What Are Machine Embroidery File Formats? – A Guide

People new to embroidery might have often heard the term file formats in machine embroidery. While the term can be confusing, file formats in machine embroidery are straightforward. Once you get the hang of these formats, navigating the machine embroidery world will be a lot easier. This article discusses everything you need to know about file formats in machine embroidery.

What Are Machine Embroidery File Formats?

You might be surprised that doing embroidery through an embroidery machine can also be a bit technical. And this is what file formats in machine embroidery are all about! People usually create embroidery designs on computers and tablets. However, these designs are in JPG or PNG file formats, which embroidery machines can’t understand. Therefore, embroiderers must transform these embroidery designs into machine-readable files, called file formats.

These file formats contain not only the details about an embroidery design but also have a set of instructions about how the embroidery machine should stitch an embroidery design. These instructions include the number of colored threads an embroidery design should use and their sequence. Moreover, file formats contain information about stitches, like their length and density. Simply put, a machine embroidery file format has all the data about an embroidery design that files like JPG or PNG can’t store.

What Are The Types Of Machine Embroidery File Formats?

However, no one file format works for all embroidery machines. Your embroidery machine will understand one or two specific file formats, depending on its company. Do you want to know which file format is suitable for your embroidery machine? Let us guide you. Here are the 3 main types of machine embroidery file formats.

Expanded File Formats

Expanded file formats are the oldest file formats in machine embroidery, meant for commercial use. Some examples of expanded file formats in machine embroidery include DST for Tajima embroidery machines and EXP for Melco machines. Even though these embroidery machines have been around for decades, many people still prefer converting other file formats to DST and EXP for the respective embroidery machine. But why is that; shouldn’t they be outdated by now?

Many embroidery designs get corrupted when converted into another machine embroidery file format. However, this rarely happens when embroiderers convert different file formats to expanded file formats. Corrupted areas in different file formats mean that the embroidery design in a file and the end design stitched on fabric can be massively different. There might be differences in colors, stitches, or worse, the whole design can look like a mess. Therefore, people who want to avoid this should use expanded file formats. And, of course, you would have to use these if you have a Tajima or Melco embroidery machine. Moreover, if you consider data size, expanded file formats take the least amount of memory. However, there’s a catch with expanded files; they don’t recognize thread colors, only stitches and other instructions. Therefore, you have to set the default colors in your embroidery machine.

Machine File Formats

Unlike expanded file formats for commercial use, machine file formats are for home embroidery machines. But that’s not the only difference! Machine file formats also contain all the information an embroidery machine needs to stitch an embroidery design successfully. These details include everything from the color details to guidelines on when to change color, stitch length, and more.

However, machine file formats are specific to one embroidery machine. A machine file format meant for one embroidery machine of one company might not be understandable by the embroidery machine of another company. In addition, there are dozens of available embroidery machines and their preferred file formats in the market. It’s highly challenging, if not impossible, for you to remember every machine file format, but we’ll mention some standard file formats. Here’s a list of common embroidery machines and their file formats.

  • JEF/JAN for Janome embroidery machines

  • ART for Bernina embroidery machines

  • HUS/VP3/VIP for Husqvarna/Viking embroidery machines

  • PES/PEC for Brother/Babylock/Deco embroidery machines

  • XXX for Singer embroidery machines

  • PCD/PCM/PCS for Pfaff embroidery machines

  • DST for Tajima embroidery machines

  • EXP for Melco/Bravo embroidery machines

  • EMD for Elna embroidery machines

  • GNC for Great Notions embroidery machines

You might wonder why every embroidery machine has different formats. Well, the answer is simple. If you have transformed all of your designs into JEF format for your Janome machine, once that machine gets old, you wouldn’t want to get another company’s machine and transform all your JEF machine files into another format. Therefore, you would be forced to buy embroidery machines from the same company every time.

Native File Formats

Native file formats are different from both machine and expanded file formats. The most significant difference is that native file formats aren’t readable by any embroidery machine. But why do people use native file formats, then? Different embroidery software can understand these formats, and native file formats are the easiest to edit. Therefore, embroidery designers use native file formats to create or edit embroidery designs and later convert them to machine or expanded file formats for embroidery machines.

An example of native file formats is EMB, which is one of the most advanced native file formats available in the market. Another benefit of native file formats is that they make large-scale production easy by creating production-friendly designs that state every information clearly. Users can change the color, texture type and more at the click of a button when editing a native file format.

How Can You Convert One Embroidery File Format To Another?

The first question is if you can convert embroidery files in the first place. Well, the answer to this question is simple. Yes, you can convert one embroidery file format to another. However, that’s not the entire answer. Converting embroidery files have multiple issues. It’s common for information to get lost during the process. These details include data about color, stitch types, etc. When you convert your file from one format to another, some details can get misplaced or even changed.

However, some excellent free applications available on the internet can help you convert one embroidery file format to another while minimizing issues.

Some important points you should never forget when converting machine embroidery file formats.

  • We recommend making all changes in native file formats, instead of doing it in machine file formats, before converting it into another machine file format. This will reduce the chances of data getting lost or changed. Moreover, if you want to convert one machine file format into another, you change the first file format to a native file format and then convert it into the second machine file format.

  • However, if you’re converting an expanded file format into a machine file format, you should remember that the final machine file format won’t have any color. You’ll have to edit the machine file format to add color before stitching it on any fabric.

  • If you’re converting between different machine file formats, your design’s specifications can get damaged. Therefore, always check the design in a machine embroidery file post-conversion before finalizing it for sewing.

How to Get Machine Embroidery Files?

Even though you can convert other machine file formats into your desired machine embroidery file format, you also get machine embroidery files through other methods. Here’s a guide on creating different embroidery files for your embroidery machine.

  • The first method of getting a machine embroidery file is to make it yourself. For this, you’ll need digitization software and lots of experience. We recommend beginners avoid making machine embroidery files themselves, as that requires a lot of practice.

  • In addition, you can get embroidery files for your machine by purchasing them online. Millions of machine embroidery files are available online, and you can choose any affordable option.

  • The last option is digitizing an image or file. You’ll also need digitization software and the image or logo you’re digitizing.

Conclusion

We hope that this guide was helpful for you and that you have a better understanding of machine embroidery file formats now. It’s essential to know about different machine embroidery file formats before stepping into the embroidery world and using an embroidery machine to do embroidery on your clothes. Moreover, you should ask your embroidery machine manufacturer or read your machine’s user manual to learn the specific file format of your embroidery machine.

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