Your Sierra software security device (also known as a dongle or software key) is covered by a 1 year warranty. A malfunctioning or defective key that has no physical damage will be replaced during the one year warranty period. Defective key must be returned to MESA Distributors before a new key will be issued and shipped under warranty. Warranty does not cover shipping charges.
Warranty is void if the software key is physically damaged. (See replacement fees, below)
Replace / Exchange Software Key
Out of Warranty Replacement Fees. Replacement fees for software keys that are damaged, or over 1 year old, and therefore not covered by the warranty:
Replace Parallel Key- $289*
Replace USB Key- $289*
*Key MUST be returned to MESA to qualify for these replacement fees. Replacement key cannot be issued until original key is received by MESA. Replacement fees include overnight shipping to customer.
Key Exchange Fees. If you need to exchange a Parallel Key for a USB Key, or exchange a USB Key for a Parallel Key, the following charges apply:
All Versions- $289*
*Undamaged key MUST be returned to MESA to qualify for these replacement fees. Replacement key cannot be issued until original key is received by MESA. Replacement fees include overnight shipping to customer. If key is damaged, Out Of Warranty Replacement Fees will apply.
Lost Key Replacement Fees. If key is lost, or otherwise cannot be returned, the full retail price will be applied. Customer discount may apply. Please call 800-456-3727 for more information.
Re-licensing Policy
Software key & system purchased from a 3rd party may be re-licensed through MESA Distributors. Re-licensing benefits include training, phone support, and free updates. Re-licensing fees are as follows:
v.5.0 - v.5.99
Cost
Includes
Lettering
$400
1 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Edit I
$400
1 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Edit II
$400
1 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design Lite
$800
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design I
$800
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design II
$800
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design III
$800
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
v.6.0 - v.6.99
Cost
Includes
Lettering
$300
1 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Edit I
$300
1 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Edit II
$300
1 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design Lite
$600
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design Advantage
$600
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design Maxx
$600
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design I
$600
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design II
$600
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design III
$600
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
v.7.0
Cost
Includes
Edit I
$300
1 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Edit II
$300
1 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design Advantage
$600
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design Maxx
$600
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design Maxx Pro
$600
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Design Maxx Expert
$600
2 day of training at a MESA office, phone support, updates.
Question: I installed my Sierra Office software, but I only have 30 fonts available when I use the Lettering System. How do I install my other fonts?
Answer:
After installing your Embroidery Office Software, you will only have 30 fonts available when you use the lettering features of your software. This applies to all levels of the software. At this time, there are 95 fonts available for your system. To install the rest of the fonts, follow the directions below for your particular CD. The CD Code can be found on the label of the CD itself. Use the appropriate steps for your CD:
CD-ROM codes TSI011001 and TSI020125:
Insert the Sierra Embroidery Office CD-ROM in the CD drive.
When the setup window opens, close it.
From the desktop, double click the My Computer icon.
Right click on the CD drive, which is usually drive D, but may be different on your computer, depending on partitioned drives, zip drives, etc.
From the pop up menu, click OPEN.
Locate the FONTS folder and double click it to open the folder.
Click on the EDIT menu at the top of the window, and click SELECT ALL.
Click on the EDIT menu again and now click COPY.
Browse back to the My Computer window. There is usually an icon that looks like a folder with an arrow on it that takes you back one window at a time. Click this until you return to the My Computer window.
Now double click the C: drive icon.
Find the PROGRAM FILES folder and double click it.
Find the COMMON FILES folder and double click it.
Find the SIERRA folder and double click it.
Find the FONTS folder and double click it.
Click on the EDIT menu at the top and click PASTE.
As the pasting process begins, you will get a message that indicates the file already exists and do you want to replace it. Click YES TO ALL to continue.
When the process is complete, close all open windows.
You should now have all 95 fonts available. It is not necessary to restart your computer.
CD-ROM code TSI010129:
Insert the Sierra Embroidery Office CD-ROM in the CD drive.
When the setup window opens, close it.
From the desktop, double click the My Computer icon.
Right click on the CD drive, which is usually drive D:, but may be different on your computer, depending on portioned drives, zip drives, etc.
From the pop up menu, click OPEN.
Locate the OTHERS folder and double click it.
Locate the COMPONENTS folder and double click it.
Locate the FONTS folder and double click it.
In this folder there are 13 files, all starting with the name EO Font Pack. These are self extracting files that will automatically install the fonts in each pack to the proper folder. To install each font pack, simply double click it and follow the instructions as they appear on screen. Some of the font packs will require a password to install the fonts. Contact software support at 817.244.8000 to obtain these passwords.
NOTE: CD-ROMs TSI010129 and TSI011001 do not have all the fonts on the CD. You will need to go to http://www.technologysouth.com to download the Font Packs for the fonts that are not on the CD. Enter your User ID and password to enter the Customer Club area and access the fonts download. If you are not already registered as a Sierra User, you will have to register to receive a User ID and password before you can access the fonts download.
Question: My Editing and Lettering System has no help files available when I tried to use the Help menu. Where are the help files?
Answer:
If you have purchased the Lettering, Edit I or Edit II Embroidery Office Software, you will find that the Help files are not available after installing the software. In this event, please follow the steps below to install these files:
Insert the Sierra Embroidery Office Installation CD in the CD-ROM drive.
When the setup menu appears, close it.
From the desktop, double click the My Computer icon.
Right click on the CD drive, which is usually drive D:, but may be different on you computer, depending on partitioned drives, zip drives, etc.
Locate the HELP folder and double click it.
Locate the PATCHES folder and double click it.
While holding down the CTRL key, click on the EOE_9.CNT and EOE_9.HLP files.
Click on the EDIT menu at the top of the window and click on COPY.
Browse back to the My Computer window. There is usually an icon that looks like a folder with an arrow on it that takes you back one window at a time. Click this until you return to the My Computer window.
Now double click on the C: drive icon.
Find the PROGRAM FILES folder and double click it.
Find the SIERRA folder and double click it.
Find the EOE folder and double click it.
Click on the EDIT menu at the top and click PASTE.
When the copying process is complete, close all windows and restart your computer.
The Help Files should now be available for the Lettering and/or Editing Program.
Problem: I want to write designs to the floppy disk and keep the filename instead of the Gxxx number.
Solution:
Some customers prefer to write their designs to floppies using the actual design name instead of the Tajima Gxxx number. This can be done by changing the settings in Embroidery Explorer. Embroidery Explorer is a standard feature for all systems except Lettering 1, for which it is an option. To use Embroidery Explorer to write the disks, you will have to save the file to the hard drive first. Then you can open Embroidery Explorer and click and drag the file to the Floppy A (Tajima) folder. NOTE: if you use the FILE - SAVE AS command in Edit or Lettering, or the EXPORT command in Design, and try to save the design directly to the floppy disk, it will default back to the Tajima Gxxx format for the name on the disk.
Follow these steps to set up Embroidery Explorer to write files to the disks with names:
Open Embroidery Explorer
Click on the TOOLS menu at the top and choose NAME STRATEGY from the drop down menu.
Refer to the figures below for Single and Multiple Copy settings.
Problem: I have Design (digitizing) software, but the AID (Auto Interactive Digitizing) feature doesn't work when I press CTRL + SHIFT + F12.
Solution:
Sierra Embroidery Office Design offers an automated digitizing feature (AID), standard with all Design systems, as well as two optional features, True Type Font Import and Point, Shoot and Stitch Digitizing. In the event the feature(s) you have do not function after installing the software, or you purchase the option at a later date, you can enable them without re-installing the software by using the Option Pack installation. This is a program found on the Sierra Embroidery Office CD. Using this program requires that you have a valid password for that feature. If you do not have a password, you can not use this program. To access the Option Pack Program and install an option, follow these steps:
Insert the Embroidery Office CD in the CD-ROM drive.
When the Setup Menu appears, close it.
Double click on the My Computer icon on the desktop.
Right click on the CD-ROM drive (usually D:\).
From the pop up menu, select OPEN.
Find the EOD folder and double click it.
Find the Optionpack folder and double click it.
There will be one file here, which is the Option Pack program. Double click it to open the program. It should open a window like the figure below.
In the box for Password, enter the appropriate password for the AID, True Type or Point, Shoot & Stitch. You do not need to enter the periods, the software will automatically insert them.
Click OK
Close all windows and restart your computer.
If your feature or option still fails to enable, contact MESA Support at 817.244.8000.
Problem: When I try to use the AID feature, it tells me the image has too many colors.
Solution:
Sierra Embroidery Office Design offers a standard feature in all levels called AID (Auto Interactive Digitizing). This feature allows you to load an image in Design and automatically create stitches by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + F12 (at the same time). Normally, this will open a window stating how many colors were found, what color it determined to be the background color and whether or not to create sections for the background color (see below). Clicking OK will start the section and stitch generation for the image.
However, occasionally the software may generate a message stating that the image has too many colors.
This can usually be corrected using the EO Imaging program. A shortcut to EO Imaging is on the toolbar next to the Scan Image and Load Image icons. With the image selected (SHIFT + F2, then click on image), click on the EO Imaging icon. This will open the EO Imaging program.
First, click the Zoom Total icon to view the entire image on screen. Now go to the TOOLS menu at the top of the window. From the drop down list select COLOR PROCESSING, the COLOR RESOLUTION from the next menu. Change the Colors box to 4 or 16 colors, or Black and White if applicable. The fewer the better, as long as you do not omit any colors from the original image. Leave the Dither box set to none and make sure the Palette is set to Optimized. The Preview window on the left will let you know if you have eliminated too many colors. Click OK to execute the conversion.
Before you can return to EO Design, you must first save the image. Click on FILE at the top of the window and choose SAVE AS. In the File name box, type in a name somewhat different from the original (in case you need to re-edit the image in the future). In the Save as type box, click the arrow and choose Bitmap Files (8 bits). AID typically works better with Bitmap files (.BMP). Click SAVE to save the image to the hard drive. Now click the RETURN button on the top toolbar to return to EO Design. Try the AID feature again. If it still finds too many colors, you may have to further reduce the color resolution again using EO Imaging. NOTE: Not all images can be used for AID processing. Typically, scanned images are not ideal for this application. Imported files from Corel or Adobe are the best choices. These programs create better color images than a scanner can create.
If you still have problems, please contact MESA Technical Support at 817-244-8000 for assistance.
Problem: I purchased the True Type font import option for my digitizing system, but it does not show the True Type font option in the Insert Text box.
Solution:
Sierra Embroidery Office Design offers an automated digitizing feature (AID), standard with all Design systems, as well as two optional features, True Type Font Import and Point, Shoot and Stitch Digitizing. In the event the feature(s) you have do not function after installing the software, or you purchase the option at a later date, you can enable them without re-installing the software by using the Option Pack installation. This is a program found on the Sierra Embroidery Office CD. Using this program requires that you have a valid password for that feature. If you do not have a password, you can not use this program. To access the Option Pack Program and install an option, follow these steps:
Insert the Embroidery Office CD in the CD-ROM drive.
When the Setup Menu appears, close it.
Double click on the My Computer icon on the desktop.
Right click on the CD-ROM drive (usually D:\).
From the pop up menu, select OPEN.
Find the EOD folder and double click it.
Find the Optionpack folder and double click it.
There will be one file here, which is the Option Pack program. Double click it to open the program. It should open a window like the figure below.
In the box for Password, enter the appropriate password for the AID, True Type or Point, Shoot & Stitch. You do not need to enter the periods, the software will automatically insert them.
Click OK
Close all windows and restart your computer.
If your feature or option still fails to enable, contact MESA Support at 817-244-8000.
Problem: I purchased the Point, Shoot & Stitch option for my digitizing system, but I don't have the Point, Shoot & Stitch icon on my tool bar.
Solution:
Sierra Embroidery Office Design offers an automated digitizing feature (AID), standard with all Design systems, as well as two optional features, True Type Font Import and Point, Shoot and Stitch Digitizing. In the event the feature(s) you have do not function after installing the software, or you purchase the option at a later date, you can enable them without re-installing the software by using the Option Pack installation. This is a program found on the Sierra Embroidery Office CD. Using this program requires that you have a valid password for that feature. If you do not have a password, you can not use this program. To access the Option Pack Program and install an option, follow these steps:
Insert the Embroidery Office CD in the CD-ROM drive.
When the Setup Menu appears, close it.
Double click on the My Computer icon on the desktop.
Right click on the CD-ROM drive (usually D:\).
From the pop up menu, select OPEN.
Find the EOD folder and double click it.
Find the Optionpack folder and double click it.
There will be one file here, which is the Option Pack program. Double click it to open the program. It should open a window like the figure below.
In the box for Password, enter the appropriate password for the AID, True Type or Point, Shoot & Stitch. You do not need to enter the periods, the software will automatically insert them.
Click OK
Close all windows and restart your computer.
If your feature or option still fails to enable, contact MESA Support at 817-244-8000.
Question: How do I set default floppy disk setting to Tajima format?
Answer:
In order to prevent problems when writing designs to floppy disk, you should set the default format for disk writing to Tajima. Tajima is the preferred format for the SWF embroidery machine. To make Tajima format the default setting, follow the steps below:
Open Embroidery Explorer, either from the desktop, or use the shortcut tool located on the toolbar for EO Edit or EO Design.
On the left, right click on the Floppy A: (DOS Generic) folder.
From the pop up menu, choose CHANGE DEFAULT CODE TO, then select TAJIMA from the fly out menu.
Question: How do I set output settings for writing designs to Tajima disk?
Answer:
Before you save a design to the floppy disk or hard drive in Tajima format, you will need to set up the parameters for the software to properly write the data. This is called the Machine Profiles - Output settings. These settings can be accessed from within the Edit, Design or Explorer Programs. This information is shared with all the programs, so it does not matter which program you use to make these settings. So, it is not necessary to make these changes in all three programs.
To make these changes, click on the TOOLS menu at the top of the window in Edit, Design or Explorer.
Click on MACHINE PROFILE (OUTPUT) from the drop down menu.
The Machine Profiles settings window will open.
At the top, change the Machine Profile using the drop down arrow to the right of the box, and scroll down to find TAJIMA - STANDARD, then click on it.
Make sure the Disk code also says Tajima as well.
Refer to the figure below to see the recommended settings for Tajima output.
Make any changes necessary to copy the settings below.
Click APPLY, SET AS DEFAULT and OK to save the settings.
Question: How do I set input parameters for reading Tajima designs into the software?
Answer:
When reading a Tajima design from any source (floppy, CD, file), you will need to insure the proper code settings so that the trims and color changes are correctly imported. This is called the Machine Code Interpreter. This setting can be found under the TOOLS drop down menu in Edit, Design and Explorer. It is only necessary to change these settings in one of the programs as these settings will be shared by all of the programs.
Click on the TOOLS drop down menu at the top of the window in Edit, Design or Explorer.
Click on MACHINE CODE INTERPRETER from the menu.
The Machine Code Interpreter settings window will open.
At the top, change the Name, using the drop down arrow to the right of the box and scroll down to find TAJIMA - STANDARD, then click on it.
Refer to the figure below to see the recommended settings for Tajima Code Interpreter (input).
Question: How do I change background and needle default colors in EO Edit?
Answer:
By default, the software installs a black background and standard needle color sequence in the palette for the EO Lettering and EO Edit programs. You can change these settings temporarily for the current design (the palette will be saved with the design), or save them as a default setting to automatically load for each new design. To set up a default palette, follow the directions below.
Click on the Palette icon on the tool bar
This will open up the Color Palette box.
Click on the Background button located in the lower left of the box. (see screen capture)
Click in the Color Mixing area, somewhere close to the color you want for the back ground color.
Adjust the sliding pointer to the left of the Color Mixing area up or down to fine tune the color. Notice the sample box above the Cancel button. It will change as you adjust the color.
You can also change the needle colors in the same manner. Just click on the needle number you wish to change and make the same adjustments as you did for the background.
Once you have made all your changes, you can save the changes as the default palette by clicking on the icon that looks like the palette icon with a padlock on it. This will ask you if you want to save the current palette as the default. Click YES to save it.
If you do not wish to save the palette as the default, simply click OK to close the box and apply the changes. This palette will be saved with the design and reload when you open the design again in the future.
If you do not save the palette as the default, the colors will revert to the install defaults next time you open or create a new design.
Question: How do I change the background and needle default colors in EO Design?
Answer:
By default, the software installs a black background and standard needle color sequence in the palette for the EO Design program. You can change these settings temporarily for the current design, or save them as a default setting to automatically load for each new design. To set up a default palette, follow the directions below.
Click on the Palette icon on the tool bar.
This will open up the Color Palette box.
Click on the Background button located in the upper right of the box. (see screen capture)
Click in the Color Mixing area, somewhere close to the color you want for the back ground color.
Adjust the sliding pointer to the left of the Color Mixing area up or down to fine tune the color. Notice the sample box above the OK and Cancel buttons. It will change as you adjust the color.
You can also change the needle colors in the same manner. Just click on the needle number you wish to change and make the same adjustments as you did for the background.
Design also offers the ability to use manufacturers thread charts to assign colors to the needles. Click on the Threads icon on the left side of the Colors box to access this feature. (see screen capture)
Once you have made all your changes, you can save the changes as the default palette by clicking on the icon that looks like the palette icon with a padlock on it. This will ask you if you want to save the current palette as the default. Click YES to save it.
If you do not wish to save the palette as the default, simply click OK to close the box and apply the changes. This palette will be saved with the design and reload when you open the design again in the future.
If you do not save the palette as the default, the colors will revert to the install defaults next time you open or create a new design.
Answer:
Setting up a grid in the background of your workspace can help you to align text with designs and quickly determine the size of designs or letters. To turn on the grid feature of the Lettering and Editing systems, follow the directions below.
Click on the TOOLS drop down menu at the top of the window.
From the drop down list, click on OPTIONS.
When the Options window opens, click on the GRID TAB
The first choice is for STYLE. You may choose Line, Plus, Cross or Point. Click the arrow next to the Style and click on your choice from the menu.
The next setting is for the separation, or size of the squares in the grid. Click in the box and type in the size of the grid squares you want. Example: 1.0 for one inch, .50 for one half inch, etc.
Next, you can choose the position of the grid. Below places the grid behind the design. Above will place the grid on top of the design. That is, the grid lines will be visible on top of the design.
Color will let you select the color of the grid lines.
Finally, check the box for SHOW GRID to have the grid display on the workspace. NOTE: the hot key for toggling the grid on and off is CTRL + G.
Answer:
Setting up a grid in the background of your workspace can help you to align text with designs and quickly determine the size of designs or letters. To turn on the grid feature of the Design system, follow the directions below.
Click on the TOOLS drop down menu at the top of the window.
From the drop down list, click on OPTIONS.
When the Options window opens, click on the DRAWING TAB
The first choice is for STYLE. You may choose Line, Plus, Cross or Point. Click the arrow next to the Style and click on your choice from the menu.
The next setting is for the separation, or size of the squares in the grid. Click in the box and type in the size of the grid squares you want. Example: 1.0 for one inch, .50 for one half inch, etc.
Next, you can choose the position of the grid. Below places the grid behind the design. Above will place the grid on top of the design. That is, the grid lines will be visible on top of the design.
Color will let you select the color of the grid lines.
Finally, check the box for GRID ORIGIN at (0,0) to have the grid display with the center point set at the intersection of the 0 horizontal and 0 vertical lines. NOTE: the hot key for toggling the grid on and off is CTRL + G.
Question: How do I add or remove tools on the toolbar in EO Edit?
Answer:
As a default, EO Edit displays a certain set of toolbars on the screen, from which you can select the most common commands by clicking on the appropriate icon.
The pre-configured toolbars are:
Standard 1 (top row of tools)
Standard 2 (middle row of tools)
Selection (bottom row of tools)
You can access the Toolbars & Shortcuts Configuration Window by clicking on TOOLS at the top of the screen and selecting TOOLBARS & SHORTCUTS from the menu. Or, right click on any toolbar and choose TOOLBARS & SHORTCUTS from the pop up menu. The figure below shows the Toolbars & Shortcuts Configuration Window.
To configure a toolbar, follow these steps:
Click Tools, then Toolbars & Shortcuts.
Select the toolbar to configure from the list at the top right corner.
On the Available Commands list, click on the command to be added.
Click the button to add the command to the toolbar.
To change the location of the icon on the toolbar, click on the command and use the buttons to move it.
Use the Separator to leave spaces between icons.
Click OK to accept the configuration.
On this window, you can also configure the shortcut keys. Follow these steps:
From the window on the left, choose a command to set a shortcut for.
Click on the SHORTCUT box and press the key(s) that you want to use for the shortcut. EO Edit will display the sequence in plain text (Alt+Ctrl+L). If the shortcut is already being used by another command, EO Edit will warn you and ask you for an action. Shortcuts can include Alt, Shift, Ctrl, End, Page Up and Page Down keys. If you use the Alt, Shift or Ctrl key, you must also press a second key while holding down one of these keys.
Click on SET to assign the shortcut to the selected command.
Question: How do I add or remove tools on the toolbar in EO Design?
Answer:
Adding and removing tools from the toolbars in EO Design is a very simple task. These steps will show you how it is done. The settings you define here will be used by the software as defaults, even after starting a new session or exiting and re-entering the software. To access this feature, click on TOOLS and select TOOLBARS & SHORTCUTS from the drop down menu. The Toolbars & Shortcuts Configuration Window will open (see screen capture).
Click on the Commands Tab to view this window. Here, you can select which icons to add or remove from the existing toolbars, as well as add, edit or delete shortcut keys for existing commands.
To add a command to a toolbar, simply click and drag the command to the place where you want it to be on the desired toolbar.
To remove a command, click and drag the command down from the toolbar to the workspace.
To set shortcut keys, select the command to assign a shortcut to. Then click on the Shortcut box. Press the keys for the actual short (eg: Shift+Alt+F8). Click the checkmark next to the Shortcut box to set the shortcut.
General Questions
Sierra Version 7 -- How to Install the Direct Connect cable
FAQ 1.2
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button to add the command to the toolbar.
buttons to move it.
