CMX to TCR Converter

CMX to TCR online — Psion eBook format free

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Psion Compatible

CMX to TCR creates compressed eBook content for Psion handheld devices and compatible reading applications.

Near-Instant

TCR files are extremely compact. CMX to TCR conversion finishes almost instantly on Convertio servers.

Any Platform

Access the converter from any browser on any OS. No Psion software or Corel tools required on your device.

How to convert CMX to TCR

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose tcr or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your tcr file right afterwards

About formats

CMX (Corel Presentation Exchange) is a vector graphics exchange format developed by Corel Corporation, introduced with CorelDRAW 5 in September 1994. Designed as a cross-application interchange format within the Corel product suite, CMX stores vector objects, text, bitmaps, and rendering attributes in a structure accessible to CorelDRAW, Corel PHOTO-PAINT, Corel Presentations, and other Corel applications without requiring each program to understand the full CDR native format. The format uses a chunk-based architecture that encodes geometric primitives, fill patterns, outline properties, and color definitions in a standardized way, supporting both 16-bit and 32-bit variants. CMX gained significance beyond the Corel ecosystem through its adoption by third-party applications and its role in clipart distribution — many vector art collections from the mid-to-late 1990s shipped in CMX format. One advantage is interoperability within design workflows: CMX provided a practical bridge for moving vector content between different Corel applications while preserving visual fidelity, gradients, and transparency attributes. The format's inclusion of both vector and bitmap data within a single file is another strength, allowing complex mixed-media illustrations to be exchanged as self-contained units. Microsoft also added CMX import support to some Office applications, expanding the format's reach. While modern Corel applications primarily use CDR for native work and export to SVG, PDF, or EPS for interchange, CMX files from the CorelDRAW era remain widely encountered in legacy asset libraries.
Developer: Corel Corporation
Initial release: 1994
TCR (Text Compression for Reader) is a compressed plain-text ebook format developed by Barry Childress in the early 1990s for the Psion Series 3 family of palmtop computers. The format was created for Childress's Reader3 application, a text file viewer that needed to fit large books into the Psion's extremely limited storage — typically 128 KB to 2 MB of available memory. TCR uses a dictionary-based compression scheme derived from the earlier ZVR format by Ian Giddings, replacing repeated byte sequences with single-byte tokens that reference a header dictionary. This straightforward approach achieves compression ratios of roughly 40-60% on typical English prose while requiring minimal CPU resources for decompression. The Psion Series 3 ran on a 3.84 MHz NEC V30 processor with no floating-point unit, so TCR's low computational overhead was essential for smooth page-by-page reading. A key advantage is remarkable storage efficiency for its simplicity — users could carry dozens of novels on removable SSD cards that held only a few hundred kilobytes. The format found a dedicated user community among Psion enthusiasts who built libraries of compressed literature for portable reading years before smartphones existed. Though the Psion platform faded from the market in the early 2000s, TCR files can still be opened and converted by modern ebook tools, and the format stands as an early example of purpose-built mobile reading technology from the pre-smartphone era.
Developer: Barry Childress
Initial release: 1993

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert CMX to TCR?

TCR is a compressed text format for Psion devices. Converting CMX to TCR creates compact eBook content for Psion and compatible readers.

What reads TCR files?

Psion handheld devices and Calibre can read TCR files. Some legacy PDA eBook applications also support the format.

Is TCR compressed?

Yes — TCR uses proprietary compression to reduce text file size, making it efficient for storage-limited Psion devices.

Is this free?

Basic CMX to TCR conversion is free on Convertio. Premium subscriptions provide more capacity.

How fast is it?

TCR files are tiny. Conversion from CMX is nearly instantaneous on cloud servers.