Extract text from ArtPro and Train Simulator files (AP)
To convert AP files to another format, you need Esko ArtPro or other Page Layout software.
To convert other file formats to the "Pre-Press Packaging File" file type, you need software like Esko ArtPro or a similar tool.
The .AP file extension is most notably associated with Esko ArtPro, an advanced pre-press editor widely used in the packaging industry. These files store vector artwork, high-resolution images, complex color separations, trapping data, and structural design information. Because this format is heavily proprietary, sharing it with clients who do not have an expensive Esko ArtPro license is a major bottleneck. The closed ecosystem means standard online converters routinely fail to process it. To collaborate effectively, professionals must export the .AP file to an industry-standard PDF or an Adobe Illustrator AI file directly from within the Esko software.
A secondary, highly popular use for the .AP extension is as a Train Simulator Asset Package developed by Dovetail Games. In this gaming context, the file is simply a renamed ZIP archive. Developers use it to bundle thousands of game assets - like 3D models, textures, and sounds - to improve engine loading times and save disk space. Players often want to modify these assets, which requires extracting the archive contents.
Other corporate uses for .AP files include plain-text product price and availability data feeds for distributors like Synnex and Ingram Micro, Accounts Payable files for Acumatica ERP, and firmware updates for set-top boxes using ALI Corp chipsets.
Because the .AP extension spans such drastically different applications, standard online tools struggle to understand what to do with them.
Convert.Guru analyzes your AP file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted AP7, AP18, AB, TXT, DOCX, TX, ODT and IAP files.
If you want to convert AP file to IAP, INDD, QXP, PUB, PMD, PM6, PM7, PM8, PM9, PM10, PM11 or OMP, you can use Esko ArtPro or similar software from the "Packaging Pre-Press Artwork" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MDI, PUB, PDP, PM4, P65, COMIC, WEBTEMPLATE, PMD, SPUB, INDD, PM5 or QXP files to AP, try Esko ArtPro or another comparable tool in the "Packaging Pre-Press Artwork" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our AP converter.