Brother BES Monogramming Suite User manual

Pacesetter BES
Monogramming Suite
Instruction Manual

ii Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite
Instruction Manual
Copyright
© Copyright 2011 Pulse Microsystems Ltd. All rights reserved.
This instruction manual and software are copyrighted by the
developer of the software, Pulse Microsystems Ltd. All rights
reserved. US Patent Nos. 5 270 939; 5 343 401; 5 430 658; 5 506
784; 5 510 994; 5 541 847; 5 668 730; 5 771 173; 5 809 921; 6 196
146; 6 216 618; 6 390 005; 6 968 255. European Patent Nos.
0545773. Other patents pending.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
The software described in this document is furnished under a license
agreement and/or nondisclosure agreement. The software may be
used or copied only in accordance with the terms of those
agreements. No part of this publication and the software may be
copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any
electronic medium or machine-readable form without the
manufacturer’s written permission.
Commercial or industrial use of trademark and copyrighted works
(For example, books, paintings, drawings, photos, fanciful
characters, and so forth) owned by other companies or persons, for
creation of embroidery patterns without permission is illegal and may
result in either criminal or civil liability.
Microsoft®, Windows® XP, Windows® Vista, and Windows® 7 are
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other product
names are copyrighted and registered trademarks or trademarks of
their respective holders. All computer and software names identified
by TM or tm are trademarks of their respective manufacturers.

Table of Contents
Learning about the Workspace..............................................5
Parts of the Workspace ...................................................................... 6
Title Bar....................................................................................... 6
Pacesetter Button........................................................................ 6
Quick Access Toolbar.................................................................. 7
Toolbar and Ribbon Buttons ............................................................... 8
Pacesetter Menu Tools................................................................ 8
Ribbon Tools................................................................................ 9
The View Tab..............................................................................11
Simulator ................................................................................... 12
Status Line................................................................................. 13
Color Palette.............................................................................. 14
Using Scrollbars ........................................................................ 14
Correcting Mistakes................................................................... 15
Opening and Closing Designs.......................................................... 16
Creating New Designs...................................................................... 17
Saving Designs................................................................................. 18
Setting up your Workspace Environment ......................................... 19
Changing Machine Format Properties....................................... 20
Adjusting the View of the Workspace............................................... 21
Magnifying and Reducing the View........................................... 21
Hiding Panels Automatically...................................................... 22
Adjusting the Position of the Panels.......................................... 23
Viewing Different Parts of the Workspace (Panning)................. 25
Taking Measurements ............................................................... 26
Displaying the Hoop ......................................................................... 27
Viewing and Hiding the Hoop .................................................... 27
Selecting a Hoop....................................................................... 27
Scaling a design to fill the hoop................................................. 28
Available Hoops......................................................................... 29
Getting Help...................................................................................... 30
Opening the Help ...................................................................... 30
Using the Contents.................................................................... 30
Using the Index ........................................................................ 30
Using Search............................................................................. 31
Saving Favorite Help Topics...................................................... 31
Printing Help topics ................................................................... 32

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Instruction Manual
Creating & Decorating Monograms......................................33
Using the Monogram Designer Dialog ..............................................34
Layout of the Monogram Designer Dialog .................................34
Creating a Monogram................................................................35
Viewing the Design Actual Size .................................................37
Changing the thread color in a Monogram.................................37
Changing the Font .....................................................................39
Displaying a Font’s Available Characters...................................40
Applying “Right-side” characters................................................41
Adding Decors to a Monogram ..................................................43
Adding a Frame to the Monogram.............................................46
Monogram Templates........................................................................47
Saving a Monogram Template ...................................................47
Applying a Monogram Template ................................................47
Merging Files.....................................................................................48
Editing Designs......................................................................51
Editing Monogram Designs...............................................................52
Selecting Design Object.............................................................52
Copying Segments.....................................................................53
Deleting Segments.....................................................................54
Grouping and Ungrouping Objects in a Design .........................54
Reflecting a Design Object ........................................................55
Aligning parts of the Design.......................................................55
Resizing Design Objects............................................................56
Rotating Segments.....................................................................57
Moving Parts of the Design........................................................58
The Properties Panel ........................................................................59
Adjusting Text Properties ..................................................................59
Changing the Height of Lettering ...............................................59
Width Percentage.......................................................................60
Slant...........................................................................................60
Trim Settings..............................................................................61
Lock Stitches..............................................................................62
Fill Density Setting.....................................................................62
Underlay Settings..............................................................................63
Selecting the Underlay Type......................................................63
Specifying the Underlay Density................................................64
Specifying the Underlay Stitch Length .......................................64
Inset Distance for Underlay........................................................65
Pull Compensation Settings..............................................................66

3
Working with the Color Palette ......................................................... 67
Selecting a Thread Chart .......................................................... 67
Searching for a Specific Color................................................... 67
Changing a Thread Color.......................................................... 68
Working with Sequence View ........................................................... 69
Changing Thread Colors in Sequence View.............................. 70
Sequencing Color Groups......................................................... 70
Show/Hide and Lock Color Groups........................................... 71
Using Color Sort ............................................................................... 72
Printing Designs ............................................................................... 73
Changing a Design’s Print Settings........................................... 73
Previewing a Design before Printing ......................................... 74
Printing Design Worksheets...................................................... 76
Index.......................................................................................77

4 Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite
Instruction Manual

Before you start using the software, we recommend that you
understand the Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite design
workspace and learn a few of the basic components outlined in
this section.
Topics covered in this chapter:
• Setting up the design workspace environment.
• Showing a hoop in the workspace, and choosing the size of
hoop to be displayed.
• Using the Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite help.
CHAPTER 1:
Learning about the
Workspace

6 Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite
Instruction Manual
Parts of the Workspace
The Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite workspace contains
a number of different areas which have distinct functions. The
sections that follow give an overview of what each of these
areas does, and the kinds of information about the design that
they contain.
Title Bar
The Title Bar appears at the top of the Pacesetter BES
Monogramming Suite design window. The Title bar displays
information about the design that is open in the workspace: its
name, the number of stitches and colors in the design, and the
overall width and height.
Pacesetter Button
At the top left-hand corner of the window is the Pacesetter
button . Clicking this button gives you access to a menu of
useful tools, such as New, Save, Print, and several others. For

Learning about the Workspace 7
a complete list of the tools available on this menu, and a
summary of their functions, see “Pacesetter Menu Tools” in the
next section.
When you open the Pacesetter Menu, you will also see
displayed a list of recent files that you have been using. Just
double-click on the file name to open it.
Tools available on the Pacesetter Menu.
Quick Access Toolbar
The Quick Access Toolbar is located right along the top of your
workspace, to the left of the Title Bar. This toolbar contains tool
buttons that you will commonly use, such as Open, Save As,
and Print.
The following default tools are included on the Quick Access
toolbar: New, New/Recipe, Open, Merge, Save As, Direct Print,
Print Preview, Undo, and Redo.

8 Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite
Instruction Manual
Toolbar and Ribbon Buttons
You can access the tools available in Pacesetter BES
Monogramming Suite through the Pacesetter Button and
the various toolbars. The tables below show the buttons,
grouped by location (i.e. whether they are on the Quick
Access Bar, or on one of the tabs on the ribbon). A brief
description of what the button does is also included. Note
that within each tab, some buttons are grouped together by
function.
Pacesetter Menu Tools
Tool What it means
New: Creates a new untitled design.
New/Recipe: Opens a new page and allows you to choose a
new recipe and machine format.
Open: Opens an existing design file.
Merge: Opens the Merge Design dialog, which you can use to
import existing stitch or outline files into the current design
Save: Saves the current design.
Save As: Opens the Save As dialog, allowing you to choose
the destination and file type to save it as.
Print: Opens the printer dialog on your computer, allowing you
to choose your printer and adjust the printer’s properties.
Print Preview: Opens the print preview window, which in turn
will let you print the current design.
Print Setup: Opens the print preview window, which in turn
will let you print the current design.
Close: Closes the file that you are currently working on.

Learning about the Workspace 9
Ribbon Tools
The Ribbon appears below the Title Bar. The Ribbon has three
tabs: the Home tab, the Arrange tab, and the View tab. Clicking
on the tabs displays all the buttons for the functions that are
under that tab.
Tools on the Home Tab
Exit: Closes all open files and shuts down Pacesetter BES
Monogramming Suite; you will be prompted to save any open
files.
Undo: Reverses your last action.
Redo: Reverses the action of the Undo command.
Tool What it means
Select: Selects objects in the design window.
Cut : Cuts the selection and copies it to the clipboard.
Copy: Copies the selection to the clipboard.
Paste: Pastes the clipboard contents into the design, at
the end of the design sequence.
Insert: Pastes a copy of the clipboard selection into the
sewing sequence immediately following the selected
segment.
Delete: Removes the selected segment.
Monogram Designer: Opens the Monogram Designer
dialog.
Color Sort: Automatically reduces the number of thread
changes required within the selected objects by
resequencing like colors together.
Tool What it means

10 Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite
Instruction Manual
3D: Realistically renders your design onscreen.
Grid: Displays a background grid, which helps with
alignment. This grid can be used for the alignment of
items on the display.
Hoop: Displays the hoop as it fits relative to the
embroidery. Clicking this button a second time will turn
the view of the hoop off.
Select Hoop: Accessed via the drop-down menu from
the Hoop tool. Opens up the Hoops window, in which you
can choose a new hoop.
Fit to Hoop: Scales the design up (or down) to the
maximum size of the current hoop on the design window.
Background: Two options are available from this button,
Select Color or Select Fabric. Depending on which one
you choose, a dialog box will open in which you select
either the color, or the fabric pattern, that appears in the
background of the active design window.
Ruler: Measures the distance between any two points in
a design.
Zoom: Magnifies the design to fit a rectangle drawn by
the user with the mouse pointer.
Zoom in: Magnifies the view of the design by a fixed
amount.
Zoom out: Shrinks the view of the design by a fixed
amount.
Fit to Window: Displays the entire design and loaded
images in the window.
Back to 1:1: Returns design to original size.
Slider: Drag the slider to choose a specific level of
magnification; displays percentage of original size.
Pan: Allows you to move the design around in the
workspace window by clicking and dragging.
Tool What it means

Learning about the Workspace 11
Tools on the Arrange Tab
The View Tab
The controls on the View tab allow you to change what appears
on your workspace; which panels are displayed, and so on. The
areas found on this tab are Windows and Program Preferences.
Windows
In the windows area, check the box to show the corresponding
window or panel, and uncheck it to hide that window or panel.
• Sequence View. Shows/hides the Sequence View panel.
• Palette. Shows/hides the thread palette.
• Properties. Shows/hides the properties panel.
• Simulator. Shows/hides the sewing simulator.
• Status. Shows/hides the status bar.
Tool What it means
Select: Selects objects in the design window.
Horizontal Center: Takes all selected objects and centers
them in the selection box. The objects are moved so that they
are centered left-to-right with each other, but they are not
moved up or down.
Vertical Center: Takes all selected objects and centers them
in the selection box. The objects are moved so that they are
centered top-to-bottom with each other, but they are not
moved left or right.
Center: Centers one or more selected objects proportionally
within the current hoop.
If more than one object is selected, the entire group is moved
together to the center of the hoop; the objects selected remain
in the same position relative to each other as they had before
being centered.
Flip Horizontal: Flips one or more selected objects
horizontally.
Flip Vertical: Flips one or more selected objects vertically.

12 Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite
Instruction Manual
Program Preferences
Click on the Program Preferences button to open a dialog
in which you can set the default machine settings, change the
units of measure, and choose settings for the workspace grid.
For more information on this dialog, see “Setting up your
Workspace Environment”
Simulator
The Simulator makes it easy to see on-screen how your design
will sew out. You can use the Simulator to eliminate potential
sewing problems.
When you select Simulator from the View tab of the Ribbon, the
Simulator (scrollbar slider and the sewing simulator) will appear
at the bottom of the design space. The Simulator controls which
parts of the design are drawn in the design window.
Scrollbar Slider
The length of the Scrollbar Slider represents all of the stitches
in the opened design. You can move the scrollbar slider by
dragging it to see a design as it will look sewn to a particular
point. The color display within the scrollbar indicates the thread
color that will be sewn when the scrollbar slider is positioned
over it. Clicking on the arrows at the ends of the scrollbar will
advance or retrace the design position by one stitch.
Sewing Simulator
The sewing simulator allows you to watch your design draw on
a stitch-by-stitch basis, simulating the sewing action of your
You can also open and close the Simulator by pressing Ctrl + R.

Learning about the Workspace 13
machine. The Simulator controls include pause, stop, sew
forward and sew backwards. You can push various control
buttons and slide the speed control to vary the rate of sewing.
Using the Simulator
The following table explains how to use the Simulator in more
detail:
Status Line
The Status Line appears at the bottom of the BES
Monogramming Suite window. To show or hide the Status Line,
go to the Windows area of the View Tab and check or uncheck
Status.
As you move the mouse over different sections of the
workspace, this indicator will tell you what that area or button
does. You will also find specific design information in other
Tools What is does
Previous Stitch: Move backward in the design by
one stitch.
Scrollbar slider: Drag the scrollbar slider to
advance the design to a specific position. When the
scrollbar slider is positioned over a color, you will
see the specified thread color being sewn in the
design. The entire length of the scrollbar slider
represents the entire design.
Next Stitch: Move forward in the design by one
stitch.
Simulate Sewing (backward): Move backward
through the design.
Pause/Stop: Pause or stop the design while
drawing. When you play or resume sewing your
design, stitching will continue from the location of
the last stitch.
Simulate Sewing: Move forward through the
design.
Speed: Slide the speed control to vary the rate of
sewing.

14 Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite
Instruction Manual
areas of the status bar; it shows the total number of segments in
the design, the number of segments currently selected, the
machine format, the recipe used by the current design, the
number of stitches in the selected design components and the
hoop being used.
Color Palette
The thread colors for the design are shown in the Color Palette
located along the top edge of the workspace. To show the Color
Palette (if it is not already displayed), go to the Windows area of
the View tab and check the Palette box.
The color palette in Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite
For more information on the color palette, see “Changing
Thread Colors” in the “Editing Designs” section of this manual.
Using Scrollbars
The scrollbars enable you to move easily around the displayed
design. There are two scrollbars, one for moving the view
vertically, and one for moving it horizontally.
How to use the scrollbars:
• To pan left/right, or up/down, click and drag the track button
.
• Click on the small arrows at each end of the scrollbar to
move the design view incrementally.
• Click in the track of the scrollbar, to move the workspace
view by one whole screen.
You can also right-click the scrollbar to display a pop-up menu
of scroll actions. The pop-up menu gives you the following
options:

Learning about the Workspace 15
Correcting Mistakes
Undo and Redo are two significant features that allow you to
correct mistakes. If you make a mistake and change your mind
about an action you just made, Undo reverses the action. Redo
puts back the change. If Undo or Redo are grayed out, you
cannot Undo or Redo.
To use Undo:
•Do one of the following:
On the Quick Access toolbar click the Undo tool.
Press Ctrl+Z on your keyboard.
To use Redo:
•Do one of the following:
From the Quick Access toolbar, click the Redo tool.
Press Ctrl+Y on your keyboard.

16 Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite
Instruction Manual
Opening and Closing Designs
When you open a *.BRF file in Pacesetter BES Monogramming
Suite, this file will contain both outline and stitch information.
Note however, that when you open other file types, they will
open as stitch segments only.
To open an existing design:
1To open an existing design, do one of the following:
Click the Accelerator button, and select Open from
the menu that appears.
On the Quick Access toolbar, click on the Open Design
tool.
You see the Open Design dialog box.
2In the Look in list, browse to the location of the file you want
to open.
3In the Files of type list, select a design file type for the
design you want to open.
4In the File name box, enter the file name, or select the file
you want to open by clicking the file.
5Select Preview to view a thumbnail (a small representation)
of the design.
6Click Open.
To close a design:
•Click the Accelerator Button, and select Close
from the menu.

Learning about the Workspace 17
Creating New Designs
When you open Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite, you can
immediately begin creating a new, untitled design in the design
window. The design window automatically opens using the
default recipe and machine format settings specified in the
Preferences dialog. For more information on default settings,
see “Setting up your Workspace Environment”.
If you want to start a new design and apply a different recipe to
it (that is, not the default recipe), use the New/Recipe tool.
To create a new design using the recipe dialog:
1Click the Accelerator , and select New/Recipe .
You see the New Page dialog.
2In the Recipe list, select the recipe you want to use for your
design.
3In the Machine format list, select the machine format that
you want applied to the design when created.
4Click OK.
You see a new design window.
If you select the New tool from the Quick Access toolbar, you
will bypass the recipe selection dialog. A new design window
will open using the default recipe and machine format settings.
The Recipe description box in the dialog gives you a brief
description of each recipe as you scroll through the list in the
Recipe drop-down list.

18 Pacesetter BES Monogramming Suite
Instruction Manual
Saving Designs
Use the Save As command to save designs. The Save As
command lets you save an alternative version of the design with
a different name, location, or file format. Embroidery designs
can be saved in a number of different formats. The default
format is the in the Pacesetter outline format (*BRF), but you
can also choose from a large number of machine (stitch)
formats, such as *.PES, *.SEW, *.JEF, etc.
Regarding outline vs. stitch formats:
Files saved as the outline format (*.BRF). will contain both
outline (vector graphic) information and stitch information.
Designs saved in this format can be edited without
compromising the quality of the stitches, because the stitch
information is regenerated when segments are resized.
If the file is saved in machine format, on the other hand, it will
contain only stitches, without any outline information. When
resizing these types of files, the lack of vector outlines means
that the regeneration of stitches cannot be done as well as it is
for segments that do have outlines. Therefore, it is recom-
mended that you save all newly-created designs as *.BRF at
first. Then, do any editing that is necessary, and only save your
design in machine format when it is all ready to be sewn out.
To save a design:
1Do one of the following.
Click the Accelerator button, and select Save As from
the menu that appears.
On the Quick Access toolbar, click on the Save as
tool.
Important: It is possible to have stitch (i.e. non-outline)
segments in an outline (*.BRF) file. For example, those thatare
imported into your *.BRF using the Merge command.
If the file you merge into your outline file is in stitch file format, it
will still be a stitch-only segment, even thought it is part of an
outline file; therefore, the same cautions about re-sizing apply.