pbm - NetPBM bi-level image format
The PBM format is a lowest common denominator monochrome file format. It serves as the common language of a large family of bitmap image conversion filters. Because the format pays no heed to efficiency, it is simple and general enough that one can easily develop programs to convert to and from just about any other graphics format, or to manipulate the image.
The name "PBM" is an acronym derived from "Portable Bit Map."
This is not a format that one would normally use to store a file or to transmit it to someone -- it's too expensive and not expressive enough for that. It's just an intermediary format. In it's purest use, it lives only in a pipe between two other programs.
Source: The NetPBM manual