Buzz Tools

Step-by-Step Guide to

by Carolyn Keber

Buzz Tools is a classic Embroidery Management Tool which allows you to:

Create design catalogs for your embroidery design collection. Span multiple directories. Display thousands of designs at a time, include multiple file formats and span directories.
Catalog, Convert and Extract your zipped designs
Display and print design catalogs, any number of designs per page
Include zipped designs, without having to extract them first.
Launch your embroidery software by double-clicking a design image. If needed the selected design will be converted on-the-fly for you and the newly converted design will loaded.
Automatically set best design page size and correct missing or invalid card data.
Include optional design information: Design Size, Color Breaks, Stitch Order, Number of Stitches, and Design Notes
Find the designs you need from your design stash.
Easily locate and delete duplicate or unwanted design files
Easily edit your designs. Double-clicking a designs opens it in your embroidery program.
Organize your design collection and have time to sew

Buzz Edit

Buzz Edit allows you to resize your designs but as with both programs it will not adjust the stitch count accordingly. For this you need Size Express or similar programs. (If you have PE Design you can use Stitch to Block for this).

You can delete or add parts of a design and also split large designs so that your design will fit in a smaller hoop.

Buzz edit has a special "Lasso Tool" for selecting parts of the design to edit.

You can edit individual stitches.

Buzz edit also has a Sew Simulator so that you can watch how your design sews out on screen.

You can copy, paste, edit stitches, rotate and move different elements of the design.

You can print templates for positioning them in your hoop or on your garment.

Designs sew out the best when they remain at the size they were digitized at. However if you wish to alter the size, ideally they shouldn't be altered more than 20% up or down as stitch lengths and densities are affected. Always sew out a sample first.

Add, Sort, View, Change, Remove Colors

Add, Move, Delete, Change Type, Reverse Order Stitches

Cut, copy, Paste and Delete to Merge or Divide Designs Center, Rotate, Flip, Resize and Stretch at any Angle (no stitch recalculation)

Lay out huge designs for Multi-Hoops, Giant Hoop-it-All? or Custom Multi-Hoops

Print Multi-hoop templates for easy design placement

Smartsizer or Buzz Catalog?
a Product Comparison by Carolyn Keber

People often ask whether they should buy Smartsizer or Buzz Catalog for their embroidery. I have these programs and use them both.

BuzzTools is used mainly for unzipping zipped files very quickly and then converting them to your machines embroidery format. This task can be completed in seconds. The embroidery files can then be easily viewed on your computer in a catalogue form or printed out so you can keep a hard copy on hand. It is a must to purchase if you want to save yourself time.

Smartsizer is also used to convert files to your machines format, but its main difference from Buzz Catalog is that it only unzips them one at a time.

Smartsizer (or Smartsizer Gold) is required for resizing designs if you have purchased any in the .gnc format. These designs are sold under the Amazing Designs brand. Smartsizer adjusts the stitch count automatically when the designs are increased or decreased in size. To my knowledge no other program reads the .gnc files although you do have the option when installing them, to also install the designs in your machine's format as well.

Step-by-Step Guide to Buzz Tools

Here is a handy booklet to guide beginners through BuzzTools, it comes as a downloadable ebook which you can have within 10 minutes. You may print it out if you wish.

This booklet is written by Carolyn Keber from Auckland, New Zealand. Carolyn has a lifetime of experience in sewing and embroidery. Her guide is full of screen shots and will (as the name suggests!) guide you step-by-step through each program. It is clear and easy to follow - she will also give you follow-up support as well if you need it.

Click here to view an excerpt from the booklet.

Click here to visit the Buzz Tools website.

Special Price until 17th May 2008