# Melco Design Shop vs Design Shop Lite



## fourzerosix (Aug 4, 2008)

Hi everyone,

I have been doing screen printing for the last few years and am about to get into embroidery. 

I am looking at 2 machines (same brand and type). One of the machines comes with Melco Design shop. The other machine comes with Melco design shop lite. The price for each machine is very similar. The big difference is that the machine that comes with Design shop lite is close to where I live. The machine with the design shop is located quite a ways from me. Does anyone have experience using design shop lite? Would it be adequate for someone that is new to embroidery? I am planning on self teaching and learning digitizing etc on my own. Most likely I'll outsource some of it as I am learning... Any advice for me?

I am looking at an emc 4 head 6 needle used machine. Any thoughts on this machine? 

Thanks in advance for your help


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## alfargo (Dec 18, 2009)

There are a lot of differences. With lite you do not get any digitizing capability. You are also very limited editing of any embroidery files. DesignShop V9

here is a link the shows the different levels of the program. I have design shop pro+ myself and I love it. However it costs a lot more than the lite.


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## mikegr (Dec 23, 2009)

I also run with Design Shop Pro+, it works well for me. If you plan to learn digitizing you will have to buy a program that will do digitizing, not a lite version that will only do some basic lettering or other minor things.

Also if you send out designs to get digitized sometimes you need to get them edited for them to sew right on your machine and garment. While digitizing companies will do any edits you request Often I find it easier to just do the edits myself rather than wait for them to edit and send it back. You can't do edits with a lite version.

I know that all the top digitizing software programs are expensive, but if embroidery is something you want to do as a business ...


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## BML Builder (Jul 8, 2008)

Pete,

You could always get the machine with DesignShop Lite and just upgrade the program to DesignShop Pro +. That way you would not have to pay the full price for the Pro +. As long as you have one of the lower versions they are upgradable to the better ones. I also have the Pro + and love it.


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