It all depends on how much you want to spend. A stand alone EM with a 5 x 7 embroidery area start around $7-800. Brother and Babylock also have an inexpensive combo machine with a 4 x 4 area for less money than that. I started out with a Brother PE150 with 4x4 then upgraded to a Babylock Emore with 5 x 7. I have found that I don't embroider enough to justify a larger, more expensive machine. They can run into the KKK's.