DST to DOT Converter

Convert DST stitch files to Word template DOT format

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Reusable Template

DST designs become Word DOT templates — create consistent documents with your embroidery visual already in place.

Online Conversion

No Word installation required for the conversion. The entire process runs in your web browser.

Cloud-Powered

Convertio's servers process the conversion. Your local machine handles none of the work.

How to convert DST to DOT

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose dot or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your dot file right afterwards

About formats

DST (Tajima) is a machine embroidery file format created by Tajima Industries, one of the world's leading manufacturers of commercial embroidery equipment. The format encodes stitch data as a sequence of relative coordinate movements, with each stitch record containing a horizontal offset, vertical offset, and a command flag indicating the stitch type — normal stitch, jump (move without stitching), color change, or stop. DST files use a compact binary encoding where each stitch occupies three bytes, making the format efficient for storing complex multi-color designs with tens of thousands of stitches. The coordinate system uses 0.1 mm increments with a maximum single-stitch length of 12.1 mm in any direction. DST has become the de facto standard in the commercial embroidery industry — virtually every embroidery machine from any manufacturer can read DST files, making it the most widely supported embroidery format in existence. One advantage is universal machine compatibility: a DST file will run reliably on Tajima, Barudan, SWF, Brother, and Melco machines alike, eliminating format conversion concerns. The minimal file structure is another strength — files are compact, load instantly even on older machine controllers with limited memory, and their simplicity makes them resistant to corruption during transfer. While DST lacks embedded metadata like thread color names and design previews, this limitation is offset by the format's unmatched portability across the global embroidery industry.
Developer: Tajima Industries
Initial release: 1987
DOT is the binary template format for Microsoft Word, using the same OLE2 compound document structure as DOC files. A DOT file contains a complete document framework — styles, page layout, margins, headers and footers, boilerplate text, macros, AutoText entries, toolbar customizations, and keyboard shortcuts — that serves as a reusable foundation for creating new documents with consistent formatting. When a user creates a new document based on a DOT template, Word generates a fresh untitled DOC pre-populated with the template's content and styling while leaving the original template file unmodified. The format supports every feature available in DOC, including complex formatting, embedded objects, form fields, and VBA macro code. The Normal.dot file holds particular significance as Word's global template, storing default styles, macros, and customizations that apply to all new blank documents. DOT templates became essential to enterprise document management, ensuring that legal contracts, business letters, technical reports, and corporate communications consistently adhered to organizational formatting standards. One advantage is brand and compliance consistency — distributing DOT files across an organization guarantees uniform document appearance without relying on individual users to manually configure styles and layouts. While the XML-based DOTX format has replaced DOT for modern workflows, the binary template format remains in use in environments requiring Word 97-2003 compatibility and in legacy template libraries.
Developer: Microsoft
Initial release: 1997

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert DST to DOT?

DOT is a Word template format. Converting DST creates a reusable template with the embroidery design for repeated document use.

What opens DOT files?

Microsoft Word and LibreOffice Writer open DOT files as document templates, ready for creating new documents from them.

Can I reuse the template for multiple documents?

Yes — that is the purpose of DOT. Open it in Word to create new documents that already contain the embroidery visual.

Does the template include the design image?

The DST pattern renders as an embedded graphic in the DOT template, appearing in every document based on it.

Is DST to DOT free?

Convertio offers free DST to DOT conversion — no payment or account needed.

Are my files handled securely?

DST uploads are deleted immediately. DOT outputs are removed from servers within 24 hours.