Bernina 165 Embroidery Software

Hello, I recently bought a floor model Bernina 165 that came with the embroidery unit. I'm a complete newbie at embroidery but am enjoying what the machine has to offer. I am curious about what can be done on the comptuer (e.g. creating one's own designs and digitizing them), but am not sure about software. I inquired at the Bernina dealer and apparently you can buy "Version 5" of several different packages they offer (Editor, Designer) which retail for way above what I can afford ( and would want to invest at such an early stage in my embroidery experience).

I've also looked on Ebay and seen "Version 4" of some of these same types of packages retailing for much less (presumably because people are upgrading to V.5). I'm not at all sure what might be compatible with my machine (some of the Version 4 software on ebay is advertised for Bernina 200 models).

Can anyone give me recommendations on what they're using with this type of machine?

Thanks for any help! Cheers, Marie

Wilcom Truesizer is a FREE program that will resize designs for you. It also has a NEW feature, it will save in the .ART format. This program and Bernina's Artista are the only programs that will convert to .ART format.

You will need some sort of Bernina software to get the design to your machine. When I purchased my machine, the first program I purchased was the ARTLink. It is very basic and pretty much only does basic resizing and editing that is already available on your machine. However, it will transfer designs from your computer to your machine.

There are many free designs available on the Internet. Most designers provide a free sample of their work. Also "Ann the Gran" is a great website with loads of free designs.

I would recommend you get the ARTLink and the Wilcom Truesizer to get started. Then when you are comfortable with that you can start looking into various digitizing programs.

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