A file structure that defines the way information is stored in the file and how the file appears on the screen or on the printer.
The simplest file format is a plain ASCII file. Some of the more complex formats are DCA (Document Content Architecture) and RTF (Rich Text Format), which include control information for use by a printer; TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) and EPS (Encapsulated PostScript), which hold graphics information; and DBF (Xbase database file) and DB (Paradox file), which are database formats. Word processing programs, such as Microsoft Word, also create files in special formats.