Image to DST
Turn any image into a DST file for Tajima and most industrial multi-needle machines — free, in the browser, nothing to install.
Convert now — no account neededAbout the DST format
DST is the native format for Tajima and most industrial multi-needle machines. DST is the universal format — if you are sending a design to a shop and do not know their machine, send DST. The trade-off is that it stores no thread colours at all, only the stops between them, so the operator sets the threads. We write a thread sequence list alongside the file so you can pass the colour order on.
Which file are you starting from?
Every source converts to DST, but what you should do before converting depends on what you are holding. Pick your file type for the specifics:
- PNG to DST — PNG is the best of the raster formats to start from: it is lossless, so edges stay crisp instead of smearing, and it can carry a transparent background, which means there is no white box around your artwork to remove first.
- JPG to DST — JPEG throws away detail to save space, and it does it worst exactly where embroidery cares most: hard edges.
- SVG to DST — SVG is the ideal starting point.
- a Logo to DST — A logo is the most common thing anyone digitizes and the most demanding, because people know what it is supposed to look like.
- a Photo to DST — A photo is the hardest source there is.
Not sure which of those you have, or starting from something else entirely? The free converter takes any of them and exports DST along with every other format, so you can decide at the end rather than the beginning.
Common questions
Does DST keep my thread colours?
No, and no converter can change that — the format has nowhere to put them. A DST records stitches and the stops between them, so the operator loads the threads. Every DST exported here comes with a thread sequence list naming the colours in stitching order.
Why do embroidery shops ask for DST?
Because it loads on almost anything. DST carries nothing brand-specific, which is exactly why nearly every machine reads it, and shops assign thread from their own stock regardless of what a file claims.
What is actually inside a DST file?
A fixed 512-byte header holding the design name, the stitch and colour-change counts and the design's extents, then three bytes per stitch. That is the whole format, which is both why it is so portable and why it has nowhere to record a colour.
Is it free?
Yes, to start. A free account converts up to three designs a day at up to three thread colours and three inches, with every export format available. Premium lifts the colour and size limits and raises the daily allowance.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The conversion runs on our servers and the result downloads to your browser, so it works the same on Windows, macOS, a Chromebook or a phone.
Related converters
Already have an embroidery file in the wrong format? That is a different job — no digitizing needed, just a re-encode. Use the embroidery file converter. Working with text rather than artwork? Browse the embroidery fonts.