Save editable chart backups: ThreadChart JSON, PDF and OXS explained
Keep an editable ThreadChart project, a readable chart, and the original source; understand what OXS compatibility does and does not mean.
A finished-looking image is not the same as an editable chart backup. Keep the stitch data, the readable chart and the source photograph as separate files. Each serves a different purpose: the project allows later editing, the PDF helps you stitch, and the photograph lets you reconsider the crop or conversion settings.
Use the editable format for the right application
ThreadChart exports and imports its own JSON project files. JSON is a structured text format, but that does not make the project compatible with every cross-stitch program. Treat a ThreadChart project as an editable backup for ThreadChart. Renaming its extension to OXS, PDF or another program's project extension does not convert the contents.
Save the project after your initial conversion, after substantial cleanup, and when you choose the final palette. Include a meaningful title and version in the filename. A name such as pet-portrait-120w-v03 is easier to identify than download-final-final. Keep earlier versions until you have checked the newest one.
Why a PDF or preview is not enough
A PDF preserves the chart layout for reading and printing. A PNG preview preserves an image; an SVG preserves a scalable graphic. Those exports do not necessarily contain the editable stitch and palette structure that the application's importer requires. Keep them as useful companion files, not as substitutes for the JSON project.
For a 120 by 160 grid, the project represents 19,200 cell positions, plus the palette and relevant settings. A screenshot may show those positions visually, but recovering every symbol and color from that screenshot would be a separate reconstruction task. Saving the editable data now avoids that unnecessary work later.
Understand OXS before planning a transfer
OXS is the Open Cross Stitch interchange format documented by Ursa Software. Its specification describes XML records for chart properties, palettes and stitch information. Compatibility still depends on what the exporting and importing programs implement. Shared basic stitch data does not guarantee identical fonts, symbols, page layouts or application-specific features.
This release of ThreadChart does not export OXS. If you need to move a design into another stitching application, confirm the actual formats that both tools support before investing in a large project. Do not assume that because two files are readable text, one application can open the other application's data.
Make and test a practical backup
- Export the latest ThreadChart JSON project.
- Save a PDF chart with its current legend and an image preview.
- Keep the original photograph and a short note of fabric and strand choices.
- Copy the folder to a second location you control.
- Reopen the exported project and compare dimensions, colors and several edited cells.
Perform the reopening test before depending on the backup. Check a distinctive manual edit rather than only the general appearance. If you changed an eye highlight or erased a background patch, confirm that exact change survived the export and import. Also confirm that the saved file is not empty and that you know which folder received it.
Browser autosave is convenient, but it is not a substitute for a downloaded backup. Clearing site data, using a different browser profile or losing access to a device can separate you from browser-local work. On a shared device, store sensitive photographs and projects only where you are comfortable leaving them.
For an important project, keep a small text note listing the tool, save date, version name, chart dimensions and chosen fabric. You should be able to understand the folder months later without remembering which browser tab you used.