Start and end points control where stitching begins and ends in your design. They need to work in sync with your hoop position to avoid thread breaks, misalignment, or needle collisions. 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. The Auto Start & End feature determines first and last needle positions for the design.
Note: Machines which auto-center designs around design extents will ignore the Auto Start & End setting.
1Click the Auto Start & End toggle. A green circle indicates the start point while a red plus sign (+) indicates the end point.
Tip: Auto-start & end symbols can be activated via the Options > View Design tab. See Show auto-start & end points for details.
2Right-click the Auto Start & End button. The dialog opens.
3Select a Start position method:
|
Method |
Notes |
|
Start position |
Deactivating this toggle sets the start point to the first stitch in the design. |
|
Start needle position in hoop |
The start point is set to the hoop center (rather than design center). |
|
Auto start at |
The start point is set to a preset point in the design – top-left, center, bottom-right, etc. |
|
Manual |
The start point stays fixed. It doesn’t move after editing. |
|
Digitize start position |
You are prompted to mark the start point. |
4Select an End position method. Similar options apply:
|
Method |
Notes |
|
End position |
Deactivating this toggle sets the end point to the last stitch in the design. |
|
Return to start |
The end point is set to whichever start point was selected. |
|
Auto end at |
The end point is set to the specified point in the design. |
|
Manual |
The end point defaults to the last selected position. |
|
Digitize end position |
You are prompted to mark the end point. |
5In the Match connectors on panel, choose whether to align connecting stitches horizontally, vertically, or in both planes.
6Select type and length of connecting stitches in the Connectors panel.
7Click OK to confirm. Connectors – travel runs or jumps – are inserted as specified, before first and after last stitches of the design. Toggle on connectors (press Shift+C) to view.
8If you chose to digitize start and end points, you are prompted upon closing the dialog. Check the Prompt bar.
3Check your machine for the required start and end needle positions. If not set correctly in EmbroideryStudio, your machine may not be able to read the design.
3Some file formats will override auto start and end settings in EmbroideryStudio.
3The PES file format requires a top-left start point to stitch correctly on Brother machines. This is handled automatically by EmbroideryStudio, overriding Auto Start & End settings.
3By setting manual start and end points, the hoop remains in a fixed position. This gives you the freedom to position objects anywhere within the hoop. It is especially useful for multi-position hoops as it can help to minimize re-hooping.
3The manual method is also convenient if you want to prevent the hoop moving around while digitizing, as occurs with automatic centering.
3You might also want to set a start point when combining embroidery and digital print. The needle is aligned with a manually digitized start point. This ensures that stitching aligns with the printed part of the design.
3When doing this kind of work, use a HoopMaster in combination with a Mighty Hoop. This makes positioning of the fabric much more precise.
3Problems may occur when you try to set a common start and end point for team names.
3To keep the design in the same hoop position on the machine as saved in EmbroideryStudio, set start in the Auto Start & End dialog to ‘Start needle position in hoop’. In the Options > Hoop tab, set the Hoop Position to ‘Fixed’.
3The Center All command can be used to center the whole design and hoop at the 0,0 position. This means you can reposition the hoop around the design after you have finished digitizing without the need for auto-centering.
3Use the Save button to save your preference to the template. This becomes the default setting for all new blank designs.
