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Stitch Toolbox

Converter

DST to U01 converter

Turn a DST file (Tajima, Ricoma, Barudan, Happy, SWF and most commercial machines) into U01 (Barudan machines). Drop the file, U01 is preselected, download. Runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

What this conversion keeps and changes

  • Both formats store no colour information, only stops, so colours carry across.
  • Trims: DST marks them as three consecutive jumps; U01 as explicit. They are translated, not dropped.
  • Maximum stitch length is 12.7 mm in U01, which covers everything a DST can hold.
  • U01 addresses needles, not colours: each block says which needle to use, and the operator's thread-up decides the colour.

Inside a DST file

  • Read by: Tajima, Ricoma, Barudan, Happy, SWF and most commercial machines.
  • Colours: no colours at all, only stops between blocks, so the operator threads needles from a colour sheet.
  • Trims: three consecutive jumps.
  • Longest stitch per record: 12.1 mm; anything longer is written as two.
  • DST stores stops, not colours: the operator threads the needles from a colour sheet.

Inside a U01 file

  • Read by: Barudan machines.
  • Colours: no colours at all, only stops between blocks, so the operator threads needles from a colour sheet.
  • Trims: explicit.
  • Longest stitch per record: 12.7 mm; anything longer is written as two.
  • U01 addresses needles, not colours: each block says which needle to use, and the operator's thread-up decides the colour.

When you need this conversion

Designs are sold and shared in the format of the digitiser's software, and DST is common because Tajima use it. If your machine is one of the Barudan models, it wants U01. The stitches are the same; only the container changes, and the notes above are the whole list of what the container cannot carry.

Before a paid job, run the result through the pre-flight check for density and hoop fit, and read the conversion guide for the traps that are specific to each pair.

Reverse: U01 → DSTDST → PESDST → JEFDST → EXPDST → TBFDST → VP3DST → PECPES → U01

How to use it

  1. 1

    Drop the DST file

    Drag it onto the page or click to choose it. The file is decoded on your device and drawn on a hoop grid with its size, stitch count and colour blocks.

  2. 2

    Check the preview

    Step through the sew-out order if you want to see how the machine will run it. Rotate or mirror here if the placement needs it; centring is on by default.

  3. 3

    Download the U01

    U01 is already selected as the output. The file is written and read back on your device before the download starts.

  4. 4

    Copy the colours over

    U01 stores no colours, so print the colour sheet from the viewer and set the needles from it on the machine.

Questions

What changes when converting DST to U01?

Both formats store no colour information, only stops, so colours carry across. Trims: DST marks them as three consecutive jumps; U01 as explicit. They are translated, not dropped. Maximum stitch length is 12.7 mm in U01, which covers everything a DST can hold. U01 addresses needles, not colours: each block says which needle to use, and the operator's thread-up decides the colour.

Which machines read U01?

Barudan machines. U01 addresses needles, not colours: each block says which needle to use, and the operator's thread-up decides the colour.

Will the U01 stitch identically?

Geometry, yes: every needle position is kept to 0.1 mm, and the writer was checked against pyembroidery. Colours, trims and stops follow what the target format can store, as described on this page.

Is the file uploaded?

No. Reading and writing happen in your browser; close the tab and nothing remains.

Can I resize it at the same time?

Not here. Scaling a stitch file changes its density; use the resize tool, which re-spaces satin, fill and running stitches, then convert the result.

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