EPS to PICON Converter

Free EPS to PICON conversion — personal icon format

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Unix Icons

Transform EPS artwork into PICON — small, text-based icon images for X11 desktop environments and Unix applications.

No X11 Tools Needed

Create PICON files in your browser. No X Window utilities or Unix system required for the conversion itself.

Instant Results

Small icon rendering is fast. Your EPS to PICON conversion completes in seconds on cloud infrastructure.

How to convert EPS to PICON

1

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

2

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

3

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

About formats

EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) is a vector file format developed by Adobe Systems in collaboration with Aldus Corporation, first published in 1987. Built on Adobe's PostScript page description language, EPS wraps a self-contained PostScript program describing a single page of graphics — including vector paths, text, and embedded raster images — within a structured comment framework that provides bounding box coordinates and optional preview thumbnails. The encapsulation allows an EPS file to be placed into another document as a contained graphic element without interfering with the host document's PostScript code. For decades, EPS served as the universal exchange format in professional publishing, prepress, and print production, accepted by virtually every design, illustration, and page layout application across platforms. One key advantage is print-industry reliability — because EPS contains device-independent PostScript instructions, output is consistent across different RIPs, imagesetters, and printing presses. The format's cross-application compatibility is another strength: an EPS file created in Illustrator, CorelDRAW, or Inkscape can be placed in QuarkXPress, InDesign, or Word without requiring the originating application. While PDF has largely superseded EPS for modern workflows, the format remains widely used in stock illustration libraries, legacy publishing pipelines, and any context requiring a proven, universally supported vector exchange format.
Developer: Adobe Systems
Initial release: 1987
PICON (Personal Icon) is a small-format image type used in the X Window System ecosystem, developed by Steve Kinzler at Indiana University around 1990 as part of the picons (personal icons) database project. Picons are small, typically 48x48 pixel, color images used as visual identifiers for people, organizations, domains, and Usenet newsgroups in Unix mail readers, news readers, and other communication tools. The picon format is essentially an XPM (X PixMap) image stored with specific naming conventions and directory structures that allow software to look up the appropriate icon based on email address, domain name, or newsgroup name. The picons database organized thousands of these small images in a hierarchical directory structure keyed by domain name components (e.g., faces/com/example/user.xpm), enabling mail clients like exmstrstrstr and faces to automatically display a sender's photo or organizational logo alongside their messages. The system predated the modern concept of contact photos and avatars by more than a decade. One advantage is the system's pioneering role in visual identity for electronic communication: picons introduced the idea that email and Usenet messages should display a visual representation of the sender — a concept that eventually became standard in every modern email client, messaging app, and social media platform. The XPM-based format ensures that picons are displayable on any system with X Window libraries. Picon images are supported by ImageMagick, GIMP, and X Window display utilities, and the historical picons database remains archived online at Indiana University.
Developer: Steve Kinzler
Initial release: 1990

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I convert multiple EPS files to PICON at once?

Batch conversion is supported. Upload several EPS files simultaneously and each one converts to PICON independently in a single session.

What displays PICON files?

X Window System applications, ImageMagick, and Unix desktop environments that support XPM-derived icon formats can use PICON files.

Is PICON like XPM?

PICON is closely related to XPM — both are text-based icon formats used in X11 environments, but PICON targets smaller icon sizes.

Is EPS to PICON conversion free?

Convertio provides free EPS to PICON conversion. Premium plans expand file sizes and batch processing capacity.

Can I use PICON for application icons?

PICON works for small icons in Unix desktop environments. For modern cross-platform icons, consider ICO or PNG instead.