.pcx File — PiCture eXchange

PCX (PiCture eXchange) is one of the earliest bitmap image formats for the PC platform, originally developed by ZSoft Corporation for their PC Paintbrush software in 1985. PCX uses simple Run-Length Encoding (RLE) compression to reduce file sizes while maintaining full image quality. The format evolved through several versions to support monochrome, 4-color CGA, 16-color EGA, and eventually 256-color VGA and 24-bit true color images. PCX was the dominant image format on DOS-based PCs throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, widely used in early computer games, clip art collections, fax software, and desktop publishing. The format stores image data in a straightforward header-plus-scanline structure that is easy to parse programmatically. PCX has been almost entirely superseded by PNG, JPEG, and other modern formats, but files in this format are still encountered in legacy archives, retro computing contexts, and historical digital collections. The format's simplicity makes it a useful educational tool for understanding image file structure.