PCX to PS Converter

PCX to PS vector conversion — online and free

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Cross-Platform

Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. Convert PCX to PS from whichever device you have at hand — no restrictions.

Browser-Based

No software to download or install. The entire PCX to PS conversion runs in your web browser — open the page and start converting.

Batch Convert

Have multiple PCX files? Upload them all at once and convert the entire batch to PS in a single session — saves significant time.

How to convert PCX to PS

1

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

2

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

3

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

About formats

PCX (PiCture eXchange) is a raster image format created by ZSoft Corporation in 1985 as the native format of their PC Paintbrush application, one of the first painting programs for IBM PC compatibles. The format uses a simple run-length encoding (RLE) compression scheme that works by replacing consecutive identical pixel values with a count-value pair, achieving modest compression on images with large areas of uniform color. A PCX file consists of a 128-byte header (specifying dimensions, color depth, palette information, DPI, and encoding method), the RLE-compressed pixel data organized in scan-line order, and an optional 256-color palette appended after the image data. The format evolved through several versions supporting increasing color depths: 1-bit monochrome, 4-bit (16 colors), 8-bit (256 colors), and 24-bit true color using multiple color planes. PCX became one of the most popular image formats during the DOS era, widely supported by paint programs, word processors, desktop publishers, and early games throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. One advantage was broad DOS-era software compatibility — PCX served as a practical interchange format when competing programs used proprietary raster formats. The simplicity of RLE decoding is another strength, requiring minimal CPU and memory resources ideal for the hardware of that period. While PNG, JPEG, and other modern formats have replaced PCX in contemporary use, the format remains encountered in legacy archives and retro computing contexts.
Developer: ZSoft Corporation
Initial release: 1985
PS is the standard extension for files written in PostScript, the page description language created by Adobe Systems and first shipped in 1984 with the Apple LaserWriter. A PostScript file is a complete program that describes the precise appearance of a page — text, vector graphics, curves, fills, and even embedded raster images — using a stack-based interpreted language with full programming constructs. When sent to a PostScript-compatible printer or interpreter (such as Ghostscript), the program executes and produces rendered output. PostScript introduced cubic Bezier curves as the standard representation for smooth outlines, a mathematical model that became the foundation for virtually all subsequent vector graphics and font technology including PDF, SVG, and OpenType. The language also serves as a font format: Type 1 PostScript fonts encode glyph outlines as PostScript programs with hinting instructions for sharp rendering at low resolutions, while Type 3 fonts use the full language to define arbitrarily complex glyphs. One advantage is device independence — a PostScript file produces identical output whether rendered on a 300 dpi desktop printer, a high-resolution imagesetter, or a software rasterizer, because it describes shapes mathematically rather than as pixel grids. The human-readable text format provides another practical strength: PS files can be inspected, debugged, and modified with any text editor, and they can be generated programmatically by any software without requiring specialized libraries. PostScript files are widely handled by Ghostscript, Adobe Acrobat, preview applications, and numerous publishing and graphics tools.
Developer: Adobe Systems
Initial release: 1984

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert PCX to PS?

PCX is a DOS-era bitmap with limited modern support — converting to PS makes your image accessible in current software and shareable across platforms.

What software opens PS?

Ghostscript, GSview, Adobe Acrobat, Illustrator, macOS Preview, and Evince on Linux.

Do I need to pay for this converter?

Basic PCX to PS conversions are free. Convertio offers premium tiers for heavier workloads with faster processing and priority support.

What platforms are supported?

Any device with a web browser — Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Chrome OS. No software installation is needed for the conversion.

Will the image quality change?

Image data is transferred faithfully from PCX to PS. The conversion itself does not degrade or enhance the original pixel information.

Will I get scalable vector output?

The converter traces the raster PCX data into PS vector format. Results depend on image complexity — simpler graphics vectorize best.