JPG → EXP converter
Convert JPG to EXP embroidery files
Turn your JPG picture into a ready-to-stitch EXP file for Bernina or Melco 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 EXP 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.
Round pet badge of a brown puppy named Biscuit wearing a red collar
How to convert JPG to EXP
- 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: EXP has no thread colours, so the machine shows defaults. Follow the production sheet in the ZIP.
- 4Download the ZIP (PES, DST, JEF and EXP), unzip it and copy the EXP 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 EXP file
EXP is the Melco "expanded" format, read natively by Melco commercial machines and by Bernina home machines. It's about as simple as a stitch file gets: no header, just a pair of signed bytes for each move (up to 12.7 mm), with escape codes for jumps and colour changes. Like DST it carries no thread colours. Bernina's software saves companion files with colours and a preview image next to the EXP, but the machine sews from the EXP alone.
| Created by | Melco |
|---|---|
| Read by | Bernina home machines, Melco commercial machines |
| Thread colours stored | No (Bernina keeps colours in a separate .INF file) |
| Stitch precision | 0.1 mm |
| Longest single move | 12.7 mm; longer moves are split automatically |
| Also in the file | Nothing: no header at all |
JPG to EXP: common questions
Is the JPG to EXP 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 EXP 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.
Do I need the .INF and .BMP files that Bernina uses?
No. Bernina's software saves them next to the EXP to carry thread colours and a preview picture, but the machine sews from the EXP alone. Without them the design sews exactly the same; the screen just shows default colours instead of your threads.
Is EXP the same file for Bernina and Melco?
Yes, both read the same Melco expanded stitch data. Bernina home machines load it from a USB stick and Melco commercial machines read it natively. On either one, set the colours from the production sheet, because EXP doesn't store them.
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.