Extract text from DICOS security images (DCS)
To convert DCS security images to another format, you need MicroDicom Viewer or other Raster Image software.
To convert other file formats to the "Security Imaging Data" file type, you need software like MicroDicom Viewer or a similar tool.
The .DCS file format is most commonly associated with the DICOS (Digital Imaging and Communication in Security) standard, a direct derivative of the medical DICOM format. It stores X-ray, CT, and other scanning imagery used for airport security, baggage screening, and non-destructive testing. Secondary uses include PCB display color schemes in Cadence Allegro or Mentor Graphics PADS, and Card Personalization Settings for Entrust Datacard. Historically, it also represents the legacy Desktop Color Separation format developed by Quark Software, which splits EPS images into separate CMYK files for pre-press printing.
The primary disadvantage of a .DCS imaging file is its extreme specialization. DICOS files are proprietary to security hardware and medical imaging systems, often exceeding 100MB per scan. They require specialized, expensive software or dedicated viewers to open and cannot be viewed in standard web browsers or consumer image apps. Legacy Quark DCS files suffer from similar accessibility issues, as modern design tools frequently drop support for this outdated EPS variant.
Users typically need to convert .DCS imaging files to standard targets like JPG, PNG, or PDF to share scans with stakeholders or clients who lack specialized software. However, converting DICOS or DICOM files to standard raster images strips away critical diagnostic metadata, 3D layer volume data, and high-bit-depth contrast information. Standard online converters frequently fail because they cannot parse the complex DICOM headers or handle the multi-part nature of legacy Desktop Color Separation files.
Because .DCS files span such wildly different formats - from raw medical/security imagery to ZIP-compressed card settings and XML configurations - they are notoriously difficult to open or convert correctly. Often, only the original hardware or authoring software can properly read or export the exact data. We can identify the underlying structure, inspect the file, and show text or internal content. If our analysis detects a supported embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your DCS file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted EPS, DSC, JPG, DOCX, CTI, 000001, DCIM and PDF files.
If you want to convert DCS file to PDF, JPG, SVG, AI, EPS, CDR, WMF, EMF, SWF, FLA, XFL or SKETCH, you can use MicroDicom Viewer or similar software from the "Security & Medical Image Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert AFPUB, EPS, FIG, VSD, SKETCH, VDX, AFPHOTO, PDF, AFDESIGN, SVG, VSDX or AI files to DCS, try MicroDicom Viewer or another comparable tool in the "Security & Medical Image Storage" 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 DCS converter.