staasia:
Are you talking about a blank card that comes with PE Design? If so, the machine can read either card, but the card has to match the version of PE Design you have. Versions 1-3 use the eariler version card, and 4 and later use the later. I had version 2 and upgraded to version 5. The card reader is different for each version, and the card reader for versions 1-3 will NOT read the card for version 4 & 5.

The cards are expensive. I had thought about getting an extra one, but if I remember right, it was going to be around $85, so I decided I didn't need it that bad.

If you're talking about cards with preprogrammed designs, then all you need to do is make sure the designs are in .pes format. The machine will read them as long as they are the correct size for your machine. For example, the stitch area on the 8500 is 5 X 7. If there is a design on the card that is bigger than that, it will not show up, and you'll most likely get a card reader error on your machine, unless you've split the design.

Hope this helps!

Laura - I just saw last week that the blank memory cards are about $115 each! The ones for older PE Design are a little less, but OUCH!

Try www.allbrands.com for an Ultimate blank card. It was $69.00. I have a PE150 and the card works on my machine, hope it works on the bigger machines!!

That card night work in any Brother machine, but the PE Design card readers won't read those cards.