Image File Formats
 
General
Annotations
JPEG - JFIF
TIFF

General

What image file formats are supported by Imaging for Windows?
Imaging for Windows can read the following image file formats: BMP, DCX, GIF, JPG-JFIF, PCX, TIFF, WIFF, and XIF. It can write BMP, JPG-JFIF and TIFF files.

Documents and annotations are written as TIFF 6.0 multi-page, multi-strip or single-strip files. A user may annotate other supported files, but the annotations must either be made a permanent part of the image or not saved. TIFF files with JPEG compression may be written following the original TIFF 6.0 specification and also following TIFF 6.0 Technical Note 2.

Imaging for Windows has an image size limitation of 20,000 pixels in one direction. For example, a 50-inch wide image at 400 DPI is the maximum size Imaging can display.

How can I control the size of an image document?
When you scan a document, you can control the size of the resulting document in a couple of ways. If, for example, you are using DeskScan as the TWAIN data source for your HP scanner, the option Millions of Colors creates a 24-bit True Color image. Those files are large. If you change the option to Color Photo, the image will be created as a 256-color image instead. In a test we did, the file was 1/4 the size. You can also use Tools->Options->Scan in Imaging for Windows to specify the default compression used for scanned images. For example, choosing the preference Good quality and small file size instead of Best display quality can significantly reduce the size of color and grayscale images.

The compression of an image page can be modified by using Page->Properties in Imaging for Windows. Remember, the Page->Properties and Page->Convert functions affect only the active page; on multi-page documents, you will have to set the page compression for each page.

What is the size of an image file?
The size of an image file depends on several factors: the type of image (color, grayscale, or black and white), the resolution of the image, and the compression (if any) applied to the image.

By adjusting the quality and degree of JPEG compression desired, you can increase or decrease the file size by 20 to 30%. In these examples, the JPEG compression chosen produces medium quality and medium resolution. The file would be larger if you chose quality over compression and smaller if you chose compression over quality.

Annotations

I opened an image file and noticed the annotation tools are not available. How can I annotate the image?
You opened a type of image that Imaging can read but not modify, for example a DCX, PCX, or GIF file. To annotate the image file, you can save the image file as a TIFF file and then annotate the TIFF file. You may also annotate BMP or JPG-JFIF files, but the annotations must be made a permanent part of the image before saving the file.

If you cannot annotate or edit a TIFF image file, you may have opened the file in read-only mode by checking that option in the Open dialog box. Do not check that option if you want to annotate the file. Alternatively, the file may reside in a folder or drive to which you do not have write access, or the Read-Only attribute may be set for that file. In that case, you need to save the file to a location where you do have write access or remove the Read-Only attribute.

How can I modify the properties of an annotation? For example, I want to change the line color from red to blue.
Select the annotation and press the right mouse button to access the properties of the annotation or select ‘Properties’ on the Annotation menu. Default colors and the Windows color palette are accessible from the Properties dialog box. To change the default properties of an annotation type, right click on the appropriate button in the annotation toolbar.

JPG - JFIF

I generate .JPG files using my digital camera, yet when I open them in Imaging for Windows I get an "unknown file format" message. Other imaging programs can open these same files.
Some digital cameras generate .JPG files without the required "JFIF" string in the header. The JPEG standard states that an APP0 marker and "JFIF" string (together with the leading SOI marker), make up the header that identifies them as "standard" JPEG/JFIF files. Some applications just recognize the leading "FFD8" SOI marker and don't look for the "JFIF" stamp, thus allowing them to open non-standard JPEG files.

Imaging checks the file for the JFIF string. If the JFIF string is missing, Imaging for Windows declares the file format as invalid.

TIFF

Are the TIFF image documents created by Imaging for Windows compatible with other image editor/viewer products?
Yes. The file format is a standard TIFF 6.0 multi-page, multi-strip or single-strip format. Most TIFF 6.0 capable products are able to view the image pages. In the Imaging application, the TIFF settings reside on the ‘File Options’ dialog box.

If it is desirable for other image file readers to handle the annotations generated by Imaging for Windows, the Annotation Specification is available for download.

 
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