Features &
design creation.

Almost certainly yes. Hatch Embroidery supports the file formats used by virtually all major embroidery machine brands:

• Brother / Baby Lock / Deco: .PES, .PEC
• Janome / Elna / Kenmore: .JEF, .JEF+, .JPX, .SEW, .EMD
• Bernina: .ART, .EXP, .ARX
• Husqvarna Viking / Pfaff: .VP3, .VIP, .SHV, .HUS, .PCS, .PCD
• Singer: .XXX, .CSD
• Tajima / Barudan: .DST
• Melco: .EXP, .CND

Hatch 4 also adds direct wireless Wi-Fi transfer to compatible Brother machines (PR680W, PR1055X, PR1060W).

View the complete supported file format list →

Hatch Embroidery uses two broad categories of file:

.EMB (design file) — Wilcom's native 'all-in-one' format. This is your working file. It stores full editing information — objects, properties, thread colors, and stitch parameters — so you can re-open and edit your design at any time.

Machine files (.PES, .DST, .JEF, etc.) — stitch files sent to your machine for stitching out. These contain the final stitch coordinates but retain less editing information than .EMB.

Lettering tools are available in Personalizer, Composer, and Digitizer (not in Organizer). To add lettering:

• Select the Lettering tool from the toolbar
• Choose a font from the font selector — Personalizer includes 66 fonts, Composer 78, Digitizer 130
• Type your text and press Enter to place it in the design
• Adjust size, baseline, spacing, and stitch type as needed

You can also edit individual letter forms, reshape letters along a curved baseline, and convert TrueType fonts from your computer into embroidery.

Monogramming tools are available in Personalizer, Composer, and Digitizer. Hatch includes 90+ professional monogram templates with 400 ornaments and 375 motifs.

• Open the Monogramming tool
• Select a template style (frame, interlock, script, etc.)
• Enter your initials — typically 1, 2, or 3 letters
• Choose fonts and ornaments, then adjust sizing and placement

The monogram is created as a fully editable embroidery object, ready to export to your machine.

Auto-digitizing converts a photo or piece of artwork into an embroidery design automatically, without requiring manual stitch-by-stitch work. Available in Composer and Digitizer.

In Composer and Digitizer, you import your artwork, choose an auto-digitize option (simple, detailed, or multi-color), and the software creates a stitchable embroidery design. You can then refine colors, adjust stitch types, and clean up the result.

Digitizer additionally includes PhotoStitch (Color PhotoStitch, Reef PhotoStitch, and PhotoFlash) for photographic auto-digitizing — turning photographs into realistic embroidery.

PhotoStitch is a set of photographic auto-digitizing tools exclusive to Hatch Digitizer. It converts photographs into embroidery designs that replicate the look and feel of the original image.

• Color PhotoStitch — full color photographic embroidery; transforms color photos into realistic stitch art
• Reef PhotoStitch — uses a unique low-stitch-count method to create striking photo-based designs with minimal trims and no overlaps
• PhotoFlash — fast, simplified photo-to-embroidery conversion

Image quality directly affects the quality of the output. Clean, high-contrast photographs with good resolution produce the best results.

The number of included embroidery fonts varies by level:

• Organizer: no dedicated embroidery fonts (manages existing designs only)
• Personalizer: 66 professionally digitized fonts
• Composer: 78 professionally digitized fonts
• Digitizer: 130 professionally digitized fonts — the most of any level

Hatch 4 adds a new font: Run Dainty Script, included in Composer and Digitizer.

All levels that include fonts also support TrueType and OpenType font conversion — you can convert fonts from your computer into embroidery stitches. More about fonts and Font Packs →

Yes. Hatch Embroidery (Personalizer and above) can convert TrueType and OpenType fonts installed on your Windows computer into embroidery stitches.

Results vary depending on the font style — simple, clean fonts convert more reliably than highly decorative or thin script faces. After conversion, you can edit and reshape individual letters to improve the result.

Appliqué is a technique where fabric pieces are attached to the base fabric as part of the design, rather than stitching everything in thread. It creates a distinctive textured look and can significantly reduce stitch counts on large filled areas.

Hatch Embroidery 4 Digitizer includes the new Advanced Appliqué tool, which converts existing designs (open or closed shapes) into appliqué in just a few clicks. Standard Appliqué tools are also available, plus Appliqué Pattern Printing — a new Hatch 4 feature that prints fabric cutting templates directly from your design for use with scissors or a cutting machine.

The Stitch Player animates your embroidery design stitch by stitch, simulating the exact order in which your machine will sew it. It's available in all four levels of Hatch Embroidery.

Use Stitch Player to identify sequencing problems, trim paths, connection issues, and color order issues before sending the design to your machine — saving time and thread.

TrueView is Hatch Embroidery's realistic 3D preview mode. It renders your design with simulated thread texture, realistic sheen, and lighting to show you what the finished embroidery will look like on fabric before you stitch it out.

TrueView is best used for a final check after completing your design. For performance, switch back to standard view during active editing.

Yes. Hatch Embroidery 4 adds native DXF file import — available in Composer and Digitizer — without requiring CorelDRAW to be installed. This covers many common vector formats.

For a wider range of vector formats (SVG, CDR, AI, EPS, and more), Hatch Embroidery integrates with CorelDRAW® Standard 2024 or CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite 2025, available as GEM add-ons. With CorelDRAW linked, you can open virtually any vector or bitmap file and transfer it directly to Hatch's Embroidery Mode.