Extract text from Bi-level scans (JBIG2)
To convert JBIG2 scans to another format, you need XpdfReader or other Raster Image software.
To convert other file formats to the "Bi-level Scanned Image" file type, you need software like XpdfReader or a similar tool.
The .JBIG2 (or JB2) format is a highly efficient image compression standard designed specifically for bi-level (black and white) images, such as scanned text, architectural plans, and faxes. Developed by the Joint Bi-level Image Experts Group, it uses a unique "pattern matching and substitution" technique that segments pages into text and generic regions, creating a dictionary of repeated symbols (like letters). This allows JBIG2 to compress files 3–5 times smaller than Group 4 TIFF and 2–4 times smaller than the older JBIG1 standard.
However, standalone .JBIG2 files present significant friction for users. They are typically intended to be embedded within PDF files rather than viewed as standalone images. As a result, standard web browsers (Chrome, Safari) and default OS viewers (Windows Photos, macOS Preview) cannot open them natively. Furthermore, the format carries a known historical risk: aggressive lossy compression settings can cause "character substitution" errors (e.g., swapping a "6" for an "8" in fine print), famously observed in some Xerox scanners. For practical access, users should convert JBIG2 raw streams to PDF for document reading, PNG for lossless web display, or TIFF for archival editing.
Convert.Guru analyzes your JBIG2 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted JBIG, JB2, PNG, PDF, IC3, IC1 and ADEX files.
If you want to convert JBIG2 file to JPG, PDF, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, TIF, WEBP, ICO, CUR, PSD or PSB, you can use XpdfReader or similar software from the "Bi-level Image Compression" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert RAW, PNG, AI, NEF, PSB, DNG, SVG, GIF, EPS, JPG, ARW or PDF files to JBIG2, try XpdfReader or another comparable tool in the "Bi-level Image Compression" 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 JBIG2 converter.