What Are Embroidery File Format?
The file formats for embroidery machine are the way the design of an embroidery is saved in order to stitch out on a particular brand of embroidery machine. Certain brands of embroidery machines (such such as Brother and Bernina) have different designs and file format (such as PES. and Art.). Simply simply:
To allow an embroidery file to be read to an embroidering machine it should be in the native language that the embroidery machine manufacturer recognizes.
Why are there so many types of machine file formats? The various embroidery machine brands that are available in the market currently don’t play well together.Different brands are keen to be distinctive and each has their own file format.Why?Because it helps build brand loyalty , and it will make you less inclined to change brands of your machine in the near future.
Embroidery Digitizing Services
The Embroidery file formats that We Can Provide!
There are numerous embroidery file formats available for industrial and household sewing equipment. We can digitize a majority of them, if not all. If there is a format that we can’t work with it is likely that your computer will be able to support different formats, and there will be at least one of them which we can digitize. This has been the case in our work and we’ve nearly always been able to accommodate everyone. The following is a listing of types of formats we are able to offer.
| Machine Name | Format |
| Barudan | *.U?? |
| Happy | *.TAP |
| Inbro | *.Lnb |
| Melco | *.EXP |
| Pfaff | *.KSM |
| Tajima | *.TBF |
| Tajima | *DST |
| Tajima Barudan | *.DSB |
| Tajima ZSK | *.DSZ |
| Toyota | *.100 |
| ZSK TC | *.Z?? |
| MelcoCo denset | *.CND |
| Bits & Volts | *.BRO |
| Datastich | *.STX |
| Proel Dos | *.PUM |
| Proel Win | *.PMU |
| Tajima | *.T01 |
| Zangs | *.T04 |
| ZSK | *.T05 |
| Pfaff | *.T09 |
| Yongnam Gemmasterv2.9 | *.YNG |
| Wilcom ESS | *.ESS |
| Wilcom ESL | *.ESL |
| Hiraoka DAT | *.DAT |
| Laesser MST | *.MST |
| Barudan | *.T03 |
| Saurer SLC | *.SAS |
| Time & Space MJD | *.MJD |
| Hiraoka VEP | *.VEP |
| Wilcom Plauen | *.T10 |
| Wilcom Saurer | *.T15 |
| Janome/Ena/Kenmore | *.JEF |
| Janome/Ena | *.JPX |
| Janome/Elna/Kenmore | *.SEW |
| Elna | *.EMD |
| BERNINA USB Stick | *.EXP |
| Brother/Babylock/Deco | *.PES |
| Brother/Babylock/Deco | *.PEC |
| Husqvarna/Viking/Pfaff | *.VP3 |
| Husqvarna/Viking/Pfaff | *.SHV |
| Husqvarna/Viking/Pfaff | *.HUS |
| Pfaff | *.PCS |
| Pfaff | *.PCD |
| Pfaff | *.PCQ |
| Pfaff | *.PCM |
| Singer | *.XXX |
| Singer/Poem/Huskygram | *.CSD |
| Melco Version 6.08 | *.ofm |
| Melco Version 5.07 | *.ofm |
| Melco Version 4.02 | *.ofm |
| Melco Versiom 4.01 | *.ofm |
| Melco Version 3.00 | *.ofm |
| Melco Version 2.00 | *.ofm |
| Melco Condensed File | *.cnd |
| Melco Expanded File | *.exp |
| Melco Version 7.00 | *.ofm |
| Salli Hotfix File | *.SHF |
| Machine Name | Format |
| Tajima File | *.det |
| Barudan FDR File | *.fdr |
| Barudan FMC File | *.fmc |
| ZSK File | *.zsk |
| Baby Lock /Bemina /Broter | *.pes |
| Baby Lock /Bemina /Broter | *.pec |
| Elna /Janome | *.sew |
| Elna | *.emd |
| Janome | *.jef |
| Pfaff | *.pcs |
| Pfaff Macintosh | *.pcm |
| Poem /Singer Embroidery Unlimated | *.csd |
| Singer | *.xxx |
| Viking | *.hus |
| Viking D1 | *.shv |
| Bitmap file | *.bmp |
| PCX File | *.pcx |
| JPEG File | *.jpg |
| TIFF File | *.tif |
| EMF File | *.emf |
| EPS File | *.eps |
| Pulse Laser File | *.LAS |
| Pulse Embroidery Files | *.PXF |
| Pulse Outline File v9.1 | *.POF |
| Tajima Stich files | *.DST |
| Tajami TBF files | *.TBF |
| Tajami Combined Design File | *.TCF |
| Stitch Files | *.PSF |
| v9.0 Babylock / Bemina /Brother | *.PES |
| v8.0 Babylock / Bemina /Brother | *.PES |
| v7.0 Babylock / Bemina /Brother | *.PES |
| v6.0 Babylock / Bemina /Brother | *.PES |
| v5.6 Babylock / Bemina /Brother | *.PES |
| v4.0 Babylock / Bemina /Brother | *.PES |
| v2.0 Babylock / Bemina /Brother | *.PES |
| v1.0 Babylock / Bemina /Brother | *.PES |
| Tajima Stich files / Barudan | *.DSB |
| Barudan DAT Stitch File | *.DAT |
| Elna Stitch File | *.EMD |
| Elna /Janome /Kenmore | *.SEW |
| Pfaff Stitch File | *.PCM |
| Pfaff Stitch File | *.PCS |
| Barudan U?? Stitch File | *.U?? |
| Janome /New Home 10000 | *.JEF |
| Melco Expanded File | *.EXP |
| Poem /Singer EU/Viking Huskygram | *.CSD |
| Singer PSW | *.XXX |
| Toyota Stitch Files | *.100 |
| Viking Husqvama | *.HUS |
| Viking SHV | *.SHV |
| Viking VIP | *.VIP |
| Viking VP3 | *.VP3 |
| Tajima Stitch Files / ZSK | *.DSZ |
| ZSK Transport Files | *.Z?? |
| DXF Files | *.DXF |
| SWF Stitch Files | *.SST |
Common Types of Embroidery File Formats
I’m sure we’ve gone over many times, but the most important thing to remember from in this piece is the fact that there exist three major types of embroidery formats:
- Expanded Format Files (exp): These are the commercial formats for embroidery machines like .dst as well as .exp. These are the smallest file formats in terms of size. They are made up of x and y movements and commands for the sewing machine. They also don’t store the color information.
- Machine File Formats: The following formats are specific to different brands of embroidery machines. They tell your machine what commands are required for embroidering designs. These comprise .jef, .art, .hus, .vp3, .vip, .pes, .pec, .xxx, .pcd, etc.
- native file formats: Native formats cannot be read by any embroidery machine , but can be written and read by software for embroidery. They are the most suitable “working file formats” to modify the design and can be later converted to machine or expanded format for use with your device.
