>That sounds painful. :P
>
>So the end result is a printout? Not a file? Is it printed locally, or to a network printer?

Network printer. Very few people have a local printer here, but there are some.

The result is a "Creel Diagram" that displays how the creel is to be loaded with various yarn components to produce the necessary beams to use in tufting the carpet. It's a fairly complex problem.