EXP to SIX Converter

Convert EXP embroidery to DEC SIXEL terminal graphics

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Terminal Graphics

Display EXP embroidery patterns directly in terminal emulators. SIX (SIXEL) renders inline graphics in compatible command-line environments.

Web-Based Conversion

No terminal setup needed to produce the file. Convert EXP to SIX through your browser and use the output in any SIXEL terminal.

Secure and Private

Uploaded EXP files are deleted after conversion. SIX outputs are removed from servers within 24 hours.

How to convert EXP to SIX

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

Choose six or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

Let the file convert and you can download your six file right afterwards

About formats

EXP (Melco) is a machine embroidery file format developed by Melco, a company founded in 1972 that pioneered the commercial embroidery industry. The format stores stitch data as a series of relative coordinate movements using a compact binary structure, with each record encoding the needle's horizontal and vertical displacement along with control flags for stitch type, color changes, and machine stops. EXP files use a straightforward sequential layout — stitch records follow one after another without complex headers or nested structures, making the format reliable and fast to process on embroidery machine controllers. Melco developed the format for their commercial multi-head embroidery machines, widely deployed in contract embroidery shops, uniform manufacturers, and promotional product companies. One advantage is efficiency for commercial production — the lean binary structure minimizes file size and loading time, important when operators run hundreds of designs daily on multi-head machines. The format's association with Melco's professional-grade equipment gives it credibility in the commercial embroidery sector, where reliability and speed are prioritized. Most professional digitizing software — including Wilcom, Pulse, and Hatch — supports EXP export, ensuring designs from any major platform can target Melco equipment. While EXP lacks embedded thread color metadata, its simplicity and industry acceptance have sustained its use across decades of commercial embroidery production.

Developer: Melco International

Initial release: 1985

SIX is a file extension for SIXEL (Six Pixel) graphics data, a bitmap graphics format developed by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1983 and introduced with the LA50 dot matrix printer. SIXEL encodes images as a sequence of printable ASCII characters, where each character represents a column of six vertical pixels (a 'sixel') — the character's ASCII value minus 63 provides a 6-bit binary pattern, with each bit controlling one pixel in the vertical column. The encoding is structured as a series of sixel bands (each six pixels tall) across the image width, with control sequences for color selection (up to 256 registers with HLS or RGB specification), repeat counts (run-length encoding for efficiency), carriage return, and newline commands. SIXEL data is transmitted to the output device using DEC's standard escape sequence protocol, embedded within the text stream alongside regular character output. Originally designed for DEC's line of printers and later supported by DEC VT-series terminals (VT240, VT330, VT340), SIXEL has experienced a remarkable revival in modern terminal emulator software. One advantage is terminal-native image display: SIXEL allows images to be rendered directly within a text terminal session without requiring a graphical window system, enabling command-line tools to display graphs, photographs, and previews inline with text output. This capability has driven adoption in modern terminals like mlterm, xterm, WezTerm, and foot. SIX/SIXEL data can be generated by ImageMagick, libsixel, and chafa, and viewed in any SIXEL-capable terminal emulator.

Developer: Digital Equipment Corporation

Initial release: 1983

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert EXP to SIX?

SIX (SIXEL) is a graphics protocol for terminals. Converting EXP to SIX lets you display embroidery patterns directly in compatible terminal emulators.

What supports SIXEL graphics?

SIXEL is supported by terminal emulators like xterm (with VT340 mode), mlterm, mintty, and certain DEC terminals.

Can I view the pattern in a terminal?

Yes — SIXEL-compatible terminals render graphics inline. Your embroidery design displays directly in the terminal window.

Is SIXEL a standard format?

SIXEL originated with DEC terminals in the 1980s and has seen revival in modern terminal emulators for inline graphics.

Is this converter free?

Convertio provides free EXP to SIX conversion. Premium plans unlock additional capabilities for professional use.

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Specific converters

XLSX to SIX

PDF to SIX

JPG to SIX

PNG to SIX

DOCX to SIX

CSV to SIX

JPEG to SIX

PPTX to SIX

WEBP to SIX

DXF to SIX

XLS to SIX

TXT to SIX

TTF to SIX

BMP to SIX

ICO to SIX

HTML to SIX

EMF to SIX

DOC to SIX

XPS to SIX

ABW to SIX

DBK to SIX

KWD to SIX

SXW to SIX

AW to SIX

3FR to SIX

ARW to SIX

AVIF to SIX

CR2 to SIX

CRW to SIX

CUR to SIX