Download File Format Options

Imaged Record Format Options
File Format
Technical Considerations
Recommended Use
TIFF
 Seen as the “De facto” standard for image files
 Widely supported and used
 Commonly used for desktop publishing and medical imaging
applications
 Supports multi-page images
 Offers compression options: uncompressed, lossless LZW,
and run length compression
 Supports multiple compression types for 1-bit files
 JPEG compression not recommended in TIFF file
 Accommodates internal technical metadata in
header/extensible and customizable header tags
 Supports Adobe’s XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform)
 Accommodates large number of color spaces and profiles
 High-bit compatible
 Can support layers, alpha channels
 Accommodates large file sizes
 Preferred raster image format for preservation
 Long track record – developed in 1986
 Not suitable as access file—no native support in current web
browsers
Preferred format for
production master file
PNG
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Lossless compression
Portable
Well-compressed storage format for images
Open-source and patent free
Second edition PNG is an ISO standard – ISO/IEC
15948:@003 (E)
Not widely adopted by imaging community
High-bit compatible
Supports alpha channels
Native support available in later web browsers as access file
Possible format for
production master file not currently widely
implemented
Not yet widely adopted
Offers new compression techniques
Offers a lossless compression option
Supports additional bit depths
Supports multiple resolutions
Compatible with many viewers and web browsers
More complex model for encoding data (content is not saved
as raster data)
Extended version supports color profiles
Extended version supports layers
Support for extensive metadata encoded in XML “boxes;”
particularly technical, descriptive, and rights metadata
Has been published as an ISO standard, ISO/IEC 154441:2000
Possible format for
production master file not currently widely
implemented
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JPEG2000
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GIF
 Long track record – developed in 1987
 Supported by all web browsers
 Limited color palette - supports 8-bit color or grayscale, color
images are dithered
 Commonly used for illustrations, black and white images,
logos, and line drawings
Access derivative file use
only -recommend for text
records
Scanning and Microfilming Strategy
File Format
Technical Considerations
Recommended Use
 Not suited for photographs
 Uses lossless LZW compression
 Short decompression time
JFIF/JPEG
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JFIF format is platform independent
Commonly used on the world wide web
Best used for complex graphics and photographs
JFIF uses the JPEG glossy compression
Level of compression is adjustable at time of creation
Smaller files
Supports a limited number of color spaces: 8-bit gray and
24-bit color but not 1-bit bi-tonal
 Longer decompression time
 Supports only a limited set of internal technical metadata
 Not suitable format for editing image files—saving,
processing, and resaving results in degradation of image
quality after about three saves
Access derivative file use
only - not recommended
for text or line drawings
PDF
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Access derivative file use
only – recommend for
records accessed over
the internet.
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Adapted from:
Widely used
Proprietary file format
Released in 1993
Encapsulating format, not raster image format
Provides consistency across programs and platforms
Cannot be used to capture digitized records directly, a native
format must be captured first, such as TIFF
Resolution reduction, OCR, and image correction cannot be
performed directly on a PDF – these functions must be
carried out before encapsulation or the original formats must
be retained separately
Captures text and images in their original format, preserving
fonts, graphics, and layouts
Commonly used on the world wide web
Adobe Reader is required to view PDFs or a tool that
embeds the capability
Supports multiple compression schemes
Supports a limited number of color spaces – 8-bit palletized,
16-bit grayscale, and 48-bit color
More complex format due to embedded/externally linked
objects
Implements Adobe’s XMP specification for embedding
metadata in XML
PDF/A has been introduced as a preservation standard for
PDF – ISO 19005-1:2005
http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/digitizing-archival-materials.pdf
http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/publications/digitisation/digiguideline.pdf
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