Stitches

How do I get embroidery designs from my computer to my machine? ?

I have a Brother SE 350. It uses a cars slot rather than an USB.

Public Comments

1. I'm afraid that it is going to cost you some money. Machine embroidery is NOT an inexpensive hobby. You will need to purchase a conversion box, such as the Magic Box or the Amazing Box (or one of the variations thereof) with a blank card (it must be a PES format card) for writing the designs onto. When you have the box and card, you connect the box to your computer (following the instructions that will be included with it) and use the software (also included) to transfer designs temporarily to the card so that you can use them in your machine. The good thing is that the card is rewritable, so you only need one, and it is merely a copy of the design from your computer so you don't risk losing it during the transfer. The not-so-good thing is that the card has pretty limited space. My Magic Box only allows me to write 6 designs at a time. I understand that some of the newer versions allow more (I'm saving my pennies to get one) but you still will need to keep going back and forth, erasing designs from the card memory to put new ones on as needed. You might want to consider purchasing additional blank cards for more ready access, but again that means more money.
2. You can buy a Brother reader/writer kit. Programs such as Brother PED Basic and Brother PED Lite. Which will transfer your .pes Embroidery files to the card, the software comes with a blank card, so there is no extra cost there. Yes, it is re-writable. Other than that, there may be a brother dealer around that can do the transfer for you if you purchase a blank card from them, it may cost you an extra (small) fee for their time to load your design onto the card.
3. Hi, if you don't have software for your machine, try looking into a universal form of software, as it can be more cost effective. Also, check with your dealer as they may have used software which will work well with your machine and computer. Or, try e-bay as you can often get the software you need for a fraction of the cost, because someone has upgraded to a new machine, or more extensive software. Beware---Make sure that you get all of the keys and codes that are necessary for the software to work as you may not be able to use the software without it. Good Luck Dawn