The file extension MDI is associated with documents created with the Microsoft Office Suite and is a format which provides you with a way to store an image until you can print it out at a later date. File extensions that contain the letters MDI are Microsoft Document Images which originate from the Tagged Image File Format (TIFF). The images cannot be modified in the MDI format since the sole purpose of an MDI file is simply for storage when there is no printer readily available.
Files that contain the .MDI file extension are files which are embedded in any MS Office document for printing with the Microsoft Office Document Image Writer printer. An MDI file is Read Only, which means it cannot be edited in any fashion. This makes it ideal for creating an indestructible file for any type of document.
In terms of content, MDI files consist solely of document images which are in high resolution format. The purpose of this format is for office use and does not serve any real purpose in the home office environment.
How to Open MDI Files
MDI file extensions are created using Microsoft Office Document Imaging which is a component of the 2003 version of Office. The Document Imaging program is not part of the newer Office suite applications including 2007 and higher.
If you have MS Office 2003 installed on your PC, you should have no difficulty with opening and viewing MDI files. However, if you have a newer version of Microsoft Office that does not have the Document Imaging program built-in, you can use an MDI Viewer application to open MDI files. When you use this type of program, you can also print the contents of the file.
You can obtain an MDI Viewer by logging onto the CNET download website or by searching with the words “MDI Viewer” to find a variety of different programs that will open MDI files using the Windows operating system. You can also choose to manually install the MDI program for use with your current version of Office. This will allow you to easily open MDI files using MS Office.
If someone has sent you an MDI file and you use Mac OS X or Linux, it will be necessary to use a conversion program that allows you to convert MDI files to the Portable Document Format (PDF). This is a universal format that can be used across the board and with all types of operating systems. Also, when you use this process, you can also add Optical Character Recognition software into the mix to convert the Read Only file into a file that can be edited in the .DOC format.
