>>But... don't the embroidery robots (aka sewing machines) come with some software of their own?
>
>No they have only a "DOS" to print i.e embroid pictures. And basic manipulation like limited stretch and rotate. If (and when) you want to make your own pictures, you need to buy a software like:
>
>http://www.pfaffusa.com/535.html or
>http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Corel3/Products/Display&pfid=1047024307335&pid=1047024863258 or
>http://www.embroideryoffice.com/design60.htm

Don't you just love the websites where they try to sell you something, but don't give you a single bit of technical information, and require a DNA sample to show you the prices?

I'd probably go with Corel, as they have at least 15 years of experience in vector graphics - they probably know what they're doing... provided that the wisdom of the team wasn't fired during the... um, how many times was Corel sold?

I just wish at least one of them had a trial version, so we could get a few sample files, see which format is it. It could be HPGL, or PostScript, or SVG - any of these would be nice, but I figure the manufacturers of embroidery machines may be using their proprietary protocols/languages, or even if they standardized, it'd be a specialized language.