A metafile is a collection of GDI commands that creates desired text or images. Metafiles provide a convenient method of storing graphics commands that create text or images. Metafiles are especially useful in applications that use specific text or a particular image repeatedly. They are also device-independent; by creating text or images with GDI commands and then placing the commands in a metafile, an application can re-create the text or images repeatedly on a variety of devices. Metafiles are also useful in applications that need to pass graphics information to other applications.