If a customer or another shop has sent you a PXF file, or a digitizer has offered one, you are dealing with an editable design rather than a ready-to-sew file. This page explains what a PXF file contains, how it differs from machine formats, which software opens it, and how to get a DST or other machine file out of it. For an overview of every format, see our embroidery file formats guide.
What is a PXF file?
PXF is the design file format used by Pulse Microsystems' digitizing and lettering software. Pulse has a long history in commercial embroidery, and the company became part of Tajima, so current versions of the software carry the Tajima name, most notably Tajima DG/ML by Pulse. Many commercial shops that grew up on Pulse still keep large libraries of PXF files.
A PXF file saves the design the way the digitizer built it. In general terms it holds:
- Objects: the outlines of every satin column, fill area and running stitch path.
- Stitch properties: stitch type, angle, density, underlay and pull compensation for each object.
- Lettering: text objects that remain editable, with the font, size and spacing.
- Sequence and colors: the sew order, color stops and thread information.
- Stitch data: the stitches generated from those objects.
Because the objects are stored, the software can recalculate stitches when you resize or edit, instead of simply stretching existing stitches.
Pulse PXF vs machine files
| Feature | PXF (working file) | DST (machine file) |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Editing and storing the master design | Sewing on the machine |
| Editable objects | Yes | No, stitch positions only |
| Editable lettering | Yes | No |
| Resize with stitch recalculation | Yes | Limited; stitch count stays the same |
| Thread colors stored | Yes | No, only color change commands |
| Opens in | Pulse and Tajima DG/ML by Pulse software | Almost any embroidery software and most commercial machines |
Our DST file guide explains the machine side in more detail, including why DST does not carry thread colors.
Which software opens a PXF file?
For full editing, you need Pulse software, which today means Tajima DG/ML by Pulse and related Tajima products. Levels differ: lettering and editing versions can adjust text and existing objects, while higher levels add full digitizing tools.
Keep version compatibility in mind. Newer versions generally open files from older versions, but a PXF saved in a newer release may not open in an older one. If you share files with another shop, confirm which version they run.
Outside the Pulse family, support is limited. Some other embroidery programs and converters may import PXF as stitches rather than editable objects, and many cannot read it at all. Check the import list for your exact software version before relying on it. Our free DST viewer opens DST, EXP and PES files, not PXF, so if you just need to preview a PXF design, ask the sender for a DST as well.
Why shops ask for PXF files
A shop running Pulse software asks for PXF when it wants to work on the design, not just sew it:
- Names and personalization: editable lettering makes team orders and individual names fast.
- Resizing: a small change in size recalculates stitches, keeping density correct.
- Color and layout changes: moving an element or changing a color does not require a new file from the digitizer.
- Long-term library: keeping the master file means future changes are cheap and quick.
If you do not use Pulse software, a PXF file is not much use to you. Ask for the machine format you sew with, or for an EMB working file if you use Wilcom or Hatch.
Converting PXF to DST
If you have Pulse software, the conversion is a normal export:
- Open the PXF file in your Pulse or Tajima DG/ML by Pulse software.
- Check the finished size and any machine-specific settings, such as trims and frame limits.
- Save or export as DST (Tajima), or as the format your machine uses.
- Open the new file in a viewer and confirm size, stitch count and color changes.
- Keep a color sheet with the DST, because DST stores no thread colors.
If you do not have Pulse software, ask whoever supplied the PXF to export the machine format for you, or use an embroidery file conversion service.
Going the other way, from DST to PXF, does not create editable objects. The result holds the same stitches in a different container. A truly editable PXF from a stitch file requires re-digitizing the design.
Keeping PXF and DST files organized
Shops that run Pulse usually keep the PXF as the master and export a machine file for each job. A few habits prevent the wrong file reaching the machine:
- Name files with the design, size and placement, such as harbor-coffee-3.5in-leftchest.pxf and the matching .dst.
- Export a fresh DST after every edit, instead of editing the old DST at stitch level.
- Keep the PDF worksheet with the files, so thread colors and the sewing order travel with the design.
- Open the exported DST in a viewer before production to confirm the size and stitch count.
PXF files and StitchQuill
We digitize in Wilcom, so we do not produce native Pulse PXF files. Every order includes DST, which Pulse software opens and can edit at stitch level, plus the other common machine formats, a PDF worksheet and a stitch simulation proof. An editable Wilcom EMB working file is available on request. If you have a PXF and need machine formats, ask the person who supplied it to export them, or send us the design to rebuild it in Wilcom.
Need a design your Pulse shop can run straight away? Every order includes DST. Place an order