FAQ: Questions Real People Asked

MacStitch 2008 and Stitch 2008 by Ursa Software

On this page, we list questions asked in emails by customers and prospective buyers, together with our answers.    Q:  Hi, I have downloaded to test the Mac Stitch before I decide to buy it, but cant find where do you get the colors for the symbols to stitch from ...e.g.  symbol 'T" or any symbol is for which color. A: Hi. We assume you mean 'how do I make red stitches use a symbol that looks like T'?, Click on a color. Then click on it again, and choose Edit This color ( Or choose Edit This Color from the palette menu.) In the screen that opens, click on any unused symbol to assign it to the thread. Q: Is it possible in the future to make updates to any program I'll buy? A: We only charge for upgrades when we change the version number. So if you have a version 1,2 or 3 ( or X-Stitch Studio) and want to upgrade to version 4 (the Stitch 2008 series), then this is a chargeable upgrade. But minor updates (we issued 7 releases of MacStitch 3.x) are free to registered users. Just ask. Q: When I paste a letter or motif, it will not stop pasting: how do I stop? A:The quick answer is : you stop pasting by starting to do something else. Simply click on the full stitch icon to switch to normal drawing, for instance. However, this behaviour is by design: it allows you to build up a row of motifs to act as a border. When using lettering, the program has another trick up its sleeve. Assume you want to make the word HELLO. You click the letter H, and paste it. Normally, you would now click the letter E, but you can quickly change to E by pressing the letter E on the keyboard, while the mouse remains in the correct area of the design. The letter shape will change to E, and you can paste that. Then press L and paste it twice. Next, press O and paste that. Finally, click on the full stitch icon to stop pasting letters. Q: What is the difference between Studio and Stitch 2008? The features look very similar, but Studio has some features that Stitch 2008 does not have, and vice versa: which one is better? A: As you have seen, there is very little between them in terms of features alone. Stitch 2008 does more. Stitch 2008 has the option to have a number of charts open and copy and paste between them. Release 5 (on the site now) has multiple undo - a long requested feature missing from Studio. Chart printouts can be done with a shaded overlap in 2008. And we have just added an import wizard. You can change the symbols to be anything you like in 2008 - just draw new ones using the editing tool. There is a nifty motif browser (and soon we will have a page on the site dedicated to sharing motifs and charts for free!) You can export the design to images (JPG format), and the program can bundle the pages that make up your chart as a mini web site, for upload to the web if you wish. Stitch 2008 and MacSttitch 2008 will gain new features, (plus any of Studio's features that people feel that they must have), and will continue to be developed, but there is unlikely to be a new version of Studio. Q: I am trying your demo version: how will I know which thread to use when stitching a particular symbol? A: When you print the chart, the last page to print is a key, which shows the symbol, and the name and color of the thread. If you print as symbols, the key shows symbols.  If you print as color blocks, the key shows color blocks. Q: I am trying your demo version, and I can't print. Does the full program print? A: The demo version will allow you to print. However, you must load one of our sample charts, and print that before it has been amended in any way. The demo will not print a chart you create or amend yourself. The full program is not limited in this way. Q: How big are the charts ? A: A single chart can be 999 x 999 stitches in size. If a tapestry is worked on 10 stitches to the inch, that is a finished work of 100 inches square, or 8 feet by 8 feet. If you are doing cross stitch on 20 hpi cloth, the maximum size is about 4 feet by 4 feet.