Yes that can be a problem when your limited to 4x4 or 5x7 designs. I always download a design and save it in my hoop so I know whether it fits and if it doesn't I delete it but I'm with you it would save time if the digitizers gave the measurements.

When I start dl I had no embird and most of the freebies are in pes so I have to convert them in jef for my janome. There I got all the information about size, colors and stitchnumbers (used the free tool on embroiderydesigns.com).
That is something I often wonder at the american digitizers: You only get the pure designfile without the slightest touch of information. No pics, sizes, stichnumbers or colors :o(
I really love emblibrary (have to admit that I will buy from their wonderful new fairytale-designs) but that is not very userfriendly that the designs have just numbers and you have to play try-and-error. Your only way is to buy an iconizer or to go to the webpage and look in your order-history and give the designs names. Or like I do: Make a jpg of every colorsheet so I have the information and also the designnumber.
That's so nice here at DBC ;o)
Greetings, Bettina

Very interesting moan Sarah. I just read what Bettina is saying too. I have all of the measurements of all designs on my site, even the freebies. my older ones did not include a worksheet but the newer ones do. they all say which hoop they need 4X4 or 100X100 and the measurements are in the desription too, but they are in metric because that is how my mind works but it does say which hoop in imperial. is it also helpful to include the picture of the design in the download file? I could just zip that all up with everything else because I have 12 formats and they are all included in the download with the worksheet. I use to have it so that people could choose the format they wanted but everyone forgot to do it and ended up with csd because it was on top of the list, so I had to keep emailing the right format to people, so I took that option off and now everyone gets everything whether they need it or not.
I wonder if other designers don't bother with the measurements because they are free? I don't know, I just put all of my designs up the same way no matter whether they are free or not.
Alice.

Since you have already dl them, might you just put them in a "future use" folder for when you might get a larger hoop?

I have the same moan, lol! And My machine can't be updated to a larger hoop. So I have to save for something better, and I don't have a job, so loooong time before I get a machine that does soemthing better.

I agree, I am stuck with 4x4 and it is frustrating to dl something and then find it is too big. I have even see designs for sale that don't tell you!