You have a design in DST, but your Brother or Baby Lock machine wants PES. The good news: converting DST to PES is quick and usually safe. The catch: a converter only translates the file. It can't fix density, add colours that were never there, or make a design fit a hoop it was never built for. Here's how to convert properly, and what to check before you stitch.
What actually happens when you convert an embroidery file
DST, PES, JEF, EXP and the other machine formats are all stitch files. Each one is basically a list of needle positions plus commands: stitch, jump, trim, colour change, end. Converting from one to another rewrites that same list in a different "language" so your machine can read it.
That means the stitches themselves don't change. If the design was well digitized in DST, it will stitch the same in PES. If it was badly digitized, converting won't improve it. If you're not sure which format your machine needs in the first place, see our guide to DST vs PES vs JEF.
How to convert DST to PES, step by step
- Open the DST in embroidery software. Most editing programs can do this, including free options such as Ink/Stitch (an Inkscape extension) and paid programs such as Embrilliance, Hatch or Wilcom. Some brand software that came with your machine can also open and save these formats.
- Check the design size. Look at the width and height in millimetres and compare them to your hoop's sewing field. A design that is even a few millimetres too big for the hoop may not load or may not be selectable on the machine.
- Assign thread colours. DST stores colour stops but not actual colours, so the design will open with placeholder colours. Set each stop to the colour you plan to use (follow the colour chart that came with the design). PES does store colours, so your machine screen will then show something close to the real stitch-out.
- Check trims. In DST, trims are often written as a short series of jump stitches rather than one dedicated trim command. Good software reads these and converts them to proper trims in PES. If your software has a trim or jump setting on import, look at it, and check the stitch simulator for long travel jumps that should be trimmed.
- Save as PES. Choose "Save As" or "Export" and pick PES. If you're offered a PES version, pick one your machine supports; older Brother machines may not read newer versions. When in doubt, check your manual or choose an older version.
- Copy and stitch a test. Transfer the file to the machine and do a test run on scrap fabric with the stabilizer you'll use for the real job. Our post on transferring designs to a Brother machine covers USB tips if the machine doesn't see the file.
What can go wrong in conversion
Colours look random
Normal when the source is DST. The stitches are fine; you just need to assign colours as described above.
Extra jump stitches or missing trims
If trims weren't translated, you'll get long connecting threads across the design. Re-convert with different trim settings, or plan to trim by hand. On a home machine that doesn't have an automatic thread cutter, you'll be trimming jumps by hand anyway.
The design is too big for the hoop
Conversion keeps the original size. If a 6-inch design was made for a commercial machine and your hoop is 4 x 4 inches (about 100 x 100 mm), the file won't fit. Shrinking a stitch file in a converter is risky: the stitch count stays the same, so density goes up, small lettering can close in and satin columns can get too thin. Most digitizers treat roughly 10 to 15 percent as the safe range for scaling a stitch file. Beyond that, the design really needs resizing from its original working file.
Small detail changes
Each format stores coordinates in its own way and has its own limits on stitch length, so very occasionally a conversion rounds or splits stitches slightly differently. It's rarely visible, but it's one more reason to test-stitch.
When conversion is the wrong answer
Conversion works between stitch files. It does not work in these cases:
- Turning a JPG, PNG or PDF into PES. An image has no stitches in it. Someone has to digitize it: decide stitch types, angles, underlay, density and sequence. "Auto-convert" buttons exist, but the results on logos and lettering are usually poor.
- Big size changes. If you need a left-chest logo turned into a jacket back, or a 5-inch design made to fit a 4 x 4 hoop, it should be resized from the original working file (such as EMB) or re-digitized so density and underlay are recalculated for the new size.
- Changing fabric. A file digitized for a stable twill might not stitch well on a stretchy knit or a towel. Converting the format doesn't change how the design was built for the fabric.
In those cases a hand-digitized embroidery file made for your exact size and fabric will save you thread, blanks and time.
Skip conversion when you can
The simplest fix is to start with a file already in your format. Every design in our embroidery design collection is an instant download that comes in the main machine formats, including DST, PES, JEF, EXP, VP3, HUS and XXX, so Brother, Janome, Tajima, Husqvarna and Singer owners can stitch straight away.
For your own logo or artwork, we digitize by hand (no auto-conversion) and email the files within 12 hours in the formats you need: EMB, DST, PES, JEF, XXX, VP3, SEW, HUS and more. Pricing is $10 for designs 6 inches or less and $20 for larger designs. Size changes and tweaks after delivery are free, and if a file doesn't stitch right, we re-digitize it until it does. You can read how our digitizing service works for the details on what to send.
Quick FAQ
Does converting DST to PES lose quality?
Not in the stitches. The stitch positions carry over. What DST lacks is colour information, so you'll need to assign thread colours yourself, and you should check that trims came through correctly.
Can I convert PES back to DST for a commercial machine?
Yes, the same way. Colours won't be saved in the DST, so keep a colour chart with the file for the machine operator.
Can I convert a picture into a PES file?
Not by converting. An image has to be digitized into stitches first. Once it's digitized, it can be saved in PES or any other machine format.
Need it done right the first time? Order our custom embroidery digitizing service and get hand-digitized files in your machine's format within 12 hours.