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Start & end design

The software provides a number of global settings which apply to entire designs. The Auto Start & End feature is available to connect first and last stitches in a design. This makes it easy to position the needle before stitching and reduces the chance of the needle hitting the side of the frame.

The Remove Small Stitches function automatically removes unwanted small stitches from a design either on opening or on output.


Click View > Show Hoop to show or hide hoop. Right-click for settings.

Use Customize Design / Output Design > Auto Start and End to set auto start and end points for entire design.

Automatic start & end points

Before stitching, some embroidery machines require you to position the hoop precisely in relation to the needle. Some machines require stitching to start in the center of the hoop, some at the periphery. Some machines require the needle to finish at the center, others at the last stitch. By default, design start and end points are automatically set according to the currently selected machine and hoop. Use the 'Auto Start and End' shortcut in the Customize Design toolbox to access the dialog. The Design Settings menu also provides a link.

The disabled controls display the current settings determined by the 'Automatically adjusted' setting. The saved template setting is remembered when creating a new design with 'Automatically adjusted' selected.

The Hoop List on the Context toolbar shows which hoop is currently active in the design window. The list is automatically filtered according to the selected machine type. The best hoop for the design is automatically selected when changing machines. See also Machine selection.


Use View > Show Design to show or hide design elements. Click to open droplist of view settings.

Use Customize Design / Output Design > Auto Start and End to set auto start and end points for entire design.

User-defined start & end points

While start/end points are automatically determined when using the 'Automatically adjusted' option, there are times when you want to set your own start and end points for a particular design. You may also want to save your preference to the template as the default setting for all new blank designs.

  • Turn on connectors via the Show Design droplist or press <Shift + C>. Note that a green circle indicates the start point while a white cross indicates the end point.

  • Click Auto Start and End and choose the 'User defined' option. In the example below, start and end points are set to top left and bottom left respectively.
  • Select a centering method for start and end needle positions...

    MethodDescription
    First / last stitchStart and end the design at the first and last stitches wherever they may occur in the design.
    Auto start / endSelect one of the nine preset start and end points. Connecting stitches are added to first and last stitches of the design.
    Digitize start / endDigitize your own start and end points. Used where you want to strictly define the start/end point of the embroidery usually to align with some other component. If you select this option, you are prompted to click the point after clicking closing the dialog.
  • Select the 'Maintain Automatically' checkbox (the default) to automatically maintain start and/or end needle positions. This ensures that start/end points are maintained during editing operations.
  • Turn off 'Maintain Automatically' if you want to position the design anywhere in the hoop. You might do this to set up continuous designs or special placements such as on pockets. Use this technique with machines which always start in the center of the hoop. Make sure automatic centering is set to start needle position. 
  • Click OK. Connecting stitches will be inserted as required before the first and after the last stitches of the design.
  • Use the Save button to save your preference to the template. This becomes the default setting for all new blank designs.

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Eliminating small stitches

Small stitches can damage fabric and cause thread or needle breakage. Before you stitch out, unwanted small stitches can be automatically removed. The filter can be applied continuously, on output only, or never. To eliminate small stitches...

  • Select Design Settings > Remove Small Stitches.
  • Choose your preferred option:
    • When set to ‘Always’, the filter will be automatically applied in the background whenever objects are edited or digitized.
    • When set to ‘On Output’, the filter is only applied when printing or outputting files.
  • Enter the minimum stitch length you want to preserve.
  • Click OK to confirm.
  • Check the Status Bar for the new stitch count.