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Image MIME Reference
PCO-B16

PCO B16 Image

image/vnd.pco.b16
VS

PWG Raster Format

image/pwg-raster
PWG-Raster

A complete technical comparison of PCO B16 Image and PWG Raster Format — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.

Equal browser support

Feature Support

Feature PCO-B16 PWG-Raster
Transparency (Alpha) ✕ No ✕ No
Animation Support ✕ No ✕ No
Progressive Loading ✕ No ✕ No
HDR Support ✕ No ✕ No
EXIF Metadata ✕ No ✕ No
ICC Color Profile ✕ No ✕ No
PCO B16 Image
image/vnd.pco.b16
Extension
.b16
Container PCO B16 Binary Container
Compression Uncompressed (Raw Sensor Data)
Algorithm
None
Color Depth 16-bit (Monochrome or Bayer Raw Color)
Developed by PCO AG (Excelitas PCO GmbH)
Released Early 2000s
Magic Bytes
50 43 4F 2D
Full PCO-B16 reference →
PWG Raster Format
image/pwg-raster
Extension
.pwg.ras
Container CUPS Raster v2 Container
Compression PackBits (Run-Length Encoding)
Algorithm
PackBits (Apple RLE variant)
Color Depth 1-bit (Monochrome/K), 8-bit (Grayscale), 24-bit (sRGB / Adobe RGB), 32-bit (CMYK)
Developed by IEEE-ISTO Printer Working Group (PWG)
Released 2011
Magic Bytes
52 61 53 32
Full PWG-Raster reference →

Browser Support Comparison

Browser PCO-B16 PWG-Raster
Chrome Chrome
✕ ✕
Firefox Firefox
✕ ✕
Safari Safari
✕ ✕
Edge Edge
✕ ✕
IE IE (Legacy)
✕ ✕
PCO-B16

PCO-B16 Strengths

  • Preserves exact, uncompressed 16-bit raw sensor data, which is critically important for accurate scientific measurements, fluorescence microscopy, and photometry
  • The simple, linear struct header is highly predictable and easy to parse in custom Python, MATLAB, or C++ scripts for researchers building bespoke pipelines
Limitations
  • Generates massive file sizes due to the complete lack of image compression [1.3.1]
  • Completely unsupported by standard operating systems, web browsers, and consumer image editing suites
  • Strictly tied to the hardware and software ecosystems of a single camera manufacturer
PWG-Raster

PWG-Raster Strengths

  • The undisputed global standard for modern, driverless printing environments, eliminating the nightmare of installing manufacturer-specific print drivers
  • Extremely lightweight to decode on embedded hardware, requiring minimal RAM buffers on the printer side
  • Strict color space and resolution rules guarantee that the printed output will successfully process without syntax errors
Limitations
  • Generates massive file sizes and network payloads compared to vector-based formats like PDF or PostScript, as every page is fully rasterized at 300+ DPI before transmission
  • No support for native rendering in web browsers, image viewers, or graphic design software without specialized CUPS developer tools
  • Cannot store complex metadata, vector text, or layers

When to choose which format

PCO-B16
Use PCO-B16 when…
  • Microscopy and Life Sciences
  • High-Speed Camera Recording
  • Machine Vision and Industrial Inspection
  • Scientific Photometry
PWG-Raster
Use PWG-Raster when…
  • Driverless Network Printing (IPP Everywhere)
  • Apple AirPrint and Mopria Print Service Pipelines
  • CUPS (Common UNIX Printing System) Spooling

More comparisons

PCO-B16 vs ACES → PWG-Raster vs ACES → PCO-B16 vs APNG → PWG-Raster vs APNG → PCO-B16 vs AVCI → PWG-Raster vs AVCI → PCO-B16 vs AVCS → PWG-Raster vs AVCS → PCO-B16 vs AVIF → PWG-Raster vs AVIF → All comparisons →
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