Extract text from PDL files
To convert your PDL file to another format, you need Siemens SIMATIC WinCC or other Page Layout software.
To convert other file formats to the "Industrial HMI Graphics" file type, you need software like Siemens SIMATIC WinCC or a similar tool.
A .pdl file is most frequently a Process Design Layout file generated by Siemens SIMATIC WinCC, a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system used in industrial automation. These files store graphical interface screens that visualize machine processes, containing vector objects, scripts, and tag connections. A significant minority of .pdl files are desktop publishing projects created by legacy software like Broderbund The Print Shop, Nova Development Print Artist, or Brother label editors.
A common frustration with .pdl files is their rigid dependency on the original authoring environment. A WinCC .pdl file is often a specialized Microsoft Compound binary that cannot be opened by standard image viewers, requiring a costly, licensed installation of SIMATIC WinCC to view or edit. Similarly, older Print Shop project files are often incompatible with modern operating systems, trapping family memories or designs in an obsolete format.
To overcome these accessibility hurdles, users should convert .pdl files to universally compatible formats. For archiving industrial schematics or design layouts, converting to PDF ensures the visual structure remains intact without requiring proprietary software. For quick viewing or embedding in web reports, converting to PNG or JPG is ideal. Perl users may also encounter this extension for Perl Data Language scripts, which are text-based and require a code editor.
Convert.Guru analyzes your PDL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted P_DISPLAY_LETTER, PDF, P_DISPLAY_PAL, PCL6, PFL, PCL, DPL, JPG, PLD, DOCX, PNG, PDI and PLT files.
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 PDL converter.