File formats
What is a DST file? The Tajima embroidery format explained
What a DST embroidery file is, what's inside it, which machines read it, why it has no thread colors, and how to open, check and convert one for free.
· 6 min read
A DST file is a machine embroidery design in Tajima’s format. It tells an embroidery machine where to put the needle, when to jump to another area, and when to stop for the next thread color. It’s one of the oldest embroidery formats and still one of the most widely read, which is why almost every design you download comes with a DST file inside the ZIP.
The short answer
| DST | |
|---|---|
| Made by | Tajima, a maker of commercial embroidery machines |
| Read by | Almost every commercial machine and embroidery program, and many home machines |
| Stores | Stitches, jumps, color stops, the design’s size and a short name |
| Doesn’t store | Thread colors, and (in the classic format) a separate trim command |
| File ending | .dst |
If you want to see what’s in a file right now, open it in the free DST file viewer. It runs in your browser and never uploads the file.
What’s inside a DST file
A DST file has two parts.
A header of 512 bytes, written as short text fields:
- LA: the design’s name, with room for 16 characters, so longer names are cut short
- ST: the number of stitches
- CO: the number of color changes
- +X, −X, +Y, −Y: how far the design reaches in each direction from its start point, in tenths of a millimetre, which gives the design’s size
- a few more fields for where the design ends and for multi-part designs
The stitches, three bytes each. Every record is a move from the previous needle position plus a flag for what to do there:
- stitch: move and put the needle down
- jump: move without sewing
- color change: stop so the next thread can be loaded (or the next needle chosen)
- end: the design is finished
One move can be at most 12.1 mm in any direction. Longer travels are split into several jumps, and longer stitches are split into several stitches. Some machines also use DST for sequins, with their own sequin moves.
Why DST files have no thread colors
DST was made for commercial multi-needle machines, where the operator loads threads on the needles and tells the machine which needle to use for each color stop. The file only needs to say where the color changes, not which color comes next.
That’s why a DST file opens in odd colors everywhere: the viewer, your embroidery software and your machine all have to make colors up. To stitch it in the intended colors:
- Look for the color chart or thread list that came with the design.
- Open the PES, JEF or VP3 file of the same design if you have it: those formats store colors.
- Write down the threads you use. The viewer’s production sheet has a column for it.
How trims work in DST
The classic DST format has no trim command. A trim is written as a short run of jumps, usually three tiny ones back and forth on the same spot, which the machine or software reads as “cut the thread here”. Most machines do this automatically; some only cut after a jump of a certain length, which you can set on the machine. If your machine leaves long thread tails between areas, look for a jump trim or trim on jump setting.
Which machines use DST files?
| Machines | DST? |
|---|---|
| Tajima | Yes, it’s their own format |
| Ricoma and most other commercial multi-needle machines | Yes |
| Many Brother, Janome and other home machines | Often, check your manual |
| Embroidery software (all major programs) | Yes, to open and to save |
Home machines usually prefer their own brand’s format, because it keeps the thread colors: PES for Brother and Baby Lock, JEF for Janome, VP3 for Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff. The full list is in which embroidery file format your machine uses.
DST compared with PES and JEF
| DST | PES | JEF | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made for | Tajima and commercial machines | Brother, Baby Lock | Janome, Elna |
| Thread colors | No, color stops only | Yes | Yes, from Janome’s thread range |
| Trims | As a run of jumps | Trim command | Trim command |
| Stitches | The same in all three: converting doesn’t change them |
More about Brother’s format in what is a PES file?
How to open a DST file
You don’t need special software to look at a DST file:
- Open the DST file viewer in your browser.
- Drop the DST file on the page, or choose it from your device. A ZIP works too.
- Check the size, the stitch count and the color stops, and choose your hoop to see if it fits.
- Use the sew-out slider to watch the stitching order, or print a production sheet for the machine.
The file is read on your device and never uploaded, so designs you bought stay private.
How to convert a DST file
To convert DST to PES, JEF, VP3 or another format, use the embroidery file converter. Every stitch, jump and trim is kept, and the new file is checked against the original before you download it. Because DST has no colors, the new file gets stand-in colors: change them on the machine or in your software.
Going the other way, from PES to DST, keeps the stitches too, but the colors are left behind. How to convert PES to DST, JEF and other embroidery files walks through both directions.
To make a DST file from a vector logo, use the SVG to DST converter: each color in the drawing becomes a color stop.
Common DST problems
- The colors are wrong. DST stores no colors, so every program shows stand-ins. Use the design’s color chart.
- Long thread tails between areas. The machine isn’t reading the jumps as trims. Look for its jump trim setting, or trim by hand.
- The name is cut short. The header only holds 16 characters. The file name is what matters.
- The machine doesn’t show the file. It may be bigger than your largest hoop, in a folder the machine doesn’t read, or the machine may not read DST at all. Check the size in the viewer and the formats in your manual.
- The design looks too dense or too sparse. It was probably resized as a stitch file. See stitch density and puckering.