Image MIME Reference
DGN
MicroStation Design File
image/x-vnd.dgn
VS
Fuji Xerox EDMICS-MMR
image/vnd.fujixerox.edmics-mmr
EDMICS-MMR
A complete technical comparison of MicroStation Design File and Fuji Xerox EDMICS-MMR — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | DGN | EDMICS-MMR |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | Yes | ✕ No |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| EXIF Metadata | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| ICC Color Profile | ✕ No | ✕ No |
MicroStation Design File
image/x-vnd.dgn
Extension
.dgn
Container
Microsoft OLE Compound File (V8) / IGDS (V7)
Compression
Uncompressed / OLE Structured Storage
Algorithm
None
Color Depth
Indexed Color (V7), 24-bit True Color (V8)
Developed by
Intergraph (Originally) / Bentley Systems (Currently)
Released
1980
Magic Bytes
D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 (For V8 DGN)
Fuji Xerox EDMICS-MMR
image/vnd.fujixerox.edmics-mmr
Extension
.mmr.edm
Container
Fuji Xerox EDMICS Wrapper
Compression
Modified Modified READ (MMR / Group 4 Fax)
Algorithm
MMR (ITU-T T.6 / CCITT Group 4)
Color Depth
1-bit (Monochrome / Bi-level)
Developed by
Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
Released
1990s
Magic Bytes
Unknown (Proprietary Container wrapped around MMR bitstream)
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | DGN | EDMICS-MMR |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ | ✕ |
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
DGN
DGN Strengths
- Exceptionally robust at handling massive, coordinate-heavy infrastructure models that would frequently crash older versions of competing CAD software
- Deeply entrenched as the absolute standard format for many global departments of transportation and civil engineering firms
- V8 architecture supports boundless design plane coordinates, eliminating the physical scaling limitations of V7
Limitations
- Deeply proprietary format requiring complex third-party libraries (like the ODA SDK) to parse or write programmatically outside of the Bentley ecosystem
- V8's reliance on the archaic Microsoft OLE Compound File container makes file introspection cumbersome
- Cannot be rendered natively in web browsers without converting to WebGL/Canvas formats or SVG
EDMICS-MMR
EDMICS-MMR Strengths
- Utilized the highly efficient MMR (Group 4) algorithm, which allowed massive, E-size engineering blueprints to be compressed into tiny file sizes suitable for 1990s hard drives and networks
- Deeply integrated into Fuji Xerox hardware and database systems for seamless scan-to-archive workflows
Limitations
- Completely proprietary and closed-source, making modern archival extraction and migration extremely difficult
- No support in modern image processing libraries like ImageMagick, libvips, or standard TIFF viewers without first stripping the proprietary header
- Strictly limited to 1-bit monochrome images
When to choose which format
DGN
Use DGN when…
- Civil Engineering and Plant Design
- Large-scale Architecture and Construction (AEC)
- 2D/3D Infrastructure Modeling
EDMICS-MMR
Use EDMICS-MMR when…
- Fuji Xerox EDMICS Enterprise Systems
- Archival of Large-Format Engineering Drawings
- Legacy Corporate Document Scanning Pipelines