Free online EXP to SVG converter

Embroidery machines and digitizing software may require EXP, while browsers, drawing applications, and websites commonly accept SVG. Converting the file is useful for viewing or sharing a stitch design as artwork, but it does not recreate the original editable embroidery artwork.

What the EXP format contains

.exp commonly identifies the Melco embroidery format. It is a stitch-data file used by embroidery machines and digitizing programs, containing coordinates and movement commands for needle travel, jumps, and sometimes stops or trims. It is not normally a vector drawing format: it describes how to sew a design rather than its original outlines, fills, satin columns, or other digitizing objects.

EXP is also used by unrelated applications for other export formats, so confirm that the file came from embroidery software before converting it. Common Melco EXP files may not store reliable thread-color information; a converter may therefore display the design in one color or assign colors during rendering.

What the SVG format provides

SVG is an XML-based two-dimensional vector format supported by web browsers, Inkscape, Illustrator, CorelDRAW, and many other graphics applications. Its paths, strokes, and fills can be scaled without rasterization, inspected as XML, embedded in web pages, and edited as graphics.

An EXP-to-SVG conversion usually draws the recorded stitch movements as SVG paths or line segments. The SVG is therefore a visual representation of the stitch sequence, not a recovered source design. It can be suitable for previewing, documenting, or sharing, but it is not a substitute for the EXP file when the design must be sewn.

How to convert the file

The simplest option is the converter on 101convert.com, which can process the file without installing software:

1. Verify that the file is an embroidery EXP file and keep a copy of the original.
2. Open the EXP-to-SVG converter on 101convert.com and upload the .exp file.
3. Select SVG as the output format and start the conversion.
4. Download the resulting .svg file and open it in a browser or vector editor to check its scale, orientation, colors, and stitch paths.

For local processing, Inkscape with the Ink/Stitch extension can import many embroidery formats, including common EXP variants, and place the stitch plan in an SVG document. Import support depends on the exact EXP variant. After checking the imported design, save or export the document as SVG using File → Save As or the relevant SVG export command. Commercial embroidery applications may provide similar import and vector-preview functions, but their SVG output and EXP compatibility differ by version.

Quality and compatibility limits

• Conversion is generally one-way for editing purposes. Stitch coordinates cannot reliably reconstruct original bezier outlines, object boundaries, underlay, stitch density, pull compensation, or satin-column settings.
• The output may contain many short segments and have a larger or less convenient SVG structure than a manually drawn vector file.
• Thread colors, jump stitches, trims, stops, and color-change markers may be missing, merged, or represented differently. Inspect the result rather than assuming the display matches the sewn design.
• Some converters preserve the machine's coordinate scale and orientation while others normalize the drawing. Check dimensions before using the SVG for cutting, printing, or layout.
• SVG is not accepted directly by most embroidery machines. To sew the design, retain the EXP file or open the SVG in embroidery-digitizing software, verify the stitch plan, and export a machine format supported by the target machine.