Choosing the Right Embroidery Digitizing File Format

Introduction

You’ve just found the perfect embroidery design online, downloaded it, and… your machine won’t read the file. Sound familiar? The problem isn’t your machine—it’s likely a file format mismatch. PES, DST, and EXP are the three most common embroidery digitizing formats, but they’re not interchangeable.

In this guide, we’ll break down:

✔ What each format does best (and where they fall short)
✔ Which machines use which formats
✔ How to convert between formats without losing quality
✔ Pro tips for managing multiple formats

By the end, you’ll be able to confidently choose—and convert—the right format for any project.

The Big Three Explained

1. PES (Brother)

Best for: Home/hobby machines
Primary users: Brother, Babylock, some Singer models
Key features:

Stores thread color information
Multiple versions (PES v1, v2 for different machines)
Easier to edit than industrial formats

Limitations:

Not ideal for large commercial runs
Some features don’t transfer well to other formats

2. DST (Tajima)

Best for: Industrial/commercial machines
Primary users: Tajima, Barudan, most commercial shops
Key features:

Industry standard format
Compact file size
Reliable stitch reproduction

Limitations:

Loses color information during conversion
Harder to edit after creation

3. EXP (Melco)

Best for: Mid-range professional machines
Primary users: Melco, Bernina, some Husqvarna
Key features:

Retains more editing capability than DST
Excellent stitch precision
Good compromise between PES and DST

Limitations:

Less widely supported than PES/DST
Files can be larger than DST

Machine Compatibility Guide

Machine Type	Preferred Format	Secondary Options
Brother Home	PES	DST, EXP
Tajima Industrial	DST	EXP
Melco	EXP	DST
Janome	JEF	PES
Bernina	ART, EXP	PES
Commercial Multi-Needle	DST	EXP

Pro Tip: Always check your specific model’s manual—some older machines only read certain format versions.

How to Choose the Right Format

When to Use PES:

Using Brother/Babylock home machines
Need to preserve exact thread colors
Planning to edit the design further

When to Use DST:

Sending to commercial embroidery shops
Need smallest possible file size
Running large production batches

When to Use EXP:

Using Melco or high-end Bernina machines
Need precision stitching
Want to retain some editing flexibility

Converting Between Formats

Free Conversion Options:

Online Converters (MyEditorOnline, Convertio)
- Quick for simple designs
- Watch for color information loss
Ink/Stitch (Free plugin for Inkscape)
- More control over the process
- Steeper learning curve