<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<PRONOM-Report xmlns="http://pronom.nationalarchives.gov.uk">
  <report_format_detail>
    <FileFormat>
      <FormatID>625</FormatID>
      <FormatName>PCX</FormatName>
      <FormatVersion>5</FormatVersion>
      <FormatAliases>ZSoft PC Paintbrush Bitmap (5)</FormatAliases>
      <FormatFamilies>
      </FormatFamilies>
      <FormatTypes>Image (Raster)</FormatTypes>
      <FormatDisclosure>
      </FormatDisclosure>
      <FormatDescription>PCX (Personal Computer eXchange) is a type of lossless bitmap image format first released in 1985 and last updated in 1991. This record describes the fifth and final version of the format released in 1991. PCX was a popular format among users of MS-DOS operating system and other IBM PC compatibles. It is native image file format for DOS-based program PC Paintbrush from ZSoft Corporation. PC Paintbrush was licensed to Microsoft and evolved into the Paint/Paintbrush application included with Windows operating system. The versions of Windows 3.0 through Windows 95, support the PCX format. The format has since been succeeded by other lossless image formats, such as GIF, BMP, JPEG, and PNG.</FormatDescription>
      <BinaryFileFormat>Binary</BinaryFileFormat>
      <ByteOrders>Little-endian (Intel)</ByteOrders>
      <ReleaseDate>
      </ReleaseDate>
      <WithdrawnDate>
      </WithdrawnDate>
      <ProvenanceSourceID>1</ProvenanceSourceID>
      <ProvenanceName>Digital Preservation Department / The National Archives</ProvenanceName>
      <ProvenanceSourceDate>11 Mar 2005</ProvenanceSourceDate>
      <ProvenanceDescription>
      </ProvenanceDescription>
      <LastUpdatedDate>29 Apr 2022</LastUpdatedDate>
      <FormatNote>https://web.archive.org/web/20150424232312/http://web.archive.org/web/20100206055706/http://www.qzx.com/pc-gpe/pcx.txt

http://formats.kaitai.io/pcx/index.html

http://fileformats.archiveteam.org/wiki/PCX</FormatNote>
      <FormatRisk>
      </FormatRisk>
      <TechnicalEnvironment>
      </TechnicalEnvironment>
      <FileFormatIdentifier>
        <Identifier>fmt/90</Identifier>
        <IdentifierType>PUID</IdentifierType>
      </FileFormatIdentifier>
      <FileFormatIdentifier>
        <Identifier>image/vnd.zbrush.pcx</Identifier>
        <IdentifierType>MIME</IdentifierType>
      </FileFormatIdentifier>
      <ExternalSignature>
        <ExternalSignatureID>697</ExternalSignatureID>
        <Signature>pcx</Signature>
        <SignatureType>File extension</SignatureType>
      </ExternalSignature>
      <ExternalSignature>
        <ExternalSignatureID>3100</ExternalSignatureID>
        <Signature>pcc</Signature>
        <SignatureType>File extension</SignatureType>
      </ExternalSignature>
      <InternalSignature>
        <SignatureID>61</SignatureID>
        <SignatureName>PCX 5</SignatureName>
        <SignatureNote>BOF; Offset: 0; Magic Bytes: 0x0A0501</SignatureNote>
        <ByteSequence>
          <ByteSequenceID>163</ByteSequenceID>
          <PositionType>Absolute from BOF</PositionType>
          <Offset>0</Offset>
          <MaxOffset>0</MaxOffset>
          <IndirectOffsetLocation>
          </IndirectOffsetLocation>
          <IndirectOffsetLength>
          </IndirectOffsetLength>
          <Endianness>
          </Endianness>
          <ByteSequenceValue>0A0501</ByteSequenceValue>
        </ByteSequence>
      </InternalSignature>
      <RelatedFormat>
        <RelationshipType>Has priority over</RelationshipType>
        <RelatedFormatID>687</RelatedFormatID>
        <RelatedFormatName>MPEG 1/2 Audio Layer 3</RelatedFormatName>
        <RelatedFormatVersion>
        </RelatedFormatVersion>
      </RelatedFormat>
      <RelatedFormat>
        <RelationshipType>Is subsequent version of</RelationshipType>
        <RelatedFormatID>624</RelatedFormatID>
        <RelatedFormatName>PCX</RelatedFormatName>
        <RelatedFormatVersion>4</RelatedFormatVersion>
      </RelatedFormat>
      <CompressionType>
        <CompressionID>13</CompressionID>
        <CompressionName>Run Length Encoding</CompressionName>
        <CompressionVersion>
        </CompressionVersion>
        <CompressionAliases>RLE</CompressionAliases>
        <CompressionFamilies>
        </CompressionFamilies>
        <Description>Run length encoding (RLE) is perhaps the simplest image compression technique in common use. RLE algorithms are lossless, and work by searching for runs of bits, bytes, or pixels of the same value, and encoding the length and value of the run. As such, RLE achieves best results with images containing large areas of contiguous colour, and especially monochrome images. Complex colour images, such as photographs, do not compress well – in some cases, RLE can actually increase the file size. There are a number of RLE variants in common use, which are encountered in the TIFF, PCX and BMP graphics formats.</Description>
        <Lossiness>Lossless</Lossiness>
        <ReleaseDate>
        </ReleaseDate>
        <WithdrawnDate>
        </WithdrawnDate>
        <CompressionDocumentation>
        </CompressionDocumentation>
        <CompressionIPR>
        </CompressionIPR>
        <CompressionNote>
        </CompressionNote>
        <CompressionIdentifier>
          <Identifier>x-cmp/13</Identifier>
          <IdentifierType>PUID</IdentifierType>
        </CompressionIdentifier>
      </CompressionType>
    </FileFormat>
    <SearchCriteria>Criteria</SearchCriteria>
  </report_format_detail>
</PRONOM-Report>
