What formats does Hatch Embroidery export?
The formats Hatch reads and writes — and how to get a file your machine can stitch, without the software.
Hatch Embroidery exports all the common machine formats — including PES (Brother, Baby Lock), DST (Tajima and commercial machines), JEF (Janome), EXP (Melco and Bernina), and HUS and VP3 (Husqvarna Viking) — so it works with virtually any home or commercial machine. It also has its own editable working format. StitchFast exports the same common machine formats (DST, PES, JEF, EXP, VP3, HUS) directly from your image, with no install.
Hatch's output formats
Hatch saves finished designs in the standard machine formats: PES (Brother and Baby Lock), DST (Tajima and most commercial machines), JEF (Janome), EXP (Melco and Bernina), HUS and VP3 (Husqvarna Viking), and more. It's machine-agnostic, working with Brother, Bernina, Janome, Baby Lock, Singer, Tajima, Barudan, Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff among others.
Whatever machine you own, Hatch can almost certainly export a file it will read.
Design file vs stitch file
Like most professional-lineage software, Hatch works in an editable design format while you build, then exports a flattened stitch file for the machine. The design file keeps your objects editable; the exported DST or PES is the finished, ready-to-sew version — a bit like a layered master versus a final export.
You keep the editable design for future changes and send the machine format to your machine.
Which format does your machine need?
As a quick guide: Brother and Baby Lock use PES; Tajima and most commercial machines use DST; Janome uses JEF; Melco and Bernina use EXP; and Husqvarna Viking uses HUS or VP3.
If you're unsure, our format comparison guide explains the differences between the main formats.
Skip straight to a machine file
With StitchFast you simply pick the format you need at download — it exports DST, PES, JEF, EXP, VP3 and HUS directly from your uploaded image, with the colour and stitch decisions handled automatically.
No editable-design middle step, no software to install. See how it works on the Hatch alternative page.
FAQ
Hatch file formats — common questions
Hatch exports the common machine formats including PES, DST, JEF, EXP, HUS and VP3, working with virtually any home or commercial machine.
Yes. DST is one of Hatch's supported formats, and it's the most widely compatible format for commercial machines.
Yes. Hatch is machine-agnostic — it exports PES for Brother and Baby Lock, JEF for Janome, and formats for most other major brands.
It depends on the brand: Brother uses PES, Janome uses JEF, Tajima and commercial machines use DST, Husqvarna Viking uses HUS or VP3, and so on. StitchFast lets you choose the format at download.
More on Hatch
Everything else worth knowing
Pick your format, skip the software.
Upload an image and download DST, PES, JEF and more — the colour and stitch work done for you, in under a minute.
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