Hello all:  I have been trying to learn Inkscape and Inkstitch for the last two months, several hours a day.  My objective is to digitize a JPG or PNG (such as a simple 5 or 6 color cartoon) in order to output a multicolor PES file for my Brother PE-770 embroidery machine.  After running the Path/Trace Bitmap function and trying every function, I just can't produce a final working file without errors.  I have watched just about every single tutorial there is on YouTube about this subject and Inkscape/Inkstitch still results in problems.  There is ALWAYS some error message such as "Border crossing itself" or something else and I have not been able to resolve those issues.  I have tried combining Gimp with Inkscape trying every trick in the book, and still get similar errors.  I'm about to give up.

My question is...if I purchased an actual commercially available program, would I run into the same or similar issues? Do commercial programs have these types of issues?  I need to move forward with the PES files since Christmas is approaching and my wife is really wanting me to get some embroidery files done for making several gifts.  So, if I were to move to a "purchased" program, which one would you recommend that you know actually works?  You will probably want to know my monetary limit but I prefer to not think about that right now.  I just want to know if what programs people end up purchasing when they reach the end of their efforts to get things to work and need to move forward.

Any input will be greatly appreciated.

Hi. Your topic title about Inkscape being "useless" is off-putting to say the least. There are many folks, including me, who find it very useful for all kinds of needs and ideas. No software is perfect - free or purchashed. My suggestion is do a search for various vector products, download their offered demos or trial versions, test them, and see if they will "do" what you are after. Only you will know if it satisfies your "value", your effort, and your time. If 5 people suggest product X and 2 people say product Y, will you just assume the touted software will be a good fit for you?

Unlikely. You, like everyone, will have to experiment and see if it meets your expectations, and work through the frustration of dealing with the individual software's capabilities, quirks, and results. You may even find that you will need multiple software (and techniques) to get to your desired result.

And you may find that Inkscape, which is free, has a lot more value than you presently see.

All the best to you.

PS - you will probably need to upload your file here, and describe the actual steps you have taken thus far. And it could be that the quality of your source file(s) interferes with your tracing problems.

I apologize for the negative-sounding wording in my post.  I can see that it was not appropriate to use words like "useless", etc.  It was out of frustration and I should have been more careful and will do so in the future.  

I will proceed by adding my steps a bit later and show the problems that I encounter, in detail.  Hopefully someone can provide me with advice on how to accomplish my goals and get past the error codes that Inkscape/Inkstich reports.

Again, I'm sorry for sounding negative and will write with more care.

Hi again. Please do not hesitate to share the steps you have have taken thus far, and any errors, and, if possible, the source file or something similar to it. We all get frustrated, so do not worry. This forum has many fine folks. If you provide more details as I suggested above, I am sure someone will come along with some good ideas and questions to help. God bless you and keep on creating from your heart.