Base85 (also known as ASCII85) is a highly efficient encoding method that converts binary data into printable ASCII text using 85 different characters. It's 25% more space-efficient than Base64, making it ideal for applications where size matters. Originally developed for PostScript and PDF files, Base85 provides the best balance between efficiency and readability.
PDF Documents: Embedding binary data like images and fonts
PostScript Files: Efficient binary data representation in vector graphics
Data Compression: Compact text representation of binary files
Network Protocols: Efficient binary-to-text encoding for transmission
Git Repositories: Binary patch representation in diff files
Character Set: 85 printable ASCII characters (! through u)
Encoding Efficiency: 5 characters for every 4 bytes (vs Base64's 4:3 ratio)
Space Savings: Approximately 25% smaller output than Base64
Special Features: 'z' shortcut for all-zero blocks
ASCII85 Format: Optional <~ and ~> delimiters for compatibility