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Stitch Toolbox

Pro tool · free preview

Resize with density correction

Plain scaling keeps the stitch count and changes the spacing. This rebuilds satin, fill and running stitches at the pitch the digitiser chose, and shows you the density before and after so you can judge it.

Drop an embroidery file or click to choose
PES, DST, JEF, EXP, VP3 or any readable stitch format · stays on your device

How this differs from “just scaling”

Every embroidery program can multiply coordinates. That keeps the stitch count, so a 130 % design has 30 % more space between the same rows and a 70 % design crams the same thread into half the area. This tool classifies each run of stitches as satin, fill or running and rebuilds it at the original pitch: satin zigzags are re-sampled along their rails, fill rows are added or removed, running stitches are re-split. Where it works and where it does not.

About this tool

What density correction does

Plain scaling multiplies every coordinate and leaves the stitch count alone, so a design scaled to 70 percent has the same stitches in 49 percent of the area: satin rails move closer, fills double up, thread breaks. This tool first classifies each run of stitches: a zigzag with direction flips and steady length is satin, rows of collinear stitches within 20 degrees are fill, everything else is running stitch. Satin keeps its rails and is re-sampled along them so the same-rail spacing stays at the original pitch. Fill rows are re-spaced by interpolation and each row re-split at the original stitch length. Running stitches are re-split at their original longest stitch.

Where it stops

Underlay and pull compensation were digitised for the original size and are scaled with the rest; at more than about 20 percent they will be wrong for the new size. Satin columns wider than 7 mm after scaling are flagged, and anything over 12 mm becomes jumps on most machines. Small text does not survive scaling down; strokes narrower than 1.2 mm should be re-lettered instead.

Preview free, download with Pro

Everything on this page runs in your browser and is free to inspect. The download is a Pro feature because building and checking the file uses our servers.

How to use it

  1. 1

    Drop the design

    Any readable format. The original density heatmap is shown first.

  2. 2

    Set the scale

    A percentage or a target width or height in mm. Beyond about 20 percent either way a warning explains what re-spacing cannot fix.

  3. 3

    Compare

    The after-heatmap and stitch count update as you change the scale; short and long stitches are recounted.

  4. 4

    Download

    Pro downloads the resized file in PES, DST, JEF, EXP, VP3, XXX, U01 or TBF with a colour sheet.

Questions

Why does everyone say 10 to 20 % is the limit?

Because stitch files do not know what an object is. Scaling multiplies coordinates and leaves the stitch count alone: at 130 % the same rows are 30 % further apart, at 70 % the same thread has half the space. This tool classifies each run of stitches as satin, fill or running and re-spaces it, which lifts that limit for the spacing problem. It cannot fix underlay or pull compensation, which were made for the original size, so past about ±20 % you should still test-stitch.

How does it know which stitches are satin?

A satin column is a zigzag: consecutive stitches reverse direction and stay a steady length. Fill is rows of short collinear stitches that alternate direction row by row. Everything else is treated as running stitch and simply re-split so no stitch exceeds the original longest stitch.

Will it work on any file?

It works on any stitch format we read. Results are best on designs digitised in the usual way (satin borders, tatami fills). Designs that are all running stitch, or fills with random stitch patterns, are scaled and re-split but have little to re-space.

Is the download the same as the preview?

Yes. The server rebuilds the file from the same inputs with the same engine; nothing else is changed.

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