FIG to TCR Converter

Free FIG to TCR — ready for any e-reader

Choose Files

Drop files here. 1 GB maximum file size or Sign Up

Clean Output

FIG to TCR conversion produces tidy, well-formed files. Convertio optimizes the output for practical use.

Zero Setup

The converter works out of the box — open any browser, upload, convert. No installs, no configuration, no hassle.

Batch Conversion

Upload multiple FIG files and convert them all at once. Batch processing saves time when you have several drawings.

How to convert FIG to TCR

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

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

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

About formats

FIG is the native file format of Xfig, a free vector graphics editor for the X Window System, originally written by Supoj Sutanthavibul at the University of Texas at Austin in 1985. The format uses a plain-text structure where each graphic object is described on one or more lines with numeric parameters specifying object type, coordinates, line properties, fill attributes, and depth ordering. FIG supports compound objects (groups), polylines, polygons, splines, arcs, ellipses, text strings, and imported bitmaps, each with configurable colors, line styles, arrow heads, and area fills. Files begin with a header line declaring the format version (currently 3.2), followed by a resolution specification and the object definitions. One advantage is exceptional simplicity — the entirely text-based format is trivially parsed, generated, and manipulated by scripts, making FIG popular as an intermediate format in automated diagram generation pipelines. The rich ecosystem of conversion tools is another strength: fig2dev exports FIG files to dozens of output formats including EPS, PDF, SVG, LaTeX picture environments, PSTricks, and TikZ. This made Xfig and FIG especially popular in academic and scientific communities, where authors generate publication-quality figures that integrate seamlessly with LaTeX documents. While graphical tools have evolved since the 1980s, FIG remains in use among researchers who value its scriptability, LaTeX integration, and well-documented format stability.

Developer: Supoj Sutanthavibul

Initial release: 1985

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 FIG to TCR?

Need to distribute FIG drawings as readable content? TCR is a lightweight format supported by Calibre and legacy PDA readers.

What programs open TCR files?

You can open TCR files with Calibre, Psion devices, and legacy PDA e-book readers that support TCR encoding.

How many FIG files can I convert at once?

You can upload and convert multiple FIG files in one session. Batch conversion processes all files simultaneously.

Do I need to know FIG format details to convert?

Not at all. Just upload your FIG file, select TCR, and Convertio handles the technical details automatically.

Do I need to install anything for FIG to TCR?

No — the converter runs entirely in your browser. No downloads, plugins, or extensions are needed for the conversion.

Does Convertio support FIG files from all Xfig versions?

Convertio handles standard FIG format files. Most Xfig versions produce compatible output that converts cleanly.

Related Conversions

FIG to JPG

FIG to PDF

FIG to PNG

FIG to EPS

FIG to SVG

FIG to JPEG

FIG to BMP

FIG to PSD

FIG to DOC

FIG to GIF

FIG to DXF

FIG to DOCX

FIG to TIFF

FIG to AI

FIG to EMF

FIG to HTML

FIG to ODT

FIG to WMF

FIG to PCX

FIG to SGI

FIG to SK

FIG to OTB

FIG to DOT

FIG to RGB

FIG to PS

FIG to CGM

FIG to SK1

FIG to PLT

FIG to JP2

FIG to WBMP

FIG to TGA

FIG to ICO

FIG to CUR

FIG to PBM

FIG to PGM

FIG to PPM

FIG to WEBP

FIG to EXR

FIG to FAX

FIG to FTS

FIG to G3

FIG to HDR

FIG to HRZ

FIG to IPL

FIG to MAP

FIG to MNG

FIG to MTV

FIG to PAL

FIG to PALM

FIG to PAM

FIG to PCD

FIG to PCT

FIG to PDB

FIG to PFM

FIG to PICON

FIG to PICT

FIG to PNM

FIG to RAS

FIG to RGBA

FIG to RGBO

Specific converters

PDF to TCR

DOCX to TCR

JPG to TCR

EPUB to TCR

TXT to TCR

DOC to TCR

PNG to TCR

PPTX to TCR

HTML to TCR

FB2 to TCR

MOBI to TCR

XLSX to TCR

AZW3 to TCR

WEBP to TCR

GIF to TCR

JPEG to TCR

RTF to TCR

PPT to TCR

SNB to TCR

ODT to TCR

DXF to TCR

DJVU to TCR

EPS to TCR

PPS to TCR

BMP to TCR

CDR to TCR

AI to TCR

ICO to TCR

DST to TCR

LRF to TCR