The PCL (Printer Command Language) format was first used in the 1980s by Hewlett-Packard inkjet printers for creating digital copies of printed documents and developed in time as an industry standard. It now continues to be used by various models of printers, including laser-jets. Files with this extension are somewhat similar with PostScript (PS), though they offer less features and are more difficult to open.
Professional photographers or image editors often have mixed feelings about the use of JPG. On the one hand, they like this format because it doesn’t take too much space, it is easily compatible with any image viewer you can think of, on any type of device (including smartphones, tablets etc.), and it is the default format used by all image sharing websites, from Google to Facebook.
STL is an extension attached to 3D images that use Stereolitography, a technology for creating prototypes or patterns through 3D printing. STL files contain a surface representation of such models and are created using computer-aided design software. There are only a few programs that can open STL files, so for improving accessibility the best option is to convert STLs to more popular extensions, including PDF, CAD document or other vector formats.
While most people describe SVG as a vector format containing vectors, animations or interactive graphics and supported by the largest part of web browsers, few know that SVGs can also store raster images. And the best part is that these raster images can handle alpha-channel and JPEG compression, which makes SVG a great alternative for the larger-sized PNG.
SVG is also a better alternative than WebP, JPEG2000 or JPEG-XR when it comes to web programming, as it is supported by Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer 9+ and Firefox — thus covering all major browsers.
If you are a software developer who is trying to design a program that, among others, can deliver PDF conversion, reaConverter Pro is just what you need. Through its advanced feature that allows it to be operated through the command-line interface, reaConverter will easily integrate into the custom solution that meets the needs of your program’s client.
AutoCAD is one of the most popular programs used by architects, engineers and other professionals in the design and construction industries for delivering computer-aided design and drafting. In case you are one of its users, you may have come across DXF (Drawing Interchange Format) files — a format introduced in the 1980s for increasing the interoperability of AutoCAD files. DXF files were meant to reproduce DWG files and had subsequent releases in the following years.
In case you found or were sent a DXF file but do not have AutoCAD installed and you don’t know how to open it, conversion to PDF is the best option. It only takes a few clicks with reaConverter.
PSD (“Photoshop Document”) is one of the most popular formats for graphic design works and it’s the proprietary format of Adobe Photoshop. Most people love it because it can store image layers, transparencies and duotones, among others. However, once you’re done with creating or editing your image, storing it or transferring it in PSD format can bring up several difficulties.
Adobe Illustrator has a lot of fans among graphic designers and a great ranking between other programs used for creating and editing vector graphics. If you are one of those fans, you probably use AI files a lot, since this is the native format for Illustrator. The AI extension is great to use for vector-based drawings when you have Adobe Illustrator installed on all the computers on which you plan to open and handle these image files. There are also a few other programs that support the AI format, including Adobe Reader, Corel Draw and Adobe InDesign.
