JPG → DST converter
Convert JPG to DST embroidery files
Turn your JPG picture into a ready-to-stitch DST file for Tajima, Ricoma, or Happy machines. StitchMyPic digitizes it the way a person would, with satin borders, tatami fills, underlay and an optimized stitch order, and shows you every stitch before you download.
- Free stitch preview
- 1 credit per download
- PES, DST, JEF and EXP in one ZIP
Free preview · no account needed
Drop your JPG – see it as DST stitches
No account needed for the preview: your picture is digitized right here in your browser. You only use a credit when you download.
Machine files:.PES.DST.JEF.EXP
What a picture looks like once it's stitched
Drag the handle to compare the original artwork with the stitch simulation StitchMyPic shows you before you download.
FC 1987 Riverside football club crest with red and navy stripes
How to convert JPG to DST
- 1Drop your JPG into the tool above. Use the largest, least-compressed version you have.
- 2Set the stitched width in millimetres or inches for your hoop, then check the stitch preview, stitch count and sewing time.
- 3Note the colour order: DST records colour stops but not colours, so set needles or threads from the production sheet in the ZIP.
- 4Download the ZIP (PES, DST, JEF and EXP), unzip it and copy the DST file to your machine.
Preparing your JPG for embroidery
JPG photos and scans are compressed. Compression leaves faint halos and blocky noise around edges, and the background is part of the picture rather than transparent. When StitchMyPic reduces the picture to thread colours it folds those in-between shades back into your main colours, and the background removal in the editor takes out a plain backdrop, so stray specks don't turn into extra colour stops.
- Use the largest, highest-quality version you have: every re-save adds compression noise.
- If the same logo exists as PNG or SVG, use that instead.
- For photos: crop tightly, remove the background, raise the contrast and aim for 4–6 colours.
What you get in the DST file
DST comes from Tajima and is the common language of commercial embroidery: Ricoma, Happy, Barudan, SWF, ZSK and most multi-needle machines read it. It records needle positions and colour stops but no thread colours, and trims are written as short jump sequences that the machine is set to cut on. A single move can't exceed 12.1 mm, so longer moves are split into several jumps automatically. Your download includes a production sheet that lists each colour stop with the nearest Brother and Janome thread.
| Created by | Tajima |
|---|---|
| Read by | Tajima, Ricoma, Happy, Barudan, SWF, ZSK and most multi-needle machines; nearly every embroidery program |
| Thread colours stored | No, only colour stops |
| Stitch precision | 0.1 mm |
| Longest single move | 12.1 mm in each direction; longer moves become several jumps |
| Also in the file | 512-byte text header: design label, stitch count, colour-change count and extents |
JPG to DST: common questions
Is the JPG to DST converter free?
The preview is free and needs no account: drop your JPG above and you see the stitches, stitch count and sewing time. Downloading uses one credit, from $2.58 per design, and new accounts get one free credit. The ZIP contains DST plus the other three formats.
Will the white background of my JPG be stitched?
A JPG can't be transparent, so its background is part of the picture. Remove it with the background removal in the editor, or leave that colour out of the design. Otherwise it becomes a large fill that adds thousands of stitches and stiffens the fabric.
Why does my DST show the wrong colours on the machine?
DST only records that a colour change happens, not which colour. Home machines show a default colour for each block, and commercial machines expect you to assign needles. Use the production sheet in your download to load the right thread for every stop.
My machine sews long jump threads instead of trimming. Why?
DST has no dedicated trim command: a trim is written as a short series of jumps, and the machine is set to cut when it sees them. If that setting doesn't match the file, it sews a jump instead of cutting. Check the trim (jump code) setting on the control panel.
How big should I stitch my design?
Most logos and badges look best 70–120 mm wide. Keep capital letters at least 6 mm tall and lines at least 1 mm wide at the final size, and leave 5–10 mm between the design and the edge of your hoop's sewing field. The editor warns you if the design doesn't fit.