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View Full Version : Digitising image with MBX or NEXT



wayupnorth
04-11-2014, 01:48 PM
I am just about to purchase a Brother 750 or Janome 350 which seem to be a standard choice for my hardware budget of £1k. Software is of course another matter and for the last week I have been trying to decide if MBX or PED NEXT would be better for digitising images from scratch. I understand that there is no magic button solution but I have a lot of spare time in the shop so manual would be ok. Feedback re Embird is that it's stitch engine is not a s good. Whilst I realise that both programmes can output to either machine there are discounts to be had when buying an initial package.

NEXT is available as a trial but MBX is not which is very frustrating. If I am going to spend a lot of money on software then hands on is essential. My geographic location rules out travelling to a dealer (nearest one is 400 mile round trip) so have been trying to compare the two using youtube video. This is ok but of course never covers the topics you really need.

Anyway if anyone is digitising from scratch, and maybe has experience with either/both packages, please chuck in your opinions.

Amilne1
08-11-2014, 03:29 PM
I use wilcom but it is more expensive. Embird is supposed to be good for digitising. It costs about £300 for Embird Basic,, Studio Iconiser & Font Engine (dependant upon exchange rate) you can download 30 day trial from Embird. If you are only wanting to embroider your own text and use pre purchased designs, go with Embird then buy at a later date Studio as you become more confidant using the program. There is a yahoo group for help.
Digitising takes time to learn, shops will show you how to auto digitise using PE Next but the results aren't always good. You have no control over the stitches, etc
Another program I've heard people use is Sew What Pro, I am not familiar with it.
If it were me just starting out, I'd go for Embird then buy add ons as I need them.
Sometimes it's easier to buy designs than digitise as they can take many hrs to create, then you have to test stitch and readjust if necessary.
I've never found PE Next beginner friendly, maybe I just didn't give it time.

wayupnorth
08-11-2014, 04:33 PM
Thanks, I managed to find enough video on YT to demonstrate MBX and the software looks far more intuitive than Embird and far more capable than NEXT. Having worked with a variety of cad & drawing packages over the years I hope not to have too many issues. Embird seemed to be illogical in its approach but in fairness I did not persevere or pay too much attention to tutorials. It is also not cheap when adding extra modules.

Anyway I have just purchased a 350e + MBX upgrade so looking forward to getting up and running next week.

Amilne1
08-11-2014, 05:26 PM
Congrats, I don't know what mbx is - is it janome software. It's been a long time since I used their software, my first machine was a janome 9500 and I used customiser before upgrading to the full digitising. Happy embroidering when your machine arrives

wayupnorth
08-11-2014, 07:25 PM
Yes it is from Janome and seems to have evolved a lot from customiser. Normally £1k but the entry level version (JR) is currently bundled with a 350e and can be upgraded for £650 so that is quite a saving. Normally bundled software has no upgrade path so quite pleased with this. I was still quite shocked at the price of these software packages which are equal to the cost of a machine. However I now see that this is well below the pro versions for multi head machines.

arthur.daley
22-11-2014, 11:39 AM
I was looking at the £5k brother machine at the Newtech event in Corby earlier this week and some basic software to digitise my own designs started at £500 and the package which would do all of the things I wanted was in the order of 1500 to 3000 :o(

windyash
22-11-2014, 04:38 PM
IS this Janome a good starter machine for basic text and logos? we've been looking at different basic machines but havnt really got a clue , my wife is doing a machine embroidery course at the moment at a local museum .

wayupnorth
24-11-2014, 11:08 PM
Yes but there are only a few fonts built in so you need external software to get the most out of the machine. Janome currently include JR which can be upgraded to MBX for around £500. Other software is available and most can write the file in a format suitable for different machines so you can mix and match. From my research before purchasing it came down to requirement, budget and software but I am coming from a business angle. I am very impressed with the output so far but still experimenting.

MBX videos can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/user/JanomeUSA/search?query=mbx

Many other video's available.....

Amilne1
25-11-2014, 02:35 PM
Other software to consider is Embird. For the basic, studio, font & iconiser it's approx £300 ($500) it's non machine specific so can output to most formats. You can download a free trial and test before deciding to buy. You can buy modules as you require. It all depends on your budget. For a machine, depends what you want to do, minimum hoop, I would suggest 5x7, you would soon outgrown a 4x4 hoop. Get the best possible set up you can afford. Brother machines are good. There's lots of Facebook groups around that will help also. Ask your dealer if they have any trade in machines available. If your looking for a brother pr multi needle, Bambers sell ex lease machines, which are about 1 yr old.

viccar
26-11-2014, 08:51 PM
Yes it is from Janome and seems to have evolved a lot from customiser. Normally £1k but the entry level version (JR) is currently bundled with a 350e and can be upgraded for £650 so that is quite a saving. Normally bundled software has no upgrade path so quite pleased with this. I was still quite shocked at the price of these software packages which are equal to the cost of a machine. However I now see that this is well below the pro versions for multi head machines.

You are upgrading at £650 you could have got embird for a lot less than that, and then could have taken it with you if you ever decided to change the machine at a later date.

basic Embird is only £104
photo stitch, £57
digitizer £ 95
Windows lettering £92

Total £347 and thats for everything you can do with the MBX

You only have to buy the basic and then can add on the others when you want to start to use them.

wayupnorth
26-11-2014, 11:13 PM
MBX is dongle based so transportable. Like other packages it can write files for a variety of machines so changing would not be a problem. I did trial other software as this is a lot of money to shell out and preferred the interface, operation and facilities offered by MBX. This had to be done using tutorial videos (70+) as MBX is not available as a demo but still felt this was better. Nothing wrong with Embird, nothing wrong with Next it just comes down to personal choice.

viccar
27-11-2014, 12:08 PM
I think you will be enjoying hours of fun watching this machine, i remember i was amazed at what they can do when i first got mine.

I think everyone had something embroidered that year for xmas :wink:

Enjoy