Brother PE800, PE535, SE600, SE700: file format, hoop size and applique tips

These five machines share one embroidery format family and two sewing fields. The PE535, SE600 and SE700 stitch a 4x4 field; the PE800 and PE900 stitch 5x7. All of them read .pes, .phc and .dst. Everything below is taken from the Brother USA product pages and the operation manuals on Brother's support site, with the manual quoted where the number matters.

Accepted file formats

The PE800, PE535 and SE600 manuals use the same sentence in the embroidery data precautions: only .pes, .phc and .dst embroidery data files can be used with this machine. The SE700 and PE900 specification tables list data types for embroidery patterns as .pes, .phc, .dst and .pen.

What that means in practice:

| Extension | What it is | On these machines | |---|---|---| | .pes | Brother's design format, versions 1 to 10, all with the same PEC stitch block | Native. Shows a thumbnail and Brother thread names. | | .phc | The format the machine itself writes when you save to memory or USB | Native. The manuals note that a file saved by the machine with any extension is stored as .phc. | | .dst | Tajima stitch format, no colours | Read. Listed by file name only, no thumbnail, displayed with Brother's default thread colour sequence. | | .pen | Brother stitch data for the newer wireless models | SE700 and PE900 only. |

JEF, EXP, VP3 and XXX are not read. If a shop sent one of those, convert it to PES with the DST to PES, JEF to PES, VP3 to PES or XXX to PES page; the output is a PES version 1 file with an embedded PEC block, which is the variant every Brother machine reads. The brand and model table covers the other brands.

Sewing fields: 4x4 and 5x7

| Model | Maximum embroidery area (Brother USA) | Manual size limit | Field in mm | Largest design with 3 mm clearance | |---|---|---|---|---| | PE535 | 4 x 4 in | 10 cm × 10 cm | 100 × 100 | 94 × 94 | | SE600 | 4 x 4 in | 10 cm × 10 cm | 100 × 100 | 94 × 94 | | SE700 | 4 x 4 in | 10 cm × 10 cm | 100 × 100 | 94 × 94 | | PE800 | 5 x 7 in | 18 cm × 13 cm | 130 × 180 | 124 × 174 | | PE900 | 5 x 7 in | 180 mm × 130 mm | 130 × 180 | 124 × 174 |

The 5x7 models also accept the 4x4 frame, which is useful for small pieces because a smaller hoop holds fabric flatter. The PE900 product page lists a 4 x 7 in magnetic frame as an accessory; check the manual for its field.

The PE800 manual adds a rule you will hit with purchased designs: if embroidery data larger than 18 × 13 cm is selected, the pattern is displayed rotated by 90 degrees when it is read out, and data that still exceeds 18 × 13 cm after rotation cannot be used. So a 170 × 120 mm design loads and appears turned; a 185 × 100 mm design does not load at all.

The hoop size chart has every Brother and Baby Lock field up to the Luminaire's 272 × 408 mm, and the hoop fit checker reads the stitch extents from the file and tells you which of the two fields it fits.

Stitch and colour limits

The PE800 manual states that .pes files saved with the number of stitches or colours exceeding the limits cannot be displayed, and gives the limits as approximately 200,000 stitches and 125 colour changes for a combined design. The specification tables list memory as up to 1024 KB or 20 embroidery patterns, with up to 100,000 stitches per pattern on the SE700 and 200,000 on the PE900. An applique border is nowhere near these numbers: a 100 mm shape with a 4 mm satin from the studio runs a few thousand stitches in three colour blocks.

The manuals also warn that thread or needle may break when stitching data with a density that is too fine or with three or more overlapping stitch layers. That is the reason not to shrink a purchased fill design more than 10 to 20 percent; see the resizing guide.

Getting the file onto the machine

PE535, SE600 and PE800: USB flash drive only. The PE800 manual says stitch data can be saved to or recalled from a USB flash drive of any size; the SE600 and PE535 manuals note that some commercial drives may not work and point to Brother's compatibility list. None of these three ships with a USB cable and none needs one; the port on the machine is for the drive, not a computer.

SE700 and PE900: USB flash drive plus wireless LAN (802.11 b/g/n, 2.4 GHz). The manuals name Design Database Transfer or PE-Design version 11 or later as the software that sends designs from a computer over the network, and the Brother USA product pages add the Artspira app for sending from a phone.

1. Save the PES to the root of the drive or into one folder. The manuals recommend file and folder names using only letters, digits, hyphen and underscore; a name with other characters may not be displayed.
2. Insert the drive, press the USB or pattern-retrieval key, and open the folder. PES and PHC files show a thumbnail; DST shows the name only.
3. Check the preview screen for size, colour count and colour order. For DST, set the colours here.
4. Attach the hoop that matches the field the machine reports; the machine will not start with a smaller frame than the design needs.

PE-Design versus Appliqué Maker

PE-Design 11 is Brother's digitizing and editing software. It is the way to create designs in Brother's own formats, it edits fills and lettering, and for cut files it exports FCM to Brother's CanvasWorkspace for ScanNCut. Brother USA offers a free trial; the full licence is a one-time purchase, check the current price on brother-usa.com.

Appliqué Maker is narrower. It takes an SVG, PNG or typed text and produces one specific thing: a three-layer applique (placement run at 2.5 mm stitch length on the outline, tack-down inset 1.2 mm so it lands on the fabric, then a 3 to 5 mm satin border with zigzag underlay) written as PES version 1 for these machines, plus the matching cut file as SVG in real millimetres or DXF. It runs in the browser, nothing is uploaded, and the free tier gives you the analysis, preview and printable template while Pro ($9 per month or $69 per year) gives you the PES and the cut file. If you want fills, lettering with fill stitches, or to edit an existing design, PE-Design or Embrilliance Essentials is the right tool; if you want an applique border that lands on the fabric you cut, this is.

Maximum applique size on each field

The number that has to fit the field is the finished size including the satin, not the artwork size. The studio reports width and height after the satin band and pull compensation are added; use that number against the 94 × 94 mm (4x4) or 124 × 174 mm (5x7) limits.

The studio's size setting is the longest side of the shape, adjustable from 20 to 400 mm in 5 mm steps, with a default of 100 mm.

On a 4x4 machine the 100 mm default is too big once the satin is added. Set 85 mm and read the finished size the studio reports: with a 4 mm satin the sample shapes (heart, star, cat, leaf, cloud, butterfly, flower, puzzle) come in under the 94 mm limit at that setting. Shapes with points on the bounding box, such as the star and the puzzle, gain the least from the satin and can go a few millimetres larger; round shapes gain the most. Always use the reported number rather than the setting. Below 80 mm the stitch-out prediction starts dropping because the 0.68 mm combined cut and placement error is a larger fraction of the piece, so 80 to 90 mm with careful placement is the practical range on the 4x4 field.

On a 5x7 machine the 100 mm default fits with 12 mm to spare in the short direction. Going up, 120 mm fits in the short axis, and a tall shape can go to about 170 mm when rotated to run along the 180 mm axis. The predicted clean rate at 100 mm with a 4 mm satin on woven fabric is 92 percent with normal placement and 99 percent with careful placement; at 5 mm satin it is 99 and 100 percent.

Applique tips specific to these machines

They are single-needle machines, so every colour change is a stop. That is exactly what applique needs: the file uses three colour blocks (placement, tack-down, satin) and the machine pauses after the placement run for you to lay the fabric, and again after the tack-down for you to trim if you cut oversize. Keep the three blocks as three colours even if you use one thread; the placement, tack-down and satin guide explains the sequence.

On the 4x4 models the hoop is small enough that the fabric piece can touch the frame edge. Cut the applique fabric to the cut file, not to the hoop, and use the 0.5 to 0.8 mm allowance the studio picks so the satin has its 0.8 mm bite; the cut allowance guide covers what happens when the allowance is off.

Set the satin width to 5 mm for knit shirts on these machines. The engine's default is 4 mm on woven and 5 mm on knit because knit pulls in about 0.40 mm per edge, and the wider band raises the predicted clean rate at 100 mm from 88 percent to 98 percent with normal placement.

Use the machine's embroidery speed setting at the lower end for the satin block if the border shows gaps on the first sample. The manuals list maximum embroidery speed as 400 stitches per minute on the SE700 and 650 on the PE900, and the satin column looks best when the fabric is not being jerked.

Finally, on all five machines the DST thumbnail problem means an applique sent as DST shows only a file name and Brother's default colours. Send PES to these machines; the how to open PES files guide shows how to preview it on a computer before you walk to the machine.