The distance between the needles is called repeat.
|Type||Function||Distance between two working needles|
|4/4||All needles are working||27.08 mm|
|8/4||One needle is working, one needle is off||54.16 mm|
|12/4||One needle is working, two needles are off||81.24 mm|
|16/4||One needle is working, three needles are off||108.32 mm|
|20/4||One needle is working, four needles are off||135.4 mm|
For color change designs (ATC) the standard repeats are used differently. For example, a 12/4 repeat allows max. three different colors.
When embroidering the first color, the first needle is activated; the second and the third needle are off. This repeat is called 12/4 first needle.
When embroidering the second color, the second needle is working; the first and the third needle are off. This repeat is called 12/4 second needle.
When embroidering the third color, the first and the second needle are off. This repeat is called 12/4 third needle.
Embroidery Design Repeat
The distance between the needles is called repeat. One repeat is 27.08 mm. The repeat determines the size of the design. If the repeat is too small for a design, stitches will overlap. If the repeat is too large, the distance between two designs will be big.
Irregular repeats (every single needle can be activated or deactivated) are used besides the standard repeats. For machines without thread cut the punching of designs with a special repeat might be rather difficult whereas the punching of irregular repeat designs is easy for machines equipped with thread cut. Borers have to be used in the same repeats as the needles.
Patterns can be varied by setting the needles with different spacing, i.e. basic repeat is 12/4, two flowers are made in 4/4 with a 4/4 distance or whatever might suit your design ideas.