Features

• Comprehensive, MS Access compatible database.
• Ability to create unlimited customers, categories, directories and design states.
• Archiving by Design, Customer, Category, Date and Folder.
  
• Palette Manager for setting specific thread shades and alternative colourways.
  
• Instruction Sheet with all design details, thread shades and running order.
  
• Import and Export for all major industrial machine formats.
• Ability to change block colour and function assignment.
• Advanced block/stitch manipulation tools.
• 70 Satin fonts and True Type font conversion.
• Full control over lettering placement.
• Range of text transforms.
• Ability to modify and store stitching properties to suit fabric or lettering scale.
• Cap/Garment Render
• Costings
  
  

Additional Options - Stitch Graduator, Emblems, Namedrop

Database

The 'Browser' is a fully integrated MS Access compatible database that allows embroidery designs to be stored and viewed in numerous ways. Customers, categories, directories and design states are all user definable. The Find tool allows searches to be performed on design name, reference, description and keywords. There is a full complement of database maintenance tools including automatic archiving for easy backup of designs by Name, Customer, Category, Date and Folder.

Information

A range of relevant information can be stored with any design including customer, detailed description/instruction and stitch count. Specific thread shades and/or colourways can be assigned and stored. A selection of instruction sheets can be printed containing all this information together with the design running sequence. This level also includes a Costings feature allowing the user to input all details of a machine - stitch speed, number of heads etc. together with other variables such as Operating Cost and Materials. A costing per run and per garment will then be calculated giving details of runtime and amount of thread which will be used.

Production

Designs can be imported and exported to the majority of industrial embroidery machine formats including Tajima, Barudan, ZSK and Pfaff. A single ApS-Ethos system can be networked directly or via an interface to a number of embroidery machines to offer greater production control. The Browser database can also be shared over a network to allow easy transfer and monitoring of designs through a company.

Advanced Editing

Creative Writer offers the highest level of advanced block and stitch editing facilities. Any block or group of blocks can be moved, rotated, deleted, reordered, inserted, cut, copied and pasted. A range of alignment/placement tools exists to allow accurate and automatic positioning of blocks. Colours and functions can be easily changed via the Show Blocks facility, which allows the block sequence of a design to be viewed. Individual or groups of stitches can also be moved or deleted and insert/add stitch facilities allow simple amendments to be made. Split Block allows a single block to be easily separated into multiple blocks to allow for greater design manipulation and merging of design elements. The powerful Replace feature enables areas of stitching to be re-input as Running, Satin or Step giving greater scaling potential and design control. Any areas of Satin stitch can be automatically widened to allow for 'pulling in' on difficult garments such as polo shirt. Auto Fix/Lock guarantees that all areas of a design have appropriate tying on and off stitches.

Lettering

The most powerful advanced lettering tools exist in this level allowing the user to input over 70 pre-set Satin fonts. True Type font conversion tools mean that any Windows True Type lettering can be converted into Step or Running with optional Satin borders. In-built Satin fonts include compensated versions for problem fabrics, fonts for small lettering and two colour fonts. Lettering can be typed in on a line, arc, circle or user defined path as well as vertically. A wide variety of text transforms can be applied to any input lettering including bridge, perspective and globe. Height, font, bolden, slant, spacing, placement and offset can all be manipulated to produce any required arrangement of lettering. Text can also be condensed to fit any width and stitching direction can be easily changed to produce lettering for caps. The user can also modify/create Running, Satin and Step stitch effects allowing advanced editing of densities, underlays, stitch length, pattern, compensation, stitch type etc.