Brother Compatible Embroidery Cards
Many beautiful, fun and whimsical embroidery cards are available for your Brother embroidery machine, but before you get swept away purchasing additional embroidery cards, it's important to check for compatibility to avoid dealing with returns or exchanges. Know the hoop area and stitch-file formats that your machine will accept, and be sure the software you are considering matches the specifications of what your machine can read before purchasing. Some brand-name choices that make compatible cards are Baby Lock and Bernina.
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Stitch File Format
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Check what file types your embroidery machine will read. You can find specifications for your embroidery machine in your owner's manual or online. See "Embroidery data formats" to determine which file formats match your machine. Common varieties are tajima.dst, PES (PE-Design), PHC and .PEN. Once you know what files are compatible with your machine, check the file format of the embroidery card to determine whether they will work together. Brand names that make Brother-compatible cards include Baby Lock and Bernina. Nickelodeon and Disney also make design cards for Brother machines.
Hoop Area
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Check the hoop area for your machine. Many machines will embroider at least a 5-by-7 area, but others are limited to 4-by-4. Embroidery cards often have multiple designs of different sizes, but don't be fooled if you are restricted to a smaller size. Some cards may have both 5-by-7 and 4-by-4 designs but can only be read by a machine that can open a 5-by-7 design.
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Conversion
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With the use of a reader/writer box, you can write designs from your computer directly to an embroidery card. Brother has its own reader/writer transfer box that can be used with any Brother embroidery machine that uses a memory card.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
