What is a .mdi file extension?
MDI or Microsoft Document Imaging is a format developed by Microsoft. It is a tag based graphics format used majorly by documents that are scanned. Apart from scanned images, the .mdi file extension format can be created by using the MS Office Document Image Writer.
What is .mdi file extension used for?
.mdi file extension format was developed using the TIFF image format which is a popular image format to store scanned documents. .mdi file extension format is tag based which means that they are ?read only? files and cannot be edited, so they are highly recommended as a soft-copy of a printed document.
When you have to print a temporary document with no printer around, you can scan the image using a scanner and can store it in the .mdi file extension format for printing it later. The Microsoft Document Image writer acts as a virtual printer which allows you to store the document and print them at your convenience.
These files are also very popular with image printing companies because they can embed high resolution graphics with reduced image resolution losses. Even though this format is widely used by companies it is not a popular format for home users.
The Microsoft Office suite 2003 introduced support for the .mdi file extension format but Office suite 2007 doesn?t support this format. This is because the Document Image writer software is not installed by default so you can install it using the Office DVD. If you want to share the .mdi files without having compatibility problems it is better to convert them to .tiff image format.
What are the different kinds of software used to open .mdi file extension?
You can use a variety of software?s to view .mdi file extension format. Some of them are listed below
- Microsoft Document Image Writer
- Microsoft Image Viewer
- Microsoft Office Suite 2003 onwards
- Microsoft MDI Viewer
- IrfanView
You can embed these images into different documents and view them. You can also use the FileCure software to open the .mdi file extension format. This software also takes care of the compatibility issues and file type errors. It can not only open, but can also associate the file with the correct program.