DST to EXP: what actually changes
An embroidery file is a list of stitches with machine commands: move, jump, trim, change colour. Converting DST to EXP means reading that list and rewriting it in the other machine's grammar. The stitches don't move; what changes is what each format can say around them. DST carries no thread colours: the colour order is on the printable run sheet. EXP only carries colour changes, no thread names: the run sheet tells which thread to load.
- Drop the DST file above (with its .rgb colour file if it has one). The studio opens it and shows the stitched design in relief with stitch count, colours and size.
- Check: stitches outside the hoop, untrimmed jumps and very short stitches are flagged and can be cleaned in one click. You can also resize; beyond 15 % the studio re-digitizes the shapes and recalculates every stitch instead of stretching them.
- Export as EXP. Colour changes, trims and stops are re-encoded following EXP conventions.
The usual conversion traps
- Colours. DST has no colours: they are assigned in order from a default palette, or read from the .rgb file of the same name if you drop it along. Adjust them in the Sequence panel.
- Trims. In DST a trim is three consecutive jumps; in PES, EXP and VP3 it is explicit; in JEF three zero jumps. The studio translates these conventions, which naive converters forget (result: untrimmed threads to cut by hand).
- Size. Conversion never changes size. To enlarge by more than 15 %, use “Re-digitize”, which recalculates density.
Is it free?
Opening, converting, previewing the stitches in 3D and running the quality check are free and need no account. Without an account, the simple converter (automatic settings) sends the machine file to your e-mail address. Downloading the machine file directly needs a free account (Discovery plan: 3 files a month, designs up to 30,000 stitches); the Loisir plan, at €9.99 a month, gives 10, designs up to 50,000 stitches; shops that produce every day take the Atelier plan at €19.99 a month or €199.99 a year. Atelier can be tried free for 14 days.
Frequently asked questions
Does DST → EXP lose quality?
No: stitch coordinates are copied as they are, to a tenth of a millimetre. What may change are the displayed colours and the trim encoding, which the studio translates.
Can I convert several files at once?
Yes: the file viewer (Import ▸ Viewer) opens a whole folder, shows thumbnails and converts each design to the chosen format.
Go further
The studio is free to draw, open and check designs. Your first machine file takes five minutes.
Updated 2026-09-24.