Release Notes
Overview of JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H 1 Overview of JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H Welcome to the JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H release. This release provides many enhancements to coincide with the launch of the Janome MC12000 machine and re-launch of Janome MC11000 and MB-4 machines. Note The previously released DigitizerPro is discontinued in this release. Upgrades and options You can purchase upgrade or option CDs from your dealer. JANOME DigitizerJr to JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H upgrades have an M&D kit as this has additional inclusions which must be installed. Integration with CorelDRAW Essentials JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H provides seamless integration with CorelDRAW, allowing users to take full advantage of all that the CorelDRAW Essentials has to offer. CorelDRAW is the most popular vector-based drawing package for the decorated goods industry. CorelDRAW Essentials provides many of the powerful features of the full graphics suite within a moderate learning curve. It features enhanced illustration capabilities, photo-editing together with a library of professional clipart images. DPI scaling When using Vista and Windows 7 DPI scaling, some interfaces become unreadable. JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H is now DPI aware so that interface elements scale correctly without truncating or hiding elements. Security Security arrangements depend on purchase: Customers purchasing JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H as a new product (not updating from an earlier version) will require a new dongle. Customers updating from a version prior to JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H will receive an update dongle. System requirements To install JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H software on your computer, it must meet the following system requirements: Component CPU Intel Pentium 4, AMD Athlon 64 or AMD Opteron Recommended 2 GHz + Latest Intel or AMD 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) multicore processor
System requirements 2 Component Operating system Windows XP or higher with latest service packs installed (32-bit) Microsoft Windows 7 with latest service packs installed (32-bit or 64-bit editions) Internet browser I.E. 7.0 or higher I.E. 8.0 or higher Memory (RAM) 1 GB 2 GB (more if running multiple applications) Hard drive size 40 GB 80 GB or higher Free disk space ^ At least 10GB after installation At least 20GB after installation Monitor 17" at 1024 X 768 Dual monitors capable of displaying 1280 X 1024 or higher Graphics card (non-integrated) Data drives Scanner, printer, plotter connection USB port Mouse Support for highest color (32bit) and resolution (1024 X 768) DVD-ROM drive for software installation Dual layer DVD-ROM for Extras DVD Optional Dedicated USB port for a USB dongle PS/2 or USB mouse Recommended Support for DirectX 9 graphics with: WDDM driver 512MB or higher of graphics memory (non-integrated) Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware 32 bits per pixel Dual monitor capable Backup device e.g. DVD burner, tape backup, removable hard drive Windows-compatible (any connection method e.g. parallel, USB) Supported operating systems JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H runs reliably on the following operating systems: Windows XP SP3 or later Home and Professional Windows Vista SP1 or later Home Basic and Ultimate Windows 7 with latest service packs. Note: JANOME Digitizer MBX does not support Win98 or Windows NT/2000. The EmbroideryEditor software provided with MC14000 machines does not support Windows XP. JANOME Digitizer MBX requires IE 7.0 or higher.
Summary of new capabilities 3 Internet access Internet connection required by certain parts of the system as well as for access to product information and online support. ^ Free hard disk space JANOME Digitizer MBX occupies up to 1Gb of hard disk space, depending on the options installed. Screen resolution Some controls may be hidden on the user interface if you run your monitor at low resolutions. The physical size of your monitor will have a bearing on the optimum screen resolution. Summary of new capabilities Below is a summary of the new/improved features of JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H. Feature Reference New product features New cutwork Cutwork New freehand embroidery Freehand embroidery New monogramming Monogramming New ambience quilting Echo quilting New stitch types Stipple and Cross New stitch types Stitch fills New Break Apart tool Break apart composite objects New Branching tool Automatic branching New Tie-Off & Trim tool New Tie-Off & Trim tool Improved product features Improved auto-digitizing Improved auto-digitizing Appliqué improvements appliqué fabrics Appliqué improvements and partial cover appliqué Combine mode improvements Splitting objects for multi-hooping and printing Combine mode improvements multi-hooped designs Improved outlines and offsets Improved offset objects Improved thread color matching Improved thread color matching Included as standard Cost option
New product features 4 Feature Reference Improved duplicate with offset Improved duplicate with offset Remove overlaps improvement Remove overlaps improvement Stitch recognition improvements Stitch recognition improvements Usability enhancements Expanded tooltips Expanded tooltips Rotate and skew tooltips Rotate and skew tooltips Measurement unit system Measurement unit system Rulers and Guides tool New Rulers and Guides tool Separate Travel toolbar Separate Travel toolbar Automatic closed run and satin lines Closed run and satin lines Mouse scroll/zoom control Mouse scroll/zoom control Pan tool Pan tool Improved print options Improved print options System improvements Integration with CorelDRAW Integration with CorelDRAW New Janome EmbLinkTool New Janome HorizonLink and EmbLinkTool Included as standard Cost option Tip When viewing the Release Notes onscreen, click the cross-references to link directly to your Onscreen Manual. To return to the Release Notes, click the Go to Previous View button in Acrobat Reader. New product features JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H offers a number of significant new product features. Cutwork Click Digitize > Digitize Cutwork to create cutwork objects using a digitized line and current cutwork settings. Click Docker > Show Cutwork Bar to access the Cutwork Bar and available cutwork options.
New product features 5 Openwork or cutwork embroidery is a delicate form of needlework which involves cutting away portions of the background fabric and binding the edges with satin or buttonhole stitching. In addition to reinforcing the edges, resulting holes may be filled with embroidery or needle lace. JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H now includes cutwork functionality to create cutting data for the machine to cut fabric for appliqué as well as cutwork embroidery and lacework. See Digitizing for Cutwork in the Instruction Book. Select embroidery first Select scenario Adjust embroidery details Adjust component details Advantages of the new feature include: Reads a variety of file formats including Janome native machine format JEF and JPX as well as JAN designs. Easy-to-learn and integrated into the familiar JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H interface. Only one software program needed to produce a cutwork design. Freehand embroidery Use Freehand Open Single Line to digitize an open shape by freehand, with Single Line stitching. Use Freehand Closed Single Line to digitize a closed shape by freehand, with Single Line stitching. Use Freehand Satin Fill to digitize a closed shape by freehand, with Satin Fill stitching. The new Freehand Embroidery feature lets you create designs with a hand-drawn appearance, something which is difficult to achieve through
New product features 6 conventional digitizing methods. The aim is to mimic designs formed on an embroidery machine by freehand motion. The difference is that the fabric secured in an embroidery hoop, allowing the needle to draw on the fabric surface, exactly as you have drawn on-screen. See Creating freehand shapes in the Instruction Book. Monogramming The old Monogramming tool was difficult to use, had limited alphabets, and editing the result was cumbersome. The revised tool significantly improves usability. See also Monogramming in the Instruction Book. Borders stitched first 1, 2, 3, etc Ornaments stitched next Lettering stitched last Note The full monogramming functionality is only available in JANOME Digitizer MBX software level. The functionality in JANOME DigitizerJr includes a limited version of the feature.
New product features 7 Echo quilting Use Edit > Ambience Quilting to create echo quilting blocks. Users sometimes use the Offset Object tool to create echo quilting designs. However, the offsets are formed outside each selected object unless it is a complex shape with a hole. The new Ambience Quilting feature is accessed via the Edit toolbar or Embroidery menu when the design window contains one or more embroidery objects. The Ambience Quilting feature replaces the Stipple tool. See Creating echo stitching in the Instruction Book. New stitch types JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H offers new and improved stitch fills stipple and cross stitch. Stipple fill In its old form, reshaping and performing operations like removing overlaps of stipple stitching was difficult. Both of these operations are necessary, especially for quilting applications. Stipple stitch is now available as a stitch type. A stipple preview is provided in the Fill Stitch > Stipple Fill tab. The preview maintains a 1:1 view of the stipple fill as stitch settings change. See also Creating stipple fills in the Instruction Book.
New product features 8 Cross Stitch fill While there is powerful functionality available in the Cross Stitch tool, users find the editing of cross stitch difficult and designs do not always resize well. JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H now provides a dedicated cross stitch fill type. While limited in functionality, this tool provides reshaping and resizing capabilities for cross stitch fills within EasyDesign. See also Creating cross stitch fills in the Instruction Book. Note JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H does not turn EMX files into Cross Stitch fill objects. When reading EMX files, they are still treated as manual objects. Break apart composite objects Use Edit > Break Apart to split branched objects monograms, appliqués, etc into component objects. The new Break Apart tool allows you to split branched objects monograms, appliqués, etc into their component parts. The effect on these objects is similar to the ungrouping operation. See Breaking apart composite objects in the Instruction Book.
New product features 9 Warning When saved into earlier versions of the software, monograms and appliqués may be subjected to the Break Apart procedure by default. Automatic branching Branching is an advanced feature which lets you digitize similar, overlapping objects e.g. the fingers of a hand, sections of a custom letter without having to think about the most efficient stitching sequence and joins. Apply Branching to join selected objects to form a single branched object. Objects are resequenced, connectors minimized, component objects grouped, and stitches regenerated. All component objects are grouped and selectable as one. See Branching like-objects in the Instruction Book. New Tie-Off & Trim tool Use Edit > Always Tie-Off & Trim to force connectors to be trimmed for selected embroidery object/s. A new Always Tie-Off & Trim toggle is included on the Edit toolbar in the JANOME Digitizer MBX product level. Force connectors to be trimmed for selected embroidery object/s. By default, EasyDesign always decides when to trim. However, when activated, the Always Tie-Off & Trim toggle forces connectors to be trimmed for selected embroidery object/s. This includes both connectors
Improved product features 10 inside and after the objects. See also Trimming connectors in the Instruction Book. Improved product features JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H offers a number of significant product improvements. Tip When viewing these Release Notes on screen, click the cross-references to link directly to your Onscreen Manual. To return to the Release Notes, click the Go to Previous View button in Acrobat Reader. Improved auto-digitizing The process of turning an image into embroidery when using Click-to-Design Advanced, as opposed to Click-to-Design Instantly, is sometimes difficult to understand as the two major parts of the process are separated into different functions image preparation followed by conversion to stitches. The separate parts of the Click-to-Design Advanced operation have been brought together to suit casual users and still provide advanced users a quick path to controlling the results. See Digitizing images with Click-to-Design in the Instruction Book. Color reduction controls Image preview Merged color list Stitching options for fills, details, outlines and borders
Improved product features 11 Appliqué improvements JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H now provides a way of creating partial appliqué. In addition, it gives you the ability to place fabrics in appliqué objects. Appliqué fabrics Use Digitize > Auto Appliqué to digitize appliqué shapes and place fabrics in appliqué designs. Click View > Show Appliqué Fabrics to toggle on/off display of fabrics within appliqué designs. The Object Details > Appliqué dialog contains a Fabric panel which allows you to choose a fabric or plain color to assign to your appliqué patch. Toggling on the Show Appliqué Fabrics icon on the View toolbar activates display of the fabric in appliqué objects. See also Placing fabrics in appliqué in the Instruction Book. Choose fabric fill for appliqué patch Each appliqué object can have a different fabric. If multiple appliqué objects are selected, selection of a fabric and color will set all objects to the same fabric and color. Partial cover appliqué Use Digitize > Partial Appliqué to create appliqué objects with partial cover stitching.
Improved product features 12 The Partial Appliqué tool lets you create appliqué objects with partial cover stitching to create an overlapping effect without doubling-up borders. See also Creating partial cover appliqué in the Instruction Book. Partial cover Unstitched part of boundary Combine mode improvements JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H provides improvements in multi-hooping. Splitting objects for multi-hooping 7 Use Combine > Create Splitting Guide to digitize one or more split lines in multi-hooped design prior to outputting to file, machine or memory card. Previously, large objects could not be embroidered using Combine mode (multi-hooping) unless they fitted completely within a hoop. You could manually split them prior to entering Combine mode. However, manual splitting breaks object underlay and cover stitching into multiple parts. To resolve these problems, there is now a Create Splitting Guide tool which splits objects only on output and provides splitting feedback in Combine mode. See also Splitting objects between hoopings in the Instruction Book.
Improved product features 13 Happy Birthday unstitched Happy Birthday split between hoops Printing multi-hooped designs If there is more than one hooping in the design, you have the option of printing hoops in multi-hooping view in their correct color sequence. The Hooping Sequence option allows you to print a Resequence List type printout showing the objects in each hooping. See also Printing multi-hooped designs in the Instruction Book. Print hoops in multi-hooping view in correct color sequence Improved offset objects Use Edit > Outlines & Offsets to add outlines and/or offset outlines to selected closed objects. The original Offset Object button and menu item have been updated to Outlines & Offsets. Previously, you could only add outlines to entire objects. Offsets needed to be added in a separate step. The updated tool
Improved product features 14 offers additional options and also allows you to add outlines and offsets in a single process. See also Creating outlines & offsets in the Instruction Book. The Outlines & Offsets dialog now contains two panels one for outlines and the other for offsets: Generate outline objects and insert them directly after object in stitching sequence Generate offset objects for selected embroidery objects and add them to end of stitching sequence Improved thread color matching Previously there was no way of replacing the entire Color Palette with a preferred brand of thread. The Thread Colors dialog now includes a Match & Replace All thread color function. See Setting up color palettes in the Instruction Book.
Improved product features 15 Click and drag to portion of design you want to view When reading designs from machine, thread colors are automatically matched to the Color Palette. This may not have the same colors or brand thread chart as the design. You can now either match or replace colors in the color palette when reading or inserting a design. JANOME MemoryCraft machines support additional thread charts and specifically identify brands of thread. This is now supported in the software and the new JPX file. A brand designation for the thread chart is written into the JPX file so the machine knows which brand of thread the design is using. See also New Janome HorizonLink and EmbLinkTool. Improved duplicate with offset The Duplicate feature has been enhanced to allow you to create effects like drop shadows for lettering or other objects. It allows you to add an X and Y offset when duplicating. The Duplicate command can be accessed via Edit > Duplicate or Ctr+D keys in Embroidery mode. See also Duplicating objects in the Instruction Book. If you simply select an object and access the command, the duplicated object is placed according to the settings in the new Edit tab of Work Environment dialog as shown: The controls in the Edit tab are as follows:
Usability enhancements 16 Field Object Position Shift Objects Notes When activated, cloned objects are duplicated in the same location as the selected object/s. This is the default behavior. When activated, selected object/s are duplicated with horizontal and vertical offsets as indicated. Use these to create precise offsets for effects such as drop shadows. Note The Quick Clone feature lets you quickly duplicate selected objects by right-clicking, dragging and releasing at a new position. This behavior is unchanged. See Cloning objects in the Instruction Book. Remove overlaps improvement Use Edit > Remove Overlaps to remove underlying layers of stitching in overlapping objects. The Remove Overlaps command removes underlying layers of stitching in overlapping objects. The tool now retains the original stitch angles in the cut object. See also Removing underlying stitching in the Instruction Book. Original stitch angles in cut object retained Stitch recognition improvements Stitch recognition has been improved to ensure that best results from stitch based files are achieved. This means reducing the number of objects and eliminating manual objects completely. See also Object/outline recognition in the Instruction Book. Usability enhancements JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H offers a number of significant improvements in overall system usability.
Usability enhancements 17 Tip When viewing these Release Notes on screen, click the cross-references to link directly to your Onscreen Manual. To return to the Release Notes, click the Go to Previous View button in Acrobat Reader. Expanded tooltips JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H provides extended text for tooltips which explains more precisely what each tool is used for. An F1 keypress can be used to access more help. New expanded tooltip Link to onscreen help Tip Context-Sensitive Help is available for both tools and dialogs by pressing the F1 key. Rotate and skew tooltips Users find it difficult to assess how much an object is being rotated (or skewed) graphically on screen. New rotate and skew tooltips similar to the resize tooltip now provide visual feedback. Knowing the figure is especially useful when you want to apply the same rotation (or skew angle) to multiple objects. See also Rotating & skewing objects in the Instruction Book. Tooltip shows precise skew angle Tooltip shows precise rotation angle Other tooltip improvements when reshaping lettering include: Individual letter: Resize, Rotate, Skew, Kern. Lettering baseline angle and length.
Usability enhancements 18 Measurement unit system The measurement system may now be changed via a dropdown list on the View toolbar: Select desired measurement unit Users frequently have to switch between US and metric measurement systems especially when working with quilt block, stipple stitching, and quilt layouts all done in US measurements and normal embroidery usually metric. You now have a quick means of switching the measurement system on-the-fly in these situations. See Setting measurement units in the Instruction Book. Tip As an alternative to changing the overall measurement system used in EasyDesign, you can specify units of measurement when typing values into a measurement control. When you include the unit of measurement, the software automatically converts the entered value into the units of the control. See Setting measurement units in the Instruction Book. Closed run and satin lines Digitize closed lines of single or triple run stitching with the new Closed Run Line tools. New Closed Run Line flyout Create objects using left and right mouse clicks to mark reference points to form an outline. Use left-clicks to enter corner points and right-clicks to enter curve points. See Digitizing closed run lines in the Instruction Book. 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2 1 12 Object is closed automatically 11 Digitize satin lines Use Digitize > Closed Satin Line to create a closed border of fixed width.
Usability enhancements 19 Digitize columns and borders of fixed width with the Satin Line tools. You can leave the shape open or, with the new Closed Satin Line tool, close the first and last reference points. See Creating thick lines & borders in the Instruction Book. Mouse scroll/zoom control The revised Work Environment > Scrolling tab allows you to control the behavior of both mouse and mouse wheel within EasyDesign. You use Auto Scroll to scroll automatically within the design window while digitizing. This can be more convenient than using panning or scroll bars, especially when working on large designs. You now use the dialog to also customize zoom and scrolling behaviors of your mouse wheel. See also Setting scrolling options in the Instruction Book. Select Auto Scroll and Move Pointer After Scroll Adjust auto-scroll speed and pointer position Select desired action for your mouse wheel Note A checkbox enables automatic centering of the pointer when zooming.
Usability enhancements 20 Pan tool For consistency, the Pan tool in both EasyDesign and CorelDRAW Essentials now works in the same way. Clicking the Pan tool or pressing the P (keyboard shortcut) key changes the cursor to a grabbing hand symbol. When you click and hold, you can drag the image around to reveal different parts of the design. See also Zooming & panning designs in the Instruction Book. Click and drag to portion of design you want to view Improved print options The Print Options dialog gives you precise control over your design printout. This dialog has been revised to make it easier to print different types of worksheet for different purposes. See also Setting print options in the Instruction Book. Select design elements to print Click a mode to pre-set design worksheet display options Include additional worksheets When you first open the dialog, the Design Worksheet option is selected by default. You can configure the design worksheet to print stitch information, outlines, images, cloth setting markings, etc, as desired. The Design Mode and Template Mode buttons provide a quick way to pre-set the design worksheet display options, where:
Other improvements 21 Design Mode: Shows the design as it appears in the design window. You can turn on or off the preset options as required. See also Printing design elements in the Instruction Book. Template Mode: Shows the design outlines with no stitches. See also Printing design layouts in the Instruction Book. In addition to the standard Design Worksheet option, you can include the following worksheets: Check Color Layers for a list of colors in the design, together with color and stitch information for each color layer. See also Printing color layers in the Instruction Book. Check Appliqué Patterns if you want a copy of the appliqué pattern as a guide to cutting out fabric pieces. See also Printing appliqué patterns in the Instruction Book. Check Hooping List if there is more than one hooping in the design. This displays hoopings in their correct color sequence. See also Printing multi-hooped designs in the Instruction Book. Note The Print Options dialog also allows you to include artwork as part of the design worksheet. Using Design Worksheet options, you can choose to print only design outlines without stitch information. You can also print only design images vector or bitmap as desired. This is especially useful for users of the new MC12000 machine. Other improvements JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H offers a number of other significant improvements which have been incorporated into the current release of the product. Tip When viewing these Release Notes on screen, click the cross-references to link directly to your Onscreen Manual. To return to the Release Notes, click the Go to Previous View button in Acrobat Reader. Lettering improvements The V4.5H release included the following Lettering improvements. Monogramming Some users find it difficult to click-and-hold while moving the mouse. Now you can click and release to open the layout menu in the Monogramming > Lettering tab, and then select the layout of your choice. See also Creating monogram lettering in the Instruction Book.
Other improvements 22 Click to open layout menu Select layout of your choice Note too: The Rotate Baseline field is now disabled when a single letter is selected in the Lettering tab. The Modify Details option for Borders now works as expected when updating two or more borders. Digitizing improvements The V4.5H release included the following Digitizing improvements. New Rulers and Guides tool A new Rulers And Guides tool has been added to all product levels of JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H. See Displaying rulers & guides in the Instruction Book.
Other improvements 23 Digitizing certain objects Digitizing Closed Satin Line, Motif Run Line, and Candlewicking Run Line objects sometimes produced unexpected results. These have been corrected. Appliqué tackdown stitch The appliqué tackdown stitch now reflects the Inside/Outside offset value set in the Object Details dialog. Ambience Quilting design margin The Ambience Quilting design margin was not always applied properly for some quilting types. This has been corrected. Separate Travel toolbar The Travel tools, with the exception of the Slow Redraw tool button, have been moved to a separate toolbar. The new Travel toolbar is available via the View > Toolbars menu. Since travel tools are less frequently used, moving them to the new toolbar makes all tools on the View toolbar visible at the minimum screen resolution. See Traveling through designs in the Instruction Book. See also Traveling through designs in EasyEdit in the Instruction Book. New Travel toolbar Color improvements The V4.5H release included the following Thread Color improvements. Color palette icon The Color Palette icon now changes color to reflect the currently selected color in the color palette.
Other improvements 24 Color Palette icon reflects currently selected color in color palette Increasing number of colors Adding thread colors to the palette by increasing the number of colors in the Thread Colors dialog now automatically assigns default colors to the additional slots. See also Setting up color palettes in the Instruction Book. Stitching improvements The V4.5H release included the following Embroidery Stitching improvements. Radial Fill Radial Fill can now be applied using fill stitches without patterns. It is now also possible to apply Radial Fill to any Satin or Weave fill object simply by selecting the Radial Fill checkbox on the Object Details > Radial Fill tab. See also Creating radial fills in the Instruction Book.
Other improvements 25 Split Satin Weave Weave with Pattern 13 Satin with Chevron Pattern 13 Select Radial Fill without patterns as desired Embroidery Gallery Embroidery Gallery now makes it possible to use any motif from any motif set as an embroidery stamp, including user-defined motifs. See Selecting & inserting stamps in the Instruction Book. Use any motif set as an embroidery stamp Run and Satin Lines You can now convert between run line types without accessing Object Details simply by clicking a run line tool on the Digitizing toolbar. Convert between different types of closed run lines or open run lines. You can also covert to open or closed satin lines. See also Changing run stitch type in the Instruction Book.
Other improvements 26 Weave Fill In the previous release, when using Weave Fill pattern 20, the object reverted to Weave Fill pattern 2. This has been corrected. Gradient Fill with turning angles Gradient Fill now works correctly with Turning Angle Weave Fill objects. Editing improvements The V4.5H release included the following Design Editing improvements. Cropping images Image cropping behavior now behaves as it did in DigitizerPro V3.
Other improvements 27 Cutting locked objects Locked objects became unlocked when applying the Remove Overlaps tool. This has been corrected. Align evenly menu items The right-click Align menu now includes the new Align Evenly menu items. See also Aligning objects in the Instruction Book. Hooping improvements The V4.5H release provides the following Hooping improvements. Alignment marks The V4.5H release added the ability to optionally turn on alignment crosses for multi-hooping work. Set the margin for multi-hooping registration marks
Other improvements 28 as required small, medium, or large. See Outputting alignment marks in the Instruction Book. Choose to add alignment marks Cloth setter marker with offset hoops Hoop sequence mode showed the cloth setter marker in the wrong location when using offset hoops (Hoop1&3, J8). This has been corrected. Splitting multi-hooped design files Clicking the Save All Now button when saving a multi-hooped design in JPX format did not always split files properly. This has been corrected. Duplicating splitting guides Right-click-dragging a splitting guide in Combine mode now duplicates the guide correctly. Split objects warning message When saving split objects to JEF files, a warning message may appear where sections of split objects cannot be created. Clicking OK now returns you to Combine mode. Cross Stitch default hoop The hoop is now displayed by default in the Cross Stitch application. New hoop for MC15000 Support for a new hoop has been added for the MC15000 machine the RE18(140 180) hoop.
Other improvements 29 New hat hoop for MC12000 Support for a new hat hoop has been added for the MC12000 machine the HH10 (100 90) hoop. This is different to the hat hoop for the MC11000 machine. See also Selecting hoops in the Instruction Book. Design output improvements The V4.5H release included the following Design Output improvements. Collate image In the previous release, the copy or collate image was shifted in the Copies group of the print dialog. This has been corrected. Graphics mode In the previous release, the following issues were reported in relation to working with Graphics mode. These have been corrected. When installing CorelDRAW Essentials after JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H, Graphics mode was no longer available.
Other improvements 30 JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H would crash if an unsupported version of CorelDRAW was registered. With certain embroidery files, an error occurred when switching to and from Graphics mode. When vector drawings and bitmaps were centered together in Graphics mode, they sometimes shifted with respect to each other when switching to Embroidery mode. Pressing F1 in Graphics mode failed to load the onscreen help file. Machine support improvements The V4.5H release provides the following Machine Support improvements. MC9900 and NS-1 machines JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H provides support for the new MC9900 and NS-1 machine models. Like the MC200E machine, the MC9900 and NS-1 machines do not support direct connection but they do read USB sticks. Support for new MC9900 and NS-1 machines MC15000 and MC12000 machines Direct connection for MC15000 and MC12000 machines is now provided via the Standard toolbar. New Send to HorizonLink and Send to EmbLinkTool icons have been included next to the Send to Machine icon. See also Outputting to Machine in the Instruction Book. This release adds the ability to write to external media when either of these machines is selected as the current machine. MC14000 The new MC14000 machine supports direct connection as well as writing to external media (USB). It also comes supplied with its own EmbroideryEditor
Other improvements 31 application for machine communications. Send designs from JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H to EmbroideryEditor for editing before on-sending to machine. Note The EmbroideryEditor software provided with MC14000 machines does not support Windows XP. MC11000 machine Sending design with 75+ colors via External Media or MC11000 resulted in a buffer overrun and the software shut down. This has now been corrected. Hoop ASQ (180x180) for the MC11000 was missing from the hoop selection. This has now been added. MC500E, MC450E, and MC400E machines These machines all support direct connection as well as writing to external media (USB). MB-4 machine The centerlines of some MB4 hoops were not in the center of the design window. This has now been corrected. JEF file icons JAN and JEF files are two distinctly different formats. The icon for JEF files is now the same as the EasyEdit icon in order to distinguish it from JAN files. System errors The V4.5H release corrected the following system errors: The system froze or crashed when trying to resequence a locked object. This has been corrected. When doing Copy to Circle operations with Easy Layout, a Not Enough Memory Error sometimes resulted. The software sometimes crashed when reducing the color palette count to a number less than the currently selected color slot. The software sometimes failed to load on the first attempt. The software sometimes crashed when pressing the Ctrl+A select all command after opening some designs. Miscellaneous The following miscellaneous problems were also corrected: Design Gallery now defaults to the Embroidery Album folder. Context sensitive help was not available for certain features. This has been corrected.
System improvements 32 System improvements The JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H interface provides an improved user experience and reduced learning curve for new users. Expanded tooltips provide greater detail about tool buttons. In addition, the more flexible UI potentially reduces the learning curve for new and existing users. Integration with CorelDRAW JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H is integrated with the CorelDRAW Essentials. EasyDesign runs in what is called Embroidery mode. Conversely, CorelDRAW Essentials runs in Graphics mode. These operating modes are accessed via a new Switch & Convert toolbar. See also Starting JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5 in the Instruction Book. Switch to Graphics mode Switch to Embroidery mode Embroidery mode JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H still consists of two main programs EasyDesign and EasyEdit. EasyDesign continues to be used for creating designs while EasyEdit is used for editing stitches in existing designs.
System improvements 33 Menu bar Switch & Convert toolbar Standard toolbar View toolbar Edit toolbar Lettering toolbar Easy Layout toolbar Combine toolbar Alignment toolbar Machine Status toolbar Docker toolbar Travel toolbar Digitize toolbox Design window Image Preparation toolbar Color palette Status / Prompt bars Graphics mode JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H provides seamless integration with CorelDRAW, allowing users to take full advantage of all that the CorelDRAW Essentials has to offer. It is accessed via the new Switch & Convert toolbar. By default, this toolbar is docked below the Toolbox in Graphics mode.
System improvements 34 Menu bar Switch & Convert toolbar Toolbox Image toolbar Design window Color palette Status / Prompt bars Tip For a detailed description of the CorelDRAW interface, refer to the electronic User Guide available via the Windows Start > Programs group. Alternatively, use the onscreen help available from the Graphics mode Help menu. New Janome HorizonLink and EmbLinkTool Use Standard > Send to EmbLinkTool to send the current design to the external EmbLinkTool application. JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H works in conjunction with both Janome HorizonLink and Janome EmbLinkTool which are now shipped these Janome machines. These applications manage communication with MC15000 and MC12000 Janome machines. They allows embroidery designs on the machine to be rescaled, rotated or mirrored. The Janome machine does not recalculate stitches when a design is rescaled or transformed in any way. Hence it is limited to ±20% rescaling. The new communications software allows rescaling to be done on PC. This means you can rescale, mirror and rotate designs and stitches will be recalculated. They also let you define new stitch types for the machine s sewing mode.
System improvements 35 New JPX file format The new JPX production file format includes a JPG image, in addition to the embroidery, of any graphics included in the design. This provides you with a better means of visually aligning embroidery on a printed item when hooped in the machine. Older machines display only thread codes and not the specific brand. This causes confusion as the same code across two (or more) different brands of thread may be completely different colors. With the newer Janome machines, a thread brand ID identifying the thread chart is now recognized by the machine. The specific thread brand is now displayed on the machine itself. A brand designation for the thread chart is written to the JPX file so the machine knows which brand of thread the design is using. Toolbar changes Changes to the JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H interface affects the following toolbars. New Switch & Convert toolbar The new Switch & Convert toolbar is the most significant change in the JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H interface. By default, the new toolbar is docked at the right of the Standard toolbar in Embroidery mode. New Switch & Convert toolbar in Embroidery mode In Embroidery mode, the toolbar contains the following tools: Tool Switch to Graphics Mode Convert Selected Embroidery to Graphics Notes Enabled at all times in Embroidery mode. Switches to Graphics mode without conversion. See also EasyDesign operating modes in the Instruction Book. Enabled only when one or more embroidery objects are selected in Embroidery mode. Converts objects to vector graphics and switches to Graphics mode. See also Converting vector and embroidery objects in the Instruction Book. Graphics mode is accessed via the Switch to Graphics Mode tool: New Switch & Convert toolbar in Graphics mode In Graphics mode, the toolbar contains the following tools:
System improvements 36 Tool Switch to Embroidery Mode Convert Selected Graphics to Embroidery Convert Selected Text to Embroidery Lettering Show Embroidery Notes Enabled at all times in Graphics mode. Switches to Embroidery mode without conversion. See also EasyDesign operating modes in the Instruction Book. Enabled only when bitmaps or vectors (including text) are selected. Converts to embroidery and switches to Embroidery mode. See also Converting vector and embroidery objects in the Instruction Book. Enabled only when one or more text objects are selected. Converts to native embroidery fonts and switches to Embroidery mode. See also Creating lettering in Graphics mode in the Instruction Book. Enabled when the design window includes embroidery objects. Toggles display of embroidery objects in Graphics mode. See also Showing & hiding backdrops in the Instruction Book. New Docker toolbar The new Docker toolbar brings together a number of existing tools. For the most part, these tools open dialogs which can be docked to the side of the design window. New Docker toolbar in Embroidery mode The toolbar contains the following tools: Tool Notes Shortcut Resequence Color Palette Embroidery Gallery Use to resequence selected objects in the required stitching order. Click to open the Color Palette. Use to insert patterns (stamps) into designs. V+L C+R Updated Digitize toolbar The Digitize toolbar has changed as shown: Updated Digitize toolbar with new flyouts and additional tools The toolbar contains the following new tools:
System improvements 37 Tool Notes Shortcut Parallel Fill Turning Angle Fill Flyout includes new Stipple and Cross Stitch fill tools. See Updated Parallel Fill flyout for details. See also New stitch types. Functionality unchanged. Parallel Fill Rectangle Parallel Fill Circle Flyout includes new Stipple and Cross Stitch fill tools. See Updated Parallel Fill: Rectangle flyout for details. See also New stitch types. Flyout includes new Stipple and Cross Stitch fill tools. See Updated Parallel Fill: Circle flyout for details. See also New stitch types. Run Line Functionality unchanged. V+N Closed Run Line Freehand Open Freehand Closed Freehand Fill Appliqué Click-to-Stitch Click-to-Design Photo Click New flyout for creating closed outlines of simple run or ornamental stitches. See Closed run and satin lines for details. Use Freehand Open tools to digitize an open shape by freehand, with line stitching. See Freehand embroidery for details. Use Freehand Closed tools to digitize a closed shape by freehand, with line stitching. Use Freehand Fill tools to digitize a closed shape by freehand, with fill stitching. New flyout for digitizing normal and partial appliqué objects. See New Appliqué flyout for details. Use tools to digitize shapes in bitmap images automatically without using manual input methods. See Click-to-Stitch flyout for details. Use tools to create embroidery designs directly from imported images. See Click-to-Design flyout for details. Use to create embroidery designs directly from photographs or other images. See Photo Click flyout for details. Updated View toolbar The View toolbar has changed as shown:
System improvements 38 Select desired measurement unit The toolbar contains the following new tools: Tool Notes Shortcut Display Stitches Click to toggle on/off stitch display in the design window. S Display Vectors Click to toggle on/off display of vector graphics in the design window. V+D Show Appliqué Fabrics Design Measurement System Click to toggle on/off display of fabrics within appliqué designs. See also Appliqué improvements. Use to change the measurement system used by the software. See Measurement unit system for details. Note When toggling on the Visualizer toolbar button, if stitches are currently not shown, the Display Stitches button is toggled on automatically. Updated Edit toolbar The Edit toolbar has changed as shown: The toolbar has changed as follows: Tool Notes Shortcut Ambience Quilting Stipple has been replaced by Ambience Quilting. See Echo quilting for details. Note that Stipple now exists as a stitch type. See New stitch types for details. Outlines & Offsets Remove Overlaps Outline Offset has been enhanced and renamed to Outlines & Offsets. See Improved offset objects for details. Remove Overlaps has been added. See also Remove overlaps improvement.
System improvements 39 Tool Notes Shortcut Always Tie-Off & Trim Break Apart New tool forces connectors to be trimmed for selected embroidery object/s. See New Tie-Off & Trim tool for details. Use to split branched objects monograms, appliqués, etc into component objects. See Break apart composite objects for details. See also Automatic branching. C+K Updated Alignment toolbar The Alignment toolbar has changed as shown: New Space Evenly tools The toolbar has changed as follows: Tool Notes Space Evenly Horizontally Space Evenly Vertically Use Space Evenly Horizontally to distribute selected objects evenly across the screen. Use Space Evenly Vertically to distribute selected objects evenly down the screen. Updated Lettering toolbar The Lettering toolbar has changed as shown: The toolbar has changed as follows: Tool Monogramming Lettering Art Notes The old Monogramming tool was difficult to use, had limited alphabets, and editing the result was awkward. The revised tool significantly improves usability. See Monogramming for details. The following changes affect the Lettering Art droplist: New menu item Remove removes most recent Lettering Art effect. Original menu item None renamed to Remove All. Both items enabled if one or more Lettering Art effects are added to a lettering object. Updated Combine toolbar The Combine toolbar has changed as shown:
System improvements 40 New Create Splitting Guide tool The toolbar has changed as follows: Tool Create Splitting Guide Notes Use to digitize one or more split lines in multi-hooped design prior to outputting to file, machine or memory card. See Combine mode improvements for details. Updated Parallel Fill flyout The Parallel Weave Fill flyout has changed as shown: New parallel fill types The toolbar has changed as follows: Tool Parallel Stipple Fill Parallel Cross Stitch Fill Notes Use to digitize closed shapes with stipple fills. See also New stitch types. Use to digitize closed shapes with cross-stitch fills. See also New stitch types. Updated Parallel Fill: Rectangle flyout The Parallel Weave Fill: Rectangle flyout has changed as shown: New parallel rectangle fill types The toolbar has changed as follows: Tool Parallel Stipple Fill: Rectangle Parallel Cross Stitch Fill: Rectangle Notes Use to digitize squares and rectangles in stipple fill. See also New stitch types. Use to digitize squares and rectangles in cross stitch fill. See also New stitch types. Updated Parallel Fill: Circle flyout The Parallel Weave Fill: Circle flyout has changed as shown:
System improvements 41 New parallel circle fill types The toolbar has changed as follows: Tool Parallel Stipple Fill: Circle Parallel Cross Stitch Fill: Circle Notes Use new Parallel Stipple Fill: Circle to digitize circles and ovals in Stipple fill. See also New stitch types. Use new Parallel Cross Stitch Fill: Circle to digitize circles and ovals in Cross Stitch fill. See also New stitch types. New Closed Run Line flyout A new Closed Run Line flyout appears as shown. See Closed run and satin lines for details. New Closed Run Line flyout The new toolbar includes: Tool Notes Closed Single Run Line Closed Triple Run Line Closed Motif Run Line Closed Sculpture Run Line Closed Candlewicking Run Line Closed Backstitch Run Line Closed Stemstitch Run Line Closed Satin Line Use Closed Single Run Line to create closed outlines of single run stitching. Use Closed Triple Run Line to create closed outlines of triple run stitching. Use Closed Motif Run Line to create closed outlines of motif run stitching. Use Closed Sculpture Run Line to create closed outlines of sculpture run stitching. Use Closed Candlewicking Run Line to create closed outlines of candlewicking run stitching. Use Closed Backstitch Run Line to create closed outlines of backstitch run stitching. Use Closed Stemstitch Run Line to create closed outlines of stemstitch run stitching. Use Closed Satin Line to digitize a closed outline of satin stitches.
System improvements 42 New Appliqué flyout A new Appliqué flyout appears as shown: New Appliqué flyout The new toolbar includes: Tool Appliqué Partial Appliqué Notes The default appliqué tool is Appliqué. Appliqué functionality is unchanged from Digitizer V3. The Partial Appliqué tool lets you create appliqué objects with partial cover stitching to create an overlapping effect without doubling-up borders. See Partial cover appliqué for details. Click-to-Stitch flyout A new Click-to-Stitch flyout appears as shown: New Click-to-Stitch flyout The new toolbar includes: Tool Click-to-Parallel Weave Fill Click-to-Parallel Weave Fill without Holes Click-to-Turning Angle Satin Fill Click-to-Centerline Click-to-Outline Match to Palette Notes Functionality unchanged. Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Click-to-Design flyout A new Click-to-Design flyout appears as shown:
System improvements 43 New Click-to-Design flyout The new toolbar includes: Tool Click-to-Design Instantly Click-to-Design Advanced Notes Functionality unchanged. The tool has been enhanced to bring separate parts of the operation together to suit casual users and still provide advanced users a quick path to controlling the results. See Improved auto-digitizing for details. Photo Click flyout A new Photo Click flyout appears as shown: New Photo Click flyout The new toolbar includes: Tool Notes Photo Click Instantly Photo Click Advanced Functionality unchanged. Functionality unchanged. Menus Changes to the JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H interface affects the following menus. Embroidery menu The Embroidery menu appears as shown:
System improvements 44 The menu has changed as follows: Command Lettering Art Outlines & Offsets Notes The same changes affecting the Lettering Art droplist affect the corresponding menu items. See Updated Lettering toolbar for details. Outline Offset has been renamed to Outlines & Offsets. See Improved offset objects for details. Image menu The Image menu appears as shown: Item renamed to Touch Up Image The menu has changed as follows: Command Touch Up Image Notes The Image menu will have the menu item renamed from Touch Up Picture to Touch Up Image.
JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H inclusions 45 JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H inclusions JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H incorporates the following inclusions to all products in the range. Designs New multi-medium and embroidery-only designs in JAN format have been included as part of the new software. Images Clipart designs packaged with CorelDRAW Essentials include over 700 images. Alphabets With the increasing popularity of quilting, a number of new run alphabets have been added. Lorenne alphabet is also now included in JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H. This takes the total number of included embroidery alphabets to 100. Patterns There are no new patterns in this release. Thread Charts The thread charts now include the latest colors where practical. Release Notes The Release Notes are included as part of the software installation and can be accessed via the Help menu. They provide direct links to the relevant sections of the Onscreen Manual. Quick Start Guide The printed Quick Start Guide (Full Kit only) contains setup instructions as well as a simple project to introduce new users to basic JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H design creation. It also includes a Quick Reference providing descriptions of software commands and tools as well as a list of available shortcut keys. Onscreen Workbook The Onscreen Workbook is included as part of the software installation and can be accessed via the Help menu. This provides an overview of the product features together with an introduction to the user interface and basic procedures. It also contains a section including a number of projects
Supported file formats 46 designed to introduce users to certain styles of embroidery work together with a suggested workflow which you can apply to any project. The Onscreen Workbook provides direct links to the relevant sections of the Onscreen Manual. Onscreen Manual The Onscreen Manual is also included as part of the software installation and can be accessed via the Help menu. This manual contains hundreds of step-by-step instructions together with samples and screen images. These are intended to be used as a reference, not a tutorial. The manual documents the following product components: EasyDesign, EasyEdit and Design Gallery. Onscreen Help Onscreen Help provides ready access to general information on EasyDesign and EasyEdit features and step-by-step instructions. It contains context-sensitive links from tools and dialog boxes at the press of the F1 key. Languages Electronic user documentation for JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H is available in the following languages: English German Spanish French Italian Japanese Supported file formats Details are provided here of the embroidery file types, and vector and bitmap formats supported by JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H as well as supported hoop types. Supported embroidery file formats The following file formats are supported by JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H: Extension Format Read Write New JAN JANOME Design JAN Digitizer Jr./Pro/MB V3.0 JAN DigitizerPro V1.0/V2.0 JANOME Digitizer MBX only
Supported electronic artwork formats 47 Extension Format Read Write New JAN Digitizer 10000 V2.0 JPX JANOME/Elna/Kenmore JEF JANOME/Elna/Kenmore JEF+ JANOME/Elna/Kenmore JMT JANOME template SEW JANOME/Elna/Kenmore EMX Janome Cross Stitch CSD POEM/Singer/Huskygram EU DST Tajima EMD Elna EXP Melco HUS Husqvarna/Viking PCM Pfaff PCS Pfaff PEC Deco, Brother, Babylock PES Deco, Brother, Babylock VIP Husqvarna/Viking/Pfaff VP3 Husqvarna/Viking/Pfaff XXX Singer DSB Barudan U?? Barudan 10O Toyota JANOME Digitizer MBX only Note DST files can now be read by MB-4 machines. Supported electronic artwork formats Artwork can be imported into JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H in both vector and bitmap formats. Supported vector formats (Embroidery mode) JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H Embroidery mode supports the following vector formats:
Supported electronic artwork formats 48 Extension Format Read Write EMF Enhanced Metafile EPS Encapsulated PostScript WMF Windows Metafile Supported bitmap formats (Embroidery mode) Embroidery mode also supports the following bitmap formats: Extension Format Read Write BMP Windows Bitmap JPG JPEG File Interchange PCX ZSoft PNG Portable Network Graphics Supported graphics formats (Graphics mode) JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H Graphics mode also supports all the vector formats supported by CorelDRAW Essentials, including: Extension Format Read Write AI Adobe Illustrator (*.ai, *.eps, *.pdf) AI Adobe Illustrator (*.ai) BMP Windows Bitmap (*.bmp, *.dib, *.rle) BMP OS/2 Bitmap (*.bmp, *.dib, *.rle) CDR CorelDRAW (*.cdr) CDX CorelDRAW Compressed (*.cdx) CGM Computer Graphics Metafile (*.cgm) CMX Corel Presentation Exchange 5.0 (*.cmx) CMX Corel Presentation Exchange (*.cmx) CPT Corel PHOTO-PAINT Image (*.cpt) CPT Corel PHOTO-PAINT 7/8 Image (*.cpt) CPX Corel CMX Compressed (*.cpx) DES Corel DESIGNER (*.des) DOC MS Word (*.doc, *.docx) DOC MS Word for Windows 6/7 (*.doc) DOC MS Word 97/2000/2002 (*.doc) EMF Enhanced Windows Metafile (*.emf) EPS Encapsulated PostScript (*.eps, *.dcs)
Supported electronic artwork formats 49 Extension Format Read Write FH Macromedia Freehand (*.fh8, *.fh7) GEM GEM File (*.gem) GIF CompuServe Bitmap (*.gif) HTM HyperText Markup Language (*.htm, *.html) IMG GEM Paint File (*.img) JPG JPEG Bitmaps (*.jpg, *.jtf, *jff, *.jpeg) PCT Macintosh PICT (*.pct, *.pict) PFB Adobe Type 1 Font (*.pfb) PNG Portable Network Graphics (*.png) PP4 Picture Publisher 4 (*.pp4) PP5 Picture Publisher 5 (*.pp5) PPF Picture Publisher (*.ppf) PPT Microsoft PowerPoint (*.ppt) PS PostScript (*.ps, *.eps, *.prn) PSD Adobe Photoshop (*.psd, *.pdd) PSP Corel Paint Shop Pro (*.pspimage) PUB MS Publisher Document Format (*.pub) RIFF Painter (*.rif) RTF Rich Text Format (*.rtf) SHW Corel Presentations (*.shw) SWF Macromedia Flash (*.swf) TGA Targa Bitmap (*.tga, *.vda, *.icb, *.vst) TIF TIFF Bitmap (*.tif, *.tiff, *.tp1) TTF TrueType Font (*.ttf) TXT ANSI Text (*.txt) WB/WQ Corel Quattro Pro (*.wq1, *.wb1, *.wb2, *.wb3) WK LOTUS 1-2-3 (*.wks, *.wk1, *.wk3, *.wk4) WMF Windows Metafile (*.wmf) WP4 Corel WordPerfect 4.2 (*.wp, *.wp4, *.doc) WP5 Corel WordPerfect 5.0 (*.wp, *.wp5, *.wpd, *.doc) WP5 Corel WordPerfect 5.1 (*.wp, *.wp5, *.wpd, *.doc) WPD Corel WordPerfect 6/7/8/9/10/11 (*.wpd, *.wp6, *.wp) WPG Corel WordPerfect Graphic (*.wpg) WSD WordStar 2000 (*.wsd) WSD Wordstar 7.0 (*.wsd)
Known limitations in JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H 50 Extension Format Read Write XCF Gimp Image (*.xcf) XPM XPixMap Image (*.xpm) XLS Microsoft Excel (*.xls) Known limitations in JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H The following are known limitations in JANOME Digitizer MBX V4.5H: Conversion of artistic media There are some limitations when converting some CorelDRAW vectors to embroidery. Vector special effects, such as drop shadow, contour, and transparency, do not convert well as there is no equivalent embroidery effect. Enveloped text and Fountain fills do not always give the expected result either. Drop shadow unable to be converted Also Artistic Media is not always converted to embroidery as you might expect. The result is sometimes just a single line of run stitches. Artistic Media broken apart prior to conversion However, as long as the vector object has a fill and/or an outline, EasyDesign will attempt to convert it. But if there is no embroidery