Bernina embroidery machines: the EXP file
Bernina home embroidery machines read EXP (as do Melco and Bravo commercial machines). EXP carries only the needle path; you pick the colours.
| Bernina | |
|---|---|
| File format | EXP (Bernina's software uses its own ART format) |
| Colour | Not in EXP: the colour order is on the production sheet |
| Common hoops | 100 × 130 mm, 145 × 255 mm, 210 × 400 mm (by model) |
| Transfer | USB stick |
Working with EXP, which has no colours
The machine stops at each colour change and waits for the next thread. Our tool's production sheet tells you which one comes next: colour order, thread names and numbers, size and hoop.
Watch for this
- Make the file at a size that leaves 5 mm clear of the hoop's edge.
- ART files in Bernina's software are editable projects; the machine gets EXP.
- In large designs (210 × 400 mm) stabilize well; long fill areas can pull the fabric.
What Bernina owners ask
Why are the colours odd on screen?
EXP carries no colours, so the machine shows default ones. It doesn't affect the stitching; thread up in the order on the sheet.
Is it the same file for Melco and Bravo?
Yes: Melco and Bravo commercial machines read EXP too, so the same file works.
Which stabilizer?
Cutaway on knits, tearaway on wovens; on piled fabrics like towels and fleece add a water-soluble topping.
Open an EXP file
See the stitch-out and the sheet details.
Embroidery digitizing guide
What embroidery digitizing is, how hand and automatic digitizing differ, how to tell a good file, and what to ask before you order.
Guides
Logo to embroidery file, opening PES files, digitizing and the file format each machine brand reads: short, accurate guides.
See your own logo stitched
Free preview, real needle path, no signup. Download PES, DST, JEF, EXP or VP3.
Try it free