Try Embird which has a 30 day free trial. It's also good for unzipping purchased/downloaded designs and upgrades are only $20US every year. The whole kit is not as expensive as the others mentioned here. I have used Generations auto digitising, 3D Embroidery and still switched to Embird. EQ also has a digitising feature now so I'd be inclined to go for that if you have ElectricQuilt. Most digitising programs have Yahoo Groups or Facebook or whatever groups that you can join to get help if you need it so have fun choosing!

I have Embroidery Works, I like it well enough but its not what I would call user friendly and pricey. Grats on the new machine can't wait to see all the lovelys you make with it.

:-)

I looked around a good bit and bought Embird. So far I have only the basic program and the iconizer, but am still learning. But I figure even if I add the Font Engine for doing monograms, plus the digitizing and sfumato (for phots) AND the cross-stitch plug-ins, it would still be less than a lot of other programs I looked at. You can get somewhat discounted prices from Diane's Designs ( www.dianesdesignshome.com ).

But I agree with Dolphpyngyrl, anyone who offers a 30 day trial, download it and see how you like it. Also check out this thread here on the QB: http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...un-t32969.html . There's a lot to read through, but a lot of good information too.