Embroidery file formats: PES vs DST, JEF, EXP and VP3 by machine brand

A customer buys a design online and the download comes in ten formats. Which one does your machine need? It depends mostly on the brand.

Formats by machine brand

Format	Machines
DST	Tajima and most commercial multi-needle machines
PES (and PEC)	Brother, Baby Lock
JEF	Janome (and Elna)
EXP	Melco; some high-end Bernina models
VP3	Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff (newer models)
HUS, VIP	Older Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff models
XXX	Singer, Compucon

Sources: EduTech Wiki and the Digit-IT machine compatibility guide. Accepted formats change with the model and year, so check your machine’s manual before buying a design.

PES vs DST

These are the two formats people search for most.

PES is Brother’s format. It stores the stitches plus the thread colors, so a PES file opens with the intended colors.
DST is Tajima’s format and the closest thing embroidery has to a common format for commercial machines. It stores the stitches and the color stops, but no colors. We explain it in detail in what is a DST file.

If you have a home Brother machine, ask for PES. If you run a commercial multi-needle machine, DST is the safe choice.

Stitch files vs design files

Not all embroidery files are the same kind:

Stitch files (DST, PES, JEF, EXP, VP3…) hold the stitches the machine sews. This is what you load on the machine.
Design files from digitizing software (for example Wilcom’s EMB or Bernina’s ART) hold the shapes and settings used to create the stitches. The EduTech Wiki describes EMB as a full vector format.

Converting a design file to a stitch file is normal: it’s how a design gets to the machine. Going the other way doesn’t work well, and converting EMB to PES, as the wiki notes, produces a file with only stitches.

How to check a file before stitching

Before you hoop a garment, open the file to confirm the stitch count, colors and size. Our free embroidery viewer opens DST, PES, JEF, EXP and VP3 in your browser and plays back the stitches.

The figures and examples in this guide are estimates for reference only. Your costs, machine and market set your real price.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between PES and DST?

PES is Brother’s format (also used by Baby Lock) and stores thread colors; DST is Tajima’s format, read by most commercial machines, and stores no colors. Both hold the stitches the machine sews.

Which format does a Brother machine use?

PES. Brother and Baby Lock home machines read PES files; check your manual for the version your model accepts.

Which format does Janome use?

JEF.

Does converting a file change the embroidery?

Converting between stitch formats keeps the stitches, but information one format doesn’t have is lost or invented: DST, for example, has no colors to pass on. Converting a design file (like EMB) to a stitch file keeps only the stitches.

Related guides

How to price embroidery by stitch countHow to work out what to charge for machine embroidery: machine time from the stitch count, your cost per hour, materials and margin, checked against published per-1,000-stitch rates.

Embroidery price per 1,000 stitches: a pricing chartWhat published guides say about embroidery prices per 1,000 stitches, a chart of price per piece by stitch count, and how to find your own rate from your costs.

How much to charge for embroidery on hats, shirts and namesTypical stitch counts for names, cap fronts, left-chest logos and back designs, how long each takes on the machine, and how to turn that into a price per piece.