What happens to your PES file
Used mostly for Bernina and Melco machines. There is no colour in EXP, so print the run sheet and keep it with the file. EXP has no name or size header either, so give the file a clear name.
| Stitch positions | Identical, to 0.1 mm |
|---|---|
| Colour stops | Same number, same order |
| Thread colours | Dropped, as EXP has none |
| Size and density | Unchanged |
Thread colours
PES names a thread for each stop, but EXP 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
EXP moves at most 12.7 mm per record, against 204.7 mm in PES. Longer moves are split into a chain of jumps, and a stitch longer than 12.7 mm becomes jumps followed by one stitch. Every needle point stays in the same place.
Trims
EXP has a real trim command, so cuts carry across as cuts.
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 .exp 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 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.
The EXP file is for Melco machines and Bernina machines and software. Melco and Bernina users, and a simple exchange file where a header is not needed.
With no header, a damaged EXP can look valid. Hoopbench checks that the stitches make sense and tells you if they do not.