ValidStitch does not convert PES to DST. Stitch formats are not lossless equivalents — a 'convert' button hides what's dropped and the operator finds out at the machine. Below: what's lost, and the workflow that doesn't lose it.
What gets dropped during conversion
- PES → DST: thread color names from the Brother palette. DST has no color storage.
- EXP → DST: higher-precision stitch coordinates (Melco's longer-form stitch records).
- JEF → DST: Janome-specific hoop codes that don't translate.
- Any format → any format: per-vendor command extensions (specialty trims, sequin commands).
What we do instead
- Validate the source file. Fix any rule violations the validator catches.
- Export to the destination format, with a per-format report that names what was preserved, what was approximated, and what was dropped.
- Generate a setup sheet for the destination machine so the operator has the missing context (color print-out, hoop selection, machine-specific notes).
The difference matters: 'convert' implies equivalence; 'export with report' names every loss, so the operator isn't surprised at the machine.
When you actually need to edit stitches
If your real need is to push individual stitches around — re-walk a satin column, change a fill angle, edit a trim sequence — that's digitizing software territory, not validation territory. Wilcom, Embird, Embrilliance, and PE-Design do that work. ValidStitch sits before and after those tools: validate the file they produced, hand off to production with a setup sheet.