What is the PDP file format?
.pdp is a proprietary project file used by The Print Shop Deluxe (later branded as The Print Shop), a consumer desktop-publishing application originally developed by Broderbund Software in 1992. Files store complete page-layout projects for print items such as banners, greeting cards, signs, calendars, and newsletters, including text frames, embedded clip art, and print settings.
The format is proprietary binary with no published specification. Versions 1-4 (1992-1996) begin with an ASCII identifier (PSDeluxe or PrintShopDeluxe) at file offset 0; versions 5-6 (1997-1999) use a different proprietary binary header; versions 20-23 (2000s-2014) have an undocumented internal structure. These version families are mutually incompatible - files from one family cannot be opened in another.
The Print Shop Deluxe changed ownership repeatedly: Broderbund → The Learning Company (1998) → Mattel Interactive (1999) → Vivendi Universal Games (2001) → Encore Software → Navarre Corporation. As of 2026, Broderbund.com continues to sell The Print Shop 23.1, the most recent release (2014). No mainstream application outside the Print Shop family can open .pdp files; third-party conversion tools do not exist for this format.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWProprietary document format with no scripting capability. Not known to carry malware. Safe to open in The Print Shop.
Format details
in a nutshell- Adobe Photoshop PDP (Photoshop Defaults Preferences) - Some Photoshop versions used .pdp internally for preferences/defaults - distinct binary format, not a user document.
- Plasma Desktop Panel configuration - KDE/Plasma sometimes uses .pdp for desktop panel layout files - plain text/XML, Linux only.
Programs that open PDP files
Windows1 app
The Print Shop (Broderbund)
Paid File → Open → navigate to the .pdp file. Note: older version files may not open in v23.1 due to format incompatibility. Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | Binary (proprietary Broderbund container; no published specification) |
| Byte order | Little-endian (Windows application) |
| Magic bytes (v1-4) | ASCII string `PSDeluxe` or `PrintShopDeluxe` at file offset 0 (1992-1996 versions) |
| Stored content | Page layout, text frames, embedded and linked clip art, print settings |
| Project types | Banners, greeting cards, signs, calendars, newsletters, posters |
| Version compatibility | Three incompatible families - v1-4, v5-6, v20-23; files do not open across families |
| Compression | Unknown; possibly none or internal RLE |
| Encryption | None documented |
| Typical file size | 50 KB - 20 MB (varies with embedded graphic content) |
| Platform | Windows (current versions); older versions also supported macOS |
| Current version | The Print Shop 23.1 (Navarre/Broderbund, 2014) |
| Third-party support | No mainstream application or converter can open `.pdp` files outside the Print Shop family |
| Released | 1992 (The Print Shop Deluxe v1, Broderbund) |
| Latest version | The Print Shop 23.1 (Broderbund/Navarre, 2014) |
PDP conversions
Community Q&A
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