Getting Started

Prévia do material em texto

<p>1</p><p>Ideas for using the program</p><p>7. Use the colours to design a small motif that is suitable</p><p>for repetition. Locate your motif in the top left corner of</p><p>the design area. Use the mouse to click on the required</p><p>stitch type from the stitch toolbar. If you make a mistake</p><p>or change your mind, click the right mouse button above</p><p>the stitch you want to remove and it will disappear.</p><p>8. Next click on the Edit menu and then Copy. A cross hair</p><p>will appear beneath the cursor, use this to define the</p><p>rectangular area to be copied. Make the box fit exactly</p><p>round the area then click the mouse. A box will then</p><p>appear beneath your cursor. Place the cursor at the</p><p>required position and click the mouse button. Repeat</p><p>this as often as required then click the right mouse</p><p>button to end the option.</p><p>9. Now Copy the whole row of motifs in the same way but</p><p>when your box is ready to be placed press J on the</p><p>keyboard. This will reflect the whole area horizontally.</p><p>Place the box in a central position at the bottom of the</p><p>design area.</p><p>10. Now select the Text menu then True Type Text. The</p><p>Draw Text dialog will appear in which you should type</p><p>the words “Thank You”, click the mouse on centre justify</p><p>and on straight. Click on Select Font then click on the</p><p>fonts in the list to preview them. Use the arrows to move</p><p>up and down the list. Using a point size of 12 a standard</p><p>size font (e.g. Comic Sans Serif) will fit into the design</p><p>but if you select a bold or an embellished font you may</p><p>need to reduce the point size.</p><p>11. A rectangular box will appear on your design. Decide</p><p>which colour you would like your text and select it on the</p><p>palette, then place the box centrally on the design and</p><p>click the mouse. If your box is too large for the design</p><p>area click the right mouse button to end the option and</p><p>start again.</p><p>12. Finally check the design, you may wish to use the Move</p><p>option in the Edit menu to adjust the position of the</p><p>borders to balance with the text.</p><p>13. When you are satisfied with the result select Save in the</p><p>File menu. You will need to type a file name into the</p><p>dialog then click on Save. Your file will be saved in the</p><p>EasyC directory with the Extension .WXS.</p><p>Remember that each option is explained fully in the manual</p><p>so have it to hand when you begin to experiment with the</p><p>program. The quick reference page lists the hot keys which</p><p>can save you lots of time. Happy Designing!</p><p>Getting Started</p><p>You have purchased an Easy Cross program, installed it,</p><p>skimmed through a bit of the manual and you are now</p><p>ready to attempt your first design. But where do you</p><p>begin? To familiarise you with some of the basic options</p><p>follow the step-by-step instructions below to design a</p><p>simple thank-you card. Always use the left mouse button</p><p>unless otherwise stated.</p><p>1. In the File menu click on New, then Cross Stitch</p><p>Design. A dialog box will appear.</p><p>2. Click on Use Template and then on the arrow next to</p><p>Category. A list of template categories will appear.</p><p>Click on the word Card and you will see a list of</p><p>possible dimensions for your card. Find 6” x 8”</p><p>Horizontal Oblong on the list and click on the</p><p>selection.</p><p>3. You will now see a grid with a black oblong drawn to</p><p>represent the aperture of the card on screen. Click the</p><p>Zoom button and a cross-hair will appear beneath the</p><p>cursor arrow. Place this above the top left-hand corner</p><p>of the black oblong and holding the mouse button</p><p>down drag the cursor to the bottom right corner then</p><p>release the button. The card aperture is now enlarged</p><p>to fill the screen and the grid is a more comfortable</p><p>size to work with.</p><p>4. The default palette may contain a large number of</p><p>colours which you may want to reduce. To alter the</p><p>palette which will be used in the design click on</p><p>Palette then on New. A warning is given, click on Yes</p><p>to continue and the thread chart will appear.</p><p>5. The first thread chart is DMC. Drag the bar below the</p><p>palette to see the whole range of colours. Click on the</p><p>arrows by the chart name to view other available</p><p>charts and click on the chart name to bring it to the</p><p>foreground.</p><p>6. To select colours from a palette either click on each</p><p>colour on the screen and it will be highlighted, or type</p><p>in the chart number with a comma between each</p><p>number. Choose five colours then click on OK.</p><p>2</p><p>Converting Photographs Des</p><p>Have you ever seen a trade advertisement to convert a</p><p>photograph of your house/pet/grandchild into a cross</p><p>stitch chart and wondered if you could achieve a</p><p>professional result yourself. As the owner of Easy Cross,</p><p>Easy Cross de luxe or Easy Cross Enterprise you have</p><p>the software requirements to make your attempt, with</p><p>some extra features to considerably speed up the</p><p>process.</p><p>First Select your Source material: This should be the</p><p>clearest picture of your chosen subject that you can find.</p><p>Photographs can vary enormously in quality and it is</p><p>important to bear in mind that the quality of your</p><p>conversion will depend upon the quality of the original.</p><p>However, if your snapshots aren’t perfect (and who’s are!)</p><p>don’t despair the Adjust Image dialog contains features to</p><p>help reduce glare effects and correct images that are too</p><p>dark or too bright.</p><p>How to get your Photograph into Easy Cross: The</p><p>image can be directly scanned into the program using the</p><p>Acquire option in the Convert menu. If you haven’t got a</p><p>scanner attached to your computer, then previously saved</p><p>files or clipart can be converted by using the Convert</p><p>Image option in the File menu.</p><p>At this stage you need to consider what you want to</p><p>achieve in your finished design. If you are interested in</p><p>one area of the photograph then you only need scan in</p><p>that part of the image. Using flat bed scanners a</p><p>rectangular partial image can normally be selected for</p><p>scanning or use Trim on the Adjust Image dialog. Using</p><p>either Easy Cross de luxe/Enterprise you can remove the</p><p>background completely by using Convert Area. For Easy</p><p>Cross users who wish to remove the background</p><p>completely then it must be edited out using scanning</p><p>software or a Paintbox package.</p><p>What Scanning resolution should I select: Scanning</p><p>resolution is measured in dots per inch and the more dots</p><p>per inch you scan the more information you are extracting</p><p>from your photograph, and the larger your image will be.</p><p>When scanning for cross stitch you need to achieve a</p><p>balance between getting a sufficiently clear image and</p><p>producing a design that is practical and enjoyable to</p><p>stitch. A resolution of 100 is recommended for general</p><p>use but if you wish to enlarge your photograph then 200</p><p>can be useful.</p><p>Using the Convert Image option: The selections that</p><p>you make while converting will give the structure of the</p><p>final design. These cannot later be changed without</p><p>reconverting the image so you should think about the</p><p>following items.</p><p>How many colours would you like to stitch? You may</p><p>if you wish select up to 255 colours. However for practical</p><p>purposes many would regard 50 as enough to give a</p><p>satisfying image. As colours can be edited out later, it is</p><p>recommended that you choose 5 or 10 more than you</p><p>would like in your final design. Use Sensible Number to</p><p>have the program calculate a suitable number of colours.</p><p>Which threads do you want to use? You can either</p><p>match your photograph to a particular manufacturers</p><p>chart i.e. DMC or Anchor, which will choose the closest</p><p>matching colours from their chart, or you can match to</p><p>your own range of threads which have been previously</p><p>saved in a palette. To do this set Colour Match to Palette</p><p>and use Palette and Chart Selection to select the required</p><p>palette. This can be useful if you want to limit the threads</p><p>to those you have already purchased. It can also be</p><p>useful for creating effects. You can match to both a chart</p><p>and a palette or more than one chart which can be useful</p><p>if you wish to mix brands of thread to achieve a truer</p><p>match to the image colours.</p><p>How large would you like your design to be? The</p><p>size</p><p>of the design can be set in stitches or in inches/</p><p>centimetres along with the ability to change the fabric</p><p>count. The Maximum Stitch Size gives the size of the</p><p>imported image in stitches and your converted design</p><p>cannot exceed this. To achieve a clear image it is</p><p>recommended that you scale to make sure that the image</p><p>is at least 100 stitches wide.</p><p>What Image Detail should you use? For importing a</p><p>photograph the Image Detail should be set to Take</p><p>Average, but you may wonder what it means. When</p><p>reducing a design by a half the program has to convert 4</p><p>pixels into one stitch. Where the pixels are all different</p><p>colours this can be done either by blending the 4 into an</p><p>‘average’ colour or by selecting one at random from the 4.</p><p>The blending method is more effective where the image</p><p>contains shading and Take Sample works best for line</p><p>drawings.</p><p>Extra converting features: The Import Wizard guides</p><p>beginners through an extended Convert Image dialog. If</p><p>you are unfamiliar with the technical language of image</p><p>converting then this will provide a simple introduction and</p><p>you will soon have the confidence to use the Convert</p><p>Image dialog directly. As with Easy Cross, Easy Cross de</p><p>luxe and Easy Cross Enterprise you will decide the design</p><p>size and number of colours used at this stage and there</p><p>are extra features, which can help you correct problems</p><p>and enable you to create more adventurous designs</p><p>without the use of other scanning and editing software.</p><p>Correcting problems with your photograph: The</p><p>Adjust Image dialog gives several options which could</p><p>help to correct problems with photographs. To improve</p><p>the definition of the image is to increase the Contrast.</p><p>This has the effect of making dark areas darker and light</p><p>areas lighter. If your photograph was taken on a dull day</p><p>you may wish to increase the Saturation value to make</p><p>your colours more vibrant. If you set the saturation value</p><p>to –100 it is possible to preview your photograph in black</p><p>and white.</p><p>Correcting scanner related problems: Some types of</p><p>scanner will produce a slightly green image. To</p><p>compensate for this set the Green value on the Adjust</p><p>Image dialog negative i.e. -5.</p><p>3</p><p>Creating Special Effects: By playing with the Red,</p><p>Green, and Blue values in the Adjust Image dialog it is</p><p>possible to preview your image in unnatural colours. For</p><p>example, the effect of increasing the Blue value to 100%</p><p>while leaving the others at 0% is to present the image in</p><p>shades of blue. While making Blue -100% will remove all</p><p>trace of blue from the image. It is worth experimenting</p><p>with this option to give a new perspective on your</p><p>photograph.</p><p>Converting to a small number of colours: Many people</p><p>are put off stitching a converted photograph by the</p><p>expense of buying a large number of threads. However it</p><p>is possible to produce a satisfactory image with about 10</p><p>colours. You will need to choose an image that does not</p><p>need fine detail for clarity and select the Dither Colours</p><p>option. It is also helpful to Select Important Colours in</p><p>your photograph so that the colours in this area are given</p><p>priority over the rest. You should bear in mind that a</p><p>dithered effect is more difficult to stitch than blocks of</p><p>colour so it is best kept for occasions where you want to</p><p>reduce the number of colours used.</p><p>Converting photographs for needlepoint: You are not</p><p>restricted to producing a cross stitch design you can</p><p>import into tent stitch as well.</p><p>Editing your photograph</p><p>Your photograph will be imported into an Easy Cross file</p><p>placing a colour in every square of the grid. Remove the</p><p>grid by pressing G on the keyboard which can make the</p><p>image clearer. If there is part of the design you wish to</p><p>remove this should always be done first. Use Crop in the</p><p>Tools menu to remove a rectangular area or increase the</p><p>Spray Size and delete the unwanted area.</p><p>You may wish to reduce the number of thread colours</p><p>used. The Decrease Colours option allows you to preview</p><p>the effect of removing certain colours before they are</p><p>removed. You can either use the cursor to select the</p><p>colours to be removed from the palette or you can specify</p><p>that any colour used less than a required amount will be</p><p>removed. The program will automatically change the</p><p>removed colour to the closest match from the palette. It is</p><p>possible to add back colours by deselecting them in the</p><p>palette. This option contains its own Undo and Redo</p><p>buttons to facilitate easy experimentation.</p><p>The Filter option in the Convert menu converts all lone full</p><p>stitches to the surrounding colour which simplifies the</p><p>image and can reduce the number of colours used.</p><p>The Flood Fill option in the Draw menu can be used to</p><p>change several similar colours to one shade. There is a</p><p>degree of trial and error in editing photographs so the</p><p>Undo option is invaluable.</p><p>The Randomise option allows you to spray over a</p><p>selected area to give a less strong edge between colours.</p><p>This can give an impressionistic feel to your image. It is</p><p>most effective when you are designing with a small</p><p>number of colours.</p><p>The Clone option will allow the removal of objects within</p><p>an image, for example a tree against a sky background,</p><p>and the filling of the space left by sky copied from another</p><p>part of the image. This is an effective way of simplifying</p><p>the image. It can also be used to remove the glare effect</p><p>of flash photography on a face by replacing that area with</p><p>a more natural skin colour.</p><p>Summary</p><p>• Choose your photograph carefully, to minimise work</p><p>• Use 100 dpi for scanning resolution</p><p>• Think about the number of colours to be used, more</p><p>colours used will give a better result but can make</p><p>the design difficult to stitch</p><p>• It is recommended that you use 5-10 more colours</p><p>than required in the final design</p><p>• Reducing the size and number of colours within an</p><p>image will reduce the quality of the final design</p><p>• Changing the brightness and contrast of an image</p><p>will affect the conversion</p><p>• Always set Image Detail to Take Average when</p><p>converting a photograph or similar material</p><p>• When converting an image, some editing will always</p><p>be required</p><p>Stitched View</p><p>Do you find that designing in</p><p>colour blocks does not give</p><p>a true representation of how</p><p>the final stitched design will</p><p>look? It is possible to view</p><p>and print the design in a</p><p>simulation of how it would</p><p>look when stitched (see Fig.</p><p>1). Below are step by step</p><p>instructions on how to get</p><p>the best out of the stitch</p><p>display.De</p><p>To view a design in the “Stitched” view</p><p>1. Go to the View menu and select Stitch Display - a</p><p>dialog will be given (see Fig. 2)</p><p>2. Set the Stitch Display drop down list to Crosses</p><p>3. Set the Fabric Type drop down list to the required</p><p>type</p><p>4. Select OK</p><p>Fig. 1</p><p>Fig. 2</p><p>4</p><p>We use the word motif to mean a component of a</p><p>design, and though some of them could stand alone,</p><p>they are intended for use in larger designs or repetition</p><p>in a border.</p><p>Finding the Motifs</p><p>All of the motifs supplied with the program are stored in</p><p>the motif library. Select the Draw option from the Motif</p><p>menu, this will give a small preview of each motif in the</p><p>library. The motifs are stored in different categories, it is</p><p>possible to see all the motifs at once or just ones from a</p><p>specific category. To select another category then use</p><p>the drop down list to see a list of the available ones.</p><p>Highlight the required motif, by clicking on it and then to</p><p>use it within a design click on OK.</p><p>Saving your own Motifs</p><p>You can add any part of a design to the motif library to</p><p>use later on. This can be done by selecting the Save</p><p>Motif option from the Motif menu. Once selected a</p><p>cross-hair cursor appears allowing you to draw a square</p><p>around your design. You should fit the square exactly to</p><p>the motif and assign an appropriate name to your motif.</p><p>The first dialog will save the motif as a WSY file, then</p><p>the library dialog will be given asking the motif name</p><p>and category. This may seem a roundabout</p><p>method of</p><p>saving motif, but it will ensure that there is a backup of</p><p>each motif which can be added again to the library if</p><p>anything happens.</p><p>Using Motifs</p><p>1) To create a motif border: The motif border option</p><p>allows you to create a border in a variety of different</p><p>shapes. The de luxe version has a larger range of</p><p>shapes than the standard version. When creating your</p><p>border you should keep in mind the size of the motif that</p><p>you have selected. The minimum length of each side of</p><p>the shape you draw should be equal to the height of the</p><p>motif. (Having the rulers switched on, may be helpful</p><p>whilst creating a border!) While experimenting with motif</p><p>borders it is useful to begin with a large design area</p><p>then crop it down later as it can be difficult to calculate</p><p>the amount of space required by some border shapes.</p><p>2) To assemble into a larger design: Motifs are useful</p><p>because they can be superimposed onto each other and</p><p>the background image shows through any gaps in the</p><p>foreground image. This enables you to experiment with</p><p>the relative placement of components in a large design</p><p>in a sophisticated way. It can work best for motifs</p><p>created using full stitches because the program</p><p>removes the full stitch from the background when it is</p><p>superimposed by a ¾ stitch and so may require a small</p><p>amount of redrawing. For de luxe and Enterprise users,</p><p>the Objects feature will prevent this.</p><p>3) To create a sampler: A quick and satisfying personal</p><p>design can be created by combining true type text, a</p><p>motif border and a few well chosen pictorial motifs.</p><p>However when creating a purely pictorial sampler from</p><p>supplied motifs it is important to ensure that their</p><p>relative scales are appropriate.</p><p>Using Motifs</p><p>Chart Readability</p><p>After all the time taken creating your design masterpiece, it</p><p>is worth taking the time to check that the chart can be easily</p><p>followed. Easy Cross programs assign symbols according</p><p>to the darkness of the colour used, this means that it is</p><p>possible to tell what you are stitching from the chart.</p><p>Changing Symbols</p><p>So by having darker symbols for darker colours the chart</p><p>will be easier to read, but the program will not be able to tell</p><p>the readability of individual symbols.</p><p>Change the Stitch Display in the View menu to Symbols</p><p>and spend a few moments checking the symbols, if the</p><p>design is large or complicated then it may be worth doing a</p><p>test print to check the readability of the chart. Should there</p><p>be some symbols which are too similar then use Symbols</p><p>and Threads in the Palette menu to change them. Once</p><p>the option has been selected a dialog is given, make sure</p><p>the Show Used Colours radio button is selected to give</p><p>only the colours in the design. Click on the colour you wish</p><p>to change and then select a new symbol from the given list.</p><p>Small Symbols</p><p>Because the program assigns the symbol according to the</p><p>darkness of the colour, some of the lighter colours are given</p><p>small symbols which are very hard to see. If this happens</p><p>use Symbols and Threads in the Palette menu to change</p><p>them to symbols which are better to see. If you are using a</p><p>de luxe or Enterprise version, it is possible to edit the</p><p>symbol file to remove the very small symbols or any others</p><p>which you may not want to use. Select Edit Symbols from</p><p>the Palette menu then use the Select button to give the list</p><p>of symbols. Select the one you wish to remove, then Delete</p><p>from the Symbol menu and then OK which will save the</p><p>changes to the file automatically. If you are making several</p><p>changes and wish to save the changes as you go along use</p><p>Save To File from the File menu.</p><p>Having Trouble Identifying the Different Backstitch</p><p>Styles ?</p><p>The program will automatically assign different styles for</p><p>each backstitch colour used. Should you wish to have only</p><p>the solid line style, use Symbols and Threads option to</p><p>change the backstitch style to solid line or set the</p><p>Backstitch/French Knot Style when printing to Solid</p><p>Black.</p><p>If using the different styles and they are not easy to read,</p><p>the Edit Symbols option can be used to alter or make your</p><p>styles. In the 2000 series the Backstitch Symbol Repeat</p><p>Length in Options from the Tools menu will decrease or</p><p>increase the space required for the repeat pattern. If the</p><p>style is too gappy then by decreasing this value it will bring</p><p>the pattern closer together.</p><p>Symbols</p><p>5</p><p>Make Your Printout Clearer</p><p>There are several options within the different versions of Easy Cross that could help to</p><p>improve the look of your charts.</p><p>Printout Size</p><p>Lets first take a look at the design itself</p><p>in the form of the printout. If the design</p><p>is small then it will be all right to put the</p><p>design and key on one page. [Set the</p><p>Printout Size to 0 in Print Settings.] With</p><p>larger designs it would be worth having</p><p>the key on a separate page or even</p><p>consider tiling to make the chart easier</p><p>to read. A comfortable reading size</p><p>would be to set the Printout Size to 10</p><p>or 12 squares per inch, but the</p><p>complexities of the design may affect</p><p>the value used.</p><p>When a design is tiled then the Tiling</p><p>button on the Print Settings will become</p><p>active, which gives access to features</p><p>that control the overlap.</p><p>Before and Afterwards</p><p>Margins</p><p>Take the time to position the design</p><p>on the page, use the Margin option</p><p>to give a border around the outside.</p><p>The design and key can be centred</p><p>within the page, they can be</p><p>centred independently of each</p><p>other to give different effects.</p><p>Grid/Line Settings</p><p>Having the grid showing every five</p><p>and ten squares can be confusing</p><p>for some people and they find it</p><p>easier to have only the 10 squares</p><p>marked. Select Grid/Line Settings</p><p>and set the Grid 5 lines to the same</p><p>value as the Grid 1.</p><p>Are you having difficulty in locating</p><p>the backstitch on a complex design</p><p>or does it just have a lot of</p><p>backstitch and so is difficult to</p><p>read? The backstitch shown on the</p><p>printout can be thickened by</p><p>increasing the Backstitch Lines</p><p>value.</p><p>Fonts</p><p>The standard font used for the printouts is Courier 10 pt which cannot be changed in the Easy Cross version. But the de</p><p>luxe and Enterprise versions allow you to change the style and point size of the font used.</p><p>Hint: By increasing the point of the Printout Font (key), it can make it easier to read.</p><p>Printout Colour</p><p>Some people find it hard to read</p><p>the chart when it is black symbols</p><p>on white paper and find it easier to</p><p>read blue symbols. To change the</p><p>colour used for the chart, select</p><p>Printout Colour and then the Print</p><p>Colour button and select one of the</p><p>given colours or define your own.</p><p>Title Font Comic Sans MS</p><p>14 pt bold (Font – de luxe &</p><p>Enterprise only)</p><p>Margins Left, Right, Top</p><p>and Bottom to 0.2 inches</p><p>(Margins)</p><p>Blank Border 2 (Blank</p><p>Border)</p><p>Backstitch Thickness 8</p><p>(Grid/Line Settings)</p><p>Centring Centre Design</p><p>Across and Centre Key</p><p>Across</p><p>Layout remove unwanted</p><p>line between Design by and</p><p>Copyright (Key Layout – de</p><p>luxe & Enterprise only)</p><p>Centre Marks switch to</p><p>arrows (Centre Marks – de</p><p>luxe & Enterprise only)</p><p>Printout Font Comic Sans</p><p>MS 12 pt (Font – de luxe &</p><p>Enterprise only)</p><p>Printout Size 10 squares</p><p>per inch</p><p>6</p><p>Hints and Tips</p><p>Changing Colour in One Area</p><p>If you want to change a colour in one area of your</p><p>design, you don’t need to draw manually over the</p><p>top. Use the Edit Area option, look in the Edit menu</p><p>and select Area from the bottom of the list. Choose</p><p>Edit Inside and a cross hair cursor will appear. If a</p><p>square box is suitable simply draw a box with the</p><p>cursor. If not press Y on the keyboard and you will</p><p>then be able to draw around the area clicking the</p><p>left mouse button each time you reach a corner</p><p>until you have enclosed your area. You can then</p><p>use Change Colour in the Edit menu to make</p><p>changes in the area.</p><p>Eye Strain</p><p>There is no need to strain your eyes! The</p><p>magnifying glass symbols on the tool bar can be</p><p>used to zoom in and out as required. Particularly</p><p>useful is the Zoom</p><p>option, where a cross-hair</p><p>cursor will appear so that you can define the area</p><p>to be enlarged</p><p>Not Happy With a Colour</p><p>Whilst designing you may find that one of the</p><p>colours used isn’t quite the right shade. Double</p><p>click on the colour and this will bring up the thread</p><p>chart so a new colour can be selected. This will</p><p>change all stitches of this colour in the design.</p><p>Pale Colours</p><p>Where colours are pale change the colour of your</p><p>background fabric to get a clearer contrast. This is</p><p>done using the Fabric Colours option in the View</p><p>menu</p><p>Small Blocks</p><p>Are you are finding it difficult to see the colour</p><p>blocks in the palette because they are too small?</p><p>Press the Right mouse button whilst over the</p><p>palette and a pop-up menu is given. Select Width</p><p>and choose from Narrow, Normal and Wide for the</p><p>different settings for the palette.</p><p>Backups</p><p>Make backup copies of your work, preferably two</p><p>copies. A design could be totally lost if a disk</p><p>develops a fault or is damaged in some way.</p><p>Lots of Backstitch</p><p>If there is a lot of backstitch in a design you may</p><p>notice the program slowing down. In Easy Cross</p><p>de luxe the Process Back Stitch option in the Tools</p><p>menu can reduce the amount of memory used in a</p><p>design with back stitch. Once the option is selected</p><p>then make sure the Remove Duplicate Back Stitch</p><p>and Merge Consecutive Back Stitch check box are</p><p>checked then select Process. This should improve</p><p>the speed of the program when handling a large</p><p>amount of back stitch.</p><p>Duplicate Colours</p><p>Select one of the duplicate colours (Colour A) and</p><p>use Select Colour to change it to a colour which is</p><p>not used elsewhere in the design (using a</p><p>contrasting colour will allow it to stand out). Then</p><p>select the other duplicate colour (Colour B) and</p><p>use the Change Colour option in the Edit menu to</p><p>change Colour A to Colour B. This should eliminate</p><p>the problem with two duplicated colours and the</p><p>process can be repeated as required.</p><p>Duplicate Symbols</p><p>Any duplicated symbols are shown in red on the</p><p>Symbols and Threads dialog, Symbols and</p><p>Threads can be found in the Palette menu.</p><p>Print Key Only</p><p>When selecting the options on the Print Settings</p><p>dialog, select Key and Information on Separate</p><p>Pages check box. The Number of Pages will</p><p>change to give the new value, the key will always</p><p>be the last page. So when printing set the Print</p><p>Range to Pages and enter the value for the last</p><p>page on the Standard Windows Print dialog.</p><p>Changing the default stitch colour</p><p>When you open a new design and forget to select</p><p>a thread colour before beginning to draw then the</p><p>first colour in the palette will be used as default,</p><p>which can be too pale a colour to see clearly. By</p><p>changing the order of the palette using Sort Palette</p><p>from the Palette sub-menu in the Palette menu.</p><p>Then make that palette the default palette, use the</p><p>Make Default option from the Palette sub-menu in</p><p>the Palette menu.</p><p>Show And Hide Colours</p><p>Where you are making a subtle variation in tone</p><p>the Show/Hide facility in the View menu can help to</p><p>distinguish between the different threads. It has the</p><p>following “hot” keys, Ctrl F will switch the current</p><p>colour between faint and normal. Ctrl Shift F will</p><p>switch all colours between faint and normal. It is</p><p>less confusing if you chose the paler shade to</p><p>make faint.</p><p>7</p><p>Making Your Designs Stitchable</p><p>Be realistic about the size of your design. It is all</p><p>too easy to loose touch with how large a design is</p><p>when it is on a computer screen. Set the Ruler</p><p>Settings in the View menu to inches or cms to</p><p>help keep track of the size.</p><p>Think about ease of stitching, try not to use too</p><p>many single stitches of one colour as this will make</p><p>a lot of starting and stopping or else the thread will</p><p>have to be carried over the back. Also think about</p><p>the quantity of part stitches you are using, if you</p><p>aren’t very confident with stitching them.</p><p>How many colours are you using? The cost can</p><p>soon mount up when a design includes 15 or 20</p><p>colours. Think about using colours that you already</p><p>have in your workbox.</p><p>Threads</p><p>Thread palettes on the screen can only provide a</p><p>close approximation of the thread colours and does</p><p>not capture the lustre of metallic threads and</p><p>cotton perle. So use manufacturers thread charts</p><p>to select your colour combinations. Your stockist</p><p>will be able to order these for you.</p><p>Copying Areas</p><p>Sometimes it isn’t very easy to isolate a</p><p>rectangular area of the design whilst copying.</p><p>There are times when you don’t want to take the</p><p>background stitches along with the area.</p><p>The User Definable Outline feature allows the</p><p>boundary of the area to be manually selected.</p><p>Once the Copy option has been selected and the</p><p>cross-hair is showing, press the Y key on the</p><p>keyboard.</p><p>Line Thickness</p><p>Sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference</p><p>between the grid lines and backstitch lines, there is</p><p>the flexiblility of changing the different thickness</p><p>used.</p><p>On screen use Options in the Tools menu, to alter</p><p>the Backstitch Line Thickness on Screen as</p><p>required.</p><p>The colours used for the different gridlines on</p><p>screen can be changed by using the Fabric</p><p>Colours option in the View menu. Depending on</p><p>the fabric colour, it can be useful to change the</p><p>colour of the gridlines to make them stand out.</p><p>For printouts, use the Print Settings: Grid/Line</p><p>Settings option in the File menu to change the</p><p>thickness for Grid Lines 1, Grid Lines 5, Grid Lines</p><p>10 and Backstitch Lines.</p><p>Change the Key Column Order</p><p>If you have done a design using DMC threads and</p><p>then done a colour conversion to other thread</p><p>charts, you will have several columns listing the</p><p>thread numbers for each chart.</p><p>The option Chart Order in the Print Settings</p><p>option (de luxe & Enterprise only) is useful to</p><p>change the order the columns appear in the key.</p><p>Highlight the chosen key and then click on Move</p><p>Up until it is at the top of the list. In a similar way</p><p>you can change the order of the other columns.</p><p>Remember that if you have only used one thread</p><p>chart in your design you will only get one column in</p><p>your key.</p><p>Pickup Colour</p><p>If there are similar colours together in the palette, it</p><p>may be hard to select the required one. A colour</p><p>can be selected from the design itself by selecting</p><p>Pick Colour from the Edit menu. A cross-hair is</p><p>given, move this over the required colour and</p><p>press the LEFT mouse button. This colour will</p><p>become the current colour in the palette shown by</p><p>the white surround.</p><p>Grid Spacing</p><p>If you would like the grid spacing on screen to reflect</p><p>the fabric count that you prefer to stitch on then you</p><p>should look under Tools: Options. Change the grid</p><p>spacing to half of the fabric count e.g. if you stitch on</p><p>14 count then it should say 7. This will mean that the</p><p>bold grid squares represent one inch of work and the</p><p>fainter lines represent half an inch.</p><p>Blank Grid</p><p>Sometimes you may like to carry round some blank</p><p>squared paper. To print a blank grid, create a new</p><p>design at the required size, then select Print in the</p><p>File menu. Make sure the Blank Border Around</p><p>Design checkbox is not selected and set the</p><p>Printout Size to the required size (this will alter the</p><p>size of the squares on the page) and select OK to</p><p>print.</p><p>Fitting Text Into A Design</p><p>The point size of the True Type Text will give a</p><p>general guide to the size of each letter e.g. allow a</p><p>10 x 10 grid for a capital in point size 10. However</p><p>this is a minimum requirement and the exact</p><p>dimensions of each letter will vary from font to</p><p>font. All but the most basic font shapes will need a</p><p>little extra and those with flourishes up to 50%</p><p>extra.</p><p>too easy to lose touch with how large a design is</p><p>8</p><p>For further details visit our website: www.easycross.co.uk</p><p>Easy Cross 2000</p><p>An ideal package for home users who wish to create their own</p><p>designs or to do a conversion from a photograph.</p><p>Easy Cross de luxe 2000</p><p>With many additional extras to help add that special</p><p>touch to your charts.</p><p>Easy Cross Enterprise 2000</p><p>Specially created software for use by the</p><p>professionals.</p><p>Modules</p><p>Add-ons are available which have been tailored for specific crafts with fully</p><p>integrated additional options. They are designed to work along side Easy Cross,</p><p>Easy Cross de luxe and Easy Cross Enterprise.</p><p>Lace</p><p>Includes the Torchon Lace</p><p>features plus more. Ability to</p><p>create a grid at any angle. 6</p><p>different types of grid to</p><p>choose from including</p><p>circular. Possible to change</p><p>the angle of grid whilst</p><p>designing.</p><p>Needlepoint & Beadwork</p><p>60 additional needlepoint</p><p>stitch types along with the</p><p>ability to add your own.</p><p>Extra charts for DMC,</p><p>A n c h o r , P a t e r n a &</p><p>Appletons Tapestry wools</p><p>and Mill Hill & Beadesign</p><p>beads. Stitches can be</p><p>shown mid grid.</p><p>Blackwork & Punched Card Plus</p><p>Layering which helps to</p><p>distinguish between areas</p><p>o f b a c k s t i t c h .</p><p>Comprehensive library of fill</p><p>styles along with an editor</p><p>to make changes to the</p><p>styles. Ability to have cross</p><p>stitch in a blackwork design.</p><p>Hardanger</p><p>Remove areas of the grid to</p><p>show where the fabric</p><p>should be cut. 24 hardanger</p><p>stitches in the library along</p><p>with the ability to add your</p><p>own.</p><p>Long Stitch</p><p>Available stitch types are</p><p>vertical, horizontal and</p><p>diagonal long stitch. Break</p><p>and Join option will toggle</p><p>depending on the stitch.</p><p>Convert an existing cross</p><p>stitch design into long stitch.</p><p>Knitting & Crochet</p><p>Rectangular grid with the</p><p>ability to change the size of</p><p>the rectangle. Turn a cross</p><p>stitch design into a knitting</p><p>design and vice versa. Ideal</p><p>for creating picture knit</p><p>garments.</p><p>Machine Embroidery</p><p>Creates cross stitch and</p><p>Blackwork designs which</p><p>can be sent by an existing</p><p>link to an embroidery</p><p>machine. 24 machine</p><p>embroidery thread charts.</p><p>Ability to reduce the number</p><p>of jumps in a design.</p><p>Torchon Lace</p><p>Based on a 45º grid, add</p><p>pins to create the desired</p><p>effect. Mirror patterns at 45º</p><p>to form corners. Cloth stitch</p><p>will place pins and cloth</p><p>stitch markings in one</p><p>operation.</p><p>Easy Quilt</p><p>A standalone design package which will enable you to create your own</p><p>amazing patchwork patterns. You can make anything from a cushion to a</p><p>double quilt based on a square grid.</p><p>Easy Cross</p><p>Easy Cross de Luxe</p><p>Easy Cross Enterprise</p>