Export formats
Boldbobbin exports 13 formats, in three groups. Open the export wizard with Export embroidery… (Ctrl/Cmd+E) and see Export an embroidery file.
Embroidery (machine) formats
These are stitch files for embroidery machines.
| Format | Machine / brand | Placement in the file | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DST | Tajima | Centered | Broadest machine compatibility |
| PES | Brother | Corner-anchored | PES v6, full RGB (a v1 palette-indexed writer also exists) |
| EXP | Melco | Centered | |
| JEF | Janome | Centered | Its header assumes a centered design |
| PEC | Brother | Corner-anchored | PEC raw |
| VP3 | Pfaff / Husqvarna Viking | Your placement, kept | Embeds its own design center |
| U01 | Barudan | Centered | |
| XXX | Singer / Compucon | Centered |
Placement is not a preference, it is what each format means by its coordinates. DST, EXP, U01, XXX and JEF have no in-file hoop origin (you zero the frame on the machine), so Boldbobbin centers them. Brother PES and PEC are written corner-anchored, the way Brother's own software writes them, because Brother home machines re-center a design on its bounding box as they load it: any other placement gets the machine's shift applied on top of Boldbobbin's. VP3 keeps whatever offset you gave it.
The Center design in the hoop option in the wizard therefore appears only for formats it can actually move. See Placement.
If you've added your machine in Settings, the wizard marks formats that match it with a "Compatible with your machine" badge.
Ties (lock stitches) go into every machine file. They are a property of each object rather than an export switch, so you can see and count them before you export. See Ties.
Vector / image
| Format | What it is |
|---|---|
| SVG | Vector preview |
| PNG | Raster image, in the flat Stitch look or a Realistic render (Realistic needs WebGPU) |
On the Free plan, PNG and SVG exports carry a "Boldbobbin" watermark; machine files do not. See Free vs. Pro.
DST and EXP don't store thread colors. Tick Also save thread colors (.inf) in
the wizard to bundle a same-name .inf sidecar (as a .zip) so the design
reloads with its palette.
Data / reference
| Format | What it is |
|---|---|
| JSON | Lossless stitch list (for reference) |
| CSV | Spreadsheet-style stitch list |
| TXT | Plain-text stitch list (for debugging) |
Digitized font (BBF)
Separate from designs, you can export one of your own fonts as a .bbf file
from the font editor, to back it up or move it to another machine. This needs
Pro. See Edit a font.
Run sheet (PDF)
Separate from the 13 formats above, you can export a printable run sheet PDF of thread colors and stitch order. See Export a run sheet (PDF). This is a Pro feature.
Batch export (Pro)
Batch export saves several formats at once, bundled into a single ZIP. The Free plan exports one format at a time. See Free vs. Pro.
Video
Separate from the formats above, you can export an animated MP4 (or WebM) of your design stitching out, from the Animate drawer. See Export a video.
Publishing
A design can also be sent to the public community gallery as a link, rather than as a file. A published design carries an engine snapshot, so a visitor can turn it into DST, PES or JEF in their browser. See Publish a design.