PNG to XXX
Turn PNG into a stitch-ready XXX file for Singer and Compucon — free, in the browser, nothing to install.
Convert now — no account neededWhat to know about starting from PNG
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.
PNG to XXX specifically
XXX carries a thread list, so the colours you assign to your PNG survive the export and a Singer will prompt for them in stitching order. It is the least common format in this set, so if the design is going anywhere other than your own machine, export a DST alongside it.
How to convert PNG to XXX
- Upload your PNG. If your PNG already has a transparent background, you are ready — the converter reads the transparency and only stitches the artwork. If it has a solid background you do not want stitched, run background removal first.
- Set the finished size. Work in millimetres and set it before you judge anything else — every decision about detail depends on how big the design will be. Detail that survives at 150mm disappears at 60mm.
- Reduce the colours. Each colour is a thread change on the machine. Pick the fewest that still read as your artwork.
- Check the preview, then export as XXX. The stitch preview plays the design in the order the machine will sew it, so you can catch problems before there is thread in the hoop.
About the XXX format
XXX is the native format for Singer and Compucon. XXX carries a thread list, so your colours survive the export and the machine can prompt for them in order.
What makes the difference to the result
Digitizing is not tracing. The converter decides how each region gets filled, which direction the stitches run, where the underlay goes and how much to compensate for the fabric pulling the design in as it sews. Those decisions are what separate a design that stitches cleanly from one that puckers, gaps at the edges or takes twice as long as it should.
- Size before everything. A shape narrower than about 1.2mm cannot be stitched as its own satin column; it has to be widened or dropped.
- Fewer colours, better result. Every extra colour is a thread change, a trim and a chance for registration to drift.
- Flat beats subtle. Gradients, glows and soft shadows have no equivalent in thread and become banding.
- Check the stitch order. The simulator plays it back so you can see the sequence before you sew it.
Already have the vector?
If whoever designed the artwork can send you the SVG, AI, EPS or PDF, use that instead. Converting from vector skips the whole business of inferring edges from pixels, and the difference is visible in the finished stitch-out. See SVG to embroidery.
Common questions
Does my PNG need a transparent background?
It helps but is not required. A transparent PNG converts with no extra step because the converter reads the alpha channel and only stitches the artwork. A PNG on a solid background needs background removal first, or that background becomes stitches.
Is XXX a good format to share designs in?
Only with Singer owners. XXX carries a thread list and works well on the machines that read it, but it is the least widely supported format in this set. If the design is going anywhere else, send a DST too.
Which machines read XXX?
Singer and Compucon machines. It carries a thread list, so colours survive the export and the machine prompts for them in stitching order.
Why is XXX less common than the other formats?
Fewer machines read it, and Singer owners often have the option of another format as well. It works fine on the machines that take it — it is just a poor choice for sharing a design with someone whose machine you do not know.
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.
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.