Embroidery file formats explained: DST, PES, JEF, EXP, VP3 and XXX
Which embroidery file your machine reads, what each format can and can't store, and why you shouldn't resize a stitch file on the machine.
An embroidery machine doesn't read pictures. It reads a list of needle positions and commands: stitch here, jump there, stop for a colour change. Each machine brand settled on its own way of writing that list, which is why one design comes in six or more file types.
Which format does my machine use?
| Format | Machines | Stores thread colours? |
|---|---|---|
| DST | Tajima, Barudan, SWF, Happy, FUJA and most commercial multi-needle machines | No, only colour stops |
| PES | Brother, Baby Lock, Bernina Deco | Yes |
| JEF | Janome, Elna, Kenmore | Yes |
| EXP | Melco, older Bernina | No, only colour stops |
| VP3 | Husqvarna Viking, Pfaff | Yes |
| XXX | Singer, Compucon | Yes |
| HUS | Older Husqvarna Viking | Yes |
If you're not sure, look at the file list in your machine's manual, or put a USB stick with several formats in the machine and see which ones it shows.
DST: the commercial standard
DST comes from Tajima and is read by almost every commercial machine, so it's the safest format to send to a production shop. It's also the plainest. It stores stitches, jumps and colour-change stops, but no thread colours and no trim command. Machines show DST designs in default colours, and trims are written as a short run of jumps that the machine treats as a cut. How DST trims work.
Because DST has no colours, always keep the design's colour list or production sheet with it. Every Stitchify download includes one, with Madeira Polyneon codes in stitching order.
PES, JEF, VP3 and XXX: home machine formats
These formats belong to the big home machine brands. They store the thread colour of each stop, often from the brand's own thread chart, and some store more. PES files carry a small preview picture for the machine's screen, and JEF files record the hoop the design was made for.
The colours in these files are a guide, not a rule. The machine shows the colour it thinks you need and stops for you to change it. You can use any thread you like.
EMB, Hatch and other working files
Digitizing programs save their own working files: Wilcom's EMB, Hatch's EMB, Embird's EOF and others. A working file holds objects (shapes, fill types and lettering) that the program turns into stitches. Machines can't read them, and they can't be converted without the program that made them. To stitch one, open it in its program and export a machine format.
Can I convert between formats?
Yes. Machine formats all describe the same thing, a list of stitches, so converting one into another keeps every stitch where it was. Our free embroidery file converter does it in your browser. Two things to watch:
- Colours. Converting from DST or EXP gives you placeholder colours, because there were none in the file. Converting to DST or EXP drops the colours, so note them first.
- Trims. Converting to DST writes trims as three jumps. Set your machine's jump-to-trim count to match.
Don't resize on the machine
Many machines let you scale a design a little on screen. The stitch count stays the same, so shrinking packs the stitches tighter (stiff, bulletproof patches, broken needles) and enlarging spreads them (gaps and loose loops). A good size change is re-digitized at the new size. That's why our designs come in several sizes, each made at its own size, and why custom digitizing quotes by finished size.