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Stitch Toolbox

Converter

STX to EXP converter

Turn a STX file (Data Stitch machines) into EXP (Melco and Bernina machines). Drop the file, EXP is preselected, download. Runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

What this conversion keeps and changes

  • Both formats store no colour information, only stops, so colours carry across.
  • Trims: STX marks them as explicit; EXP as explicit. They are translated, not dropped.
  • Maximum stitch length is 12.7 mm in EXP, which covers everything a STX can hold.

Inside a STX file

  • Read by: Data Stitch machines.
  • Colours: no colours at all, only stops between blocks, so the operator threads needles from a colour sheet.
  • Trims: explicit.
  • Longest stitch per record: 12.7 mm; anything longer is written as two.

Inside a EXP file

  • Read by: Melco and Bernina machines.
  • Colours: no colours at all, only stops between blocks, so the operator threads needles from a colour sheet.
  • Trims: explicit.
  • Longest stitch per record: 12.7 mm; anything longer is written as two.

When you need this conversion

Designs are sold and shared in the format of the digitiser's software, and STX is common because Data Stitch machines use it. If your machine is one of the Melco and Bernina models, it wants EXP. The stitches are the same; only the container changes, and the notes above are the whole list of what the container cannot carry.

Before a paid job, run the result through the pre-flight check for density and hoop fit, and read the conversion guide for the traps that are specific to each pair.

DST → EXPPES → EXPEXY → EXP

How to use it

  1. 1

    Drop the STX file

    Drag it onto the page or click to choose it. The file is decoded on your device and drawn on a hoop grid with its size, stitch count and colour blocks.

  2. 2

    Check the preview

    Step through the sew-out order if you want to see how the machine will run it. Rotate or mirror here if the placement needs it; centring is on by default.

  3. 3

    Download the EXP

    EXP is already selected as the output. The file is written and read back on your device before the download starts.

  4. 4

    Copy the colours over

    EXP stores no colours, so print the colour sheet from the viewer and set the needles from it on the machine.

Questions

What changes when converting STX to EXP?

Both formats store no colour information, only stops, so colours carry across. Trims: STX marks them as explicit; EXP as explicit. They are translated, not dropped. Maximum stitch length is 12.7 mm in EXP, which covers everything a STX can hold.

Which machines read EXP?

Melco and Bernina machines.

Will the EXP stitch identically?

Geometry, yes: every needle position is kept to 0.1 mm, and the writer was checked against pyembroidery. Colours, trims and stops follow what the target format can store, as described on this page.

Is the file uploaded?

No. Reading and writing happen in your browser; close the tab and nothing remains.

Can I resize it at the same time?

Not here. Scaling a stitch file changes its density; use the resize tool, which re-spaces satin, fill and running stitches, then convert the result.

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