The DST embroidery file format
A DST file is Tajima's embroidery format: a plain list of needle moves that Ink/Stitch, Wilcom's software and pyembroidery all read and write. It records where the needle goes and where the thread changes, but not which colors to use.
By Levente, who builds BobbinBot. Published .
What is inside a DST file
A DST file opens with a 512-byte text header. It gives the design's name, its stitch count, how many color changes it has, and how far it reaches left, right, up and down from its start, in tenths of a millimetre.
After the header, every move is three bytes. One move can go at most 12.1 mm. Anything longer is split into several moves by the software that writes the file; pyembroidery, which Ink/Stitch and BobbinBot use, does this at exactly 12.1 mm.
DST has no code for a trim. pyembroidery writes each trim as three short jumps in a row. In our first engine test, the same design held 2 trims and 4 jumps as PES, and 7 jumps as DST, while the needle went into the fabric 1,116 times in both.
And DST has no colors, only the points where the thread changes. The machine stops at each one; which spool goes on next is up to you, so a DST should always travel with a color list.
One design, five formats
Our own 69.6 × 69.6 mm test design, 5,822 stitches, saved in five formats and read back. Every file has the same stitches; what differs is the size of the file and what it says about color.
| Format | File size | Thread colors in the file |
|---|---|---|
| EXP | 11,692 bytes | None, only the color stops |
| JEF | 11,842 bytes | Gray, Green, Sola Blue, Honey Dew |
| VP3 | 12,143 bytes | Gray, Emerald Green, Blue, Tangerine |
| DST | 18,017 bytes | None, only the color stops |
| PES | 36,850 bytes | Gray, Emerald Green, Blue, Tangerine |
Who uses DST
Tajima makes commercial embroidery machines, and DST is its format. It is the file to send a shop or a multi-needle machine when you do not know what they run. A few home machines read it next to their own format.
On our list, from the makers' or dealers' published specs:
- Baby Lock Meridian 2
- Bernina 500 E
How to open a DST file
In a browser, drop the file into the free DST viewer. Because the file has no colors, the viewer shows each color stop in a stand-in shade, along with the stitch count and the real size.
On a computer, Inkscape with Ink/Stitch opens DST with File › Open. Wilcom's Truesizer opens it too.
Before sending a DST to a shop, open it once in the viewer and write down the color stops in order with the thread you want for each.
Open a DST file in the free viewerHow to convert a DST file
DST converts to any format with every stitch in place, but a format such as PES or JEF needs a color for each block, and DST has none to give. The converter fills in stand-in threads. They mean nothing: follow your own color list, or rename them on the machine.
Convert DST to another format, freeCommon problems with DST files
The colors are strange
Every program has to make up colors for a DST, because the file holds none. Nothing is wrong with the stitches. Ask whoever made the design for its color list.
Long threads are left between parts
DST trims ride on short jumps, and a file made carelessly can have long jumps with no trim at all. The free checker lists every long jump that has no trim.
The design is a little off size
The header stores the design's reach in tenths of a millimetre, and so does every stitch, so sizes round to 0.1 mm. Anything bigger than that comes from scaling, which machine files do not take well.
Questions
Does a DST file store thread colors?
No. It marks where the thread changes and nothing more. Send a list of colors in order with it.
Why do embroidery shops ask for DST?
DST is Tajima's format, and commercial machines and shop software commonly read it, so it is the safe file to send when you do not know what a shop runs.
Can a home machine sew a DST?
Some can. Most home machines want their own format, such as PES for Brother or JEF for Janome. The machine finder shows what yours reads.
What is the longest stitch in a DST file?
12.1 mm per move. Writers split anything longer into several moves, so a long stitch in a DST is really several short ones.
Make a DST file from a picture
BobbinBot turns a logo, a drawing or a name into PES, DST, JEF, EXP, VP3 and four more formats in one download. You see the stitches and a green, yellow or red verdict before you pay, and the first design is free. Or do it yourself in free software, step by step.