However, DecoStudio patented Stitch Processor
technology can interpret object outlines, stitch types and spacing from stitch
data with some success. In this way, you can re-constitute old tape format
files and other stitch file format designs for modification in DecoStudio.
These recognized designs can be scaled with stitches recalculated for the
new outlines. Processing is effective for most stitch designs but cannot
produce the same level of quality as original outlines and may not handle
some fancy stitches.
By default, stitch files are converted to outlines and objects upon opening
but you can also choose to open them without recognition. Designs opened
in this way can be output for stitching in another format. Or you can edit
stitches and add new elements. For such purposes, you do not need to
retrieve information about how the design was created.
You can scale stitch format designs which have been opened without
object/outline recognition. However, because the stitch count does not
change, the density increases or decreases with the design size. Thus you
File sources
While embroidery files are broadly classified as ‘outline’ (condensed) or
‘stitch’ (expanded), DecoStudio internally tags files as belonging to one of
four types – Native Design, Imported Outlines, Processed Stitches, or
Imported Stitches.
For information about the source of a design file, refer to the Design
Properties dialog. See Viewing design information in DecoStudio for
details.
Tip To ensure object outlines, stitch types, stitch density and colors are
correct, it is always a good idea to check and edit designs after conversion.
To improve the quality of a stitch file, it is often better to edit stitches before
conversion.
Object/outline recognition
When you convert a stitch file to outline format, DecoStudio reads stitch
data stitch-by-stitch according to the needle penetration points. It
recognizes stitch types, spacing and length values, stitch effects, and can
determine object outlines. Stitch types are assigned as Satin, Tatami, or
Program Split depending on the pattern of needle penetrations. With
Tatami, DecoStudio recognizes stitch spacing and length, and applies a
random factor. If a design is converted from ESD format, Zigzag and Triple
Run objects are also recognized. If an object is not recognized, it becomes
(or remains) a manual object with general and connector properties only.
As such, it will not scale well.
Recognized object outlines and stitch values are stored as object properties
in DecoStudio. This means you can scale and transform recognized designs
in the usual way. You can also change the stitch density of the whole or
selected parts of a design, and/or of certain stitch types.
Note Open options should reflect how the design was originally digitized,
not how you want it now. Experiment with the settings to get the best
results.
Select file
2 Select a stitch format from the Files of Type list and select the file to
open.
3 Click Options.
The Open Options dialog opens.
Select machine
format
Enter number of
jumps as trims
Select output type
for stop codes
Select
Objects/Outlines
Manual
object
Embroidery
object
Select file
Deselect
Objects/Outlines
Manual
object
Tip At this point, you can output the design without change or perform
minor scaling and transforming actions without losing the original stitch
information.
Original design
opened without stitch
recognition
Select to
recognize Tatami
stitches
Select to recognize
random needle Select to
penetrations recognize Jagged
Select to Edges
recognize Satin
stitches
Select to
recognize Splits
Select to
recognize Run
stitches
Select Segments
Set space and Resolution and
stitch length Merging Factors
rounding
Setting Purpose
Stitch Spacing Enter spacing range to recognize. If the row spacing falls
outside this range it will not be converted to Tatami.
Min Stitch Length Enter minimum stitch length to recognize as Tatami.
Random Factor Select to allow for random needle penetrations. Deselect
the Recognize Splits checkbox to detect Random Factor
more accurately.
Setting Purpose
Max Stitch Length Enter maximum stitch length to recognize.
Length Variation Enter percentage by which stitch length can vary in Run
objects.
Setting Purpose
Spacing Rounding Enter rounding value for stitch spacings – ‘snaps’ spacing
values in Tatami and Satin fills to specified increments.
Stitch Length Enter rounding value for stitch lengths – ‘snaps’ stitch length
Rounding values in Tatami fills to specified increments.
Setting Purpose
Program Splits as Recognize split patterns as user-defined splits. Note,
User Defined however, that user-defined splits are scaled when the
Splits design is scaled. This results in stitch lengths getting longer
as the design is enlarged, thus limiting scaling. With native
program splits, on the other hand, patterns – shape, size
and spacing – remain the same after objects are scaled.
Recognize Auto Recognize Auto Splits in Satin objects. Otherwise, patterns
Splits created with Auto Split will be recognized as Tatami.
Recognition Level Restrict recognition of Program Splits by increasing
percentage. Decrease to increase recognition. A low
percentage number will detect more areas as Satin with
User Defined Split than Tatami.
Auto Split
Tip Program splits are reliably recognized when patterns are not
overlapping.
Setting Purpose
Spacing This value expresses the ratio between stitch spacings in adjacent
stitch blocks – e.g. adjacent spacings of 0.6 mm and 1.0 mm
gives a ratio of 1.67. A value of 2.0 in the Spacing field means that
these stitch blocks will be recognized as one segment or object. A
value of 1.5 means that they will not. The default value is 3.0.
Normal Satin and Tatami stitching ranges in spacing from 0.3 to
0.6 mm, so most continuous sections of stitching of the same type
will not be split. To preserve spacing variations for color-blended
designs and more artistic designs, you may need to reduce the
spacing factor. In manually punched designs which include
stitching with irregular spacing, segment breaks can be reduced
by increasing the factor.
Height This value expresses the ratio between heights of stitch blocks. It
is important in recognizing Complex Fill shapes, particularly with
holes.
Tip Generally, the lower these values, the larger the number of
segments/objects likely to be identified. Normally you want to obtain
design information with a minimum number of identified
segments/objects. In practice there is always a compromise between
design recognition quality and the minimum number of correctly
identified segments/objects.
Spacing: 3 mm,
Height: 4 mm
Recognized objects
shown in different colors
10 Click OK.
Tip Before CND designs are stitched out, an EXP format file is created. The
EXP stores the actual stitches and can be stitched directly. This file too can
be opened in DecoStudio. See Opening stitch files in DecoStudio for details.
When you open Melco CND files, the Melco stitch types used in the design
are converted to DecoStudio stitch types – Satin, Run, Tatami, etc. You can
change conversion settings to adjust the spacing, stitch length, effects and
defaults applied to DecoStudio stitch types. You can also set scaling values
to open the design at a different size to the original. See also Saving designs
in Melco CND format.
Note For details of how each CND stitch type is converted, see Conversion
of Melco CND format to Wilcom EMB.
Select file
Select CND
format
2 Select Melco (CND) from the Files of Type list and select the file to
open.
3 Click Options.
The Condensed File Input Values dialog opens.
Adjust stitch
values
Adjust default
values
Select Auto
Color Merge
option
4 In the Scale Factor panel, enter the scale at which you want to open
the design.
5 In the Adjust panel, enter the spacing and length values to apply to the
design as a percentage of the original values.
You can adjust Satin spacing, Run stitch length as well as Tatami spacing
and length.
6 In the Auto Color Merge panel, choose whether you want to read
thread color information from CND files.
This ensures that stitches are displayed in the correct colors when
converted to EMB. See Color merging Melco CND files and Reassigning
colors to stitch and Melco CND files for details.
7 In the Effects panel, select the effects you want to apply to the design.
For information about these effects, see the relevant sections of the
manual:
8 In the Default Values panel, adjust the default values for Satin
Spacing, Stitch Length and Maximum Stitch Length as required.
If the CND design was created with values different to the factory
settings, you can override them in these fields.
To save new settings as defaults, click Save.
To revert to the Melco factory settings, click Reset.
9 Click OK.
10 Click Open.
The selected design opens in the Design window. You can scale the
design directly on screen, or via the Object Properties dialog. You can
also rotate, mirror and skew the design. See Modifying Designs for
details.
Select thread
chart
Assign colors
manually
4 Select a color merge option from the Auto Color Merge panel.
If you want to read thread color information for the selected CND file
from an associated TXT file, select From File and follow the steps
below.
If you want to assign colors manually to every Color Stop code in the
file, select Custom and click Define Stop Sequence. See
Reassigning colors to stitch and Melco CND files for details.
5 If you have chosen to associate a text file with your CND file, select a
corresponding thread chart from the Auto Color Merge dropdown list.
Note Any thread color named in the text file must correspond to a color
in the selected thread chart. If not, it will default to black.
No chart selected – default One color not correctly matched – Original colors correctly
colors assigned defaults to black assigned from text file
The design opens, the stitches appear in the correct thread colors, and
the color palette displays the selected thread chart.
Stitch file
CND file
Select Define Stop
Sequence
Select thread
chart
Select color
Click to
assign color
Note The selection moves to the next color in the thread chart. Two
consecutive same colors are not allowed and Assign Color is disabled.
6 Click Assign Stop to enter an explicit Stop code.
Stop is entered in the Description field.
Click to
assign stop
Setting Purpose
Color Changes Extra Stop codes are interpreted as ‘Next Color’ commands.
The next color is selected from the default color palette.
Stops Extra Stop codes are interpreted as ‘Explicit Stop’
commands. The machine stops stitching.
Repeat Sequence If you select fewer colors than the design requires, the
selected colors are repeated. For example, if your design
requires four colors and you’ve only selected two in the
Building Stop Sequence list, colors 3 & 4 will be the same as
original colors 1 & 2.
Choose how
extra stops are
to be interpreted
Note You can convert color changes to an explicit Stop Code. You can
also remove Color Stops by assigning the same color number to
consecutive color blocks.
This section describes how to select a machine format for a design, output
it using other formats, and customize machine formats to meet your
machine’s specific requirements.
Note You can change the machine format itself if machine values do not
correspond precisely to your particular machine. You can even change the
machine format for a particular design. You should, however, only modify
existing formats if you no longer require the original values. See also
Creating custom formats.
Click to adjust
format
2 From the Available Machine Formats list, select the required machine
format.
3 Adjust machine formats as required:
To check or modify settings for the selected format, click Values.
See also Adjusting standard machine format settings.
To create a new format based on the selected one, click Create. See
also Creating custom formats.
4 Click OK.
Select machine
format
Select connection
manager
Select machine
format
Note Not all values described here are available for all machine formats.
Use these instructions to enter values that apply to your selected format.
See your embroidery machine manual for details.
Note Only fields relevant to the selected machine format will appear.
2 In the Maximum Stitch field, enter the maximum stitch length to allow.
The value you enter depends on the tape code used by your machine:
Binary coding system: 12.7 mm – e.g. Barudan machines
Ternary coding system: 12.1 mm – e.g. Tajima machines.
3 In the Minimum Stitch field, enter the minimum stitch length to allow.
This sets the default Small Stitches value. See Removing small stitches
automatically for details.
Tip Shorter jump values generally improve stitch quality and reduce
wear on the machine but may increase stitch-out time.
5 Click Save then Close.
Note Only fields relevant to the selected machine format will appear.
Select to output
trim functions
Select trim
function format
2 In the Trim panel, select the Output Trims checkbox to include trim
functions when outputting to the selected machine format.
Note If you deselect the Output Trims checkbox, the trim functions
are not removed from the design but simply ignored for the selected
machine format.
3 Specify the trim function format to use:
Note The machine must have the correct thread colors loaded for each
needle to stitch out correctly.
For needle addressing machines, you need to specify how many needles are
on the machine. This tells the machine how often it needs to stop for the
operator to change threads. For example, for a design with 25 colors to be
stitched out on a machine with five needles, it must stop after every five
color changes in order for the operator to change threads. Needle Number
commands are sometimes combined with Jump commands to indicate color
changes.
Stop commands
Stop commands allow the operator to manually change threads whenever a
Color Change function is encountered. They are generally used with
machines that only have one needle or do not support needle addressing.
Stop commands are sometimes combined with Jump commands to indicate
color changes.
Note Only fields relevant to the selected machine format will appear.
Select optional
functions as required
Note If this is the case, enter the combined number of needles on the
machine in the No of Needles field.
5 Select the First CC required checkbox as required.
Some machines require a First CC code to initialize the machine and
bring the head back to the first color change needle position.
6 Select the Return to Start checkbox as required.
This returns the needle to the start of the design, preparing the machine
for the next run of the same design.
7 Click Save then Close.
Note Only fields relevant to the selected machine format will appear.
Note Only fields relevant to the selected machine format will appear.
Select relevant
option
Code Description
End of Design Some machines require an explicit End of Design function
code – e.g. some Tajima machines.
Stop Some machines require a Stop code instead – e.g. Happy
machines.
Note Not all values described here are available for all machine formats.
Use these instructions to enter values that apply to your selected format.
See your embroidery machine manual for more information about machine
formats.
Tip Only change Advanced values if you are familiar with the codes used
by your embroidery machine.
Note Only fields relevant to the selected machine format will appear.
Note Remember that these fields show the number of extra codes you
want to insert in addition to the default settings.
Note Only fields relevant to the selected machine format will appear.
Note Only fields relevant to the selected machine format will appear.
2 In the Speed panel, select the Boring Auto Speed Changes checkbox
as required.
This option slows the machine automatically whenever the borer is
engaged.
3 From the Start list, select the preferred starting speed – Fast or Slow.
Note Only fields relevant to the selected machine format will appear.
Set miscellaneous
speed options
Note If necessary, you can update the standard machine format itself.
However, you should only do this if the original values are no longer used.
See Adjusting standard machine format settings for details.
Adjust settings
3 In the Format Name field, enter a name for the new format.
The name of the format you based it on and a number appear as the
default – e.g. Melco-1.
4 In the Comment field, enter any information that will help you identify
the machine format – e.g. No Trim.
5 Adjust the machine format settings as required. See Adjusting standard
machine format settings for details.
6 Click the Advanced tab and adjust the settings as required. See
Adjusting advanced machine format settings for details.
7 Click Save then Close.
The new format appears in the Available Machine Formats list.
Note The custom format is based on the selected machine format for the
design. If you want to base it on a different machine format, select it from
the Select Machine Format dialog. See Selecting machine formats for
details.
Adjust settings
Note You cannot change the Name or Comment fields. The custom
machine format is automatically named using the original machine
format and design name – e.g. Melco-Design1.
4 Click OK.
A new machine format is created for the design. It appears in the Select
Machine Format dialog and is saved with the design.
Note You cannot remove machine formats that come with the software.
You can only remove a custom format which you created.
2 Click Remove.
A confirmation box appears.
3 Click Yes to confirm the deletion, then click OK.
You will need to connect peripheral devices for use with DecoStudio. These
may include printers, appliqué cutters, scanners and embroidery machines.
Different devices are set up in different ways – some in Windows, via the
Control Panel, others within DecoStudio itself.
Multi-Port
Serial Card
Tip The number of available ports limits the number of devices you can
connect. If additional ports are required, you can add them. Multi-port serial
cards can also be used. See a PC technician about your requirements.
Select device
Click to access
device settings
2 Select Direct Machine Connection from the Type list and select an
item in the Name column, then click Values.
The Direct Machine Connection dialog opens.
Click Setup
Select serial port
3 Select a serial port from the Port list in the Connected To panel.
4 Select the protocol from the Protocol list for the connection between
the computer and embroidery machine.
See the documentation supplied with the embroidery machine to
determine the appropriate connection.
5 Click Setup.
6 Enter the Baud rate, Data Bits, Stop Bits and Parity and
Handshaking settings for the device.
Note The port settings must match those of the embroidery machine
or selected device. The type of handshaking must match the type of
cable you are using. Check the communications setup section of the
documentation that came with the device.
7 Click OK to return to the Direct Machine Connection dialog.
8 Click OK and click Close in the Hardware Setup dialog.
Enter machine
name
5 If creating a new connection, enter a name for the machine in the Name
field.
6 In the Comment field, enter a comment if desired.
Select Direct
Machine
Connection Click Delete to
remove the
Select machine machine
connection to
delete
Select Display
Monitor
Click to access
screen calibration
settings
Measure
height
Measure width
Select design
elements to display
Option Function
TrueView Shows what the embroidery will look like. See Setting TrueView
options for details.
Stitches All stitches in the design are visible.
Outlines All outlines in the design are visible. See also Viewing outlines
and TrueView stitches.
Fabric Show fabric background display in the design window. See also
Changing background colors.
TrueView – thick thread, light above TrueView – thin thread, corner light
Select display
items
Edit color
Black outline
Red outline
Right-click Show Grid (Standard toolbar) to set grid reference point and
spacing.
You can align the grid with to a reference point in the design – for example,
when you want a grid line to intersect the center of the design, or to sit
under a particular object. You can also adjust grid spacing. See also Setting
display colors.
Enter spacing
Click to save for current template
Tip To use these settings as defaults for the current template, click
Save.
5 Click OK.
If you selected Set Reference Point, mark the reference point on your
design. The grid aligns so that horizontal and vertical grid lines intersect
at this point.
Right-click Show Grid (Standard toolbar) to set the Snap to Grid and Snap to
Guides options.
Use the improved Snap to Grid and/or Snap to Guides feature to align
objects in your design with the nearest grid or guide lines. Reference points,
control points or leading edges of objects snap to grid and/or guides during
digitizing, sizing, reshaping, or positioning operations. When any of these
operations is taking place, grid or guide lines change color temporarily to
indicate that ‘snap to’ is active.
Note Each design has its own set of guides and its own zero point for the
rulers. When a design is saved, the ruler zero point and positions of the
guides, if any, are saved with it.
Select
Show Grid
Select Snap
to Grid
Select Show
Select Snap Rulers and
to Guides Guides
Element Description
In X and Y Snaps objects to the nearest horizontal and vertical grid line
intersection.
In X Snaps objects to the nearest horizontal grid line.
In Y Snaps objects to the nearest vertical grid line.
5 Select the Show Rulers and Guides checkbox if not already activated.
6 Select the Snap to Guides checkbox as required.
7 Click OK.
Position Description
Center Center of the window. Use this setting for large movements.
Midway Halfway between the original pointer position and the center of
the window. Use this setting for smaller movements – e.g. when
zooming into a small area of the design.
Corner The edge of the screen. Use this setting for slow scrolling.
7 Click OK.
The effect of this setting only becomes apparent when you start to
digitize. The design window automatically scrolls to follow the current
cursor position.
Tip Hold down the Shift key to temporarily deactivate Auto Scroll.
Stitch generation during reshaping operations can slow down your system,
depending on your computer specification. The Reshape options let you
choose whether stitches are generated immediately or only after Enter is
pressed.
Position Description
For Lettering Generates stitches for lettering objects immediately after
reshaping.
For Other Objects Generates stitches for other objects immediately after
reshaping.
3 Click OK.
If left unchecked, any reshaping changes made are not updated until
Enter is pressed.
3 Select the Auto Save Design Every checkbox if not already activated.
4 Enter the auto-save frequency in the Minutes field.
Warning Backup files remain in the BACKUP folder until you delete
them. To prevent the folder from using too much hard disk space, delete
unwanted files regularly.
6 Click OK.
Y = 17.38 mm Y = -17.38 mm
X = 28.61 mm X = - 28.61 mm
1 2
Status bar
A negative X value indicates that the second point was placed to the left of
the first point, while a negative Y value displays when the second point is
below the first. Negative angles indicate angles of more than 180º – e.g. an
angle of -60º is equal to 300º.
90º
2 135º 45º
180º 0º
A = 30º
1 -135º -45º
-90º
Tip You can measure onscreen distances using the values in the Status bar.
See Measuring distances on screen for details.
Select relative or
absolute pointer
position
4 Click OK.
Select inserted
embroidery file option
Option Description
Add to Palette Unique colors in the design are added to the current color
palette.
Match to Palette When you insert a design, colors are matched to the current
color palette. The system finds the nearest match based first
on RGB values, and then on Brand and Code.
4 Click OK.
Note Paste options control the physical position of the object in the design,
not its position in the stitching sequence.
Option Description
Object Property Position Objects are pasted according to the coordinates in
the Object Properties dialog.
Shift Pasted Objects Objects are pasted slightly offset from their original
position.
Center at Current Stitch Objects are centered at the current needle position
marker.
Start at Current Stitch Objects are positioned after the current needle
position marker.
4 Click OK.
Select other
general options
Option Description
Cumulative Displays stitch count as a cumulative total in the Stop
Stitch Count Sequence tab of the Information dialog. See also Viewing
design information in DecoStudio.
Run Small Stitch Automatically removes small stitches when the file is output to
Filter on Output disk or machine.
Cross Hair Changes the default cursor pointer to cross-hairs for more
Cursor precise positioning. It is best used together with the grid.
Always Check Checks design integrity when opening a design and during
Design Integrity digitizing.
Show Welcome A Startup screen displays each time DecoStudio is launched
Screen or when File > New is selected unless this option is turned off.
See Starting DecoStudio for details.
Show Measure Shows length and angle in a tooltip when measuring distances
Tooltip on screen. See Measuring distances on screen for details.
Show Design Issues a warning dialog when opening designs that may not
Source scale well – i.e. where the design is a converted stitch or
non-EMB outline format.
Tip Use the tooltip with the crosshair cursor on for a more accurate
measurement.
4 Click OK.
Menu bar
Universal toolbar
Standard toolbar
Arrange toolbar
Transform toolbar
Stitch Types toolbar
Docker window
Toolbox
Tab buttons
Design window
Color Palette
440
Zoom Out Display design at half current size. Special menu
Grid and Turn on or off grid and guidelines for
Hardware Use to configure any device
Guides accurate sizing and alignment of
Setup connected to PC via a serial port.
objects.
View By Color View embroidery objects by color –
Arrange menu
e.g. when resequencing objects.
Color-Object Toggle Color-Object List on/off – use This menu provides access to the same tools
List to select and view objects in a available on the Arrange toolbar. See Arrange
design. toolbar for details.
Object Toggle Object Properties docker
Properties on/off – use to adjust properties of Machine menu
selected objects.
Color Palette Display Color Palette Editor – use to Select Machine Select machine format
Editor assign thread colors to slots in color Format corresponding to embroidery
palette. machine you intend to use.
Multi- Use Multi-Colorway Box to change Machine Define values to allow when
Colorway Box design color schemes. Format Values outputting to a specific machine
Toolbars Show or hide toolbars at your format.
convenience to optimize working
area. Help menu
Design Options Access Options dialog to hide or DecoStudio provides various ways to access
show embroidery objects in design information about the software and how to use
window. it via the Help menu. See Viewing onscreen
Display Adjust display colors of unsewn help for details.
Options stitches, selected objects, object
outlines, and grids and guides.
DecoStudio toolbars
Insert menu
The design window contains the toolbars
Embroidery Activate embroidery input method. described below. Some are shortcuts to the
Object See Embroidery digitizing methods pulldown menu commands.
for details.
Embroidery Insert design from proprietary Universal toolbar
File embroidery disk.
This toolbar contains the universal tools and
Stitch menu icons which are visible in both Embroidery and
Graphics modes. It also contains tools which
Stitch Type Apply stitch type to selected object. are only available in a particular mode but in
See Stitch Types toolbar for details. some way influence how objects behave in the
Object Display Object Properties docker – alternate mode.
Properties use to adjust properties of selected
objects.
Switch to Graphics mode.
Auto Start and Access Auto Start and End function
End and change current settings.
Switch to Embroidery mode.
Small Stitches Use to automatically remove
unwanted small stitches. Convert between vector and
embroidery objects.
Save Save current design. Zoom 1:1 Display design at actual size.
442
Arrange toolbar Transform toolbar
The Arrange toolbar contains tools for moving, The Transform toolbar contains tools for
aligning and distributing objects, including mirroring, rotating and skewing objects.
grouping and locking tools.
Mirror Flip selected objects in horizontal
Horizontally plane.
Group Group selected objects.
Mirror Flip selected objects in vertical
Vertically plane.
Ungroup Ungroup selected objects.
Rotate 45
Rotate selected objects by 45° in
Degrees
Lock Lock selected objects. counter-clockwise direction.
CCW
Unlock all locked objects in Rotate 45 Rotate selected objects by 45° in
Unlock All Degrees CW clockwise direction.
design.
Rotate selected objects by exact
Align Left Left-align selected objects. amount (in degrees).
Align Skew selected objects by exact
Align selected objects through amount (in degrees).
Horizontal
horizontal centers.
Centers
Stitch Types toolbar
Align Right Right-align selected objects.
The Stitch Types toolbar contains a variety of
Align Top Top-align selected objects. tools which determine the stitch types which can
be applied to embroidery objects, including
Align Vertical Align selected objects through automatic underlay.
Centers vertical centers.
Apply to narrow columns and
Align Bottom Bottom-align selected objects. Satin shapes. Right-click to change
settings.
Space
Distribute selected objects evenly Apply to large, irregular shapes.
Evenly Tatami
across design window. Right-click to change settings.
Across
Space Distribute selected objects evenly Apply to long, narrow columns of
Evenly Down down design window. slanted, side-by-side stitches in a
Zigzag
zigzag pattern. Right-click to
Make Same Scale object or design to same
change settings.
Width width as reference object.
Use for a ‘comb’ effect with long,
Make Same Scale object or design to same
E Stitch narrow columns. Right-click to
Height height as reference object.
change settings.
Make Same
Scale object or design to same Apply to large, irregular shapes.
Width and Motif Fill
size as reference object. Right-click to change settings.
Height
Apply automatic underlay to
Break apart multiple appliqué Auto
Combine selected objects. Right-click to
objects into component objects Underlay
Appliqué change settings.
and combine and resequence
Components Use to automatically compensate
them for efficient stitchout.
Pull Comp. for fabric stretch. Right-click to
change settings.
444
Keyboard Shortcuts Selecting objects (cont)
To .. Press
You select commands in Wilcom activate Select Object tool o
DecoStudio© e1 in the same way as other deactivate Select Object tool E
MS Windows® applications – from menus or select multiple objects C+[
toolbars. Keyboard shortcuts are also available select range of objects V+[
for the most frequently used commands. select next object T
select previous object V+T
General functions
select object beneath 2+[
To .. Press add next object to selection C+T
start new design C+N or add previous object to selection C+V+T
A+F+N
open design C+O or A+F+O
Viewing designs
close design A+F+C
save design C+S or A+f+S To .. Press or
save as A+f+A toggle TrueView on/off T
print design C+P or A+f+p show/hide outlines L
show/hide Grid V+G show whole design (after show E, V+s
show/hide Rulers and Guides C+R selected objects only)
show/hide Color-Object List V+L or A+V+J fit design to window 0 (zero) 2
open Object Properties > A fit selected objects to window V+0 (zero)
Special > Lettering docker hide others V+s
measure distance on screen M or zoom in 2X Z 9
A+V+m zoom out 2X V+Z 0
undo command C+Z zoom to 1:1 scale (100%) 1
redo command C+Y specify zoom factor F 3
cancel command E zoom box B 8
open online help 1 activate panning P 7
exit application A+4 or A+F+x deactivate Auto Scroll V (hold down)
center current stitch in design C 6
Digitizing functions window
To .. Press return to previous view V 5
redraw screen r 4
finish digitizing Fusion Fill boundary R
delete last input point B Viewing stitching sequence
apply Satin stitch V+I
To travel .. Press or †
apply Tatami stitch V+M
apply Run stitch V+N to start of design h 7
switch between fill and run stitch s to end of design e 1
toggle Auto Underlay on/off u to next color d 3
deactivate Snap to Grid/Guides A (hold down) to previous color u 9
to next object C+T
Selecting objects to previous object V+T
To .. Press 100 stitches forward ^ +
100 stitches backward ^ -
select all objects C+A
deselect all objects E or X ^ No object selected † Keypad, Num Lock off * Turn TrueView off
446
PART IX
APPENDICES
This section provides details of the file and disk types supported by Wilcom
DecoStudio© e1. Details are also provided about the conversion of Melco
CND, Wilcom INP, and Gunold PCH design formats to and from EMB. The
section also provides details of supported paper tape formats, as well as
vector and bitmap (raster) formats.
Note If not already a member of the WSC, you will need to register as a
licensed user of Wilcom software. See www.wilcom.com.au/support for
details.
Note † ESD is the native file format of DOS ES, the precursor to the current
DecoStudio. It is actually a stitch file format with stitch blocks, stitch types
and parameters, and an icon. It has few of the advantages of the current
EMB file format.
Note See below for conversion details when reading these files into EMB
format or writing to CND format. See Melco CND format and Conversion of
Gunold PCH format to Wilcom EMB.
† includes needle addressing data ¥ Two options—ZSK1 and ZSK2 (see note) ‡ Can only be written by
ES Cross Stitch application § TAP and MON files are written together—TAP is the stitch file, MON the
header file.£ Used with Transport Code Disks (see note)
† includes needle addressing data ¥ Two options—ZSK1 and ZSK2 (see note) ‡ Can only be written by
ES Cross Stitch application § TAP and MON files are written together—TAP is the stitch file, MON the
header file.£ Used with Transport Code Disks (see note)
Stitch Types
Column Stitches Input A, Satin stitch
Simple Fill Complex Fill, Tatami The stitch angle is determined by
the longest stitchline.
Complex Fill Complex Fill Melco EDS Complex Fill are
recognized and converted to
Wilcom DecoStudio© e1 Complex
Fill.
Column Fill Input A, Tatami fill
Walk Run
Bean Stitch Triple Run
Singleline Column Input C
Input, Centerline
Singleline Column Input C
Input, Left Line / Right Side 1 / Side 2
Line
Stitch types
Manual Walk
Run Walk
Triple Run Bean Stitch Only if the design is an original
Wilcom EMB design
Triple Run Bean Stitch Reverts to Triple Run (run count = 3).
(run count > 3)
Satin stitch Column Fill
Tatami - standard Fill Stitch Use Complex Fill to make sure that
the stitch lines are parallel.
Tatami - with random Walk
factor applied
Tatami - with sharply Walk or Complex Fill Changes to Walk if Superstar
turning stitches compatible, otherwise Complex Fill
with a fixed angle.
Tatami - with slightly Fill Stitch, several The shape is divided into several
turning stitches sections sections, filled with parallel Fill Stitch.
There may be small gaps between
these sections.
Zigzag Walk Density is not preserved when the
design is scaled.
E Stitch (Inputs A, B & Column Stitches
C)
E Stitch (Complex Fill) Walk
Stitch settings
Run length Set length CND Walk stitch length is the same as
EMB Run stitch length.
Tatami length and Fill or Complex Fill The length and density of Fill Stitches
spacing settings will be the same as EMB Tatami
length and spacing.
Underlays
Center Run
Edge Run
Walk Uses CND Auto Underlay.
Zigzag
Double Zigzag
Zigzag (for objects Narrow Column
with Satin cover only)
Effects
Accordion Spacing Not preserved The effect is lost.
Motif Fill Not preserved The effect is lost.
Contour Stitch Not preserved The effect is lost.
Flexi Split Not preserved The effect is lost.
Auto Split Not preserved The effect is lost.
Jagged Edge Not preserved The effect is lost.
Trapunto style Not preserved The effect is lost.
Program Split Not preserved The effect is lost.
User Defined Split Not preserved The effect is lost.
Photo Flash Walk Density is not preserved when the
design is scaled.
Quality features
Pull Compensation Not preserved The original shape is preserved. The
effect is lost.
Fractional Spacing Not preserved In DecoStudio, turn on Fractional
Spacing and set it to 0.5mm. Although
there is no direct equivalent in CND,
effectively it uses a fixed fractional
spacing with a value equal to 0.5.
Stitch Shortening Not preserved Outlines are more accurately
recognized if Stitch Shortening is
turned off.
Auto Spacing Not preserved Auto Spacing is converted to fixed
spacing, based on the average space
value. It is best to turn off Auto
Spacing when digitizing a design for
CND.
Smart Corners Not preserved Avoid digitizing pointed ends.
Machine functions
Color Change / Stop Color Change / Stop Functions inserted on stitches inside
functions objects are not converted.
Empty Walk Two MK1 points are repeated at the
current position.
Jump Needle Up
Needle Up Needle Up
Tie In (Lettering) Walk
Tie Off Walk
End Jump Reset Stitch
Begin Jump Needle Up
Needle Height Needle Height
Moss Moss
Chain Chain
Trim Trim The ability to output without Trim
function does not apply to this
version.
Outline types
Parallel Input A
Serial Input C
Block Outline Complex Fill
Run Run
Incline Run
Manual Manual
Stitch types
Satin Satin
Ceding Tatami
Random Ceding Tatami with random factor applied
Step Tatami
Piping Contour
OBI Tatami
Zigzag Zigzag
Cross not supported
Photo not supported
Satin underlays
none none
Single Center Run
Edge Edge Run
Zigzag Zigzag
The table below includes all alphabets that are standard with your
DecoStudio software. For best results when stitching, do not exceed the
recommended maximum or minimum sizes. Note, however, that
recommended maximum and minimum heights refer to UPPER CASE letters.
Most embroidery fonts are digitized from an original TrueType Font (TTF),
some of which have lower-case letters – e.g. ‘a’ and ‘c’ – which are about
70% the height of a capital letter. As a result, these letters may be too small
to embroider neatly. You may need to increase the size of the lower-case
characters to suit the embroidery.
TrueType Font
Embroidery Letters
You can create special characters in each alphabet by holding down the Alt
key on your keyboard and typing 0 (zero), its code, using the numbers on
the keypad. For example, to type ê with the code 234, type Alt+0234. The
accented letter will appear when you release the Alt key. See also Adding
special characters and symbols.
Recommended Sizes
Alphabet Sample Min Max
in. mm in. mm
Kindergarten
0.4 10 3.6 90
Block
System requirements
Before you install, or if you experience operating problems of any sort, make
sure that your computer/s meet the system requirements.
PC requirements
Check that your PC meets the system requirements. Check CPU/RAM as well
as hard disk space. The table below provides minimum and recommended
system requirements.
Screen resolution ¥
Some controls may be hidden on the user interface if you run your monitor
at low resolutions. The physical size of your monitor will have a bearing on
the optimum screen resolution.
Internet connection
Required for product registration and access to software updates.
Missing Files
Unrecoverable errors
The system may generate unrecoverable errors when opening designs or
DecoStudio itself.
Problem You don’t have a record of the connection settings required to set
up your embroidery machine or digitizing tablet.
Suggestion See Setting up Hardware for details of how to set up the device.
Visit the online Wilcom Support Center. This lists connection
information for most popular devices. If not already a member of
the WSC, you will need to register as a licensed user of Wilcom
software.
General problems
The following section relates to general problems you may experience in
DecoStudio.
Problem Units of measurement in DecoStudio are not what you want – e.g.
measurements are in inches instead of millimeters, or vice versa.
Cause The units of measurement are set in Windows Regional options.
Suggestion Change the units of measurement via the Windows Control Panel
> Regional/Language options. See your MS Windows
documentation for details.
Problem There are problems when reading and punching paper tapes, or
sending designs to embroidery machines for stitching.
Cause These are caused by serial communications problems.
Inconsistent reading and writing may be caused by wrong port
settings in the operating system or by incorrect settings In ES in
the connection setup for the device.
Suggestion Change the port settings in DecoStudio and/or the device. Check
the Wilcom Support Center for machine connection details.
Missing toolbars
Note To install the dongle driver, you need to be logged into Windows with
Administrator privileges. If not, you will receive an error message ‘User has
no access to the registry’.
Enter command
line
3 In the Open field, enter the following command line, including quotation
marks and any spaces:
“C:\Program Files\Wilcom\DecoStudio\bin\haspdinst.exe” -kp
-i -av
Warning Reverting to the original settings removes any changes you have
made to templates and hardware settings. Note down any settings you want
to preserve – e.g. machine connection settings – before running the utility.
Select items to be
restored
Error messages
Use the System utility in the Control Panel to check your display adapter
and drivers.
Note Windows XP users select the Hardware tab and choose Device
Manager.
4 Click to open the Display Adapters node.
Note display
adapter
10 Cancel out of the dialogs and close the Control Panel window.
11 Check the display adapter manufacturer’s website for a more recent
version of the driver. See Locate the latest display adapters for details.
Reduce hardware
acceleration
Active window: The active Artwork: Bitmap image or vector of the needle hitting the side of the
window is one to which the next drawing used as a digitizing frame.
command or action will apply. If a template. See also Bitmap image
window is ‘active’, its title bar and Vector drawing. Automatic color change: Ability
changes color to differentiate it of multi-needle embroidery
visually from other open windows. Artwork preparation: See machine to follow a command to
Image preparation. change to a specified needle with a
Alphabet: A set of characters of different thread color.
the same design or style including Auto Appliqué: Auto Appliqué is
letters, numbers and typographical an embroidery object associated Automatic pull compensation:
symbols. with an appliqué which provides Embroidery stitches pull the fabric
automatic stitching to place it, tack inwards where the needle
Anchor point: A fixed point used it down, and cover its edges. penetrates. This can cause the
when rotating, scaling, skewing or fabric to pucker, and gaps to
mirroring a design. Auto Center: Auto Center appear in the embroidery.
automatically centers the start and Automatic pull compensation
Anti-aliasing: A software end points of a design. counters this effect by
technique similar to dithering ‘overstitching’ outlines of filled
which is used to soften hard Auto Jump: Preserves long shapes on the sides where the
outlines where color blocks stitches in an object by splitting needle penetrates. This means the
intersect. It produces smoother them into a series of jumps. This design can be optimized for
outlines by ‘blurring’ the pixels prevents the machine from different fabrics. See also Pull
where colors join. inserting unwanted needle compensation.
penetrations when the maximum
Appliqué: Decoration or trimming frame movement is exceeded. Back appliqué: A fabric piece
cut from one piece of fabric and used behind a design where the
stitched to another to add Auto Scroll: The Auto Scroll front fabric will be cut away to
dimension and texture. Designs feature automatically scrolls the reveal the fabric beneath it.
with appliqué can be more screen while you are digitizing.
economical than embroidery alone, Backdrop: An electronic image
if appliqué occupies a significant Auto Spacing: Auto Spacing only used as a guide for digitizing
amount of the design, thereby affects Satin stitch. It adjusts stitch designs on screen. Two types are
lowering stitch count. In Schiffli spacing according to column width. used—vector or bitmap. Insert
embroidery, appliqué refers to an them from various file sources, or
embroidered motif, hand-cut or Auto Start and End: Before copy and paste them via the
aetzed away from base fabric. stitching, some embroidery Windows clipboard.
machines require you to position
Appliqué cutter: A device that the starting needle exactly above Background: DecoStudio lets
can cut fabric along a line, the first needle penetration point. you change the background color
somewhat like old pen plotters. It Use Auto Start and End to connect of the design window to match the
requires a vector file as input. In the first and last stitches in the color of your fabric. Or you can
MS Windows they can be set up as design. This makes it easy to select a background fabric for more
a type of printer device. position the needle before realistic previews and
stitching, and reduces the chance
Glossar y 484
Default object properties: See internally tags files as belonging to series of ‘embroidery objects’ to be
Default values. one of four types–Native Design, read and manipulated by a
Imported Outlines, Processed specialist CAD/CAM application.
Default values: Pre-defined Stitches, or Imported Stitches. See Before outputting to embroidery
settings which determine object also Design properties. machine, it is converted into ‘stitch
properties such as stitch spacing, data’. See also Punching.
as well as certain system settings. Design template: See
These are stored in the design Template. Digitizing tool: Digitizing tools,
template. They are automatically sometimes referred to as ‘input
applied to any newly created Design window: The design methods’, are similar to drawing
objects. They remain ‘current’ window is where designs are tools except that the end result is
unless you override them with new displayed for viewing and an embroidery object rather than a
settings. See also Current modification. vector object. Different digitizing
property settings. tools are suited to creating
Desktop: MS Windows different shapes or design
Defects: See Stitching defects. terminology for the screen elements.
background on which program
Density: See Stitch density or icons are displayed. Disk: See Floppy disk.
Thread density.
Destination folder: The folder Disk drive: Computers usually
Design: A ‘design’ is a file in the (directory) where you intend to have three types of disk drive: a
native embroidery format—e.g. copy or move one or more files. hard disk (or fixed disk) which
EMB, JAN, ART—of embroidery usually supports the mass storage
digitizing software. The design Detail: An outline, a border, a of information and applications, a
source may be a stitch format pickout run, or a small area of the floppy disk drive, and a CD ROM
design. The design contains design you want to be stitched out drive.
stitching information such as fabric last when using Smart Design.
type in addition to stitched shapes. Display: A screen used to display
Diagonal backstitch: The the output of a computer. Also
Design card: Disk containing backward rows are diagonal, known as the monitor.
computerized embroidery designs directly connecting the forward
read by the embroidery machine’s rows. Diagonal backstitch is Dithering: A software technique
computer. suitable for turning shapes, and which combines existing colors in a
gives good results with Jagged checkerboard arrangement of
Design file: See File. Edge. See also Backstitch. pixels. It is typically used to
simulate colors that are missing
Design object: See Objects. Dialog: An onscreen box that from an image palette. A type of
either requests or provides optical illusion created by placing
Design properties: Designs information. Many dialogs present two pixels of different color next to
themselves have properties, some options to choose among before a each other. The human eye
of which can be modified, others command is carried out. Some automatically resolves the two
not. The most important design dialogs present warnings or explain colors into a third color.
property is its source—Native why a command cannot be
Design, Imported Outlines, completed. Dongle: A security hardware
Processed Stitches, or Imported device required to run protected
Stitches. Other properties include Digitizer: Usually refers to the software. Some are attached to a
the software version number, stitch person punching or digitizing the parallel port, others to a USB port.
count, and so on. Colorways too design. Digitizer can also refer to
are properties of the whole design. the digitizing tablet used by the Dots Per Inch (DPI): A
digitizer. See also Digitizing measurement of screen or printer
Design source: While tablet. resolution; the number of dots in a
embroidery files are broadly line of 1".
classified as ‘outline’ (condensed) Digitizing: Process of encoding a
or ‘stitch’ (expanded), DecoStudio design. Artwork is converted into a
Glossar y 486
Entry point: The entry point is particular design, the system Filename: The name of a file,
the point where the thread enters pre-loads settings optimized for including the extension, e.g.
the embroidery object. This should that fabric. These can be Cat.BMP.
coincide with the exit point of the overridden on an object-by-object
preceding object. basis. See also Fabric settings. Fill stitch: Series of running
stitches commonly used to cover
EPS (Encapsulated Fabric settings: Pre-defined large areas. Different fill patterns
PostScript): A standard file fabric settings include settings for can be created by altering the
format for importing and exporting all full-coverage stitch types. For angle, length and repeat sequence
PostScript language files among each stitch type, spacing is preset. of the stitches. Also known as
applications in a variety of Additionally, the quality effects of Geflect stitch.
environments. An ESP file is a pull compensation and underlay
PostScript file which describes a are also preset for each stitch type. Finishing: Processes done after
single page, usually an illustration. Decorative effects such as Motif Fill embroidery is completed. Includes
In general, the purpose of the EPS are not affected when fabric trimming loose threads, cutting or
file is to be included (encapsulated) settings are changed. tearing away excess backing,
in another PostScript file and can removing facing or topping,
contain any combination of text, Fabric stretch: Embroidery cleaning any stains, pressing or
graphics and images. EPS files stitches pull the fabric inwards steaming to remove wrinkles or
normally include a small, where the needle penetrates. This hoop marks and packaging for sale
low-resolution TIFF, or can cause the fabric to pucker, and or shipment.
vector-based Windows metafile gaps to appear in the embroidery.
image preview as it will appear on Use automatic pull compensation Flagging: Up and down motion of
a printed page. to counter this effect by fabric under action of the needle,
‘overstitching’ outlines of filled so named because of its
Exit: To leave a current window or shapes. resemblance to a waving flag.
application. Often caused by improper framing
Facing: See Topping. of goods. Flagging may result in
Exit point: The exit point is the poor registration, unsatisfactory
point where thread leaves the Factory settings: These are the stitch formation and birdnesting.
embroidery object. This should initial system settings as installed.
coincide with the entry point of the They are a standard known setting Floppy disk: A flexible disk
next object. that you can return to. Some permanently sealed in a square
customers want to create custom plastic jacket—e.g. HD/DD 3.5"
EXP: Stitch or ‘expanded’ file settings tailored to the exact fabric floppy disk. Used for information
format native to Melco machines. they are using most frequently. The storage ‘off-line’ for security and/or
‘My Fabric’ settings are those infrequently used data. Also used
Expanded file format: See retained in the design and can be for transferring punched
Stitch file. saved to the template file. embroidery design (stitch file) data
from computer to embroidery
Extension: See File extension. File: A named collection of machine.
specifically related information
Fabric: Fabrics have many stored on a disk. Designs that have Folder: A collection of files and
properties, the main one being been saved are stored as files. subfolders that are stored together
elasticity or ‘fabric stretch’. Surface on a disk. Part of structure for
texture, if present, is another File extension: The dot and organizing files on a disk.
property that requires different three letters at the end of a
underlay types. The system can filename such as ‘.BMP’. The Font: A set of characters,
automatically compensate for the extension identifies the file as a including letters, numbers and
pull-push effect of different fabrics. certain type, readable by certain other typographic symbols, of the
Push, warping, and shearing are applications. same design and style. Also called
also reduced by suitable underlay Alphabet, even if it includes
for the stitch type and fabric. When non-letter characters. See also
you choose a fabric for use with a Alphabets and Lettering.
Glossar y 488
object—the status changes to Letters: Initials or name making must be in a format which can be
‘Processed Stitches’ even though up a monogram. Letters of an understood by the target machine.
the imported stitches may not have alphabet or font. Common formats include Barudan,
been regenerated. Brother, Fortran, Happy, Marco,
Lettering: Embroidery using Meistergram, Melco, Pfaff, Stellar,
Input A: An input method used to letters or words. Lettering Tajima, Toyota, Ultramatic and
digitize columns of varying width commonly called ‘keyboard ZSK.
and stitch angle. Digitized pairs of lettering’ may be created from
reference points define the outline, pre-defined alphabet styles or Machine function: Machine
while lines connecting the pairs fonts, allowing variance of size, functions are commands for a
define the stitch angles. height, spacing, density and other specific embroidery machine.
characteristics. These include color changes,
Input B: An input method used to thread trims, jumps, machine
digitize shapes where one side is Line art: A drawing with only two stops, needles in/out, and boring
different to the other, especially colors—usually black and white. begin/end.
where one side requires more
reference points than the other. List box: A single-line dialog that Machine setup: Before you can
Stitches turn evenly throughout opens to display a list of choices. send designs for stitching, you
the entire shape. You can use any must configure the machine in
fill stitch type except Motif Fill. Lockstitch: Commonly referred DecoStudio. You can add
to as a lock-down or tack-down machines, change settings for
Input C: An input method used to stitch, a lockstitch is formed by machines already set up, or delete
digitize columns of fixed width. It is three or four consecutive stitches machines that are no longer
typically used for digitizing borders of at least a 10-point movement. It required.
and outlines of larger shapes. You should be used at the end of all
can digitize columns to create thick columns, fills and at the end of any Manual object: When you open a
lines or borders. Input C is typically element in your design where jump stitch format file without outline
used with Satin stitch. stitches will follow, such as color recognition, it becomes a single
changes or the end of a design. ‘manual’ object. This object
Input method: See Digitizing May be stitched in a triangle, star consists of a series of individual
tool. or in a straight line. Lock stitch is needle penetration points and has
also the name of the type of stitch only general and connector
JPG: JPEG file interchange bitmap formed by the hook and needle of properties. When you transform
image format. home sewing machines, as well as (scale, rotate, mirror) a manual
computerized embroidery object, the original stitch density
Jump: A frame or hoop machines. does not change.
movement without a needle
penetration, commonly used to get Logo: Name, symbol or Max/Min stitch length: The
from one point in a design to trademark of a company or minimum and maximum stitch
another. organization. Short for logotype. lengths allowable in a design
determine the outside limits as
Justification: The position of Looping: Loops on the surface of measured between needle
lettering on the embroidery embroidery generally caused by penetration points. They are
baseline. poor top tension or tension governed by the minimum and
problems. Typically occurs when maximum frame movements that
Lacework: Lacework involves the polyester top thread has been the machine can make.
use of threads to produce overall improperly tensioned.
embroidery of full-length fabrics. Maximize button: For Windows,
Most often used to embellish Machine format: Different the small box in the center of the
women's apparel and home embroidery machines understand group of three at the right of the
fashions. Such work typically uses different languages. They have title bar. Click the Maximize button
boring. It is the most widely used their own control commands for to enlarge a window to its
application for Schiffli machines. the various machine functions. maximum size.
Before you can stitch a design, it
Glossar y 490
density or, for instance, to select common such as size and position. Paint package: Software
stitches for editing. There are other, more specific application that creates or allows
properties of objects which depend you to edit image files. You can
Nesting: Nesting lets you create on the object type. The most create lines and filled areas as well
or insert an object at an exact point important property of all as edit the image pixel-by-pixel
of the stitching sequence. You can embroidery objects is stitch type. using paintbrushes, erasers and
‘nest’ an object in the middle of spraypaint tools. Examples of
another object’s stitching sequence Object recognition: See Outline image editing programs are Adobe
to prevent long connectors being recognition. Photoshop, Jasc PaintShop Pro and
generated. Corel PHOTO-PAINT®. See also
Object type: An object has a Graphics application.
Network: To link embroidery type, shape, thread type and color,
machines via a central computer stitching settings and a position in Pan: Use Pan to view parts of a
and disk-drive system, usually via the stitching order. The object type design which are not currently
a modem or network card. A group may or may not determine the visible in the design window.
of machines linked via a central intended final appearance of the
computer. stitching. Paper tape: Traditional recording
media used in the embroidery
Noise filtering: Noise filtering Outline file: Outline or industry is the paper tape. The tape
means restoring the solid color ‘condensed’ files are high-level coding process produces the final
blocks of original artwork in formats which contain object design in stitch format—a
scanned images. This is achieved outlines, object properties and stitch-by-stitch interpretation of
by merging different shades into stitch data. When you open an the design—exactly as the
one solid color. Noise filtering is outline file in DecoStudio, embroidery machine will read it.
important for automatic digitizing corresponding stitch types, input Now largely replaced by floppy
because it makes it easier for the methods and effects are applied. disk, tapes are still used by older
software to identify solid color Outline files can be scaled, machines. More specifically, stitch
blocks which become embroidery transformed and reshaped without data paper tapes are eight-channel
objects in the resulting design. It affecting stitch density or quality. paper tapes which, in effect, are
also cleans up blurred or mottled See also Stitch file. hard copies of 8 bit binary code.
areas of color.
Outline recognition: When you Parallel port: A connection on a
NORMAL template: Default convert a stitch file to outline computer, usually LPT1, where you
template. See also Template. format, DecoStudio reads the data plug in the cable for a parallel
stitch-by-stitch according to the printer and/or a dongle. Parallel
Objects: In computer science, needle penetration points. The ports are used to connect some
‘objects’ are regarded as any software then ‘recognizes’ stitch embroidery machines. They are
discrete item that can be selected types, spacing and length values, named LPT1, LPT2, etc. When you
and manipulated, such as an stitch effects, and can determine set up a parallel machine
onscreen graphic. In object outlines. connection, select the parallel port
object-oriented programming, and the required protocol, and
objects include data and the Outline stitch: Stitch such as complete the machine setup
procedures necessary to operate Run or Satin used to outline an procedure.
on that data. See also Embroidery embroidery object.
objects. Partition Lines: Partition Lines is
Overview window: Use the a method for offsetting needle
Object outline: See Outline file. Overview window to view a penetrations in Tatami fills, used,
thumbnail of the design. The like Tatami Offset Fractions, to
Object properties: All window is updated whenever you create needle penetration patterns
embroidery objects in DecoStudio make a change, and can be used to or textures in stitched embroidery.
contain defining settings or zoom in or pan across the design
‘values’. The values stored with an window. Paste: To insert an object, which
object become its ‘properties’. All has previously been placed on the
objects have certain properties in
Glossar y 492
Recognition: See Outline skew handles appear around the because stitch count and density
recognition. object. Rotation handles appear at may be varied.
the corners of the object and an
Redraw: The screen display is anchor point displays at the Scale factor: This option allows
refreshed. This is useful when parts object’s center. Skew handles are you to automatically scale CND
of the display have become diamond-shaped and appear at the designs as you load them. For
obscured in the course of editing. center-top and bottom of the example, to scale the imported
See also Slow Redraw. object. See also Selection design to 120% of the original, you
handles. would enter a scale factor of 1.2.
Reduce colors: See Image
preparation. Run stitch: Run stitch, also Scaling: Ability to enlarge or
known as ‘Walk stitch’, places a reduce a design in size. In stitch or
Reference point: A point that single row of stitches along a ‘expanded’ format, most scaling is
can be aligned with the grid. For digitized line. The needle limited to ±5% because the stitch
example, you can set the grid penetrations are placed in count remains constant despite
reference point to the design consecutive order. Run is generally final design size. In outline or
center. This is easier and faster used for stitching outlines and ‘condensed’ formats, scale changes
than moving the whole design. connector stitches. Run stitch may be more dramatic because
length can be set to automatically stitch count and density are
Refresh: See Redraw. vary in order to follow tight curves. recalculated.
Relative: The distance the Satin stitch: Type of fill stitch. Scanner: A device that converts
pointer is from a previously marked Formed by closely arranged zigzag physical images into digital form so
point, or from the previous stitch stitches, it can be stitched at any that they can be stored and
point. angle and with varying lengths. manipulated by computer.
The thread is laid across a shape Scanning allows you to take
Resequence: You can change the with a zigzag sewing action where scanned images as a basis for
position of a selected object by two stitches form a column. Hence embroidery design.
cutting it, then pasting it it is only suitable for small or
somewhere else in the stitching narrow shapes. As the stitches are Scanning resolution: Most
sequence, or by using the almost parallel, Satin provides scanners require you to enter
Resequence command. You can good coverage. It is often used for scanning resolution information.
also resequence objects by color or lettering, outlining, and details. Resolution determines the number
using the Color-Object List. Because there are generally no of dots per inch (dpi) used to create
needle penetrations breaking up a drawing. The higher the value,
Resizing: See Scaling. the fill, Satin stitch creates a glossy the clearer the image but larger the
effect. file. For digitizing purposes, use a
Resolution: Resolution maximum resolution of 300 dpi
determines the number of dots per Save: To store (design) (dots per inch). A resolution of 72
inch (dpi) used to create an image. information in a file. Each time you dpi (screen resolution) will usually
The higher the value, the clearer save a design, you replace the be sufficient. Generally speaking,
the image, but the more storage previous version using the the smaller the source image
space required. A resolution of 75 filename. You should save your and/or more detail it contains, the
dpi generally produces good design frequently. higher the resolution needs to be.
results.
Scalability: Ability to enlarge or Schiffli machine: Commercial
Right-click: To press and release reduce a design. In expanded embroidery machine that utilizes
the right mouse button. See also format, most scaling is limited to the combination of needle and
Click. 10 to 20%, because the stitch shuttle to form a stitch. Massive in
count remains constant despite size. Some schiffli machines—also
Rotation handles: When you final design size. In condensed known as looms—weigh 10 tons
select an object, selection handles formats, on the other hand, scale and have up to 1024 needles. Most
display at its extremities. If you changes may be more dramatic, Schiffli machines do not have
click the object again, rotation and automatic thread trim or automatic
Glossar y 494
the inside edge. This may cause Type and Garment Orientation. See Stock designs: Embroidery
thread breakage when stitching also Push-Pull. designs readily available on disk or
out. proprietary embroidery card.
Stitch type: Three basic stitch Digitized embroidery designs that
Stitch count: Stitch count refers types are available with lockstitch are commercially available for
to the number of stitches in a machines – Run, Satin and Tatami general use by embroiderers.
design. In DecoStudio one stitch is (Weave). Wilcom DecoStudio© e1
considered one machine provides many variants of these. System requirements: What
revolution. See also Design your computer’s hardware and
properties. Stitch shortening: When a software, operating together, can
shape takes a sharp turn, the support. System requirements are
Stitch density: The number of spacing of stitches on the inside of printed on software packages,
stitches per given area (or stitch the shape decreases rapidly. This design disk cards and packs, CDs
lines per distance in a fill). results in bunching on the inside and other computer accessories.
and gaps on the outside of the You need to know what your
Stitch editing: Digitizing feature shape; the longer the stitch, the system can and cannot support, as
that allows one or more stitches in worse the problem. Automatic sometimes a system is not capable
a pattern to be deleted or altered. Stitch Shortening solves this of handling new software without
problem by eliminating thread adding memory or disk space.
Stitch file: Stitch or ‘expanded’ bunching. The embroidery has
designs are low-level formats for smooth, even, stitch spacing Tackdown: Zigzag stitch, placed
direct use by embroidery throughout. It also reduces thread after placement and cutting lines,
machines. They contain only stitch breakages during production. and used to fix appliqué patches to
coordinates and machine the background fabric before cover
functions. Stitch designs are Stitch spacing: Spacing between stitching is applied.
generally not suited to scaling two consecutive needle
because stitches are not penetrations on the same side of a Tatami stitch: Series of run
regenerated during rescaling. See column. The smaller the value, the stitches, commonly used to cover
also Outline file. greater the stitch density. For more large, irregular shapes. Stitches
open stitching, use larger values. are laid in rows traversing back and
Stitch length: The distance forth across the shape. These can
between two needle penetration Stitching defects: Stitching be parallel or slightly turning.
points. For maximum stitch length, defects may appear in the form of Different fill patterns can be
the length is measured according gaps between filled areas, fabric created by varying the stitch
to the X and Y co-ordinates, show-through and thread breaks. length, angle or sequence. Also
whichever is greater. Run stitch These are often caused by incorrect known as Weave stitch.
length can be set to automatically stitching settings—e.g. setting pull
vary in order to follow tight curves. compensation too small for the Template: Special files used to
See also Max/Min stitch length. fabric stretchiness. store styles and default property
settings. Use templates when
Stitch-Pull: When any stitch is Stitching sequence: The digitizing frequently-used design
sewn into fabric the tension in the embroidery objects in a design types to save time re-adjusting the
thread between needle form a stitching sequence. Initially, current property settings.
penetrations can build up and objects are stitched in the order in
result in Stitch-Pull. Stitch-Pull can which they were created or the Tension: Tautness of thread when
cause distortions in your sewn design assembled. You can change forming stitches. Top thread
designs, poor stitch registration the position of a selected object by tension, as well as bobbin thread
and even the bunching up of fabric. cutting it, then pasting it tension, need to be correctly set.
The amount of Stitch-Pull that somewhere else in the sequence, Proper thread tension is achieved
results in your design can be or by using the Resequence when about one third of the thread
affected by the following factors: command. You can also showing on the underside of the
Stitch Density, Fabric Type, resequence objects by color or with fabric on a column stitch is bobbin
Underlay, Backing Type, Thread the Color-Object List. thread.
Glossar y 496
TWAIN-compliant. This lets you CorelDRAW® – custom artwork, Zigzag stitch: Zigzag stitch is
use any TWAIN-compliant scanner logos, posters, newsletters, etc. similar to Satin but is generally
with your software. used where fewer stitches are
Vector graphics: Unlike raster required. The needle penetrates
Underlay: Stitches sewn before images, vector graphics contain each side of the column, laying the
other design elements to help vector data. This is a collection of thread across in an open zigzag
stabilize fabrics. The stitching geometric shapes and lines that pattern. The density is determined
action that will attach the backing combine to make an image. Rather by the stitch spacing setting. The
to the fabric being embroidered. It than pixels, such data is recorded settings for Zigzag fill stitches are
also supports the top embroidery as a set of mathematical formulas stored separately from Zigzag and
for a more lofty, dimensional look. defining shapes such as rectangles, Double Zigzag underlay settings.
Underlay stitches are made up of a ellipses, curves, polygon stars, etc.
series of single run stitches, usually These are created using vector Zoom factor: The scale at which
with a very short stitch length, and graphics programs such as the design is currently displayed.
are digitized manually or placed CorelDRAW®. Vector graphics are
automatically under the column scalable without distortion, and are
(satin) or fill stitch areas of your usually much smaller than bitmap
embroidery design. images. See also Bitmap image.
Index 500
cloning objects 283 Embroidery tool 34, 120, 121 Group tool 296, 443
objects 283 End of Design functions 406 grouping objects 296
entry and exit points, with the Color-Object List 297
changing 320 Guide Position dialog 59
Exception Access Violation, guide runs
E resolving errors 478 digitizing appliqué 195
offsetting 199
E Stitch tool 156, 168, 443
setting values 198
Edit menu, Embroidery mode 440
guidelines, changing color 426
Edit Thread dialog 178, 186 F guides and rulers 57
editing lettering
on-screen 248 fabric stretch, see pull Gunold, opening PCH files 458
with Lettering dialog 248 compensation
editing objects 311 fabrics
reshaping 311 changing background 85
editing stitches, removing small show/hide 423 H
stitches 332 File menu, Embroidery mode 440 handles, see selection handles
EDS-III file types, stitch files 450 hard disk space, checking 469
conversion table 453 fill stitches hardware
digitizing for 457 types 156 acceleration, reducing 480
saving to CND format 454 fill stitches, types 156 setting up display monitor 421
elements, naming 95, 99 fills setting up embroidery
Satin 158 machines 418
email attachments 352
Embroidery Disk Tatami 162 Hardware Setup dialog 417–421
Open tool 367 Format dialog 369 height, make objects same
Save As tool 370, 400 Format Embroidery Disk size 302
embroidery disks dialog 369 help
formats 369 formats, machine types 448 accessing 6
formatting 369 frame out position, setting for viewing the onscreen manual 4
appliqué 203 See also troubleshooting
opening designs 367
functions Help menu, Embroidery mode 441
Embroidery Machine Connection
End of Design 406 hidden objects, display 112
dialog 419
embroidery machines Stop 406 hiding
automatic download 418 Fusion Fill graphics 75
connections 418 converting to appliqué 197 outlines 76
feedback 418 tool 138–154 holes, adding to complex
setting up 418 shapes 144
See also machine formats hoops, frame out (appliqué) 203
Embroidery mode 31 horizontal baselines, lettering 238
Arrange menu 441 G
Arrange toolbar 443 general functions, shortcuts 445
Color Palette toolbar 444 General Properties
creating lettering 233 dimensions 300 I
Edit menu 440 panel 56 images
File menu 440 positioning using cleaning up 70
Help menu 441 coordinates 293 color reduction 70
Insert menu 441 graphics displaying 75
Machine menu 441 converting to appliqué 192
noise filtering 72
quick reference 439 displaying 75
outline sharpening 71
Special menu 441 graphics acceleration,
outlined vs non-outlined 69
Standard toolbar 442 reducing 480
outputting designs as 353
Stitch menu 441 Graphics mode 29
preparation 69
Stitch Types toolbar 443 creating lettering 230
sharpening 69
switching 34 switching 34
initials, monogram lettering 211
Toolbox 444 Graphics tool 34, 120, 121
Input C
Transform toolbar 443 grid digitizing columns and
changing display color 426
View menu 440 borders 147
embroidery objects display 58
tool 138–153
convert to vector 136 rulers and guides 57 input methods
displaying 75 setting options 426 digitizing 136
inter-converting 152 snap to 427 selecting 138
Index 502
multiple colorways, see colorways mirror-merging 308 Object Property Position 435
moving 292 Shift Pasted Objects 435
nesting 284 Start at Current Stitch 435
positioning 292 Paste tool 281, 286
N resequencing 285 peripheral devices
names, monogram lettering 211, reshaping 311 setting up 416
rotating 303 See also hardware
213 planning
needle position marker 88 selecting 105
selecting colors 170 design shapes 12
New Colorway dialog 175 stitching sequence 12
new designs, starting 11 skewing 307
See also modifying objects pointer position display 432
New Thread Chart dialog 182 popup menus, using 49
New tool 38 objects & stitches, shortcuts 446
online help 6 ports, serial 416
noise filtering, images 72 position coordinates 60
nudging objects into position 293 Open dialog 37, 352, 378, 388
Open Embroidery Disk dialog 368 Print
Open From Embroidery Disk dialog 339
dialog 368 Options dialog 341–357
Open Options dialog 378–380, 394 Preview tool 103
O Open tool 36, 352 tool 339
object outlines opening designs printing
changing display color 426 converting stitch designs 377 backgrounds 348
hide/show 76 from DOS disk 367 multiple colorways 348
Object Properties Open tool 36 production information 103
docker 53, 56 other formats 367 production worksheets
Fills > E Stitch docker 168 preview window 36 customizing 344
Fills > Motif Fill docker 164 opening files print options 340
Fills > Satin docker 159, 160, 270 object/outline recognition 377 printing 337, 338, 339
Fills > Tatami docker 162, 272 scaling 377 printing backgrounds 348
Fills > Zigzag docker 167, 273 Options viewing 103
Outlines > Run docker 152 Auto Scroll dialog 429 project types, changing 44
Special > Auto Appliqué General dialog 431–436 properties
docker 195–202 Grid and Guides dialog 427, 428 of objects 56
Special > Fusion Fill docker 146 Reshape dialog 430 See also object properties
Special > Input C docker 149 View Design dialog 423, 424 Properties dialog
Special > Lettering Windows Explorer 97
ornament layouts 220
docker 234–241, 248, 252, 267, properties, lettering 234
multi-ornaments 222
pull compensation
275 ornaments
tool 52, 56, 324 creating monograms 207 applying 329
object properties with monograms 215 Pull Compensation tool 329, 443
accessing 56 Purge Recover and Backup
outline files 374, 387
Directories dialog 477
applying/managing 323 outlines
push-pull effect, compensating
changing 325 changing display color 426 for 146
changing stitch type 156 control points 139
defaults 323 displaying 76
lettering 234 show/hide 423
overview 156 outputting designs R
Object Properties dialog as bitmap images 354
Auto Appliqué 199 as vector drawings 353 reassigning colors, to stitch
object-based embroidery 15 to different formats 400 files 394
objects overlaps, stabilizing segments 146 Recognition - Advanced Options
changing colors 170 overstitching, pull dialog 382
cloning 283 compensation 329 recoloring objects 170
converting 152 Redo tool 57
copying and pasting 281 redoing commands 57
deleting 284 redrawing designs slowly 91
deselecting 105 P reference lines
duplicating 283 mirroring objects 309
palette, see also color palette rotating by specified angle 306
editing 311 panning designs 78
locking and unlocking 297 rotating relative to 305
paste options
mirroring 308 reference points
Center at Current Stitch 435
rotating using 305
Index 504
Color-Object List 52, 93, 111, 289, dialog 362, 400 tool 230
290, 297 tool 121, 361, 400 Tag as Turning Satin Lettering
Copy 281 stitch types tool 230
Cut 281, 286 changing 156 Tag as Wilcom Lettering tool 230
Embroidery Disk Open 367 fill 156 Tatami
Embroidery Disk Save As 370, overview 156 stitch length 162
400 Satin 158 stitch spacing, length and
New 38 selecting 156 minimum length 162
Object Properties 52, 56, 324 Tatami 162 tool 156, 162, 272
Open 36, 352 Stitch Types toolbar values 162
Paste 281, 286 Auto Underlay 328 text, editing lettering 247
Print 339 E Stitch 156, 168, 443 thread charts
Print Preview 103 Motif Fill 157, 164 adding colors 188
quick reference 442 Pull Compensation 329, 443 copying colors 187
Redo 57 Satin 156, 158, 160, 270 creating 182
Save 46 Tatami 156, 162, 272 deleting 184
Show All 78 Zigzag 130, 156, 166, 273 modifying 182
Show Grid 58, 427 Stitch Types toolbar, quick modifying threads 178, 185
Show Outlines 76 reference 443 renaming 184
Show Rulers and Guides 58, 428 stitch values thread colors 170
Stitch to Connection Auto Spacing (Satin) 158 adding to thread charts 188
Manager 363, 400 guide runs (appliqué) 198 copying across thread
length (Tatami) 162 charts 187
Stitch to Stitch Manager 121,
setting Tatami values 162 creating thread charts 182
361, 400
tacking (appliqué) 200 matching 172
TrueView 76, 120, 130, 424
stitches mixing your own 190
Undo 57
appliqué cover 202 modifying threads 178, 185
Zoom 78, 130
appliqué tacking 200 See also colors
Zoom 1-1 78 threads
create turning stitches 141
Zoom Factor 78, 442 brands 189
digitizing Run 150
Start/End Design Tool 88 code 189
estimating total 101
starting DecoStudio 28, 116, 124 density 189
selecting a stitch type 156
Status Line, measurements 60 type 189
stitch angles show/hide 423
stitch types 156 toolbars
adding 319 selecting commands 50
adjusting 319 traveling by 88
stitching designs showing/hiding 51
stitch designs using 50
conversion options 377 using Connection Manager 363
using Stitch Manager 361 Toolbars dialog 51
opening 377 Toolbox
processing into objects 377 See also Stitch Manager
stitching sequence 88 Auto Appliqué 139, 154, 195–203
stitch recognition 377 Fusion Fill 138–154
stitch files lettering 275
See also sequence Input C 138–153
overview 374 Lettering 233, 234, 248–261, 266,
shortcuts 445
reassigning colors 394
styles, monogram lettering 211 275
supported formats 450 Monogramming 207–213
Stitch Manager switching modes 34
deleting embroidery Symbol Selection dialog 267 quick reference 444
machines 420 system preferences Reshape Object 203, 243–245,
dialog 362 automatic backup 431 251–258, 312–320, 430
setting up embroidery automatic save 431 Run 139–153
machines 418 setting 423 Select Object 106–109, 250, 253,
using 361 viewing options 424 283
Stitch menu, Embroidery Slow Redraw 91, 132
mode 441 Start/End Design 88
stitch recognition 377 Travel 1 Stitches 89, 444
advanced options 382 T Travel 10 Stitches 89, 444
stitch runs, creating 150 tacking Travel 100 Stitches 89, 444
Stitch to Connection Manager digitzing appliqué 195 Travel 1000 Stitches 89, 444
dialog 363 setting values 200 Travel by Color 88, 444
tool 363 Tag as Appliqué tool 129, 192 Travel by Object 88, 444
Stitch to Stitch Manager Tag as Parallel Tatami Lettering total stitch count, estimating 101
Index 506