I don't claim to be an expert on embroidery machines but I will tell you what I know.
The colours of machine embroidery thread are different to hand cross stitch threads so you will not get an exact match. There is a thread comparison chart at
http://www.sherio.com although I have not tried it out. Also if you take a design in Cross Stitch Professional with DMC hand stitch colours and change to a machine thread range, it will automatically select the closest colour and show the result on the screen. You can also use the multiple colour schemes feature to keep both the original and machine colour sets in the design simultaneously.
For machines, the main advantage of the industrial ones are the larger hoop area and the ability to use multiple needles to thread different colours at the same time. This means you can leave it running without having to stop and re-thread after every colour. If the design is bigger than the hoop size you will likely find it impossible to align correctly with cross stitch. General embroidery stitching is less critical in alignment as you can overlap areas slightly but if cross stitch is not aligned perfectly, it doesn't look right.
The brother industrial looks quite good but I have not used one. I have a used Toyota Expert 830 which is an industrial machine with 9 needles. You can try somewhere like Y.E.S embroidery who often have used industrial machines. Many of them are based on the same basic machine and the company also sell new industrials and service machines - based in the UK.
http://www.yesltd.co.ukThe algorithms used to create the crosses will vary depending on the software you use. The algorithm is critical to the final effect you get since it has a great effect on the tension of the fabric which must be kept as even as possible to minimise pulling it out of alignment. Pulling creates gaps between stitches because the fabric has moved in the hoop but the machine doesn' know that and keeps stitching in the original designed location. Our software has had extensive work to try and even out tension by stitching parts of crosses in specific order. All machine cross stitch will have some stitching to the center of a cross as its impossible for a machine to get from one arm of a cross to the other without going down the middle. If the algorithm is done correctly then there should be as many as possible full corner to corner stitches and these should tend to be the top-most stitches in as many cases as possible. Some surface corner to center stitches are unavoidable. Our software allows setting the number of strands but you may need more than for hand stitching if you use the same stitch size due to the difference in thread thickness. You have to use an even number of strands to ensure the machine can get back to its starting point without leaving jump stitches for every stitch (which would have to be cut out by hand)
If you are trying to produce kit front covers then do look at the view in frame feature of our software which creates a digital image of the simulated cross stitch. In many cases this will be more effective than a picture of a machine stitched design. Also remember that a machien stitched design will be on plain material and not the traditional Aida or Evenweave fabrics used by hand stitches. The simulated pictures produced by the software can be on Aida or Evenweave too.
If you want life sized models for exhibition display then look at the Publisher edition and an inkjet printer big enough for your largest design. This combination can print directly a life-sized stitched simulation which you can mount and frame. I have sold many kits and charts using these models although I no longer sell designs.