I am using PE Design 7, it is expensive though. I think I paid about 800 for it and it depends on how much you will use it to whether it is worth it or not. For that you need to use it a fair bit. I started a long time ago with the original PE Design. I just recently did something for my kids biathlon team. Lettering is the easiest thing. Type a few things in and hit save. Both my machines have their own lettering as well and can stitch them out at almost any size.