DST vs PES vs JEF: Which Embroidery Format Should You Use?

The Three Major Embroidery Formats

When you convert an image to an embroidery file, the format you choose determines which machines can run your design. DST, PES, and JEF cover the majority of machines in use today — but each one has a specific home.

DST — Tajima (Universal Commercial Standard)

Best for: Commercial multi-needle machines, factories, embroidery shops

DST was created by Tajima and has become the de facto universal format for commercial embroidery. It is supported by:

If you're running a commercial operation or sending files to an embroidery shop, DST is the safe default. The limitation: DST carries no thread color data — colors are defined at the machine.

PES — Brother (Home & Semi-Pro)

Best for: Brother, Baby Lock, Bernina Deco machines

PES is Brother's native format, used across their entire home and semi-professional embroidery line. Unlike DST, PES files include thread color metadata — meaning the machine knows exactly which thread to use for each color layer, mapped to Brother's thread catalog.

PES is the right choice if you own a Brother PE, PR, NV, or Innov-is machine, or a Baby Lock machine (which shares the same hardware). It also works on select Bernina Deco models.

JEF — Janome (High-Precision Native)

Best for: Janome Memory Craft, Elna, Kenmore machines

JEF is Janome's native format, engineered specifically for their hoop sizes and thread color system. JEF files encode:

If you own a Janome Memory Craft, Elna, or Kenmore machine, JEF will give you the best results. Using DST on a Janome machine is possible but may require manual thread color assignment.

Quick Reference

Which Should You Choose?

On image2embroidery.com, you can switch between all three formats (and EXP, VP3) from the format selector before downloading.