Embroidery machine question
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Grass Lake, MI and Bradenton, FL
Posts: 785
I have seen an embroidery machine that did require a computer. The machine had no built in designs, usb port or display screen. It was relatively
inexpensive but you did need to be connected directly to a computer to use it for embroidery. I thought about buying it for a "travel" machine to use in our motorhome. I don't remember the brand name. (Singer?) It seems like I was it on HSN or QVC.
inexpensive but you did need to be connected directly to a computer to use it for embroidery. I thought about buying it for a "travel" machine to use in our motorhome. I don't remember the brand name. (Singer?) It seems like I was it on HSN or QVC.
Last edited by janjanq; 12-16-2016 at 05:36 AM.
#13
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,532
The designs will not show up on a MAC or any other computer unless you have embroidery software. You will be able to see the designs, like an icon but not the actual stitch file that your machine will need. Machine embroidery designs come in many formats, PES is commonly used for Brother and Babylock. So a PES stitch file will show up on your MAC computer as a black square. You won't see the actual design and you can't edit it without embroidery software. You can transfer it to a USB and get it to the machine that way. However, I have not had any luck with that working. The machine would not read the file. Inexpensive software for Mac is Embrillance, it's sold in modules and you can buy just the part you need. Embrillance also works on Windows computers. Embird is another inexpensive software sold in modules, it is for Windows computers only. It can be used on a MAC if you run Parallels or other software to partition your hard drive to make one side emulate Windows.
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 847
My first embroidery machine and still have, a Pfaff 2170. I also have a Mac. I bought this machine in 2008 and the only way to send an embroidery design to it is via cable, from my Mac to the card at end of cable, inserted into the machine. Not to mention, the driver and software was only compatible with Windows. BUT, my MacBookPro has dual processors, so I bought WindowsXP. Long story, but with the help of the tech from Apple over the phone, he helped me set up the partitions for the WindowsXP, meaning alotted space for WindowsXP. He stepped through the process until it was time to insert the WindowsXP disk to install, because of course it is a Microsoft product and not an Apple product, but he did give me some pointers and was patient enough to wait until it was going before we hung up. I did not buy the extra program Parallels, but just hold down the Options key when booting up the Mac to go into Windows. However, I did have the card that came with my embroidery machine that already had some designs on it that inserted into the machine as well. NOW, 8 years down the road, I have owned Husqvarner Viking embroidery machines and have used the USB stick. I cannot imagine an embroidery machine and not having a computer for you still need a device to load a design to the USB stick.
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 847
If you downloaded your designs from an online vendor in the format that your embroidery machine is compatible with, example Brother .PES, Viking .VP3, etc., then you can transfer that design onto your embroidery machine's USB stick directly from your Mac, and then from the USB to your embroidery machine. However, without software, it stitches exactly like it came from the vendor and editing, such as sizing will have to be done with capabilities that your embroidery machine allows, which can be very limited.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
knotsoflove
Machine Embroidery
31
07-06-2022 07:14 AM
CIGAINEROJD
Main
0
02-26-2011 09:39 AM
craftybear
General Chit-Chat (non-quilting talk)
1
01-15-2011 04:13 AM