Extract text from Sun Raster or DICOM images (IM1)
To convert IM1 images to another format, you need GIMP or other Raster Image software.
To convert other file formats to the "Legacy Bitmap & Medical" file type, you need software like GIMP or a similar tool.
The .im1 file extension is primarily associated with Sun Raster Image files, a legacy 1-bit bitmap graphic format originally developed for Sun Microsystems UNIX workstations. Alternatively, the extension is frequently used for DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) files to store medical imaging data like MRI or CT scans, or as an AFP IM1 Image Object within IBM document printing environments.
To open Sun Raster .im1 files, users typically rely on image editors like GIMP or IrfanView. Medical IM1 files require specialized DICOM viewers, while AFP objects need enterprise IBM printing software.
Because .im1 represents niche, legacy, or highly specialized binary data, it is rarely supported by modern web browsers or standard OS photo viewers. AFP IM1 objects, in particular, are resolution-dependent, bi-level, and cannot be compressed or scaled. DICOM files require specialized healthcare software to extract patient data, making them incredibly frustrating to share with non-medical professionals.
For general viewing, Sun Raster and AFP IM1 files should be converted to PNG (for lossless web use) or JPG. For medical images, converting the visible raster layer to PDF or JPG makes sharing with patients much easier, though you will permanently lose the embedded medical metadata and 3D depth layers.
Converting .im1 files is notoriously difficult because standard online converters cannot distinguish between a Sun Unix bitmap, an IBM print spool object, or a medical scan. Usually, only the original clinical or legacy Unix software can properly parse the binary structure.
Convert.Guru analyzes your IM1 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted IM0, IM2, IM3, IM, IM4, DICOM, IM5, IM11, IM10, IM8, IM7, IM6 and IM14 files.
If you want to convert IM1 file to , you can use GIMP or similar software from the "Legacy Raster or Medical Image" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to IM1, try GIMP or another comparable tool in the "Legacy Raster or Medical Image" 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 IM1 converter.