[Jag]

Is there a free or cheap program out there that I can open a .dst file and change the thread color?
We do not do in-house embroidery and I only have one customer that we sub it out for, but when I got his file digitized, they set it up with the wrong thread colors.
I am going to have some hats stitched out using a new embroidery company that we just hooked up with and I do not want to send them the dst file with the wrong color threads to help ensure I get the hats back with the correct colors.
All said...I wonder if it doesn't matter and it is normal practice to give them the dst file and just request the different colors, maybe send along a jpeg with the correct colors?
Yes...I am a rookie to embroidery.

 

[Liberty]

DST files don't contain any color information. The file will contain color change info but it is up to the embroiderer to have the right colors in place and the color changes set on the machines.

There are a few decent and free viewers that will let you open the DST file to view the color changes. Wilcom TrueSizer is one.

But yes, you should have the graphics with color specifications along with the DST file so the embroiderer can select colors. And given you've had issues, it might be worth the expense to have a swatch sewn out for the customer to approve.

 

[Jag]

Thanks Liberty! I downloaded the wilcom program to check to see how many stitches this file was. Plus the digitizer gave me two files with just numbers as names...one was wrong and missing info so I wanted to make sure I had the right one. TrueSizer worked perfectly for that!
I appreciate the info!

 

[Liberty]

a lot of the older machines could only read the file numbers, like 001.dst. So you are safer leaving that alone and having a printout by file name showing the color changes.

TrueSizer is a great little tool if you don't have or need editing or digitizing software.

Good luck...

 

[Jag]

Good to know, I added his business name to the file after the number to make sure I always use the right one. Oops.
Also, I looked at the properties of the file in TrueSizer and it shows this as a three color job, but it should only be two - will that make any difference?

 

[Liberty]

it is not uncommon to have, for example, a two color logo with three or more color changes in the design. Sometimes it makes more sense to finish one part of a design then go back to a different area. And often we will add extra color changes for the lettering so there is some flexibility if it is ever run on different color shirt. As long as the embroidery know what part of the design is to be what color, then it is not a problem.

In true sizer you should be able to see what each part of the design is and even print out a worksheet that shows each color change and how many stitches in each part of the design.

Be careful making any changes to that DST file if you are not sure exactly what you are doing. You can make a mess in a hurry...

 

[Jag]

Thanks so much for your advice! I appreciate you helping me look less like a rookie when I send them the file.

 

[Liberty]

You are welcome.