What happens to your PES file
You usually need this when a shop or a friend with a commercial machine asks for DST. The stitch data crosses cleanly, but the colours do not, because DST cannot hold them. Print the run sheet and send it with the file, so whoever runs it knows which thread goes where.
| Stitch positions | Identical, to 0.1 mm |
|---|---|
| Colour stops | Same number, same order |
| Thread colours | Dropped, as DST has none |
| Size and density | Unchanged |
Thread colours
PES names a thread for each stop, but DST has nowhere to keep them. The stops survive and the colours do not. Print the run sheet and keep it with the file, because that is the only record of the colours.
Long moves
DST moves at most 12.1 mm per record, against 204.7 mm in PES. Longer moves are split into a chain of jumps, and a stitch longer than 12.1 mm becomes jumps followed by one stitch. Every needle point stays in the same place.
Trims
DST has no trim command. Trims are written as three small jumps, the signal that commercial machines recognise.
Before you stitch
- Open the .pes file above and watch it sew, so you know the file is sound and in the order you expect.
- Choose your hoop under Hoop fit. The check uses the design's real size, not the file's header.
- Download the .dst file, and stitch a test piece on matching fabric and stabiliser.
Converting doesn't resize a design or change its density. If a design needs to be much bigger or smaller, use digitising software, as stretching stitches without recalculating them can leave gaps or heavy spots.
About PES
PES is the Brother and Baby Lock format and probably the most common home embroidery file. Inside it is a PEC block, which is the part the machine actually sews, and in newer versions a list of exact thread colours for design software.
On the machine itself, anything beyond the Brother chart: its screen shows the nearest of those 64 colours.
About DST
DST is the file most digitisers deliver, because almost every commercial machine can sew it. It starts with a 512 byte text header holding the design name, stitch count and extents, followed by three bytes for every stitch.
The DST file is for commercial multi-needle machines from Tajima and most other makers, and some home machines. Sending a design to a shop, or keeping a master copy that any commercial machine can read.
Each record moves at most 12.1 mm, so a long move is written as a chain of jumps. Three or more jumps in a row is the usual signal for a trim, and many machines act on it.