JEF vs XXX: which embroidery format should you use?
JEF is Janome's format, used by Janome and Elna home machines; XXX is Singer / Compucon's, used by Singer home machines. Both store thread colors. The stitches are the same in both, so use the one your machine reads and convert when you need the other.
| Feature | JEF | XXX |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Janome | Singer / Compucon |
| Machines | Janome, Elna | Singer, Compucon |
| Mainly used on | Janome and Elna home machines | Singer home machines |
| Stores thread colors | Yes | Yes |
| File extension | .jef | .xxx |
Choose JEF if…
… you sew on a Janome or Elna machine.
JEF is Janome's embroidery format, used by the Memory Craft and Skyline embroidery machines and by Elna machines built on the same platform.
Choose XXX if…
… you sew on a Singer machine that reads XXX.
XXX is the format of Singer embroidery machines such as the Futura series, and of the Compucon software they were developed with.
Turn any image into JEF or XXX
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JEF vs XXX questions
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What's the difference between JEF and XXX?
JEF is Janome's format, used by Janome and Elna home machines; XXX is Singer / Compucon's, used by Singer home machines. Both store thread colors. The stitches are the same in both, so use the one your machine reads and convert when you need the other.
Can I convert JEF to XXX?
Yes. Open the .jef file in the free JEF to XXX converter and save it as .xxx. The stitches carry over exactly; thread colors are matched to the closest threads.
Does converting between JEF and XXX lose quality?
No. Both formats store the same needle positions, so the design sews the same. What can change is the color information and any software-only extras, not the stitches.
Which is better, JEF or XXX?
Neither is better in itself. Use JEF if you sew on a Janome or Elna machine; use XXX if you sew on a Singer machine that reads XXX.
How do I make a file in either format from an image?
Upload the image to the digitizer, check the stitch preview and download JEF, XXX or any other format. Digitizing and previewing are free with an account.
More format comparisons
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