Can Autocad Drawings Be Saved in Eps Format

Working with other file formats

When you use other file formats that Canvas supports, you can select options when you open, place, import, save, or export some types of files. The most common file formats and their options are described in this section. For more information on using file formats, refer to the "Read Me" file. New information that is not in the printed or online documentation will be provided in the "Read Me" file distributed with the Canvas software.

Opening PDF files

When opening PDF files, you can select your import options in the PDF & PS Import dialog box.

Default ColorSpace	Select RGB or CMYK.
Embedded fonts	Select either Substitute or Convert to paths.
Vector precision	Select from one to three decimal points for precision.
Text merging	Select an option for text tolerance. Disabled: Select this option for no merging, even for text/letters that are exactly next to each other Precise: Select this option for a very small amount of tolerance, so only letters next to each other will be merged Tight: Select this option for a higher level of tolerance (spaces up to approximately 2 points between letters will be ignored) Loose: Select this option for the highest level of tolerance, meaning "merge whenever it makes sense")
Page selection	Use this option to specify pages for import. The default is [all pages]. Other predefined values are [even pages] and [odd pages], which would import only the even and odd pages, respectively. Other page selections may be specified as a combination of numbers separated with commas; e.g, 2, 5, 8, 13. Consecutive pages may be specified using two numbers separated with a dash; e.g., 6-9. You can even use combinations like 1, 5 - 7, 9, which would import pages 1, 5, 6, 7, and 9. The combination 1, 2, 4, 6- would import pages 1, 2, 4, 6 and all subsequent pages.
Layers	Select an option for importing PDF documents that contain layers. Import layers if present: Select this option to import all visible layers in the file. If deselected, all objects from a PDF file are imported to one layer with a default name. Import hidden layers: Select this option to also import hidden layers and all objects that may be on those layers. This would work even if the option above is turned off.
Save these settings as default	Saves the current settings as the default.
Default	Click Default to obtain the default settings.

Saving in PDF format

When saving in PDF - Acrobat® format, you can select export options in the PDF Options dialog box that appears before the file is saved (see Exporting as PDF).

Saving in Illustrator format

You can also save files in an Adobe® Illustrator® format by choosing File | Save As and then selecting AI - Adobe Illustrator. In the AI Export Options dialog box select the Illustrator settings.

Illustrator Version

Choose the version of Illustrator in which you wish to save the file.

Object attributes

Ignore Transparency: If your Canvas file contains objects with SpriteLayer transparencies, then you will need to check this option. If this feature is not activated, then all of the objects that contain transparency effects (in your Canvas file) will be converted into images. Therefore, you will not be able to edit these objects after exporting except as bitmapped images. Basic Stroke Only: The editing tools in Illustrator may not recognize a texture, hatch, or gradients for a stroke which you have created in your Canvas file. Therefore, you may wish to activate this option if you excpect to use some of the more specialized tools in Illustrator after exporting the file. When activated, this feature will automatically remove all complex strokes from a Canvas file during export. Resolution: Choose from 72 to 600 DPI.

Working With CGM files

Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM) format is a standard for exchanging 2-D graphics and text.

With Canvas, you can open, modify, and save CGM files created in other applications. CGM file properties, including WebCGM tags are retained, and can be viewed in the Object Properties palette.

Variations and extensions to the "standard" format can create incompatibilities with the Canvas file filter. When you save a Canvas document in CGM format, Canvas makes the following image color mode conversions:

Canvas image mode	CGM image mode
CMYK, Duotone, Grayscale, and LAB color	RGB cell arrays
Black & White	CGM versions 1 and 2: RGB cell arrays CGM versions 3 and 4: Black & White
Multichannel	First channel becomes an RGB cell array; other channels ignored

To export as CGM:

1. Choose File | Save As.
2. Select CGM as the file format in the Save As dialog box.
3. In the CGM Export Options dialog box, select the CGM export options.

CGM Version	Select a version. If your original document was Version 4 (WebCGM), be sure to select this version for export so that any imported data is preserved in the exported file.
Compliance	Select either CALS or ATA.
VDC Precision	Select either 16 Bit Integer or 32 Bit Fixed.
Scaling Mode	Select either Abstract or Metric.
Export Paint Object	If your file contains paint objects, select this option to export them. Deselect this option if you do not want to export the paint objects.
Export Layer As Picture	If selected, each layer is exported as a separate image. If deselected, the file will be exported as one image.
Beziers As Polygons	If objects contain a fill ink, select this option to preserve it. All beziers will export as polygons. If this option is deselected and the objects are exported as beziers, the fill color is removed.
Bitonal Image Compression	This option is enabled if Version 3 or 4 is selected in the CGM Version menu. Select either Not Compressed, Group 3 (1-dimensional), or Group 4 (2-dimensional).
Font Match	Click this button to open the CGM Font Matching dialog box. Select a substitute font if you want to change the font when exported to CGM format. The font remains the same in the original file.

Canvas also supports importing CGM and CGM*PIP files (see Importing CGM files).

Using AutoCAD DWG format

Defined by AutoCAD, DWG is accepted as the standard file format for data interchange by CAD users worldwide. The AutoCAD DWG import filter lets you import native AutoCAD® 2004 files. into Canvas. This filter fits an AutoCAD drawing into a specified page format.

To open DWG files:

1. Choose File | Open or File | Place and select DWG - AutoCAD format in the directory dialog box.
2. In the DWG & DXF Import dialog box, enter the following information:

Source Unit	Select the source unit from the menu. The chosen unit will become the document unit.
Drawing Scale	Select a scale from the menu. You can even use Fit to Paper if necessary.
Paper Format	Select a paper size from the menu.
Landscape mode	Select this option to change the page orientation.
Dark background	Select this option to use a black paper color. The lines will be white on import. The paper color can be changed after in the Document Setup manager (Layout | Document Setup).
Ignore Line Widths	Select this option to set a hairline stroke for each object.
Explode AutoCAD hatches	Select this option to convert any hatch inks in the original to objects.
Explode AutoCAD blocks	Select this option to convert blocks to objects.
Merge imported layers	Select this option to merge all imported layers into one layer in Canvas.
Import empty layers	Select this option to import any empty layers in the original file.
Save these settings as default	Saves the current settings as the default.
Default	Click Default to obtain the default settings.

Using Drawing Interchange format (DXF)

Drawing Interchange Format (DXF) is a format developed by Autodesk, Inc., for exchanging data with AutoCAD and other drawing applications. DXF format provides platform-independent storage of 2D and 3D technical drawings and supports multiple layers. Canvas supports DXF files containing ASCII data, but does not support DXF files that contain data in binary format.

Opening DXF files

When opening or placing DXF files, the DWG & DXF Import dialog box opens. The DXF filter fits a DXF file to a specified page format. As with, the DWG import, you should know the Source Unit, Paper Format, and Drawing Scale (see To open DWG files:).

When opening a DXF file, Canvas makes the following conversions from DXF objects to Canvas objects:

DXF objects	Canvas objects
Blocks	Groups
Traces, Solids, and Quadratic polylines	Polygons
B-spline Polylines	Bézier curve paths
ATTDEF and ATTRIB	Text objects

Canvas doesn't support 3D objects (3D lines and 3D Face objects in DXF files), so these objects are not imported into Canvas.

Exporting DXF files

When you save a document in DXF format, Canvas converts the following Canvas objects and attributes to DXF objects and attributes:

Canvas objects/attributes	DXF objects/attributes
Paint object	Not converted
Pen and fill patterns	Solid pens are exported; fills are not exported
Arcs	Polylines
Calligraphic pen strokes	Fixed-width pen strokes
Continuous dashes	Dashes start in each segment
Layer names with spaces or non-uppercase characters	Spaces removed and characters become uppercase
Grayed layers	Objects appear in original colors

In the DXF export options dialog box, select the platform format to use. You can also select options for exporting lines and circles.

Using Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) is a file format used to save individual PostScript graphics.

To open EPS files:

When you open or place an EPS file, a dialog box prompts you to choose an import method.

Choose an option and click OK.

• Create EPSF Object: Imports the EPS file as an EPS object. This object can be rotated or scaled, but you can't select or edit parts of the graphic. Canvas displays a preview image if the file contains a preview in a supported format.
• Create Canvas Objects: Interprets the EPS file's PostScript code to convert the EPS graphic to editable Canvas objects. Raster images become Canvas paint objects and vector objects are maintained as vector objects. Text is imported as one or more text objects. The EPS preview image is not imported. Specialized objects and attributes that have no Canvas equivalent might not be imported.
• Place EPSF Reference: Inserts a link to the EPS file and displays its preview image in the Canvas document. This option is useful for keeping the size of the Canvas file smaller than if EPS files are imported directly into the document. If you use this option, the EPS file must be available when you print the Canvas document. If the EPS file changes, the Canvas document is updated when you print it.

Saving as EPS

To save a file in EPS format:

1. Choose File | Save As.
2. In the Save As dialog box, select EPS format.
3. Select options in the dialog box that appears and click OK to save the file.

When you save a Canvas document in EPS format, you could lose specialized objects and attributes that are not supported in EPS. Canvas transparency effects are rendered and stored as images in EPS graphics, using the Transparency Rendering option and resolution that you select.

• EPSF Type: Choose EPS to create a composite (non-separated) EPS file. Choose DCS Version 2 to create a single, pre-separated EPS file in DCS version 2.0 format. You can use a DCS file to output color separations from programs that support this format.
• Current Page: Saves the current page, slide, sheet, or frame only. To save a range of pages, enter the starting and ending page numbers in the From and To boxes.

• Preview: Select a format to store a preview image in the EPS file. Canvas and other programs that support EPS previews will display the preview when the EPS file is placed in a document. The image format and color mode you select are applied to the preview image only.

  Choose None for no preview, or choose a color mode to save a preview image. Preview images are saved in TIFF format. A preview will not appear in programs that support only WMF or EMF previews.

• Use Compression: Select this option to compress TIFF preview images. Some programs can display only non-compressed TIFF previews. If TIFF preview images do not appear correctly, try deselecting this option.
• Image Compression: Select a format for storing raster image data. Binary is the most compact non-compressed format. ASCII encodes raster data as text, the least compact format. Level 2 ASCII is somewhat more compact than ASCII format. RLE compresses binary data and makes the most compact EPS files. To save EPS files for Photoshop or Illustrator, use Binary format.
• Color Mode for EPS format: Select a color mode to apply to colors in the EPS file. The available modes correspond to RGB, CMYK, Grayscale, and Black & White modes for paint objects. Colors created with RGB, HSL, CMYK, or grayscale values will be converted to the selected mode in the EPS file. Spot colors defined in Canvas with the Spot Color option in the Color manager or a spot color library will be saved in the EPS file as spot colors, and also with color values in the selected mode. If you print color separations from an EPS file in another program, you can usually output process and spot color plates, or just process color plates, depending on whether you specify spot and process separations or process-only separations.

• Color Mode for DCS format: Select a color mode for the separations stored in the EPS file. Select CMYK to separate all colors, including spot colors, as process (CMYK) colors. Select CMYK + Spot to separate all colors, except spot colors, as process (CMYK) colors. Spot colors will not be converted to process and will be separated as spot colors.

  When you use DCS Format and print color separations, the program you use simply outputs the color separation plates as defined in the DCS file; it does not apply its separation method or options to colors in the file. Therefore, if you want to be able to output process and spot color plates, you should select CMYK + Spot Color Mode when you use DCS Format to save illustrations in EPS files.

• Transparency Rendering: Select a method for SpriteLayer and SpriteEffects rendering into EPS format. These options are similar to the rendering options that are available when you print a document. Choose Smallest Area, Complete Area, or Entire Document. Smallest Area results in rendering the minimum area necessary to show transparency and SpriteEffects. Complete Area renders the minimum area, plus any object that touches the rendered area. This setting can prevent a slight color shift between rendered and non-rendered areas within an object. Entire Document renders everything in the document (or selection) as an image to be saved in the EPS file. If you choose Don't Render Transparent Objects, transparency and SpriteEffects won't be rendered.
• Text Always in Front: Select this option to always place text in front of other objects.
• Rendering Resolution: Select a resolution for rendering effects. In general, you should specify a resolution based on the publication requirements for images.
• Embed Fonts: Select this option to embed fonts in the file, so text can appear as intended if the required fonts aren't available.
• Use Page Dimensions: Select this option to save the full area of the document page, sheet, slide, or frame in the EPS file. If this option is not selected, the EPS graphic will be only as large as the saved objects.
• Use Kearning Pairs: Select this option to use kearning pairs.

Converting EPS objects

After you import an EPS file, choose options from the context menu to convert the object or view information about it.

You can view linking information if the file was imported as an EPSF reference. If the file was imported as an EPSF object, you can convert it to an EPSF reference. If it was imported as an EPSF object, you can create Canvas objects from it.

To use EPSF Object commands:

Select the EPS graphic and right-click. In the context menu, choose one of the options described below.

• Convert EPSF into Canvas Objects: If you choose to create Canvas objects from an EPSF object, the EPSF object is replaced in the document by equivalent Canvas objects. Depending on the contents of the original EPS file, you might not be able to edit some objects as you expect after the conversion. For example, you would not be able to edit text if the EPS file contained outlines (paths) for text characters, rather than the characters themselves; you could use path-editing techniques to edit the objects.
• Embed EPSF Into Document: If an EPS graphic has been imported with the Place EPSF Reference option, you can use the context menu to convert the graphic from a linked EPS graphic to an EPS graphic that is placed in the document. The result is the same as importing an EPS file and selecting Create EPSF Object.
• EPSF Info: You can get information from an EPS graphic if it was imported with the Place EPSF Reference option. Canvas will display information on the location of the EPS file that is linked into the document. If the file can't be found in its original location, Canvas displays a message. To re-link the file, click File, and use the directory dialog box to select the EPS file. Then, click OK in the message box.

Saving Web graphics (GIF/JPEG)

For saving graphics in GIF and JPEG formats (the standard Web image formats), you have the choice of using the integrated dialog box (Web Images) or the individual GIF or JPEG dialog boxes.

To export or save as GIF:

1. Do one of the following:
   • Choose File | Save As.
   • Choose Image | Export.
2. Select GIF as the file format.
3. Select GIF options in the GIF Export Options dialog box.

To export or save as JPEG:

1. Do one of the following:
   • Choose File | Save As.
   • Choose Image | Export.
2. Select JPEG as the file format. Make your adjustments in the JPEG Export Options dialog box.
   • GIF format: GIF is the best format for graphics that contain a small number of colors, such as vector art with flat colors. GIF format supports Black & White, Grayscale, and Indexed color images, with 1 to 8 bits of color data for a maximum of 256 colors.
   • JPEG format: JPEG format provides compression of high resolution, full-color (24- bit) RGB images. JPEG is designed for efficient storage of continuous-tone images such as photographs. JPEG is an abbreviation of Joint Photographic Experts Group, a standards organization that promoted the format.

To save graphics as Web Images:

1. Select the objects to save, or Canvas will save the current document page. Choose File | Save As.

You can use a wizard to save graphics for the Web. Select the images you want to save, and choose File | Save to Web.

2. In the directory dialog box, select Web Images in the file format pop-up menu. Type a name for the file and select the save location.
   • To save only the selected objects, click Save Selection.
3. Click Save.
4. If the Render Image dialog box opens, select rendering options and click OK.
5. In the Export Preview dialog box, select either format and use multiple preview panes to compare how the format and other settings will affect your images before saving.
6. Click Export to save the file.

To export images in GIF or JPEG format:

Exporting lets you save selected images, but not entire documents. The difference between Save As and Export is that Save As will render objects or an entire document to create an image that can be saved. Export will save only a single paint object, without rendering.

1. Select a paint object to export.
2. Choose Image | Export | Web Images.
3. In the Export Preview dialog box, select either format and use multiple preview panes to compare how the format and other settings will affect your images before saving.
4. Click Export to save the file.
5. In the dialog box, type a name for the file and choose a location to save the file, and then click Save.

Export Preview options

The Export Preview dialog box shows one, two, or four previews of a graphic image when you choose Save As or Export and select GIF or JPEG file format. You can select settings for each preview image to compare how the file format, palette options, and other settings will affect the image you are saving.

A color tile shows the color you point to in a preview image. Two pairs of coordinates are displayed below the preview panes. One pair are the X,Y coordinates of the pointer. The other pair are the coordinates of the pixel at the upper-left corner of the preview panes.

Preview setup

Click a preview button to change the preview setup. You can select one preview, two previews (horizontal or vertical), or four previews.

One preview pane is active and has a highlighted border. Click a pane to make it active. The settings in the dialog box apply to the active preview. The settings in the dialog box can be different for each preview. When you select a preview, Canvas updates the dialog box to show the settings for the active preview.

All panes show the image at the same view location and zoom level. Drag on a preview image to move the view location.

Use the zoom menu to zoom in or out. Or, click the Magnifying Glass button, then click a preview image to zoom in. To zoom out, Shift-click a preview image.

Without selecting the Magnifying Glass button, you can zoom in or out by clicking in a preview image. Press Ctrl or Ctrl+Shift and click.

Previewing the current settings

Each preview pane shows the original image. To view how the selected file format and other settings will affect the image, select the Show Preview option above a preview pane. Canvas will apply all the settings in the dialog box to the preview image. If you change a setting, Canvas will apply the new setting.

Image file information: When Show Preview is selected, the estimated file size and the number of colors in the image appear above the active preview pane. The first value is the estimated file size in kilobytes. The second value is the number of discrete colors that will be saved in a GIF file; the value is not shown for JPEG format.

JPEG options

To use JPEG format, select JPEG from the Format menu. Canvas applies the JPEG format and settings to the active preview pane.

• Quality: Enter a percentage value from 1-100%. Higher Quality values result in less compression and better retention of original image quality.
• Smoothing: Enter a smoothing value from 1 to 6. JPEG compression can cause color blocks to appear in an image. Smoothing softens the image to make color blocks less noticeable. Higher values produce more smoothing.
• Progressive: Select this option to create a JPEG file that Web browsers can display at increasing resolution as the image is loaded.
• Downsampling: This option can help improve compression. Downsampling reduces the image resolution by averaging color values while preserving luminosity details. Programs displaying the image will "upsample" to the original resolution, so greater compression is achieved without changing the display resolution of the image.
• Optimized: This option can help produce smaller file sizes. When Optimized is selected, some of the least important color information is discarded to produce more efficient compression.

GIF options

To use GIF format, select GIF from the Format menu. Canvas applies the GIF format and settings to the active preview pane.

Max colors	Use the menu or type in the box to specify the maximum number of colors to be used in the image. Fewer colors can result in a smaller file, but too few colors will degrade an image.
Palette	A palette is a set of colors used in an image. To be saved in GIF format, an image can contain no more than 256 colors. If the image contains more colors, the original colors are mapped to the colors in the palette that you choose. Adaptive: Creates a palette that tries to match as close as possible all the colors in the image. This option is the best for preserving the original color range of an image. Web: Uses a standard color palette supported by major Web browsers. The range of colors in the Web palette, however, can cause color shifts in images with many shades of a few colors. Uniform: Uses a palette of colors that are uniformly distributed through the range of possible RGB colors. Exact: Creates a palette from the actual colors in the image, if the image contains fewer than 256 colors. If the image contains more than 256 colors, Canvas uses the Adaptive option. To apply a custom or system color palette to a paint object before saving in GIF format, select the paint object and choose Image | Mode | Indexed. In the dialog box, select a palette option and click OK. To modify an Indexed mode paint object, choose Image | Mode | Color Table
Optimized	Select this option to merge single pixels into similar colored areas to produce smaller file sizes. However, in images with fine lines or detail, this option can reduce image quality. This option is less effective when Dither is also selected and an image has a limited number of colors.
Dither	Select this option if you want Canvas to use dithering to simulate a greater range of colors. Dithering can make an image appear to have more colors than are in a limited color palette, but it can also make an image appear grainy or noisy. To control the amount of dithering, enter a percentage from 1 to 100 in the text box.
Interlaced	Select this check box to save the image as an interlaced GIF. Interlacing divides the image data for faster initial display in Web browsers that support interlaced GIF images; i.e., the image appears progressively on the Web page.

Selecting transparent colors

The Dropper tools in the Export Preview dialog box let you make colors in a GIF image transparent. Click in the color palette or the current preview image to select colors for transparency. When you select a color, it becomes highlighted in the grid.

Use the regular dropper to select one transparent color. If you click another color, it replaces the current transparent color.

Use the add/subtract dropper to select additional colors to be transparent. Each color you click becomes transparent. To restore a transparent color, click it again.

A checkerboard pattern appears in areas of the preview image that are transparent.

Color palette: The area below the GIF options shows the current color palette for the image. The palette changes when you change the Palette or Max Color option.

Saving settings

Save the current options in the Export Preview dialog box and then apply the same setup to other images.

To save the current options in the dialog box, choose Save Setting in the menu above the current preview pane. Type a name for the saved setting and click OK. This setting will be available in the menu above each preview pane.

To use a saved setting:

Select the Show Preview option above a preview pane and then select the saved setting in the menu.

To delete a saved setting:

Select the setting in the menu, and then choose Delete Setting. Canvas will ask you to confirm that you want to delete the setting.

Importing Photoshop files

When you open or import a Photoshop file that contains layers, Canvas imports the file's layers as separate objects and stacks them in the document on the current layer.

Layers that have transparency are imported with visibility masks. Canvas creates an alpha channel and a channel mask for a Photoshop layer mask. Canvas also imports alpha channels.

Using Tag Image File format (TIFF)

Tag Image File Format is a high resolution, raster image format. Canvas supports both RGB and CMYK TIFFs. Although TIFF is a common format, many TIFF variations exist. Different resolutions, color systems, previews, and compression schemes make the format flexible, but can cause compatibility problems.

Canvas can read tiled TIFFs. A tiled TIFF is an image divided into smaller, rectangular portions.

When you save TIFF files, you have various options in the Export TIFF dialog box.

TIFF Compression

Various compression options are available, depending on the mode of the image you are saving.

Compression

None: Saves an image without compression (the most compatible format). Group 3 and Group 4: Are available to compress images that are in black-and-white mode. LZW: Can be applied to all image modes, except CMYK Color. Deflate: Applies a lossless compression to the image. JPEG: Applies a JPEG lossy compression to the image. Adobe Deflate: Reduces image size but does not affect image quality since it is a lossless compression.

Resolution

Indicates the default resolution. Enter a value in the Horizontal and Vertical field if necessary.

To export as TIFF with transparency:

Canvas supports transparency in TIFF images upon import and export. In Canvas, you can create transparency in images using either a clipping path, channel mask, or visibility mask.

1. Create the object and apply one of the aforementioned transparency techniques.

If you are using vector objects, the vector objects will be rendered before exporting.

2. Choose File | Save As or Image | Export.

Saving as SVG

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is a vector graphics language written in Extensible Markup Language (XML). This format enables two-dimensional images to be displayed in XML pages on the Web. With the SVG format, graphics are coded directly into an XML document.

In contrast to JPEG and GIF images on the Web, which are bitmapped and always remain a specified size, SVG images are scalable to the size of the viewing window and will adjust in size and resolution according to the window in which it is displayed.

To save as SVG:

1. Choose File | Save As and select SVG as the file format.
2. Click Save to open the SVG Options dialog box.

This dialog box is similar to the HTML Options dialog box (see HTML options).

General options	Create new folder: Organizes files by placing them in a new folder in the specified location. The name that you enter when you are saving a SVG is used for the folder's name. Put images in subfolder: Creates a subfolder for the image files. Separate pages
Image options	The HTML options dialog box offers identical choices for image export (see Image options).

Exporting as AVI

AVI is the abbreviation of Audio Video Interleave, which is the most common format for audio/video data on the Windows system. When opened, an AVI file plays in a similar fashion to an animated GIF file.

Canvas has the capability of saving certain Canvas files in AVI format. Canvas documents that contain frames, animations or presentations, can be saved as Audio Video Interleave. Even a document with a single frame can be saved in AVI format providing a default time for the single frame is set to 1 second.

When working with Animation documents, you set the timing via the Document Layout palette (Setting options in the palette). If you are creating a Presentation document, use the Slide Show palette to control timing (Slide Show palette).

To export as AVI:

1. Create your document in Canvas and choose File | Save As.
2. Select the AVI file format.
3. Click Save.
4. In the Save AVI Options dialog box, select one or more of the following:
   • Auto Crop: This feature optimizes the size of each frame and the document. The Auto Crop option will create the minimum size needed to accommodate all of the objects in the document.
   • Antialiasing: Objects from the Canvas document will be rendered with an overall softened effect.
   • Quality: This option affects the compression of the images. Move the slider bar to the right to lower the image quality or to the left to increase the compression, thus improving image quality.

Using text files

Text is a standard format for files containing only ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) encoded characters.

Text format is available on nearly every computer platform; it's the "plain vanilla" format, the lowest common denominator for words and numbers. Text files don't include proprietary or application-specific character or formatting codes. Some punctuation marks, symbols, and all accented letters are non-ASCII characters that display incorrectly when used in text files. Still, ASCII text can be used to transfer text among a variety of applications, including text editors, word processors, and databases.

When you open a text file, Canvas creates one text object containing the file's contents, and assigns the default font and text formatting attributes to it. If the file contains more text than can fit in the Canvas workspace, Canvas truncates the text object and displays an overflow indicator. You can then flow the truncated text into other columns.

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Source: http://files.acdsystems.com/english/support/canvas/12/help/Content/c_Documents/File_formats.htm

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