I saved it in the es2006 emb format. this is the only way it would work with the pes format so that the machine reconized the design

I have been very frustrated with Wilcom's Deco Studio with regard to .PES files.  I bought Brother's PE Design 7 and tried to open embroidery files from the Wilcom program and it DOES NOT recognize any file saved in the .PES format with the single exception of a tiny file saved in .PES Ver. 1.  It is not true that Deco Studio automatically saves a .PES file in any format.  The first time you designate .PES after clicking "Save As" a table of the Version 1-6 comes up and you choose which one to save your design in.  I also found that the .PES  machine (I'm using Brother 700PEII) won't read Wilcom files saved as .PES files in any version except one, but you have to have a very tiny file for it to be able to read it.  Usually, saving in Ver. 1 winds up splitting a file into three parts:  a- b- and c-.  If these were usable, it might be OK to download the a- file, stitch it, then download the -b file and stitch it; however, the -b and -c files are not aligned in any predictable manner that I can discern.  A file is saved in each of the .PES formats, but my machine and my software cannot read them--the message "Unexpected File Format" comes back every time.

I have found ONE way to use a file I create in Wilcom Deco Studio with my Brother machine and software.  I have to save the file in Tajima format = .DST.  When I open the file in PE Design 7 (having first to specify the .DST format), it opens my design, but the colors are all messed up.  There is a way to work around this by printing out the original file color changes and using that as the guide because, despite the fact that Wilcom does not seem to be able to save the colors you used in the .PES format, it at least saves the colors in the exact order in which they are sewn.  I tried to use the other Brother product, PED-BASIC, to write a Wilcom Deco Studio pattern to my machine, but it will not recognize any .PES file written by Deco Studio, nor will it recognize the .DST.  Once I have opened a Deco Studio .DST file in PE Design 7, I can save it as a .PES file that both PED-BASIC and my machine (through usb connection) can read.  This tells me that the problem is in the Wilcom programming when it attempts to convert the file to the .PES format.

Fortunately for me, machine embroidery is a hobby and not a business.  If I were selling my designs and trying to convert them to usable formats for customers, I would not use Deco Studio because it cannot write a .PES file, period.  I have notified the company about this problem (over a month ago) and I got back a response to call someone at the company's support at my expense.  No thanks.  I did, again, notify them that I have proven beyond all doubt that the problem is with their program and will let you know if they ever answer that email.

Hi Sharon,

DecoStudio and ES both have the Madeira Rayon Classic 40 thread chart you are referring to. It is called "Madeira Classic 40". At this point in time metalic and multi-color threads are not available as standard.

As Delfius noted you can make your own thread charts by clicking on Color Palette Editor icon > Thread Charts > Modify.

Here you can make a New chart, edit an existing, or make your own based off a previous chart.

IE, it is common someone has a few from Maderia, a few from Sulky, Royal, etc. You can "Copy From" other charts and build your own. (See image below).

EmbroideryStartup is available as a free public to discuss embroidery topics such as Wilcom, Pulse and other software. So even if you are not a business owner you can use this site as much as you want!

Thanks, Brenden.  I was about 1/3rd of the way through making a Madiera Rayon 40 palette when I noticed your post.  I have found a Madeira Pantone equivalent chart that will work for some of these to get a closer on-screen color to match the thread, and I've already made Brother-numbered equivalent charts for Madeira Polyneon 40, Madeira Rayon 40, Robinson-Anton (which makes thread cones using the Brother coding system under the name "Pacesetter").   I've had some really interesting and unique results using the multi-colored threads, especially when trying to simulate something in nature.  I guess these would be difficult to actually program because they are variable in unpredictable ways.  Sharon