VP3 Embroidery Files: The Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff Format

What is a VP3 file?

In embroidery, a VP3 file is a machine design file for Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff sewing and embroidery machines. The two brands are sister companies and share the same embroidery software family, so a VP3 created for one normally opens on the other. It is the file you want if you own a Designer series Viking or a creative series Pfaff.

The name causes some confusion in search. VP3 is also the name of an old video codec, and a few unrelated products use the same letters. None of that has anything to do with embroidery. If a download or a design shop mentions VP3 next to PES, JEF or DST, it means the embroidery format.

Husqvarna Viking VP3, Pfaff VP3 and the older formats

Before VP3, each brand had its own formats. Many current machines still read some of the older files, but VP3 is the one both brands standardized on.

If you have a library of HUS or PCS designs and a newer machine, converting them to VP3 is usually quick and keeps the stitches unchanged. Check your manual first, since your machine may read the older files already.

What a VP3 file stores

VP3 carries more information than a basic stitch format like DST. That extra information is why designs look right on the machine screen.

• Stitches, jumps and trims, grouped into color blocks.
• Thread information for each block: the color, and usually the thread brand, color number and color name.
• Design extents and position, so the software and machine know where the design sits in the hoop.
• Design notes such as the software that produced the file.

Some Viking and Pfaff machines use multi-position hoops for large designs. The software splits the design into sections and records where each section stitches, and the machine prompts you to move the hoop between them.

Software that opens VP3 files

The brands' own software handles VP3 natively. Current options are the Premier+ embroidery software and mySewnet embroidery software, and older machines were paired with the 4D, 5D and 6D Embroidery System. Third-party programs such as Hatch, Wilcom EmbroideryStudio, Embrilliance and the free Ink/Stitch extension for Inkscape can also open and save VP3.

Transferring VP3 designs to your machine

1. Copy the VP3 to a USB stick. Keep file names short and simple.
2. Insert the stick in the machine and open it from the embroidery file browser.
3. Check the hoop size. The machine suggests a hoop based on the design; make sure you own it.
4. Or send it wirelessly. Machines with Wi-Fi can receive designs through mySewnet from a computer or app.

Converting VP3 files

Stitches convert cleanly between VP3 and other machine formats. The difference is the color information. VP3 to DST drops the colors, because DST cannot store them. DST to VP3 means choosing a thread color for each stop. PES to VP3 keeps colors, though the thread brand may change. Our embroidery file conversion service does this at $5 per file, with colors mapped and trims checked.

Converting cannot improve a design that was badly digitized, and it cannot turn a JPG into stitches. For that, the artwork needs digitizing. Our embroidery file formats guide explains the difference between artwork and stitch files.

VP3 compared with other home machine formats

Home embroidery formats all do the same basic job. They differ in which brand reads them and how much color information travels with the stitches.

If you share designs with friends who own other brands, keep a DST copy as a common denominator and send each person their own format when you can.

Getting a design digitized as VP3

If you want your own logo or artwork on a Viking or Pfaff, order it digitized and ask for VP3. Every StitchQuill order includes VP3 alongside DST, PES, EXP, JEF and the rest, with thread colors set, plus a stitch simulation proof and a PDF worksheet with the stitch count and color order. A design up to 4.5 in is $14, and up to 8 in is $24. Many home embroiderers start with the free first design.