Supported File Types
BMP, DIB, RLE: Windows Bitmaps This is the standard bitmap format supported by Microsoft Windows.
CDR, PAT, BMF, CMX: CorelDRAW and CorelGALLERY If sending us vector artwork in Corel format, ensure you select any text and click on “arrange” “convert to curves”” before saving. Alternatively, send us a copy of any fonts employed in your artwork.
CGM: Computer Graphics Metafile CGM files are vector graphic files
useful as clipart. They scale well, and have the distinction of being
the only ANSI standard graphic format. There are many flavors of CGM
files we can accept the most popular ones for PCs (binary encoding),
with the following limitations:
· Embedded cell arrays (bitmaps) are
not supported.
· New (version 3) extensions, such as Bézier curves,
are not supported.
· Font support is incomplete (but much improved in
3.0e)
· Rotated (non-orthogonal) ellipses and elliptical arcs are not
correctly rendered.
· Hatches are rendered with the closest hatching
format available from Windows.
DXF: AutoCADTM Exchange Format The DXF format is defined by AutoDesk, and is the format used for exchanging AutoCAD and other CAD system files. As opposed to the DWG format, which is proprietary and constantly changing, the DXF format is published and relatively stable. EPS: Encapsulated Postscript EPS files are Postscript language files, created for Postscript printers. We have limited success with .eps files from clients – best to keep any vector artwork in the native CorelDraw or Illustrator format.
GIF: CompuServe GIF CompuServe, an on-line service, developed the GIF format to provide good file compression and relatively fast decompression speed. GIF is a very popular format for online services, but is limited to a maximum of 256 colors. Two standards have been developed: 87a and 89a. We can accept images with the 87a standard, and can view much of the 89a standard, including multiple images (GIF animations), text blocks and input extensions.
ICO: Windows Icons The files are used for creating icons for display in Windows Explorer. We can produce these for you when ordering a logo font.
JPG, JIF, JFI: JPEG (JFIF) Files J6I: Ricoh camera (JPEG with header) The JPEG format was developed to provide a high degree of compression for images. It is a “lossy” compression method, meaning that some color information from the original is lost. JPEG is generally appropriate for photographed or scanned images, and works best for 24-bit sources. JPEG is generally inappropriate for any type of line-drawn art. If scanning a signature or logo for us, please save as a .gif file instead. For signatures, use 2 color (black and white) scanning with a resolution of at least 300 dpi.
J2K, JP2: JPEG 2000 files JPEG 2000 is a standard file format for image compression produced by the ISO which defines a set of lossless (bit-preserving) and lossy compression methods for coding continous-tone, bi-level, gray scale, or color digital still images. Why another image format? JPEG 2000 delivers a high degree of control of quality while yielding excellent compression results.
PCT, PICT: Macintosh PICT format The PICT format is the Macintosh’s native drawing format (similar to WMF on Windows). ThumbsPlus supports version 1, version 2 and version 2 extended formats. Vector (drawing) commands are handled as well as images. When ThumbsPlus recognizes that a PICT file has only raster information, the file is loaded as a bitmap; otherwise, it is loaded as a metafile. There are some commands in PICT files that are not handled, or not supported completely. We will continue to improve support for PICT over the next few releases.
PCX, PCC: ZSoft Picture PCX and PCC files are a fairly early PC graphic format, which has been extended over the years to support more and varied color depths. PCX files may or may not be compressed;
PNG: PiNG format PNG files are based a new graphics specification that provides for excellent lossless compression without any patented technology. Unlike GIF, which requires royalties to Unisys Corp., PNG is royalty free.
PSD, PDD: Adobe Photoshop PSD files are the native format used by Adobe Photoshop. There are various “flavors” of PSD files; We can read most of them (as of Photoshop 6.0), with the following known limitations: · Only the first channel of multi-channel PSD files can be loaded (as grayscale). · Duotone files are loaded as grayscale. Supported File Types 62 Version 3 and 4 Photoshop files are viewed and thumbnailed as they were last viewed in Photoshop. Version 2.5 compatibility mode must be set in Photoshop when saving the files (Photoshop’s menu: File | Preferences | General | More). Setting compatibility mode does not eliminate the availability of any version 3, 4 or 5 features, but makes the files somewhat larger (to accommodate the extra image information). In Photoshop 5.0, the option has been renamed Include Composited Image with Layered Files, and is in File | Preferences | Saving Files.
TIF: Tagged Image File Format Several
companies developed the Tagged Image Format, including Aldus and
Silicon Graphics, to be the be-all and end-all of image file formats.
Because of its scope and extensibility, it is an extremely complex
format that no single product can support completely. The known TIFF
formats not currently accessible by us are:
· Images with
proprietary color formats.
· Alpha channels (extra samples) are
discarded when reading. The following compression methods and
special-interest formats are supported:
· Multi-image TIFFs (Using
the paging selections on the Edit menu selections, ThumbsPlus can view
any of the images in a multi-image TIFF file, and can split the pages
into separate files.)
· Tiled TIFFs
· CCITT RLE, Group 3, and Group
4 Fax compression
· Packbits, Thunderscan and Next compression · LZW
compression
· Motorola (MM) format
· JPEG compression (post TIFF 6.0
format)
· ZIP “deflate” mode compression
· CMYK TIFFs · CIE
L*a*b colorspace TIFF files
· 16-bit grayscale and 48-bit color TIFF
files ThumbsPlus writes uncompressed TIFFs, or compressed via CCITT
Group 3 or 4 FAX, Packbits, JPEG, ZIP, or LZW. IPTC/NAA information,
stored by Adobe Photoshop and other software, can be extracted from
TIFF files
TTF, TTR: TrueType fonts
WMF, MF: Windows Metafile. The Windows Metafile format is the standard Windows format for storing vector and metafile graphics. It is quite powerful, as anything that can be drawn on the screen or printed on a printer can be stored in a metafile. It does, however, lack several rather rudimentary graphics primitives, such as Bézier curves and nonorthogonal ellipses.
Thanks go out to the staff at Cerious Software, makers of ThumbsPlus, for permission to reproduce portions of their graphic format definitions.
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