handi quilter Pro-Stitcher QM30010-2 User Manual
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handi quilter Pro-Stitcher QM30010-2 User Manual

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HANDI QUILTER
DIGITAL QUILTING SYSTEM
Designed by a Quilter, for Quilters.
®
USER
MANUAL
QM30010-2 • MAY 2015

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  • Page 1 HANDI QUILTER DIGITAL QUILTING SYSTEM Designed by a Quilter, for Quilters. ® USER MANUAL QM30010-2 • MAY 2015...

  • Page 2: How To Use This Manual

    This document is not warranted to be error-free. Handi Quilter, Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in the informational content contained in this manual.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents 1. Table of Conents ..................1.2 2. Important Safety Instructions .............2.1 3. Installation Instructions ..............3.1 Congratulations on your HQ Pro-Stitcher® purchase ..............3.1 Grounding ..........................3.2 Parts List ..........................3.2 Installation (HQ Fusion and HQ Avanté) ..................3.5 Installation of the X-Rack and Y-Rack ..................
  • Page 4 To cycle the needle up or down to form a half stitch ............4.5 To cycle the needle to the up position ................4.5 To display the on-screen grid ....................4.5 To quickly position the design and crosshairs on the screen ..........4.6 To move the on-screen view ....................
  • Page 5 Crop designs based on areas or start and end points ............5.16 To crop everything outside the defined area ..............5.16 To crop everything inside the defined area ..............5.16 To isolate and crop a portion of a design................5.16 Repeat Menu ..........................
  • Page 6 Using a mouse or keyboard ....................... 6.2 Updating Art & Stitch ........................6.2 7. Quilt Menu ..................7.1 To choose between stitching or tracing the design, bounding box, or area perimeter ..7.1 To immediately stop the machine from quilting..............7.1 Before you stitch the design on the quilt ..................
  • Page 7 Warranty Claims ........................10.3 Shipping Cost ........................... 10.3 Product Service and Maintenance ................... 10.3 Warranty Registration Card ..................... 10.4 Training Checklist ........................10.5 11. Handi Quilter Printouts ..............11.1 12. Tutorials ..................12.1 13. Designs ...................13.1 14. My Ideas ..................14.1 1.6 | Table of Contents...

  • Page 8: Important Safety Instructions

    This machine is intended for household or commercial use. Disclaimer Handi Quilter and its Representatives are in no way legally responsible or liable for damage to the HQ Pro- Stitcher when used improperly or not in accordance with the guidelines stated in this manual or when used on machine quilting frames not recommended by Handi Quilter.
  • Page 9 Read these instructions before using the machine. To use the machine safely 1. Keep hands and loose clothing away from wheels, gears or other moving parts. 2. Turn the machine off and unplug the cord in the following cases: • when you have stopped using the machine •...
  • Page 10 Cette machine est destinée à un usage domestique. Avertissement Handi Quilter et ses représentants ne sont en aucun cas juridiquement responsables des dommages causés à HQ Pro-Stitcher lorsque cellle-ci est utilisée de manière inadéquate ou non conforme aux consignes énoncées dans ce manuel ou lorsqu'elle est utilisée sur des cadres de machine à quilter non recommandés par Handi Quilter.
  • Page 11 Lisez ces consignes avant d'utiliser la machine. Pour utiliser la machine en toute sécurité 1. N'approchez pas les mains et les vêtements amples des roues, des engrenages ou des autres pièces mobiles. 2. Mettez la machine hors tension et débranchez le cordon dans les cas suivants : •...

  • Page 12: Congratulations On Your Hq Pro-Stitcher® Purchase

    • Links to educational information: webinars, retreats, and more Want to be in the know? Sign up to join the Handi Quilter e-mail Newsletter list to receive notice of updates, upgrades, special offers, contests, new products and free stuff at: www.HandiQuilter.com/newsletter/subscribe/.

  • Page 13: Grounding

    Optional U.S. Grounding GROUNDED OUTLET BOXES TAB FOR METAL GROUNDING SCREW SCREW GROUNDING PIN ADAPTER This product is for use on a nominal 120 V or nominal 220 V circuit, and has a grounding plug that looks like the plug illustrated in sketch A above. A temporary adapter, which looks like the adapter illustrated in sketches B and C, may be used to connect this plug to a 2-pole receptacle as shown in sketch B if a properly grounded outlet is not available.
  • Page 14 C. 3/32-inch drill bit D. Emergency base-plate repair kit E. EZ Carriage F. Computer bracket G. Y-encoder circuit board H. Y-axis mounting bracket assembly I. Power cord assembly I-1. 10-foot power cord I-2. 2-foot power cord (quilting machine to carriage) I-3.
  • Page 15 J. Adhesive cable mounting clips K. USB flash drive L. Art & Stitch software M. USB cable N. Computer power cord O. Manual engagement/disengagement tool P. Harness cable Q. HQ Pro-Stitcher tablet computer  NOTE: The model of the HQ Pro-Stitcher computer may be different from the one pictured.

  • Page 16: Installation (Hq Fusion And Hq Avanté)

    Installation (HQ Fusion and HQ Avanté) These instructions are for installing HQ Pro-Stitcher on the HQ Fusion and HQ Avanté (with an 8-wheel Precision-Glide carriage). Handi Quilter recommends installation by an authorized HQ Pro-Stitcher Representative if available. Tools required • Power drill •...
  • Page 17 3. Use the carriage as a guide and align the blue Flexirack with the white gear along the length of the table (see arrow at right), removing the pink protective layer and pressing downward on the blue Flexirack while moving down the entire length of the table.

  • Page 18: To Install The Y-Rack

    U CAUTION: Do not use the larger drill bit included in the emergency repair kit, as this is the wrong size for the Flexirack clamps.  NOTE: As an alternative, use one clamp at each end. Slide the lip of the clamp over the last gear of the blue Flexirack, drill a pilot hole, and screw in place.

  • Page 19: Y-Encoder Circuit Board Replacement

    3. If the screws in the base plates do not have slotted heads and a nut driver cannot be fitted over the screw head, use one of the provided slotted screws as a replacement (see Parts List, item D) and use a slotted screwdriver to tighten the screws in place.
  • Page 20 3. Gently pull the circuit board outward toward the front of the quilting machine (the same direction the screw came out). 4. Align the new Y-Encoder circuit board so the five pins on the encoder fit into the five-pin connector on the circuit board and gently push into position.

  • Page 21: To Set Up The Hq Pro-Stitcher Carriage

    To set up the HQ Pro-Stitcher carriage 1. Place the Pro-Stitcher carriage on the frame system with the connectors toward the back of the frame. Carefully lift the quilting machine and place it on the carriage so the wheels engage the white carriage tracks, making sure not to set the wheels on top of the stitch regulator cable.
  • Page 22 6. The black cables attached to the Pro-Stitcher carriage should be routed up between the rear handles and the quilting machine, toward the right-hand side of the machine (looking at the machine from the back). Attach the cable clips (see Parts List, item J) and route the cable accordingly.
  • Page 23 8. Once again verify that the y-axis gear engages the blue Flexirack for the y-axis. • Do this by looking from the back of the machine between the bottom of the quilting machine and the top of the carriage. If necessary, use the manual engagement/diseangagement tool to move the gears so they engage.

  • Page 24: To Attach The Tablet Computer

    To attach the tablet computer 1. Disconnect the front handlebar cable from the side of the machine’s head. Then remove the handlebars from the front of the quilting machine by removing the three hex-head bolts with a 5mm Allen wrench. If you’re having difficulty reaching the front handlebar cable, first remove two of the hex-head bolts and loosen the third bolt.
  • Page 25 5. The black cable has three connections – two 9-pin serial connectors and one barrel connector for power. Insert the barrel connector into the center jack located on the bottom edge of the black box that is mounted to the back of the computer bracket. Attach the two 9-pin serial cables to the appropriate ports on the back of the same box, making sure cable connectors are plugged into their corresponding ports...
  • Page 26 7. With the computer installed in the bracket, connect the USB short cable (see Parts List, item M) between the USB port, on the top-left side of the computer (position A) and the black box on the back of the bracket (position E).

  • Page 27: Installation (Hq Sixteen And Hq Avanté With 4-Wheel Carriage)

    Installation (HQ Sixteen and HQ Avanté with 4-wheel carriage) These instructions are for installing HQ Pro-Stitcher on the HQ Sixteen and HQ Avanté (with a 4-wheel carriage). Handi Quilter recommends installation by an authorized Handi Quilter Representative if available. Tools required • Power drill •...

  • Page 28: If You Have An Hq Studio Frame

    If you have an HQ Studio Frame The HQ Studio Frame may already be adjusted to the ideal height for the HQ Pro-Stitcher carriage. After following the assembly instructions below, if the idler pole (the lower pole toward the back of the frame) rubs on the free arm of the quilting machine, adjust the side arms to the next higher position check again and adjust if necessary.
  • Page 29 4. Use the carriage as a guide and align the blue Flexirack with the white gear along the length of the table (see arrow at right), removing the pink protective layer and pressing down on the blue Flexirack while moving down the entire length of the table.

  • Page 30: To Install The Y-Rack

    To install the Y-Rack 1. Carefully lay the quilting machine on its power pod side (the left side, looking from the front). Underneath the base plates, near the wheels on the C-pod side of the machine (the side with the thread tensioner and guides) there will be either two screws or two holes.

  • Page 31: Y-Encoder Assembly Installation (Hq Sixteen Only)

    Y-Encoder Assembly Installation (HQ Sixteen only) Follow the installation guidelines below according to the scenario below (A, B, or C) which describes your situation best. A. The HQ Pro-Stitcher is an upgrade to a stitch-regulated HQ Sixteen 1. Determine which Y-encoder your HQ Sixteen has. If Version 3 Version 2 you have either of the two Y-encoders pictured at...

  • Page 32: Install The Power Cord Retaining Clamp (Hq Sixteen Only)

    B. The HQ Pro-Stitcher is an Upgrade to a Non-Regulated HQ Sixteen • Follow the instructions for attaching a new Y-encoder assembly that came with the Stitch Regulator Upgrade Kit. C. The HQ Pro-Stitcher was originally purchased with a new HQ Sixteen •...

  • Page 33: C-Pod Replacement (Hq Sixteen Only)

    C-Pod Replacement (HQ Sixteen only) Some kits will come with a new C-Pod. If the HQ Sixteen was purchased with the HQ Pro-Stitcher, there is no need to install a new C-Pod. Also, any HQ Sixteen stitch-regulated system running version 8.04 or later does not require a C-Pod upgrade.

  • Page 34: Set Up The New Carriage

    Set Up the New Carriage 1. Place the Pro-Stitcher carriage in place on the table tracks if it is not already there. Â IMPORTANT: If a new set of black wheels was purchased to replace the metal wheels on the quilting machine, please be sure those are installed prior to placing the quilting machine on the Pro-Stitcher carriage.
  • Page 35 5. Verify that the y-axis gear engages the blue Flexirack for the y-axis. • Do this by looking from the back of the machine between the bottom of the quilting machine and the top of the carriage. If necessary, use the manual engagement/diseangagement tool to move the gears so they engage.
  • Page 36 7. Route the final section of the stitch regulator cable around the back of the quilting machine and plug the 9-pin D-sub connector into the C-Pod. 8. The black cables attached to the HQ Pro-Stitcher carriage should be routed up between the rear handles and the quilting machine, toward the right- hand side of the machine (looking at the machine from the back).
  • Page 37 To attach the tablet computer 1. Remove the front handlebar from the front of the quilting machine, making sure to first disconnect the handlebar D-cable from the side of the head and then remove the three (or two if the handlebar is the HQ Sixteen tilt-screen version) hex-head bolts with a 5mm Allen wrench.
  • Page 38 6. The black cable has three connections – two 9-pin serial connectors and one barrel connector for power. Insert the barrel connector into the center jack (B) located on the bottom edge of the black box that is mounted to the back of the computer bracket. Attach the two 9-pin serial cables to the appropriate ports on the back of the same box, making sure cable connectors are plugged into their corresponding ports...
  • Page 39 8. With the computer installed in the bracket, connect the USB short cable (see Parts List, item M) between the USB port, on the top-left side of the computer (position A) and the black box on the back of the bracket (position E).

  • Page 40: To Turn On And Shut Down Hq Pro-Stitcher

    To turn on and shut down HQ Pro-Stitcher Check that the power cord is plugged into the power supply located at the back of the carriage. Then plug in the barrel-shaped power connector to the bottom of the black box behind the computer and the short power cord from the black box to the computer.

  • Page 41: Getting Started With Hq Pro-Stitcher

    Getting started with HQ Pro-Stitcher To move the quilting machine after the software has been loaded • To move the quilting machine after the software has loaded, the motors should be disengaged. Press the Disable Motors button in the upper-right corner of the screen to disengage the motors. Note that the button changes to say Enable Motors.

  • Page 42: To Use An External Keyboard

    Plug the USB flash drive into one of the USB ports on the left side of the black box mounted behind the Pro-Stitcher computer. Â IMPORTANT: It is not necessary to power down Pro-Stitcher to install or remove the USB flash drive, but take care not to remove the flash drive while the system is saving to or loading from the drive.
  • Page 43 3.32 | Installation www.HandiQuilter.com...

  • Page 44: Hq Pro-Stitcher® Overview

    To get the most from using Pro-Stitcher, Handi Quilter recommends using the Pro-Stitcher computer only as directed to run the Pro-Stitcher software, the Art & Stitch software, and other software provided by or recommended by Handi Quilter.

  • Page 45: Enable Or Disable The Carriage Motors

    Enable or disable the carriage motors Press to lock the Press to be able to motors in position and move the machine keep the machine from around. moving. The Enable Motors button (top-right corner of the screen) enables you to switch between locking the motors in position (as long as the levers on the carriage are engaged in the lower position) and allowing the machine to be moved around.

  • Page 46: Panel Buttons

    drag your finger upward to slide the list up and reveal what is at the bottom. Touch and drag downward to scroll back up to the top of the list. Panel buttons Buttons for repeating Select a main menu designs horizontally option to see options for that function.

  • Page 47: Selected Vs. Non-Selected Buttons

    Jump (dotted line) Stitching end point Stitching start point Jump start and end points A large green circle on the loaded design indicates the start point, a large red circle indicates the stop point, and the small green and red circles indicate the start and end points of jumps within the design. Purple dashed lines connect the small green and red circles to show the jumps, or no-stitch, lines.

  • Page 48: To Get On-Screen Help

    Also visible at the top of the screen are the name of the current design file, the size of the design, and the position of the crosshairs. A letter appears next to the name of the current design file to indicate what type of design it is: (D) indicates it is a design;...

  • Page 49: To Quickly Position The Design And Crosshairs On The Screen

    Zoomed in Zoomed out Darker lines show one-inch divisions Lines show one-inch divisions, but no and faded lines show one-quarter inch quarter-inch divisions. divisions. To quickly position the design and crosshairs on the screen The Refresh button centers the design and crosshairs so both are visible on the screen. Refresh does not reposition the design relative to the quilt.

  • Page 50: To Select One Or More Designs

    To select one or more designs • Press Select to select one or more design in the work area. A series of buttons appears for selecting one or more design. After you select a design, its name appears at the top of the screen. Choose All to select all designs or None to cancel any...

  • Page 51: To Name A Group

    • Give the group a name • Perform actions such as Rotate, Align, Skew, and most other Design and Stitch menu options. To name a group • Select Name to enter a descriptive name for the group to replace the group number assigned by Pro-Stitcher.

  • Page 52: Crosshairs

    2. Press Ruler and move the machine to begin measuring. The ruler gives you the distance in the horizontal (x) and the vertical (y) directions, as well as the direct angular distance (represented by the triangle symbol). 3. Press Ruler again to turn off the ruler. To reset the ruler starting point, press Ruler to turn off the ruler and then turn it back on after you have moved the crosshairs to where you want to begin measuring.
  • Page 53 4.10 | Overview www.HandiQuilter.com...

  • Page 54: Art & Stitch

    6. Art & Stitch Art & Stitch is comprehensive quilting-design software for creating and modifying quilting designs. It is included with Pro-Stitcher. Pro-Stitcher can pass designs quickly and easily into Art & Stitch so you can use any of the Art & Stitch tools to modify the design however necessary. Art & Stitch automatically loads and runs in the background when Pro-Stitcher starts, so passing files from HQ Pro-Stitcher to Art &...
  • Page 55 writing over a design. To avoid this, always save the design with a new working name when it is directly loaded in Art & Stitch. Licensing When using Art & Stitch for the first time, the quilter must enter some information to activate the license. Refer to the instructions in the Art &...
  • Page 56 4. If you are prompted to Repair or Uninstall the Art & Stitch software, it is best to uninstall first and then run the installation program again to install the new version.  NOTE: To access the file browser after the Pro-Stitcher software is closed, either attach a keyboard or press the keyboard icon at the top left-hand corner of the screen to open the pop-up keyboard.
  • Page 57 6.4 | Art & Stitch www.HandiQuilter.com...

  • Page 58: Design Menu

    5. Design Menu The Design menu functions open, modify, position, and save quilting designs. Much of what you will do with Pro-Stitcher will be from this menu. After you select Design, two clusters of buttons appear on the lower-left and lower-right corners of the screen.

  • Page 59: Baseline

    The item at the top of the list is the first function performed and Use your finger to drag the list the item at the bottom of the up or down to reveal more of list is the most recent function. the history.
  • Page 60 Machine Quilting Tip: Practical uses for Baseline Use the Baseline function to stitch a quilt with multiple, identical blocks. Mark the area of the first block, fit the design to the block using Skew or other functions to modify the design, and then baseline the design.

  • Page 61: To Work With Design Files

    To work with design files Pro-Stitcher reads five file types: .hqf, .hqv (vector file format), .hqp, .qli, .txt, and .tap. Pro-Stitcher can also read .hqx encrypted files, provided you use a key code that is unique to your HQ Pro-Stitcher computer. You will need this code when you purchase the encrypted .hqx designs.

  • Page 62: To Save A Design

    Use these buttons to navigate among folders on the current drive or to open folders on a USB drive. Select a design and then choose Delete File to remove it from your computer. Choose Refresh to reload the thumbnails Designs are organized into in the selected folder.

  • Page 63: To Save Designs Or Projects To A New Folder

    • To save a group as a design, select the group, select Save and then select Design before giving it a filename and saving. If you save a group of designs as a project, Pro-Stitcher saves each design independently so that when you load the project again, you will be able to modify the designs individually.

  • Page 64: To Load A Pro-Stitcher Software Update

    • To view design information, load the design file and press Copyright. A pop-up window displays the information contained within the design file related to copyrights and user instructions. To load a Pro-Stitcher software update As updates for the Pro-Stitcher software become available, download the updated file from the Handi Quilter website, www.HandiQuilter.com.

  • Page 65: Create And Use Areas

    Create and use areas A quilting area is a portion of the Pro-Stitcher screen that represents an area on the quilt. Within this area, you can place designs, repeat them, stretch them, skew them, crop them, and so forth, knowing that everything within the defined area on the screen will match up with the corresponding area on the quilt.

  • Page 66: To Override The Width Or Height Of An Area

    2. A purple dot displays on the screen to indicate the first corner. Move the quilting machine so the needle lines up with the opposite corner of the desired area on the quilt. 3. Select 2-Corner again. A purple rectangle indicates the quilting area.

  • Page 67: Multi-Point

    Multi-Point For more complex areas, use Multi-Point to mark multiple points to create triangles, hexagons, octagons, or any shape with three or more points. To create an area with multiple points 1. Move the quilting machine so the needle lines up with one corner of the desired area on the quilt. It may be necessary to press the Disable Motors button at the top-right corner of the screen.

  • Page 68: Rotate Designs

    Rotate designs • Select Design and then Rotate to see the options for rotating designs. Number box Flips the design vertically. Flips the design horizontally. Resets the rotation back to zero. Rotates the design Rotates the design 1° 45° clockwise or or 0.1°...

  • Page 69: 2-Point Rotation

    Design mirrored Design flipped In addition to using the rotation buttons, press the number box and enter a rotation value on the number pad. Enter a positive number to rotate the design clockwise or a negative number to rate the design counterclockwise.

  • Page 70: To Fine Tune The Angle Of Rotation

    3. Select 2 Point End. The design rotated to match the angle created by the two points selected in steps 1 and 2 The rotation angle appears in the number box and the design rotates to match the angle, -49.10 degrees in this example.

  • Page 71: Rotation Of Repeated Designs

    Rotation of repeated designs Repeated designs can be rotated individually or treated as a single design and rotated as a set. To rotate repeated designs individually Before rotating, select Single. Then select one of the rotate buttons. Each individual design will be rotated (or mirrored or flipped).

  • Page 72: Crop Menu

    Crop Menu Use Crop menu functions in conjunction with areas. After modifying a design as needed, mark an area that represents the region to be cropped. • Select Design and then Crop.  NOTE: If the Crop panel buttons at the bottom of the screen are grayed out, an area hasn’t yet been defined.

  • Page 73: Crop Designs Based On Areas Or Start And End Points

    Crop designs based on areas or start and end points To crop everything outside the defined area Crops everything outside the defined area. Turns off any crop adjustments you’ve made to the design. • Select Outside to crop away everything outside the defined Area and keep everything within that Area.
  • Page 74 4. Select Design and then Crop. 5. Select Start-End to crop away the design before the start point and after the end point. Save the design to a new file name so you can use it again in the future. www.HandiQuilter.com Design Menu | 5.17...

  • Page 75: Repeat Menu

    Repeat Menu The Repeat Main function provides several options for repeating a design. • Select Design, Repeat, and then Main. The Repeat Wrapping function provides several options for wrapping, or offsetting, designs. Most of these options can be done with or without a defined area. •...

  • Page 76: To Stretch A Design To Fill An Area

    To stretch a design to fill an area You can stretch a design to fit either the width or the height of an area. • First define an area and then choose either the Stretch Width or the Stretch Height button. Stretches the design to fit the width of the area.

  • Page 77: To Join Vertically Repeated Designs

    To join vertically repeated designs Repeated Baptist Fan design has been joined vertically and horizontally with Point 2 Point. • To link designs vertically, ensure the start and end points are at the same horizontal coordinate. Then select Vertical Point 2 Point to align the designs such that the end point of the first design matches up with the start point of the next design.

  • Page 78: To Wrap Rows

    To wrap rows Shifts every other row of repeated designs by half of Shifts every other row the width of the by 1/8 inch to the design. right or left. • To shift every other row of repeated designs (beginning with the second row) by half of the width of the design, select the 1/2 button.

  • Page 79: To Horizontally Wrap The Design Window

    To horizontally wrap the design window Choose from the options along the bottom of the screen to specify how to wrap the designs window horizontally. • To shift all rows horizontally by half of the width of the design, select the 1/2 button. Shifts all rows of repeated designs by 1/8 inch to the right...

  • Page 80: To Manually Wrap The Design Window

    • Or touch the number box under Window and use the number pad to enter a decimal value to shift the repeated designs. For example, to move all rows up by one inch, enter 1. To move all rows down by one inch, enter -1.

  • Page 81: Resize Menu

    Resize Menu • To open the resize options, select Design and then Resize. Choose one of the four height and width buttons and then press the Plus Sign or Height and Width Minus Sign to resize, buttons or enter a resize value in the number box.
  • Page 82 Blue line shows the This original width of original x-axis, or this rotated design original width of a was increased. rotated design. Select to adjust original width. • To stretch or shrink the design along the original X axis rather than how it is oriented on the screen, select the Original Width button (with the blue angled line) and then press the Plus Sign (+) to increase or Minus Sign (–) to decrease the size of the design.

  • Page 83: Skew / Align Menu

    Skew / Align Menu After you create an area, use the skew and align options to fit the design within the area. The Skew 1 option works with convex areas (e.g. triangles, rectangles, and hexagons) of three or more points. The Skew 2 option works with concave areas (e.g.

  • Page 84: To Align A Triangle Design

    To vertically align blocks within an area Align Top: Aligns the top of the design’s bounding box with the top of the area (pictured). Align Bottom: Aligns Align Center: Aligns the bottom of the the vertical center of design’s bounding box the design’s bounding with the lowest point box with the vertical...

  • Page 85: To Skew A Design To Fit A Convex Area

    5. Select the Vertical Alignment Align Top button. To skew a design to fit a convex area 1. Load a design and then create a convex area, such as a diamond. 2. Rotate the design (Design, Rotate) to fit the area. This design was rotated 45 degrees.

  • Page 86: To Skew A Design To Fit A Concave Area

    To skew a design to fit a concave area Pro-Stitcher can skew a design to fit within a concave area, such as a cross or scalloped border. 1. Load a design, such as the Crosshatch Square. Rotate, repeat. crop, or resize the design as desired.

  • Page 87: Freehand Menu

    Freehand Menu Pro-Stitcher can record the movement of the quilting machine. For example, record your own all-over background designs across the width of the quilt. Or record your signature so you can quilt your signature into your quilts. This screen also enables you to quickly switch from using Pro-Stitcher to free-motion quilting.

  • Page 88: To Switch To Free-Motion Quilting

    To switch to free-motion quilting • Manually raise the levers to switch from using computer-guided quilting to free-motion quilting. To return to using Pro-Stitcher, manually lower the levers. You’ll see the following screen if you have a newer version of the firmware running on your quilting machine (HQ Avanté...

  • Page 89: To Mark And Record Straight Lines

    Machine Quilting Tip: Add recorded stitching to an existing design Load a design and position the crosshairs where you want to begin recording freehand motion. A stitching line connects the end point of the design and the position of the crosshairs when recording begins.

  • Page 90: Reposition Menu

    Reposition Menu The main way to reposition a design for quilting is to create an area based on your quilt and then to use the Reposition or Skew/Align tools to position the design relative to that area. However, you can use the reposition functions even if you haven’t defined an area.
  • Page 91 Positions the top-right corner of the design at intersection of the crosshairs. Positions the bottom-right corner of the design at the intersection of the crosshairs. Positions the bottom-left corner of the design at the intersection of the crosshairs. Positions the center of the design at the intersection of the crosshairs.

  • Page 92: To Position A Design Based On The Home Location

    To reposition a design based on the Home location The Home location of a design is the point in the design where x=0 and y=0. It may be the start point of the design, but other times it may be in the middle or any other point in the design. Some digital designers use the Home location for positioning.

  • Page 93: To Reposition A Design Up, Down, Left, Or Right

    To reposition a design up, down, left, or right • To reposition the design a specific amount in any of the four directions, enter a distance (in inches) in the Nudge number box and then press the appropriate arrow to nudge the design up, down, left, or right.

  • Page 94: Quilt Menu

    The functions on the quilt menu enable you to quilt your designs. The Run button is available to start the stitching from any quilt function. Machine Quilting Tip: Set your stitch regulation to Cruise mode Handi Quilter recommends that before quilting you set the quilting machine to Cruise stitch regulation mode, at a percentage of 3 to 5%. •...

  • Page 95: Before You Stitch The Design On The Quilt

    Before you stitch the design on the quilt Before stitching any design, it’s a good idea to double check the position of the design relative to the quilt. Machine Quilting Tip: Verify the position of the design relative to the quilt Move the quilting machine needle to a location on the quilt.

  • Page 96: Move The Quilting Machine With Pro-Stitcher

    Move the quilting machine with Pro-Stitcher The Move function moves the quilting machine in any of the eight directions indicated by the on-screen arrows. Control the speed by pressing either the Plus Sign or the Minus Sign, or entering a value (up to 50) in the number box.

  • Page 97: Pro-Stitcher As A Horizontal Or Vertical Channel Lock

    Pro-Stitcher as a horizontal or vertical channel lock If you use the channel lock feature in Pro-Stitcher, you will be able to stitch horizontal and vertical lines that are perfectly square with Pro-Stitcher and the frame. To stitch a horizontal or vertical line with the channel lock •...

  • Page 98: To Adjust Commonly Used Stitch Settings

    Select the Stitch button to stitch the design on the quilt. Disable the Stitch Adjust commonly used button to trace settings just before the design without quilting if necessary. stitching. To adjust commonly used stitch settings • Select Quilt and then select Stitch on the menu. Turn on or off the starting or ending tieoffs and choose how to do pullups.

  • Page 99: To Adjust Stitches Per Inch While Quilting

    Change the auto jump threshold by entering a number or using the Plus Sign to increase or the Minus Sign to decrease. • Select the Auto Jump box to specify the maximum length (in inches) of a jump, or gap in a design path.

  • Page 100: To Change The Thread Pullup Settings While Quilting

    Select to tie off at the end of stitching. Choose whether to tie off with a tacking Select to tie off at the stitch or with micro beginning of stitching. stitches. • Choose Tie-Off Start or Tie-Off End to indicate your preference for tieoffs. Choose whether to use a tacking stitch or micro stitches for the tieoffs.

  • Page 101: Adjust Settings While Quilting Is Paused

    Choose Seconds or Inches and then enter a value in the number box to specify how Turns off the pause much Pro-Stitcher will delay setting. stitch before pausing for you to trim the threads. • Specify how far or how long Pro-Stitcher will stitch before pausing for you to trim the threads. Choose either Seconds or Inches.

  • Page 102: To See How Far Into A Design The Machine Has Stitched

    • Move the machine and crosshairs to the desired location and press the Current Point button under Reposition. If the Start Point has been altered during a Pause, pressing Resume will cause the Pro- Stitcher to resume from the adjusted Start Point rather than the Current Point. To see how far into a design the machine has stitched After pausing the quilting, select Quilt and then select Status.

  • Page 103: To Begin Quilting From A Point Other Than The Design's Start Point

    Drag the top scroll bar Drag the bottom to move the start point scroll bar to move the to a new position in the end point to a new design. position in the design. To begin quilting from a point other than the design’s start point •...
  • Page 104 Machine Quilting Tip: Recovering from a thread break or bobbin change If the thread breaks while stitching, press Pause. Fix the problem by rethreading the machine or changing the bobbin. Select the Quilt menu and then select the New Start/ End function.
  • Page 105 7.12 | Quilt Menu www.HandiQuilter.com...

  • Page 106: Settings Menu

    8. Settings Menu Before stitching any design, it is always a good idea to double-check the settings. Some quilters may find settings that will work for everything they do and never go back to change them. However, most will likely find that different projects will require different settings.

  • Page 107: To Set The Auto Jump Threshold

    To set the Auto Jump threshold • Press the Plus Sign (+) to increase or Minus Sign (–) to decrease the Auto Jump threshold by .5 inch. Alternately, touch the number box and type a value directly and press Enter.  NOTE: If the jump distance is less than the Auto Jump threshold (number of inches entered in the Auto Jump box), Pro-Stitcher does not pause for you to trim the thread before jumping to the next start point.

  • Page 108: Control How Pro-Stitcher Performs Tie-Offs

    Control how Pro-Stitcher performs tie-offs By tieing off at the beginning and ending of stitching, the stitches will be secure and will not come undone. The Tie Off feature enables you to select your preferred method for how and when Pro-Stitcher performs tie-offs.

  • Page 109: To Select The Method Of Tie-Off Stitch: Micro Or Tack

    To select the method of tie-off stitch: Micro or Tack • Press Tack to select the Tack method of tie-off. The Tack method forms the selected number of stitches forward into the design and then back to the start point before beginning to stitch the design, thus doubling the number of stitches selected.

  • Page 110: To Turn On Automatic Bobbin-Thread Pullups

    To turn on automatic bobbin-thread pullups • Press Pull-Up Auto for Pro-Stitcher to shift the quilting machine to the right a few inches after pulling up the bobbin thread so you can grab both threads. Press Resume to continue quilting the design.

  • Page 111: Advanced Menu

    Advanced Menu The Advanced Menu contains options that you will rarely need to use. Many are used by HQ Technical Support as they help to diagnose any issues you may experience with Pro-Stitcher. Additionally, you can create a simulation license for Pro-Stitcher that enables you practice using Pro-Stitcher when it is not attached to the quilting machine.
  • Page 112 Â IMPORTANT: You must have administrator rights for the Windows computer you will use for the Pro-Stitcher simulation. 3. Insert the USB flash drive into a USB port on the Windows computer you will use for simulation mode. View the files on the USB drive. Right-click the Pro-Stitcher executable file (PSUpdate15.04.0071.exe, in this example) and select Run as administrator.

  • Page 113: To Turn On Or Off The Thread Break Sensor (Hq Fusion Machines Only)

    To use the Pro-Stitcher simulation mode If running the simulation mode on the Pro-Stitcher tablet computer, you may switch between simulation mode and regular mode. However, when running Pro-Stitcher on a standalone Windows computer, it only runs in simulation mode. •...

  • Page 114: To Stop Communications Between Pro-Stitcher And The Quilting Machine

    To stop communications between Pro-Stitcher and the quilting machine • Press Switch to Handlebar Control. The button changes to say Connect to Pro-Stitcher. To reestab- lish communications, press Connect to Pro-Stitcher. For HQ Avanté and HQ Fusion machines, handlebar control is always available. This button simply prevents any communication from the Pro-Stitcher computer from being processed by the quilting machine.

  • Page 115: Speed Profile

    If they are not communicating, nothing will happen. If the Pro-Stitcher computer can detect that it is not communicating with the quilting machine, a lightning bolt icon will appear in the top-left corner of the Pro- Stitcher screen. Pressing that button will perform the same function as the Reconnect Machine button. Speed Profile The Speed Profile enables you to customize the relationship between quilting speed and the precision needed to quilt intricate designs.

  • Page 116: To Adjust The Motor Torque Limit

    3. Press Reconnect Motors or the Motor Error button in the top-right corner of the screen to reestablish communications between the Pro-Stitcher computer and the motors 4. Reduce your quilting speed and resume quilting. 5. If you continue to receive the error message, change the speed profile (Settings, Advanced, Speed Profile).

  • Page 117: To Shutdown The Software And Computer, And Then Start Up Again

    To shutdown the software and computer, and then start up again • Select Shutdown from the menu. Then select the Reboot button. If you suspect there may be computer-related issues interfering with Pro-Stitcher, rebooting the computer often will help. To exit Pro-Stitcher but keep the computer running •...

  • Page 118: Troubleshooting

    9. Troubleshooting Problem/Symptom Corrective Measure No display on the touch-screen monitor LED on the power button at the top The Pro-Stitcher computer is powered off. Press right-hand side of the screen is on. the Power button at the top-right side of the computer to turn it on.
  • Page 119 Problem/Symptom Corrective Measure The Pro-Stitcher stitches, but the stitch lengths The problem can be narrowed to a specific encoder vary and the quilting machine slows down or wheel by running the quilting machine manually even stops in some directions. (HQ Sixteen owners will need to press the Switch to Handlebar Control button at the top left-hand corner of the screen to pass control back to the handles).
  • Page 120 Problem/Symptom Corrective Measure The X and/or Y axis gears are only partially engaged Stitched designs appear jagged or wobbly. The If there is motion in the X-axis (left-right), check system may be skipping teeth when running, the X-axis gear assembly and make sure nothing is resulting in a shifting of the design on the quilt.
  • Page 121 USB flash drive, wait about 15 seconds, and then press the Open button again. The patterns that come pre-loaded on the Handi Quilter USB Flash drive are located in a folder called Designs on the USB flash drive (usually drive D:\ or E:\). From the Open window, select a drive letter by pressing on the arrow button next to the drive you wish to browse.
  • Page 122 Problem/Symptom Corrective Measure Jumps between repeated patterns Use of any of the Repeat options results in a When using the Repeat functions, if the start and/or jump between each pattern stop points are within the block of the pattern (i.e. they are not located at the left and right-hand sides of the pattern block) and/or not at the same height, there will be a jump between each repeat of the pattern.
  • Page 123 Problem/Symptom Corrective Measure Buffer Underflow If a message with the words Buffer Underflow appears while stitching, it is an indication that data is not getting to the motors quickly enough. This may be due to something in the computer tying up the CPU. Although it may be possible to resume quilting by simply pressing red X box to close the error message and then pressing the Motor Error lightning bolt button at the top right-...

  • Page 124: 10. Warranty

    - Limited Warranty ® HQ shall have no obligation for any claim under this Handi Quilter, Inc. (hereinafter HQ) offers a limited warranty if the HQ Pro-Stitcher has been misused, warranty on the HQ Pro-Stitcher (hereinafter abused, neglected, damaged in transit or has been “Product”) to be free of defects in workmanship...

  • Page 125: Specific Exclusions

    Product. defective Product. This limitation applies even if Handi Quilter cannot or does not repair or replace • Internal adjustments, tampering or parts any defective Product. replacement done by anyone except authorized...

  • Page 126: Warranty Claims

    Representative from whom the product was purchased, a local Representative, or to Handi Quilter Support. Handi Quilter, Inc. Customer Relations Any product to be returned to the factory, 501 N.
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  • Page 128: Warranty Registration Card

    Mail or Fax completed Warranty Registration Card within 30 days of purchase. If you have questions, email HQCares@HandiQuilter.com or call Customer Relations at 1-877-697-8458. Online warranty regis- tration is also available at HandiQuilter.com. MAIL: Handi Quilter, Inc. FAX: 801-294-3011 Warranty Registration Dept.
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  • Page 130 Signature of Owner Signature of Trainer Note to the HQ Rep: Upon completion, please cut along dotted line and fax the signed copy to Handi Quilter at 801-294-3011. It is okay to photocopy this page. www.HandiQuilter.com Warranty/Training Checklist | 10.7...
  • Page 131 10.8 | Warranty/Training Checklist HQ Pro-Stitcher User Manual...

  • Page 132: 11. Handi Quilter Printouts

    11. Handi Quilter Printouts A place for the latest information For news about Pro-Stitcher udpates, watch: www.handiquilter.com/prostitcher-download For tips and tutorials, watch: www.handiquilter.com/education/pro-stitcher/ See something you want to remember? Print it out and keep it here. www.HandiQuilter.com/ProStitcher HQ Printouts 11.1...
  • Page 133 11.2 HQ Printouts HQ Pro-Stitcher User Manual...

  • Page 134: 12. Tutorials

    Print them out and keep them handy in this section of your user manual. We write the tutorials with step- by-step instructions, so you feel as though one of the Handi Quilter educators is standing right by your side as you learn.
  • Page 135 12.2 Tutorials www.HandiQuilter.com...

  • Page 136: 13. Designs

    13. Designs A place to store your design catalogs Even though HQ Pro-Stitcher offers an easy-to-use way to view your quilting designs, it’s sometimes nice to have them printed on paper for browsing. If you quilt for hire, it’s a good way to let your customers choose a design.
  • Page 137 13.2 Designs HQ Pro-Stitcher User Manual...

  • Page 138: 14. My Ideas

    14. My Ideas You know you’ll forget if you don’t save it here This is a section to keep pictures, tearsheets from magazines, printouts from the web. Anything you find inspirational should find its way here! www.HandiQuilter.com My Ideas 14.1...
  • Page 139 501 N 400 W North Salt Lake, UT 84054 1-877-MY-QUILT (697-8458) • www.HandiQuilter.com HQ Pro-Stitcher is part of the family of innovative quilting products from Handi Quilter ® ® PRINTED 05 / 19 /2015 © 2015 Handi Quilter, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

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