what USB should I use with my embroidery machine?

What Size USB should I use on my Janome Embroidery Machine?

Feature

While the Janome embroidery machines come with several embroidery designs and fonts built into the machines, there generally comes a time when you want to download an embroidery design from the internet to stitch out on your machine. Whether it is a free Janome embroidery design or a paid version, these designs expand your creative options and allow you to let your imagination be the determining factor in what you can create. Of course, this raises a couple of questions. What embroidery format does my Janome embroidery machine use? And; what size USB can I use in my embroidery machine?

What size USB can I use with my Janome embroidery machine:

There are a few factors that go into the maximum capacity that a Janome embroidery machine model can accommodate; including the common file system (from when the machine was produced) and the machine’s internal memory. Before we get into what we recommend for all current Janome embroidery USB sticks, the table below highlights the maximum USB memory size, their file format, and the average number of designs that could (theoretically) fit on the largest USB for that machine (assuming 32kb per design).

Janome MC400E Embroidery Machine
Janome MC400E Embroidery Only Machine

Maximum USB Size for Janome Embroidery Models

Model Maximum USB Size
Combined Sewing & Embroidery Models Continental M17 16 GB
MC15000 16 GB
MC14000 16 GB
MC12000 4 GB
MC11000 2 GB
MC9900 8 GB
MC9850 8 GB
Skyline S9 16 GB
MC1000 16 GB
Embroidery Only Models MC550E 16 GB
MC500E 16 GB
MC400E 16 GB
MC370E/MC350E 512 MB*
MC200E 2 GB*
MC100E 16 GB
MB-4 / MB-4S / MB-7 2 GB*

* The USB must be formatted before it can be read by the machine. (To learn how to format a USB memory stick, see our video guide)

So, should I order an embroidery USB that is the largest possible for my machine?

While it may be tempting to go out and pick up the largest possible USB for your Janome embroidery machine, there are several good reasons that this may not be the best idea. When you insert a USB drive into an embroidery machine, the first thing that the machine does is scan the drive. This scan can take between 5 seconds to 1 minute (depending on the total size of the drive and the number of files on the drive). The general rule is that the bigger the USB, the longer it takes to load. For this reason, we recommend using the smallest possible USB drive that you can find. Furthermore, while you can theoretically fit over 500,000 5″x5″ designs (with an average size of 32kb) on a USB for the MC15000 (for example); when you want to stitch out one of these designs, you have to find the design on one of the hundreds of pages from the USB (which can take longer than loading the appreciate designs from your computer when you need them). For simplicity and ease of use, Janome has also recommended using the smallest USB drive available at the time. It is for this reason that Janome still offers a 64MB USB Memory Stick. These USB Embroidery Memory Sticks can easily fit up to 2000 designs on them (keeping even the most avid embroiderer busy for months).

So how do I get the most out of my Embroidery USB Drive for my Janome Embroidery Machine?

There are a couple of steps that you can put in place to maximise your embroidery potential when using an Embroidery USB drive:

  1. Use the smallest USB possible. We have 64MB Embroidery USB Drives in stock at all times, allowing you to use them with any embroidery machine.
  2. Only transfer the embroidery designs that you are currently working with to the USB. This will speed up the load time when the USB is plugged into the machine and will make it easier to find the designs that you want on the machine.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us, and one of our friendly team will be more than happy to assist.