.DST: Tajima Data Stitch
The closest thing embroidery has to a universal format. Created by Tajima for its commercial machines, DST is read by almost every embroidery machine and program in the world.
- Extension
- .dst
- File type
- Stitch (machine) file
- Used by
- Tajima, most commercial machines, many home machines via import
- Market
- Home and commercial
- Thread colors
- No colors (stops only)
- Status
- current
How it works
A DST file starts with a 512-byte text header that holds a label, the stitch count, the number of color changes and the design's extents. After the header, every stitch takes exactly three bytes that encode a relative move in X and Y plus a flag for normal stitch, jump or color change.
Because each move is limited to 121 units (12.1 mm), longer travels are split into several jump stitches. Trims are not stored as a dedicated command: machines usually infer a trim from a run of consecutive jumps.
DST stores no thread colors at all. The file only says where the machine should stop to change color, so a design opened from DST in software often appears in random or default colors until you assign them again.
What the file stores
- Stitches and jumps
- Color change stops
- Design extents
- Short text label
Watch out for
- No color information: keep a color chart or worksheet with the design.
- Trims are inferred from jumps, so results can differ slightly between machines.
- Like every stitch file, it should not be resized by more than about 10 to 20 percent.
Machines that read .DST
- Brother (also supported on many models)
- Baby Lock (also supported on many models)
- Husqvarna Viking (also supported on many models)
- Pfaff (also supported on many models)
- Tajima (native format)
- Barudan (also supported on many models)
- ZSK (also supported on many models)
- Happy (also supported on many models)
- Melco (also supported on many models)
- SWF / Ricoma / most multi-needle (native format)
Support differs between models and generations, so always confirm in your machine's manual.
Related formats
Need this design in another format? Read converting between formats to learn what survives a conversion.