Nan, you will find the most common formats included in my designs, including VP3.

So many formats because there are so many different machines out there. Each machine uses their own format. Hope that helps Suzanne

I have just realised that vp3 is not one of the format you can download in Designs by cuties. Wonder why?

No not VP3... I am being funny. Unfortuately the makers of the machines like to mix things up so that we can not share and their products need to be replaced. Both that you chose are from Husqvarana who has a few others. Hus you know, .shv you probably do not, however it is most important to anyone who uses a designer I. There is some rhyme or reason, we are just not privy to it. Live Laugh Download Stitch!

They are there because someone uses them. I use pes, but download vip most of the time since it uses Sulky as the thread base, which has MANY more colors than the brother color pallet, and the design itself shows up closer to the originally seen design. I just convert over to pes when I need to use it. Eventually you will come to recognize what machines use what formats. Why wish away convenience for someone else?

And sure as shooting if we digitisers don't include those other formats, we will have another post complaining that we never include the less common formats.
We just can't win!!!!

I usually download in all formats but once on the desktop, I drag the ones I can not use to the TRASH folder and delete. Sometimes(according to the design size) I have to download a design in HUS or JEF and when I get it to the desktop change it to PES so I can sew it. I have Smart Sizer Gold and have found over the yrs that even if I can change it from one of these formats that I can not sew to PES, sometimes the quility is terrible so I usually take a scrap piece of material and check the quality of the stitches before I put it on something I would hate to mess up! I also have a Singer XL 1000(my 1st Emb machine) that I can only use a memory card to embroider. It has a beautiful stitch but rarely ever use it. I am afraid to sell it because my reg. sewing machine is sooo old and I know that if I sell the Singer, my reg machine will die. At least I can use the Singer as a regular sewing machine and not have to purchase another when the one that came off of Noah's Ark finally dies. My Serger is sitting off to the side right now because it has 2 broken needles that I need to replace. I am too blind to change them without having a nervous break-down so am waiting for my son to come and change them. I HATE to have to deal with the problems of a serger but use it constantly until it has to to have a needle change. I broke those 2 needles when working on a blanket and found I was out of needles. By the time I remembered to buy some, I was out of the mood to get it running again. Heat index today is 110 degrees so I really have had no use for a blanket in the last few months! It is time to change my contacts/glasses but I also have cataracts and am told it is not time to do the surgery just yet. Glasses/contacts do not do a great job when there are other problems!!! The surgery scares me to think about it but understand it is not that bad. Right now, it is just a waiting game.
When I had my craft store, I had a lady that brought in her quilts that was lagally blind. They were beautiful so if she can see to do her quilts, I am hoping that I will be okay after the surgery on my eyes. She could not drive but her work was perfect! I have always heard that "where there is a will, there is a way"!
Some of us have several machines and they use different formats so I am glad that these designers do post several formats. I can also convert DST but have found that the colors are terrible when you do it. Every color on a converted DST design has to be changed. That is what the Chinese Site that we all found so many yrs ago uses. They have thousands of free designs but I have to really need one of them badly to use a converted DST.

some members have machines that use those obscure formats and it would be a bit hard on them if they were left out of the fun.
simply download and then delete the formats you do not want. after all they are free for all.
My one machine uses VP3 so i have to download in another format and then convert to the one i need.
most times you can choose the format you want so be kind to those who can't and let us all enjoy the fun

On rare occasion, one format won't open in my software or will have some sort of problem. If I open in a different format, the design will be fine. Then I can convert to the format I need. Also, if there is no picture of the design in a download, the colors may be all wonky in my format. If I open the design in a different format, the colors may be correct and I can work from there.

I appreciate the fact that most digitizers are willing to go to the trouble of doing formats that are most used but also ones for the people who have rare formats. Maybe you haven't heard of them but apparently some people need them. I doesn't hurt me to pick my format from the ones listed. Personally, I have never heard of VP3 or VIP.

My first machine was a janome (better should say still is ;o) and needs jef; my second one is a brother and needs pes. I love it when digitizers do the work for all of us and post many formats.
Although like embroiderypages that offers multiformat or the possibility to change the format and dl again (like emblibrary or Urban Threads) or dl more than one format like SICK.
Like Debra said: You can't make everyone happy :o)
Greetings, Bettina

looks like you have alot of answers here

you can please some people some of the time, but can never please all the people all the time

It's simple: many different formats for many different machines. hugs, Gerry

Many do not have software that can chg the format to the one they need, so the digitizers are really going the second mile for us! I personally really appreciate it & it doesn't take but a min. to see mine, drag it out of the folder into one I made & delete the rest. I hope they continue to help us all out! And tks to all you gals that can digitize!!

this one is in special for Meganne: don't go on like this with the head banging. This dog did and still has a headache:

I admire the digitisers and am grateful for the various formats that they take time to do for us. I would not change anything. It is the least to choose my own format from the list. **

Ok, I'm not sure I ever heard of anyone complaining about having too MANY choices before. All the formats are there because someone uses each one of them. I've personally found that the designs come out better sometimes when the digitizer her/himself converts the native digitizing program format into the machine formats, rather than converting after the fact. I have digitizing software, and if I can't download JEF, my format, then I will download HUS because my software doesn't convert PES to JEF very well. Janome software will also not convert nor save in ART, and Bernina software will not save in nor convert to JEF, due to exclusivity rights each company required of Wilcom, the software designer. So those digitizers who thoughtfully provide both JEF and ART have to have more than one software package to save in those formats. There's a whole lot more to it than I think you realize. Some of those machine formats are for multi-head commercial machines, which some home embroiderers do have, and some are formats for the newer machines which are coming out, like Bernina's ART3 and ART4; why would you wish to leave out people who have the older machines? While designs can often converted 'up', sometimes they can't be converted 'down'. If the digitizers who sell and/or give away their designs are willing to include every format they can so that the designs can be used by the most people possible, why would this be a problem? It doesn't add to the cost of the design, or take up internet space to allow everyone a choice. I am deeply grateful to the digitizers who give me the greatest choice possible, and the same choice to people with older or more obscure machines. It's hardly a problem to click on my format to download, or to unzip only my format out of a zip file. I don't understand why you would want to eliminate choices for people, especially since the digitizers are kind enough to give us all the choices they can. I, along with many others I see, am very grateful for the choices, and to the digitizers, a big thank you! Marji

Well that one certainly got a few talking -and on embroidery, so well done! If I'm downloading a design other than my own, .jef, then I often choose .hus as the file size is smaller to store. For some this can be an issue.

Maybe we misunderstood you. Did you mean that you wish each machine or software manufacturer would merge their many formats into *their own* most used one?

I see that everyone has said what I am about to say. I include all of the formats I can convert to including VP3 so that people who need the format can get it.