PES vs DST Embroidery Format (and JEF, VP3, EXP, ART)

Last updated: October 2026

PES is the format for Brother and Baby Lock home machines, while DST is the Tajima format used widely in commercial embroidery. The practical difference: a DST file holds stitches and color change commands but no actual thread colors, so your machine assigns its own default colors when it opens one. If you own a Brother, use PES when the design comes in PES. Use DST only when nothing better is offered.

The rest of this guide covers the other common formats, a brand-to-format table, and why converting a file is not the same as digitizing it.

Stitch files vs design files

Before comparing formats, it helps to know there are two kinds of embroidery file.

Stitch files (also called machine or expanded files) are what your machine reads. Embrilliance’s manual describes stitch files such as .PES or .DST as “simply collections of stitches, and if you are lucky, colors.” Hatch describes machine files as containing stitches and machine functions, suited to specific embroidery machines.
Design files (also called working, native or outline files) are what software edits. Hatch’s native format is EMB. Embrilliance’s working file is .BE. Hatch says design files hold the digitized shapes and lines, stitch types and stitch values. Embrilliance says its .BE objects can still be edited because they have not been forced to become a simple set of stitches.

Every format in this guide except EMB and .BE is a stitch file. That matters when you resize or convert, covered below.

The common formats, one by one

PES (Brother, Baby Lock)

PES is the format Embrilliance’s manual tells Brother and Baby Lock owners to choose when saving. Embird’s format list also names Bernina among PES users. Embrilliance writes PES versions 1 through 9, and mySewnet Stitch Editor reads PES versions 2 through 11, so the version number can matter with older software.

Brother machines also read some related formats. For example, Brother lists the Innov-is XP1 as accepting .pes, .pha, .phb, .phc, .dst and .phx files.

DST (Tajima, commercial machines)

DST is the Tajima format. Brother’s support page says Tajima data does not contain color information, so the machine assigns colors automatically when a DST file loads. Hatch says the same: DST is not capable of saving the actual colors, only the color change command.

DST also handles trims differently. Embrilliance explains that DST and EXP files use a run of “Jump” commands in a row to make the machine cycle its thread trimmer. When you convert another format to DST, those jumps have to be translated, which is why Embrilliance has a DST conversion setting for it.

JEF (Janome, Elna)

Janome says JEF is a “Stitch Data” file and the default format for all Janome and Elna embroidery machines. JEF+ is an editable stitch data file created on certain Janome machines or in Horizon Link/Suite. Embird lists SEW as another Janome format, also used by Elna, New Home and Kenmore.

EXP (Melco, and Bernina)

Embird lists EXP as the Melco format. OESD points out there are two kinds of EXP. Melco EXP is the commercial version with no thread colors. Bernina USB EXP is the home machine version that does carry colors: OESD says it is a set of three files (the EXP, an INF file for thread colors, and a BMP preview).

VP3 and VIP (Husqvarna Viking, Pfaff)

Embird lists VP3 for Pfaff and Husqvarna Viking. mySewnet Stitch Editor reads .vp4, .vp3 and .vip under the “Husqvarna Viking / Pfaff” heading, and saves in .vp4 so it can keep hoop, appliqué information, thread colors and notes.

HUS and SHV (Husqvarna Viking)

HUS is a Husqvarna Viking format, and SHV belongs to the Viking Designer 1 according to Embird. Embrilliance notes that HUS, along with PCS and PCM, has a limited color palette.

PCS (Pfaff)

Embird lists PCS as a Pfaff format. Like HUS, Embrilliance says it has a limited color palette.

XXX (Singer, Compucon)

Embird lists XXX for Singer XL and Compucon. mySewnet labels it “Compucon/Singer PSW (.xxx).”

ART (Bernina)

Embird lists ART as a Bernina Artista format. OESD includes ART files in its design collections and recommends opening ART in Bernina software and writing it out as Bernina USB EXP for the machine. Note that ART is one-way in common converters: Embrilliance can read ART but does not list it as a save format, and Ink/Stitch does not list ART at all.

Brand to format table

Check your machine’s manual for the final word. Formats vary by model, especially between older and newer machines.

Machine brand	Main format	Other formats you will see	Thread color notes
Brother	PES	PHC, PHX, PHB, DST (model dependent)	DST has none; the machine assigns colors
Baby Lock	PES	(same family as Brother)	Same as Brother
Janome / Elna	JEF	JEF+, SEW	Check your machine manual
Husqvarna Viking	VP3	VP4, VIP, HUS, SHV	VP4 keeps colors (mySewnet); HUS is a limited palette
Pfaff	VP3	VP4, VIP, PCS	VP4 keeps colors (mySewnet); PCS is a limited palette
Bernina	ART, Bernina USB EXP	PES on some models	USB EXP keeps colors in an INF file
Singer (Futura, XL)	XXX	(model dependent)	Check your machine manual
Melco (commercial)	EXP	DST	None
Tajima and most commercial	DST		None

The “None” entries come from Brother, Hatch, OESD and Embrilliance, which all say DST, Melco EXP and similar formats carry no real thread colors. Embrilliance’s manual lists DST, TAP and EXP as having no color information and shows them with generic color names.

Converting is not digitizing

Converting changes the container, not the design. When you save a PES as a JEF, the software writes the same list of stitches in a different layout. Nothing is redesigned.

Digitizing is building the design from artwork: drawing shapes, choosing fill or satin, setting density, underlay and stitch direction. That produces a design file (EMB, BE, SVG in Ink/Stitch) which can then be exported to any stitch format.

Why this matters:

Resizing a stitch file is limited. Embrilliance can resize existing embroidery files with stitch recalculation, from 50% up to 250%. It also warns that not every design recalculates perfectly: cross stitch and freestanding lace will not resize correctly, and highly detailed designs reduced a lot lose clarity.
Colors can be lost. Converting from PES to DST throws away the thread colors. Converting back to PES will not bring them back, because DST never had them. Hatch recommends saving to EMB first to preserve your colors before exporting to DST.
Quality does not improve. A badly digitized design is still badly digitized after conversion.
Trims may need attention. As noted above, DST and EXP trims depend on jump commands that a converter has to translate.

If you need to change a design substantially, go back to the original design file or the digitizer, not the stitch file. For turning artwork into stitches, see how to convert an image to an embroidery file.

Safe tools for converting

Stick to established embroidery software. Free online converters of unknown origin are best avoided, both for file quality and because downloads from unfamiliar sites carry risk.

Embrilliance Express (free). Embrilliance says it is free with no strings attached. You can open a design and use File, Save Stitch File As, then choose your machine format. Paid Embrilliance Essentials adds resizing with stitch recalculation and reads the widest list of formats, including ART.
Ink/Stitch (free, open source). The Ink/Stitch file formats page lists reading of DST, EXP, HUS, JEF, PCS, PES, SEW, SHV, VP3, XXX and more, and writing to DST, EXP, JEF, PEC, PES, VP3 and XXX among others. It runs inside Inkscape. See Ink/Stitch not showing in Inkscape if the menu is missing.
Your machine brand’s software. Bernina software for ART to USB EXP (per OESD), mySewnet for Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff, Hatch for its EMB workflow.

A safe conversion routine

Keep the original file untouched. Work on a copy.
If the design came in several formats, pick your machine’s native one instead of converting.
Convert with one of the tools above.
Open the converted file in the software and check the color list and stitch count look sensible.
Copy it to a USB stick your machine accepts. Brother’s XP1 page, for example, requires FAT or FAT32, unzipped files, and simple file names. Our Brother USB transfer guide covers that step.
Stitch a test on scrap fabric with the same stabilizer before the real project.

Frequently asked questions

Is PES or DST better? For a Brother or Baby Lock home machine, PES, because it is the native format and is not one of the formats the software makers list as having no color information. DST is fine when it is all you have, but your machine will assign its own colors.

Can a Brother machine read DST? Many can. Brother lists .dst among the formats the Innov-is XP1 accepts, and says the machine assigns colors because DST has none. Check your model’s manual.

Will converting a design ruin it? Usually not, if you do not resize it much. The stitches are copied as they are. Colors can be lost when going to DST or Melco EXP, and DST trims depend on jump translation.

Why won’t my machine see the converted file? Common reasons include the wrong format for your model, a zipped file, special characters in the file name, or a USB stick in the wrong file system. Brother lists all of these for the XP1.

What is a BE or EMB file? They are design (working) files from Embrilliance and Hatch. Your machine cannot stitch them directly. Open them in that software and save a stitch file.