PES File Format

Origin: Brother and Babylock

PES is the proprietary embroidery file format developed by Brother Industries for their PE-Design embroidery software and their home embroidery machine line. Babylock - a sister brand under the same parent (Brother International) - uses the same hardware and the same PES format on its machines. In practical terms, if your home embroidery machine carries either logo, it reads PES.

Brother launched PES alongside their first home embroidery machines in the 1990s, designed specifically for consumer use: a single file that contains everything the user needs to load and start stitching, including the color list, preview, and design metadata.

What PES Stores

A PES file contains the same core stitch data as a DST - X-Y coordinates, color change markers, jump and trim commands - plus additional metadata that makes home-machine use easier:

• Embedded thread color list (with brand names where available)
• Preview thumbnail for on-screen display
• Hoop size declaration
• Stitch count and dimensions
• Design notes and naming metadata
• Version flag (V1 through V10)

That extra metadata is the entire point of PES. On a home Brother screen, you see the design rendered with colors before you start. The machine prompts you for the right thread by name. The hoop pops up the correct size automatically. None of that is possible with a plain DST.

Version History (V1 to V10)

Brother has incremented the PES specification ten times over the years. Each new version expanded capabilities: bigger hoops, more colors, higher stitch counts, additional metadata fields, better thumbnails. PE-Design 11 outputs V10 by default. Older machines stuck at older PE-Design versions may only support up to V5 or V6.

When you request PES from a digitizer, the safe default is the latest version your machine supports. If your machine refuses to load a modern PES, ask for a V5 or V6 export instead - the digitize is the same, just saved in an older container.

Stitch and Hoop Limits

Home Brother and Babylock machines have stitch-count limits per design (typically 100,000-200,000 stitches on consumer machines, higher on premium and PR-series semi-commercial). They also have hoop-size limits - usually 5x7 inch standard, up to 8x12 inch on premium models, larger on multi-needle PR machines.

If a PES file exceeds either limit, the machine simply refuses to load it. Before requesting a PES for a large or complex design, check your machine's spec sheet for max stitches and max hoop dimensions. Tell us those limits and we will keep the digitize within them.

When to Request PES

Request PES whenever you are running on a home Brother or Babylock machine. The embedded colors, the on-screen preview, the hoop confirmation - all of it makes the home-machine experience smoother than running raw DST.

If you also send the file to a commercial shop occasionally, request DST as well. Most commercial machines do not read PES natively. At EmbroideryLI we include both formats - and any others you need - at no extra cost.

Converting DST to PES

If you already have a DST from a prior digitizer and need PES, the conversion is straightforward in software like Wilcom TrueSizer, Embird, or Brother PE-Design. The stitch data converts cleanly. The catch: the converter has to guess thread colors (since DST does not store them), so you may need to manually re-assign colors after conversion.

We handle the conversion free as part of any digitizing order. Send us your existing DST and the colors you want, we will deliver a clean PES.

FAQ