PCX file format
| Extension | .pcx |
| Category | images |
| Programs | Adobe Photoshop Microsoft Paint Windows Picture and Fax Viewer |
| Description | The PCX file format was developed by ZSoft Corporation, with the first release of the .pcx extension entering the public domain in 1985. PCX stands for PiCture eXchange, and it was the first file format to support bitmap images. During its heyday, PCX was the go-to format on computers running DOS and Windows operating systems. However, the popularity of the PCX format has waned in favor of more modern and standard image formats like JPG, PNG, and GIF. The most recent release of the PCX file format was in 1991, and as a result, the decline in its usage has unfortunately left ZSoft Corp in a state of dormancy. |
| Technical details | As the first of its kind, the PCX format was widely used during its peak, mainly because of its support for bitmap images. A standard PCX file consists of three primary components: a 128-byte header, the actual image data, and a 256-color palette to ensure vibrant display. One of the reasons PCX was popular for pictures in the 1980s was its low processing power requirement for data compression. Given the limited processing power of PCs at the time, PCX helped conserve resources for other essential tasks. |
| MIME type | application/pcx application/x-pcx image/pcx image/x-pc-paintbrush image/x-pcx zz-application/zz-winassoc-pcx application/octet-stream |