What formats does SewArt export?
The complete list of the formats SewArt reads and writes — and how to get a file your machine can actually stitch, without the guesswork.
SewArt exports the main machine formats: PES (Brother), DST (Tajima), JEF (Janome), EXP (Melco), HUS (Viking), VIP (Pfaff), VP3 (Viking SE) and XXX (Singer). It reads images in BMP, PNG, JPG, GIF, SVG, WMF and EMF. For anything more exotic, S&S suggests converting with SewWhat-Pro. StitchFast exports the same common machine formats (DST, PES, JEF, EXP, VP3, HUS) directly from your image, with no image-prep step.
SewArt's output formats
SewArt saves finished designs in the formats most home and commercial machines use: PES (Brother and Babylock), DST (Tajima and most commercial machines), JEF (Janome and Elna), EXP (Melco), HUS (Viking), VIP (Pfaff), VP3 (Viking SE) and XXX (Singer).
If you need a format that isn't on that list, S&S's own advice is to convert the file afterwards using SewWhat-Pro or another editor — SewArt itself sticks to the common set.
Input image formats
On the way in, SewArt reads BMP, PNG, JPG, GIF, SVG, WMF and EMF images (and lets you paste in others). Vector formats like SVG tend to convert most cleanly because they have well-defined edges.
Whatever you import, SewArt usually expects you to run it through its image-processing tools first — reducing the colour count and smoothing it — before it sews well.
Which format does your machine need?
As a quick guide: Brother and Babylock use PES; Tajima and most commercial machines use DST; Janome and Elna use JEF; Melco uses EXP; Viking uses HUS or VP3; Pfaff uses VIP; and Singer uses XXX.
If you're unsure, DST is the safest all-rounder for commercial machines and PES for most home Brother machines. Our format comparison guide explains the differences.
Skip the format guesswork
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 image pre-processing, no separate editor, no install. See how it works on the SewArt alternative page.
FAQ
SewArt file formats — common questions
SewArt exports PES, DST, JEF, EXP, HUS, VIP, VP3 and XXX — covering Brother, Tajima, Janome, Melco, Viking, Pfaff and Singer machines.
SewArt reads BMP, PNG, JPG, GIF, SVG, WMF and EMF, and can paste in some other formats. It usually needs the image colour-reduced and smoothed first.
Yes. DST is one of SewArt's supported output formats, and it's the most widely compatible format for commercial machines.
It depends on the brand: Brother uses PES, Janome uses JEF, Tajima and most commercial machines use DST, Viking uses HUS or VP3, and so on. StitchFast lets you choose the format at download.
More on SewArt
Everything else worth knowing
Pick your format, skip the prep.
Upload an image and download DST, PES, JEF and more — the colour and stitch work done for you, in under a minute.
Open StitchFast