I would suggest you go to your dealer. They can help you get started. Don't rush into buying something you won't use. There are lots of programs as mentioned......you may only need something like mermaid suggests, however, you may want more. Do you want software? This is expensive, but you are able to do more. If you are not good with computers you want lessons. There are great lessons on line, but if you only want to buy and stitch you don't need software. Try sending the .jef file to a USB stick and plug it into your machine. See your dealer. They should give you good support, but don't spend a lot of money before asking here. You have gotten some good advice and you can do things without spending too much money. Let us know how you make out.