Tag Image File Format (TIFF) - F Profile for Facsimile
RFC 2306
| Document | Type |
RFC - Informational
(March 1998; No errata)
Was draft-ietf-fax-tiff (fax WG)
|
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|---|---|---|---|
| Last updated | 2013-03-02 | ||
| Stream | IETF | ||
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| Stream | WG state | (None) | |
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| IESG | IESG state | RFC 2306 (Informational) | |
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Network Working Group G. Parsons
Request for Comments: 2306 Northern Telecom
Category: Informational J. Rafferty
Human Communications
March 1998
Tag Image File Format (TIFF) - F Profile for Facsimile
Status of this Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does
not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this
memo is unlimited.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998). All Rights Reserved.
Overview
This document describes in detail the definition of TIFF-F that is
used to store facsimile images. The TIFF-F encoding has been
folklore with no standard reference definition before this document.
Internet Fax Working Group
This document is a product of the IETF Internet Fax Working Group.
All comments on this document should be forwarded to the email
distribution list at <ietf-fax@imc.org>.
1. Abstract
This document references the Tag Image File Format (TIFF) to define
the F profile of TIFF for facsimile (TIFF-F) as a file format that
may be used for the storage and interchange of facsimile images.
2. TIFF Definition
TIFF (Tag Image File Format) Revision 6.0 is defined in detail within
[TIFF].
A brief review of concepts used in TIFF is included in this document
as background information, but the reader is directed to the original
TIFF specification [TIFF] to obtain specific technical details.
Parsons & Rafferty Informational [Page 1]
RFC 2306 TIFF-F Profile March 1998
2.1 Baseline TIFF and Applications
TIFF provides a method to describe and store raster image data. A
primary goal of TIFF is to provide a rich environment within which
implementations can exchange image data. [TIFF] characterizes
Baseline TIFF as being the core of TIFF, the essentials that all
mainstream TIFF developers should support in their products.
Applications of TIFF are defined by using Baseline TIFF as a starting
point and then defining "extensions" to TIFF that are used for the
specific "application", as well as specifying any other differences
from Baseline TIFF.
3. TIFF-F Definition
3.1 Introduction
Though it has been in common usage for many years, TIFF-F has
previously never been documented in the form of a standard. An
informal TIFF-F document was originally created by a small group of
fax experts led by Joe Campbell. The existence of TIFF-F is noted in
[TIFF] but it is not defined. This document defines the F
application of [TIFF]. For ease of reference, the term TIFF-F will be
used throughout this document as a shorthand for "F Profile of TIFF
for Facsimile". TIFF-F files are intended for use with the
image/tiff MIME media content-type which includes support for the
"application" parameter (e.g., application=faxbw).
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
document are to be interpreted as described in [REQ].
3.1.1 TIFF-F Historical Background
Up until TIFF 6.0, TIFF supported various "Classes" which defined the
use of TIFF for various applications. Classes were used to support
specific applications and in this spirit, TIFF-F has been known
historically as "TIFF Class F". Previous informal TIFF-F documents
used the "Class F" terminology.
As of TIFF 6.0 [TIFF], the TIFF Class concept has been eliminated in
favor of the concept of Baseline TIFF. Therefore, this document
updates the definition of TIFF-F as the F profile of TIFF for
facsimile, by using Baseline TIFF as defined in [TIFF] as the
starting point and then defining the differences from Baseline TIFF
which apply for TIFF-F. In almost all cases, the resulting
definition of TIFF-F fields and values remains consistent with those
used historically in earlier definitions of TIFF Class F. Where some
Parsons & Rafferty Informational [Page 2]
RFC 2306 TIFF-F Profile March 1998
of the values for fields have been updated to provide more precise
conformance with the ITU-T [T.4] and [T.30] fax recommendations,
these differences are noted.
3.1.2 Overview
The intent of this specification is to document:
1) The fields and values which are applicable for this F profile
of TIFF for facsimile.
2) A minimum set of TIFF-F fields and values which should be able
to interwork with virtually all historic TIFF-F readers.
3) A broader range of values for the traditional TIFF-F fields
that will provide support for the most widely used facsimile
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