What happens to your EXP file
Both formats are colourless and close cousins. The stitches stay put and stops stay as stops. EXP trims turn into the three jump signal used by DST, and EXP has no name, so the DST takes its name from your file.
| Stitch positions | Identical, to 0.1 mm |
|---|---|
| Colour stops | Same number, same order |
| Thread colours | Neither file has any |
| Size and density | Unchanged |
Thread colours
Neither EXP nor DST stores thread colours, so there is nothing to lose. The stops carry over as stops, and you choose threads at the machine. The colours you set in Hoopbench are for the preview and the run sheet only.
Long moves
DST moves at most 12.1 mm per record, against 12.7 mm in EXP. 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 .exp 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.
- Pick your thread colours under Colour stops, because EXP doesn't hold them.
- 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 EXP
EXP is the expanded format from Melco, also widely used with Bernina. It has no header at all: the file is simply two bytes per stitch, with control codes for jumps, trims and colour changes.
Thread colours, the design name and the size summary, because there is no header to hold them.
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.