Dynapik offers a free online tool to change image types - no need to download anything. It's quick and easy to use. You can change your FAX images to ICB format. This tool works for both professionals and casual users. Convert your images to ICB in seconds.
Group 3 FAX
The raw compressed data stream used by classic fax machines.
When we talk about the 'FAX' file format, we typically refer to a raw data stream compressed using the CCITT Group 3 (G3) or Group 4 (G4) algorithms. These are specialized compression methods designed for bi-level (black and white) images of text documents. In most modern contexts, you won't see a standalone `.fax` or `.g3` file. Instead, this compression data is wrapped inside a container like TIFF or PDF. A `.fax` file is essentially a headerless chunk of this compressed data, which makes it difficult for modern software to open without knowing the specific dimensions (width/height) beforehand.
Group 3 compression is based on Huffman coding and Run-Length Encoding (RLE). It scans a line of pixels and records the lengths of alternating runs of black and white pixels. Because most documents are largely white space, this results in significant compression. Group 4 is an improvement that uses 2D compression (referencing the previous line to predict the next), offering better ratios but requiring an error-free transmission channel (like a digital network), unlike G3 which had to survive noisy phone lines.
Standardized by the CCITT (Consultative Committee for International Telephony and Telegraphy), now ITU-T, in 1980 (Group 3) and 1984 (Group 4). These standards enabled the global fax boom of the 80s and 90s.
Targa ICB
A legacy extension for Targa images created by Truevision ICB boards.
The ICB file extension is functionally identical to the standard TGA (Truevision Targa) format. It was specifically used to denote images created by or for the Truevision Image Capture Board (ICB). Like standard TGA files, it supports simpler raster data with optional RLE compression and alpha transparency.
An ICB file respects the TGA 2.0 specification. It contains a header defining image dimensions and pixel depth, followed by pixel data. The pixel data can be uncompressed or RLE-compressed. It supports bit depths of 8, 16, 24, and 32 bits. In 32-bit mode, 8 bits are dedicated to an alpha channel, which was a pioneering feature for video overlay graphics.
Truevision (now part of Avid) introduced the Targa video boards for IBM PC-compatibles in the 1980s. To distinguish files created by different hardware models, they used specific extensions: .tga (generic), .icb (Image Capture Board), .vda (Video Display Adapter), and .vst (Video Super TarGA). Modern software treats them all as standard TGA files.
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