When you download designs, you’ll receive a ZIP file that contains multiple files within it. These may include all available formats of the design(s), PDF color change sheets, and other resources such as instructions or patterns, depending on the product downloaded.
The benefit to zipped files is that they are compressed and take up less space. If storage space is a concern, you can keep the designs zipped on your computer or external storage.
Embroidery machines cannot read zipped files. Most embroidery software cannot open zipped files either. You'll need to unzip the files before loading them to your machine. This process is very fast and simple.
On a Windows or Microsoft computer, you can simply double-click on the zipped file to access the compressed files.
If the folder contains multiple sizes, find the size of the design you wish to unzip. You'll find the size represented by the -1, -2, etc. in the product ID's folder name. (-1 will almost always be the largest.)
Then find the file format that’s compatible with your machine.
Copy and paste that file to the location where you want it, such as another folder on your computer, or a USB stick. Repeat for all design files that you wish to unzip.
After you’ve unzipped the files, you can transfer the embroidery design in your preferred format to your embroidery machine, and start stitching.
“Path is too long” error message
When downloading some products with multiple levels of folders within folders, if you try to open the design files directly from within the zipped folder, you may see a “Path is too long” error message.
To avoid this, instead of opening designs within the zip folder, copy and paste them to a new location such as another folder on your computer or a USB stick, and then open the design file from the new location.
