TIFF/IT

Action Plan: Tagged Image File Format - TIFF/IT Encoding

Last Updated 2/5/2014

Description: Tagged Image File Format, or Tiff files, are some of the most common Raster Image Formats in use. Created by the Aldus Corperation which was later aquired by Adobe, Tiff's technical specifications have been released by Adobe. It was last updated in 1992, its current version is 6.0.

Codec:  TIFF/IT is a raster image format used almost exclusively in the printing of newspaper and magazine advertisements. The format has since been eclipsed in popularity by PDF/X.

Software:  TIFF/IT images generally consist of three different files, .CT (continuous-toned scanned images), .LW (linework data) and .FP (final page). The .FP file may contain a preview viewable in Photoshop, but as a rule, TIFF/IT files are unable to render or be created with more common desktop applications. Some software RIPs exist to create them, but most are created by high-end pre-press systems. For more,see this.

Long Term Preservation Plan:  Bit-level preservation. On injest attempt to get a more common and accessible version of the file in question. Such as a basic TIFF version.

Division Specific Notes:  The Library does not yet have any experience with TIFF/IT