Learn about Janome file formats and transfer designs to machine

Learn about Janome file formats and transfer designs to machine
Machine embroidery design formats are very interesting!

Janome machines can accept two file formats mostly JEF format is used of the modern machines like MC550e, Atelier 9, M17. Or even older models MC300, MC350, MC9500, MC9700, MC9900, MC11000, MC12000, MC15000. Some of the oldest Janome's use SEW format ie. Memory Craft 5700, 8000, and 9000 machines.

While using Janome digitizing software another file JAN is used while designing, editing and creating embroidery objects, later to be saved as an embroidery machine file.

Firstly lets me explain more about JAN format.
When an embroidery design is in the process of being constructed, digitizing software keeps track of each piece of the embroidery. The embroidery pieces are called objects. Each object is actually a description of the piece of embroidery. It has properties information such as size, shape, colour, sequence within the design, stitch type and values, and rules for stitching.

If you make a change to an object, such as its color or shape, the properties description is changed. It is easier to modify an embroidery design which is a series of objects than it is to modify an embroidery design which is stitch-based.

The .jan file is the file that contains the embroidery's object properties. There is a "slot" for each object, so if there are 15 objects in an embroidery design, there will be 15 "slots" in the .jan file. It is the file format that is used while the embroidery is in its interim state. When you save an embroidery while it is incomplete, you should save it as a .jan file, so you can easily modify it later.

Janome's Embroidery Design Format JEF

Many Janome MC (Memory Craft) machines use a memory card of the type called pcmcia card this is a very common connection unlike other machine brands where its near impossible to buy a memory card off the shelf . The pcmcia card can be found in most PC stores for only a few pounds, we need a pcmcia adapter card and a Compact Flash card (used in some digital cameras), when pushed together, you have the a blank memory card for only a few pounds and its ready to accept any JEF embroidery design.

To transfer designs from your computer to machine. You need either Compact Flash card slot in your computer or a card read/writer to transfer designs from the computer to the embroidery machine (if you have a laptop with a pcmcia card slot, you will not need a card read/writer, just pop compact flash card into the pcmcia card adapter).

On first use only, you will format the Compact Flash card/pcmcia adapter in your embroidery machine by putting it in the machine slot then turning the Janome on. When you want to add designs to it, you put it in either the CF slot on your computer or in a card read/writer and drag or copy the designs to the new "EMBF5"(or similar) folder that was created on the CF card when it was formatted by your Janome machine. Using this method the machine can find to designs, otherwise the machine will not see the designs.

Another method only for newer Janome embroidery machines.
When you machine has a USB slot, save designs to the USB stick and if the machine can not see the designs when its placed into the machine, use the method above to format your USB stick.

As a further note USB memory sticks must not exceed 2GB for the Janome 200e and 4GB for others.