For an imaged electronic document to be admissible in a court of law, it must
be created in a file format that cannot be altered without leaving an electronic
footprint. To satisfy this requirement, the imaging industry has diverged in two
different directions: PDF Files and Optical Drives
A PDF file is a "read only" document that cannot be altered without
leaving an electronic footprint, and meets all legal requirements to be admissible
in a court of law. Furthermore, the PDF file format is practical and economical
by allowing the documents to be stored on a company's server. This eliminates
the need for additional hardware (except for additional hard drive space) and
allows for exceptional integration into any network.
Other file formats such as TIFF, JPEG, and GIF can be easily altered without
leaving an electronic footprint, therefore it is necessary to copy them at the
time of scanning directly to an optical drive or read-only drive. Documents on
an optical drive cannot be removed or changed, making them legal in a court of
law. However, optical drive systems have considerable expenses attached to them
as a result of the need for optical drive - scanning integration. In addition,
optical drives bare hefty hardware price-tags and significant network integration
expenses.
The cost of optical drive system maintenance is significantly higher than PDF
file format maintenance: PDF File Format Requires only the routine backup normally
performed on the server or hard drive of a stand-alone system.
Using TIFF, JPEG, or GIF file formats require more technical expertise and
are not recommended for a businesses without an on-site IT professional.
Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)
Virtually every imaging system uses the Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) with
CCITT Group 4 compression for image storage.
By utilizing TIFF's strengths, such as tiling and banding, image vendors have
been able to accommodate a wide range of application needs. TIFF images tend to
be much larger that most other image formats, making TIFF a poor choice for batch-mode
forms being processed over the Internet.
TIFF format requires compatible viewers to be installed at every workstation
for display and output requirements. Many PCs are prepackaged with basic TIFF
viewer utilities, but these often are not sufficient as proprietary annotations
are not generally supported. TIFF is not easily streamed over the Internet, requiring
the entire file to be received before viewing. As a result, the end user must
employ a broadband connection for efficient viewing.
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
For storing and displaying color or grayscale photographic material, there
is no better format than JPEG. While a comparable density in JPEG format is much
larger than a comparable TIFF, adequate viewing can be achieved at a lower density.
JPEG files will begin displaying segments of a recognizable image as it streams,
without requiring the entire file to be transmitted. JPEG also supports watermarks
and digital signatures.
Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)
GIF format has evolved into a commonly used format for bitmap graphics on
the Internet. Browsers often display GIFs using their native code; however, they
are not suited for business document imaging. The special features, such as animation,
are not of value in a business setting. In addition, the poor compression of the
GIF format makes it less appealing to businesses in comparison to other formats.
Portable Document Format (PDF)
The PDF format was originally developed by Adobe for the U.S. Federal Government
to store its legacy files. Currently, the U.S. Federal Government is still the
largest user of PDF technology. Most individuals have encountered the PDF format
when downloading electronic tax forms from the IRS.
PDF format has been a de facto Internet standard. It guarantees that the image
seen by the viewer is congruent across all platforms. While PDF requires a viewer,
it is readily available as freeware called Adobe Acrobat Reader.
PDF files have metadata, such as XML tables of content and links, making images
more useful to end users. PDF files support security privileges, watermarking
and signing, resulting in tools that exist to protect intellectual capital. Also,
PDF files can be streamed by page, providing the responsiveness that browser users
expect.
One significant attribute of PDF format is the superior appearance of the printed
copy when reproduced using a high quality printer. Image and text characteristics
of PDF files tend to reproduce very well under most display and output configurations.
