DST, PES, EXP? Embroidery File Formats Explained
Confused by the alphabet soup of embroidery file extensions? We break down the most common formats and which machines use them.
Embroidery machines speak different languages. Here is a quick guide to the most common file formats you will encounter.
DST (Tajima)
The industry standard. It stores stitch commands (move, trim, stop) but not color information. It works on almost all commercial machines (Tajima, Barudan, SWF, Happy).
PES (Brother)
Very common for home embroidery machines like Brother, Babylock, and Deco. Unlike DST, it saves color information, so your machine knows which thread to ask for.
EXP (Melco/Bernina)
Used by Melco commercial machines and Bernina home machines. It is a simple and reliable format.
JEF (Janome)
The standard for Janome machines. Known for having strict hoop size limits encoded in the file.
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Verified PuncherEvery guide published on PNGtoDST is authored and reviewed by commercial machine operators with 10+ years of Tajima, Barudan, and Brother production experience.
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