File Types Explained

Below is a list of file type abbreviations and their purposes:

  • .doc - used by Microsoft Word 2003. Most common and widely used document type. Can read Braille.
  • .docx - used by Microsoft Word 2007. Similar to .doc but also accommodates new features. Cannot read Braille.
  • .pdf - Stands for Portable Document Format. Can be viewed by any computer with Adobe Acrobat.
  • .ppt - used by Microsoft PowerPoint 97-2003. Creates a powerpoint file.
  • .pptx - used by Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 and above. Creates a powerpoint file but also accomodates new features.
  • .txt - plain text file that is easily read by any word processor.
  • .xml - Stands for EXtensible Markup Language, similar to HTML. Designed to be self-descriptive carry data, not display data.
  • .html - Stands for HyperText Markup Language. Used to write up a web page, and can also be used to embed Javascript and CSS. Sometimes abbreviated as .htm for compatibility with older operating systems.
  • .htm - A file extension for HTML file format.
  • .rtf - Stands for Rich Text Format. Developed to preserve formatting such as italics, underlines, indentations, etc. Works with all word processor.
  • .epub - A file that has been created by programs that use the Open eBook XML file format. Consists of a ZIP file that contains the eBook and an XML file that describes the contents of the ZIP file.
  • .mobi - Most commonly contain digital eBooks that are in the Mobipocket binary eBook format. Supports standard HTML. May contain DRM copyright protection features (meaning unauthorized users can't view or copy the eBook).
  • .tiff - Stands for Tagged Image File Format. Works in almost any program. Produces higher quality images than JPG or PNG. Widely used with invoices, letterheads, page layouts. Also known as a TIF file.
  • .tif - Also known as a TIFF file.
  • .gif - Stands for Graphics Interchange Format. Commonly used for web page graphics.Best for images that contain simple shapes, limited colors (max of 256 colors), text, etc.
  • .jpg - An image file that is best used for web-based designs because they load quickly when the image is compressed. Images lose some quality though.
  • .bmp - Also known as bitmap image file. Often used for printable images since BMP format stores color data without any compression (which also means large storage files).
  • .pcx - One of the original bitmap file formats used in Windows and DOS, but largely replace by PNG, GIF, and JPG. Stores Paintbrush bitmap graphics developed by Zsoft.
  • .dcx - A file extension for a bitmap file format used by Multipage PCX. Used by some software to send multi-page faxes.
  • .j2k - Stands for JPEG - 2000 JP2 File. Just another version of the JPG file format.
  • .jp2 - Stores compressed bitmap images using JPEG2000 Core Coding program. Better quality and smaller file size than JPG image files.
  • .jpx - Identical to JP2 files.
  • .djv - Used to store scanned documents that have a combination of text, line drawings, and images. An alternative to PDF.
  • .asc - Script files written in the ActionScript programming language. The ASC files can be created by the Adobe Media Encoder or Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder.