What happens to your EXP file
Every needle point lands in the same place in the XXX file as in the EXP file, and Hoopbench reads the new file back to prove it before you save it. The details below are what actually changes between these two formats.
| Stitch positions | Identical, to 0.1 mm |
|---|---|
| Colour stops | Same number, same order |
| Thread colours | Choose them first |
| Size and density | Unchanged |
Thread colours
EXP stores no colours, and XXX keeps exact ones. Set your own under Colour stops before you download, and they are stored exactly as you pick them, along with any names you type.
Long moves
XXX moves at most 12.3 mm per record, against 12.7 mm in EXP. Longer moves are split into a chain of jumps, and a stitch longer than 12.3 mm becomes jumps followed by one stitch. Every needle point stays in the same place.
Trims
XXX has a real trim command, so cuts carry across as cuts.
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 .xxx 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 XXX
XXX is the Singer format. It has a 256 byte header, then stitch records, then a table of real colours after the end marker.
The XXX file is for Singer machines and the software that shipped with them. Singer machines that read XXX.
Singer home machines have long, narrow hoops on several models, so check both the width and height.