Not all embroidery machines are capable of selecting and displaying thread color information, but many are. Particularly the newest high end models that include thread trimmers and large color display screens. Within these machines is a database containing thread color data for various thread palettes. The total number of palettes included varies with model and manufacturer.
There is a tremendous amount of competition in the world of machine embroidery. Thread manufacturers are doing everything they can to promote brand loyalty for their products. Embroidery machine manufacturers are doing the same thing by adding more features and promoting their machines as the best available. Software developers face the same challenges.
So, what does any of this have to do with your machine showing the correct colors when you load a design? Frankly it has a lot to do with it. While in theory this is a great idea, the reality is that color data is often inaccurate. Keen competition causes thread manufacturers to be very protective of their RGB color data. Every color they offer has a specific RGB value associated with it and they may be reluctant to share this information, particularly with their competitors. Believe it or not, thread manufacturers do not make it easy to obtain this data.
If you are uncertain what is meant by RGB values, think of it as mixing paint. Using the three primary colors red, green and blue, mixing them together in specific proportions results in a unique color. The only way to reproduce that color is by again mixing the same proportions of red, green and blue. To the naked eye thread colors may appear the same, but subtle changes to RGB dye mixtures make them distinctly unique colors. Your computer monitor uses this same mixture of RGB values to accurately display colors on your screen.
When new embroidery machines are developed, firmware plays an important role. Not only does it contain all the operating instructions for the machine, but it contains the color data for various thread palettes. Unfortunately this color data can only be as accurate as the data supplied by the thread manufacturer. Depending on the actual source of this color data, accuracy can vary greatly. The machine manufacturer may receive old data, incomplete data, or faulty data. Having no way to verify accuracy, the data received is the data incorporated into their machines.
When new thread colors are added to a thread line, these new colors can only be added to embroidery machines by updating the firmware. Machine manufacturers would be required to rewrite the firmware each time and issue updates to consumers. Even at that this new thread information can only be added if provided by the thread manufacturer.
Software manufacturers face the same dilemma. I have yet to see any digitizing program that contains 100% accurate RGB color information. When a digitizer exports a design to one of many home machine formats, the thread color information stored in the stitch file is only as accurate as the data contained in the software used to create the design.
When a design is loaded into an embroidery machine, the color data is read from the stitch file and displayed on the screen. It’s not hard to imagine what will happen if neither the stitch file nor the machine contains accurate or matching data. The machine will select the closest match based on built-in tolerances. The color it displays may or may not be close to the intended color.
Users react to this dilema in different ways. Some pay little attention to the colors selected by the machine while others pull their hair out wondering what went wrong. Some may even blame themselves for committing an error somewhere in the process.
Unfortunately there is little that can be done about this. It’s simply the nature of the beast. Software developers and embroidery machine manufacturers are at the complete mercy of thread manufacturers. Unless thread manufactures have a change of heart and agree to willingly and freely provide 100% accurate color data, things will never change. Some may claim they do it now, but if that were true I believe we would see more accurate color data in the digitizing software and embroidery machines we currently use.
The best thing you can do to combat this problem is to rely on your color chart rather than the machine. Using the color chart will allow you to thread the proper color regardless of what the machine tells you it should be. When you are ready to sew out a design, print a copy of the color chart and use it as a guide in your thread selections. It’s much more accurate than relying on the machine.
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