What is the PNG Image Format?
The Portable Network Graphics file format, commonly referred to as PNG, is an image format similar to the popular GIF format. It is pronounced either as the word ‘ping’ or, more commonly, spelled out as ‘P-N-G.’ The PNG image format was developed in response to the enforcement of a patent on the pervasive GIF format. GIF images were ubiquitous in the early 1990s, having spread throughout the nascent web and bulletin board systems after CompuServe’s debut of the format in 1987. In 1995, the Unisys company announced that they would begin enforcing their patent of the GIF image format for software made for profit. PNG was developed as a royalty-free alternative to GIF soon after this announcement. In 2003, the US patent for the GIF image format expired, leaving it royalty-free as well. In addition to the now-obsolete benefit of being royalty free, the PNG image format has a number of technical advantages over the GIF format. Images saved in the PNG image format potentially have a much hig
