Free online CDR to PES converter

A Brother embroidery machine or compatible design program may require a PES file when the supplied artwork is a CorelDRAW CDR file. The conversion must create machine-readable stitch instructions, not merely rename the file or export it as an image.

What the CDR format is

CDR is CorelDRAW’s native graphics format, used by designers and print-production teams for logos, badges, signs, garment artwork, and illustrations. It can contain vector paths, text, fills, outlines, layers, colors, effects, and embedded raster images.

CDR describes the intended appearance of artwork. It normally contains no stitch direction, sewing order, density, underlay, pull compensation, trims, hoop limits, or machine-specific commands. CorelDRAW versions can also differ, so embroidery software may not open every CDR file directly.

What the PES format is

PES is an embroidery-design format associated with Brother machines and compatible software. It stores stitch coordinates and commands, thread colors, color changes, jumps, trims, design dimensions, and other machine or design metadata. The available features and compatibility depend on the PES version and the application that created the file.

PES is useful when a Brother machine or embroidery program specifically requires it. Unlike CDR, it represents a sewing plan rather than editable vector artwork, and it does not guarantee suitable results on every fabric, hoop, needle, stabilizer, or machine.

How to create a PES file

1. Open the CDR in CorelDRAW and save an untouched backup. Set the intended finished embroidery dimensions before digitizing. Convert text to curves with Object → Convert to Curves, remove shadows, gradients, transparency, blends, and other effects that do not translate reliably, then close open shapes and simplify unnecessary nodes.
2. Separate the artwork into logical color regions and export it as SVG with File → Export. SVG is a useful interchange format, but clipping paths, compound shapes, effects, and transparency may change during export. Check the exported file before proceeding.
3. Open the SVG in Inkscape with the Ink/Stitch extension installed. Confirm the physical design size and target hoop; SVG display units alone are not a reliable indication of the finished sewing dimensions.
4. Assign embroidery objects rather than treating the imported artwork as a finished stitch plan. Use running stitches for fine outlines, satin columns for suitable narrow shapes and lettering, and fill stitches for larger regions. Set stitch length, density, underlay, pull compensation, entry and exit points, sewing order, trims, and thread colors.
5. Run Ink/Stitch’s simulation. Check stitch direction, overlaps, jumps, trims, short stitches, excessive density, color-change order, total stitch count, and the design’s fit within the selected hoop. Correct the stitch plan manually where necessary.
6. Use Ink/Stitch’s embroidery export function, select PES, and save the result under a new name such as logo.pes. Open the exported file in the target machine’s software and verify dimensions, hoop compatibility, PES version, thread sequence, and color changes before transferring it.

Dedicated programs such as Hatch Embroidery Digitizer, Wilcom EmbroideryStudio, and Brother PE-Design can import CDR only when the specific version is supported; otherwise export SVG or another supported vector format first. These programs can auto-digitize simple artwork, but manual correction of stitch types, directions, density, underlay, sequencing, and lettering is usually required.

101convert.com can be used to try the conversion online for free without installing software. Treat the resulting PES as an initial file: a basic converter may transfer shapes or colors without creating appropriate stitch types, density, underlay, pull compensation, trims, or machine-safe sequencing. Open and simulate the result in embroidery software before production.

Quality and compatibility limits

Small lettering, thin outlines, sharp corners, gradients, shadows, and tightly overlapping regions often need simplification or reconstruction. Satin columns require adequate width, fill areas need suitable stitch directions and underlay, and details below the practical resolution of the fabric and needle may disappear.

Resize the source artwork and regenerate the stitch plan whenever possible. Resizing a completed PES file changes effective density and can distort satin columns, registration, and stitch lengths.

Check the machine’s maximum hoop size, supported PES generation, filename rules, thread system, transfer method, and color-change limits. PES compatibility varies among Brother machines and software, and some machines require a particular format variant or reject designs that exceed their dimensions.

Simulate the complete sequence, then sew a sample on the intended fabric with the intended stabilizer, needle, and thread. Fabric stretch, thread tension, registration, stabilizer choice, and pull compensation can require adjustments that are not visible in the original CDR. Keep the CDR and editable embroidery project because PES generally does not preserve the original vector structure.