outside the IFD. The two exceptions are the values for the
XResolution and YResolution fields, both of which are type RATIONAL
and require 2 4- byte numbers. These "long" field values SHALL be
placed immediately after the IFD which contains the offsets to them,
and before the image data pointed to by that IFD.
The effect of these requirements is that the IFD for the first page
SHALL come first in the file after the TIFF header, followed by the
long field values for XResolution and YResolution, followed by the
image data for the first page, then the IFD for second page, etc.
This is shown in the following figure. Each IFD is required to have a
PageNumber field, which has value 0 for the first page, 1 for the
second page, and so on.
+-----------------------+
| Header |------------+
+-----------------------+ | First IFD
| IFD (page 0) | <----------+ Offset
+---| |------------+
| | |--+ |
Value | +-----------------------+ | |
Offset +-->| Long Values | | |
+-----------------------| | Strip |
| Image Data (page 0) |<-+ Offset |
+-----------------------+ | Next IFD
| IFD (page 1) | <----------+ Offset
+---| |------------+
| | |--+ |
Value | +-----------------------+ | |
Offset +-->| Long Values | | |
+-----------------------| | Strip |
| Image Data (page 1) |<-+ Offset |
+-----------------------+ | Next IFD
| IFD (page 2) | <----------+ Offset
+-----------------------+
| : |
Using this file structure may reduce the memory requirements in
implementations. It is also provides some support for streaming, in
which a file can be processed as it is received and before the entire
file is received.
3.6 Minimal Black-and-white Mode Summary
The table below summarizes the TIFF fields that comprise the minimal
interchange set for black-and-white facsimile. The Baseline and
Extension fields and field values MUST be supported by all
implementations. For convenience in the table, certain fields which
have a value that is a sequence of flag bits are shown taking integer
values that correspond to the flags that are set. An implementation
should test the setting of the relevant flag bits individually,
however, to allow extensions to the sequence of flag bits to be
appropriately ignored. (See, for example, T4Options below.)
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Baseline Fields | Values |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| BitsPerSample | 1 |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Compression | 3: 1D Modified Huffman coding |
| | set T4Options = 0 or 4 |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| FillOrder | 2: least significant bit first |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| ImageWidth | 1728 |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| ImageLength | n: total number of scanlines |
| | in image |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| NewSubFileType | 2: Bit 1 identifies single |
| | page of a multi-page document |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| PageNumber | n,m: page number n followed by |
| | total page count m |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| PhotometricInterpretation | 0: pixel value 1 means black |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| ResolutionUnit | 2: inch |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| RowsPerStrip | number of scanlines per strip |
| | = ImageLength, with one strip |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| SamplesPerPixel | 1 |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| StripByteCounts | number of bytes in TIFF strip |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| StripOffsets | offset from beginning of |
| | file to single TIFF strip |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| XResolution | 204, 200 (pixels/inch) |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| YResolution | 98, 196, 100, 200 (pixels/inch)|
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Extension Fields |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| T4Options | 0: MH coding, EOLs not byte |
| | aligned |
| | 4: MH coding, EOLs byte aligned|
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
4. Extended Black-and-White fax mode
This section defines the extended black-and-white mode or Profile F
of TIFF for facsimile. It provides a standard definition of what has
historically been known as TIFF Class F and now TIFF-F. In doing so,
it aligns this mode with current ITU-T Recommendations for black-
and-white fax and with existing industry practice. Implementations of
this profile include implementations of Profile S.
This section describes extensions to the minimal interchange set of
fields (Profile S) that provide a richer set of black-and-white
capabilities. The fields and values described in this section are a
superset of the fields and values defined for the minimal interchange
set in Section 3. In addition to the MH encoding, Modified READ (MR)
and Modified Modified READ (MMR) encoding as described in [T.4] and
[T.6] are supported.
Section 4.1 gives an overview of TIFF-F. Section 4.2 describes the
TIFF fields that SHALL be used in this mode. Section 4.3 describes
the fields that MAY be used in this mode. In the spirit of the
original TIFF-F specification, Sections 4.4 and 4.5 discuss technical
implementation issues and warnings. Section 4.6 gives an example use
of TIFF-F. Section 4.7 gives a summary of the required and
recommended fields and their values.
4.1 TIFF-F Overview
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 serves as the formal
definition of the F application of [TIFF] for Internet applications.
For ease of reference, the term TIFF-F will be used throughout this
document as a shorthand for the extended black-and-white mode or
profile of TIFF for facsimile.
Up until the TIFF 6.0 specification, TIFF supported various "Classes"
which defined the use of TIFF for various applications. Classes were
used to support specific applications. In this spirit, TIFF-F has
been known historically as "TIFF Class F". Previous informal TIFF-F
documents [TIFF-F0] 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
adding the TIFF extensions to 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 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.
4.2. Required TIFF Fields
This section lists the required fields and the values they must have
to be ITU-compatible. Besides the fields listed in Section 2.2.1, the
extended black-and-white fax mode SHALL use the following fields.
4.2.1. Baseline fields
BitsPerSample(258) = 1. SHORT
RequiredByTIFFBaseline
Binary data only.
Default = 1 (field may be omitted if this is the value)
Compression(259) = 3, 4. SHORT
RequiredByTIFFBaseline
3 = 1- or 2- dimensional coding, must have T4Options field This is
a TIFF Extension value [TIFF].
4 = 2-dimensional coding, ITU-T Rec. T.6 (MMR - Modified Modified
Read, must have T6Options field)) This is a TIFF Extension value.
Default = 1 (and is not applicable; field must be specified)
NOTE: Baseline TIFF permits use of value 2 for Modified Huffman
encoding, but data is presented in a form which does not use EOLs,
and so TIFF for facsimile uses Compression=3 instead. See Sections
4.4.4, 4.5.1 and 4.5.2 for more information on compression and
encoding.
FillOrder(266) = 1 , 2. SHORT
RequiredByTIFFBaseline
Profile F readers must be able to read data in both bit orders,
but the vast majority of facsimile products store data LSB
first, exactly as it appears on the telephone line.
1 = Most Significant Bit first.
2 = Least Significant Bit first
ImageWidth(256) SHORT or LONG
RequiredByTIFFBaseline
This mode supports the following fixed page widths: 1728, 2592, 3456
(corresponding to North American Letter and Legal, ISO A4 paper
sizes), 2048, 3072, 4096 (corresponding to ISO B4 paper size), and
2432, 3648, 4864 (corresponding to ISO A3 paper size).
No default; must be specified
NOTE: Historical TIFF-F did not include support for the following
widths related to higher resolutions: 2592, 3072, 3648, 3456, 4096
and 4864. Historical TIFF-F documents also included the following
values related to A5 and A6 widths: 816 and 1216. Per the most recent
version of [T.4], A5 and A6 documents are no longer supported in
Group 3 facsimile, so the related width values are now obsolete. See
section 4.5.2 for more information on inch/metric equivalencies and
other implementation details.
NewSubFileType(254) = (Bit 1=1). LONG
RequiredByTIFFforFAX
Bit 1 is 1 if the image is a single page of a multi-page document.
Default = 0 (no subfile bits on, so may not be omitted for fax)
NOTE: Bit 1 is always set to 1 for TIFF-F, indicating a single page
of a multi-page image. The same bit settings are used when TIFF-F is
used for a one page fax image. See Section 4.4.3 for details on
multi-page files.
PhotometricInterpretation(262) = 0, 1. SHORT
RequiredByTIFFBaseline
0 = pixel value 1 means black, 1 = pixel value 1 means white.
This field allows notation of an inverted or negative image.
No default, must be specified
ResolutionUnit(296) = 2, 3. SHORT
RequiredByTIFFBaseline
The unit of measure for resolution. 2 = inch, 3 = centimeter; TIFF-F
has traditionally used inch-based measures.
Default = 2 (field may be omitted if this is the value)
SamplesPerPixel(277) = 1. SHORT
RequiredByTIFFBaseline
1 = monochrome, bilevel in this case (see BitsPerSample)
Default =1 (field may be omitted if this is the value)
XResolution(282) = 200, 204, 300, 400, 408 RATIONAL
RequiredByTIFFBaseline
The horizontal resolution of the image is expressed in pixels per
resolution unit. In pixels/inch, the allowed values are: 200, 204,
300, 400, and 408. See Section 2.2.2 for inch-metric equivalency.
No default, must be specified
NOTE: The values of 200 and 408 have been added to the historical
TIFF-F values, for consistency with [T.30]. Some existing TIFF-F
implementations may also support values of 80 pixels/cm, which is
equivalent to 204 pixels per inch. See section 4.5.2 for information
on implementation details.
YResolution(283) = 98, 100, 196, 200, 300, 391, and 400 RATIONAL
RequiredByTIFFBaseline
The vertical resolution of the image is expressed in pixels per
resolution unit. In pixels/inch, the allowed values are: 98, 100,
196, 200, 300, 391, and 400 pixels/inch.
See Section 2.2.2 for inch-metric equivalency.
No default, must be specified
NOTE: The values of 100, 200, and 391 have been added to the
historical TIFF-F values, for consistency with [T.30]. Some existing
TIFF-F implementations may also support values of 77 and 38.5 (cm),
which are equivalent to 196 and 98 pixels per inch respectively. See
section 4.5.2 for more information on implementation details.
NOTE: Not all combinations of XResolution, YResolution and ImageWidth
are legal. The following table gives the legal combinations and
corresponding paper size [T.30].
+--------------+-----------------+---------------------------+
| XResolution x YResolution | ImageWidth |
+--------------+-----------------+---------+--------+--------+
| 200x100, 204x98 | | | |
| 200x200, 204x196 | 1728 | 2048 | 2432 |
| 204x391 | | | |
+--------------+-----------------+---------+--------+--------+
| 300 x 300 | 2592 | 3072 | 3648 |
+--------------+-----------------+---------+--------+--------+
| 408 x 391, 400 x 400 | 3456 | 4096 | 4864 |
+--------------+-----------------+---------+--------+--------+
|Letter,A4| B4 | A3 |
| Legal | | |
+---------+--------+--------+
| Paper Size |
+---------------------------+
4.2.2. Extension fields
T4Options(292) = (Bit 0 = 0 or 1, Bit 1 = 0, Bit 2 = 0 or 1) LONG
RequiredTIFFExtension (when Compression = 3)
T4Options was also known as Group3Options in a prior version of
[TIFF].
Bit 0 = 1 indicates MR encoding, = 0 indicates MH encoding.
Bit 1 must be 0
Bit 2 = 1 indicates that EOLs are byte aligned, = 0 EOLs not byte
aligned
Default is all bits are 0 (applies when MH encoding is used and EOLs
are not byte aligned EOLs) (See Section 3.2.2.)
The T4Options field is required when the Compression field has a
value of 3. This field specifies the encoding used (MH or MR) and
whether the EOL codes are byte-aligned or not. If they are byte
aligned, then fill bits have been added as necessary so that the End
of Line (EOL) codes always end on byte boundaries See Sections 3.4,
4.5.3 and 4.5.4 for details.
T6Options(293) = (Bit 0 = 0, Bit 1 = 0). LONG
RequiredTIFFExtension (when Compression = 4)
Used to indicate parameterization of 2D Modified Modified Read
compression. T6Options was also known as Group4Options in a prior
version of [TIFF].
Bit 0 must be 0.
Bit 1 = 0 indicates uncompressed data mode is not allowed; = 1
indicates uncompressed data is allowed (see [TIFF]).
Default is all bits 0. For FAX, the field must be present and have
the value 0. The use of uncompressed data where compression would
expand the data size is not allowed for FAX.
NOTE: MMR compressed data is two-dimensional and does not use EOLs.
Each MMR encoded image MUST include an "end-of-facsimile-block"
(EOFB) code at the end of each coded strip; see Section 4.5.6.
4.2.3. New fields
None.
4.3. Recommended TIFF fields
4.3.1. Baseline fields
See Section 2.2.3.
4.3.2. Extension fields
See Section 2.2.3.
4.3.3. New fields
Three new, optional fields, used in the original TIFF-F description
to describe page quality, are defined in this specification. The
information contained in these fields is usually obtained from
receiving facsimile hardware (if applicable). They SHOULD NOT be used
in writing TIFF-F files for facsimile image data that is error
corrected or otherwise guaranteed not to have coding errors. Some
applications need to understand exactly the error content of the
data. For example, a CAD program might wish to verify that a file
has a low error level before importing it into a high-accuracy
document. Because Group 3 facsimile devices do not necessarily
perform error correction on the image data, the quality of a received
page must be inferred from the pixel count of decoded scan lines. A
"good" scan line is defined as a line that, when decoded, contains
the correct number of pixels. Conversely, a "bad" scan line is
defined as a line that, when decoded, comprises an incorrect number
of pixels.
BadFaxLines(326) SHORT or LONG
The number of "bad" scan lines encountered by the facsimile device
during reception. A "bad" scanline is defined as a scanline that,
when decoded, comprises an incorrect number of pixels. Note that
PercentBad = (BadFaxLines/ImageLength) * 100
No default.
CleanFaxData(327) = 0, 1, 2. SHORT
Indicates if "bad" lines encountered during reception are stored in
the data, or if "bad" lines have been replaced by the receiver.
0 = No "bad" lines
1 = "bad" lines exist, but were regenerated by the receiver,
2 = "bad" lines exist, but have not been regenerated.
No default.
NOTE: Many facsimile devices do not actually output bad lines.
Instead, the previous good line is repeated in place of a bad line.
Although this substitution, known as line regeneration, results in a
visual improvement to the image, the data is nevertheless corrupted.
The CleanFaxData field describes the error content of the data. That
is, when the BadFaxLines and ImageLength fields indicate that the
facsimile device encountered lines with an incorrect number of pixels
during reception, the CleanFaxData field indicates whether these bad
lines are actually still in the data or if the receiving facsimile
device replaced them with regenerated lines.
ConsecutiveBadFaxLines(328) LONG or SHORT
Maximum number of consecutive "bad" scanlines received. The
BadFaxLines field indicates only the quantity of bad lines.
No Default.
NOTE: The BadFaxLines and ImageLength data indicate only the quantity
of bad lines. The ConsecutiveBadFaxLines field is an indicator of the
distribution of bad lines and may therefore be a better general
indicator of perceived image quality. See Section 4.4.5 for examples
of the use of these fields.
4.4. Technical Implementation Issues
4.4.1 Strips
In general, TIFF files divide an image into "strips," also known as
"bands." Each strip contains a few scanlines of the image. By using
strips, a TIFF reader need not load the entire image into memory,
thus enabling it to fetch and decompress small random portions of the
image as necessary.
The number of scanlines in a strip is described by the RowsPerStrip
value and the number of bytes in the strip after compression by the
StripByteCount value. The location in the TIFF file of each strip is
given by the StripOffsets values.
Strip size is application dependent. The recommended approach for
multi- page TIFF-F images is to represent each page as a single
strip. Existing TIFF-F usage is typically one strip per page in
multi-page TIFF-F files. See Sections 2.1.2 and 2.1.3.
4.4.2 Bit Order
The current TIFF specification [TIFF] does not require a Baseline
TIFF reader to support FillOrder=2, i.e. lowest numbered 1-bit pixel
in the least significant bit of a byte. It further recommends that
FillOrder=2 be used only in special purpose applications.
Facsimile data appears on the phone line in bit-reversed order
relative to its description in ITU-T Recommendation T.4. Therefore,
a wide majority of facsimile applications choose this natural order
for data in a file. Nevertheless, TIFF-F readers must be able to read
data in both bit orders and support FillOrder values of 1 and 2.
4.4.3. Multi-Page
Many existing applications already read TIFF-F-like files, but do not
support the multi-page field. Since a multi-page format greatly
simplifies file management in fax application software, TIFF-F
specifies multi-page documents (NewSubfileType = 2) as the standard
case.
It is recommended that applications export multiple page TIFF-F files
without manipulating fields and values. Historically, some TIFF-F
writers have attempted to produce individual single-page TIFF-F files
with modified NewSubFileType and PageNumber (page one-of-one) values
for export purposes. However, there is no easy way to link such
multiple single page files together into a logical multiple page
document, so that this practice is not recommended.
4.4.4. Compression
In Group 3 facsimile, there are three compression methods which had
been standardized as of 1994 and are in common use. The ITU-T T.4
Recommendation [T.4] defines a one-dimensional compression method
known as Modified Huffman (MH) and a two-dimensional method known as
Modified READ (MR) (READ is short for Relative Element Address
Designate). In 1984, a somewhat more efficient compression method
known as Modified Modified READ (MMR) was defined in the ITU-T T.6
Recommendation [T.6]. MMR was originally defined for use with Group 4
facsimile, so that this compression method has been commonly called
Group 4 compression. In 1991, the MMR method was approved for use in
Group 3 facsimile and has since been widely utilized.
TIFF-F supports these three compression methods. The most common
practice is the one-dimensional Modified Huffman (MH) compression
method. This is specified by setting the Compression field value to
3 and then setting bit 0 of the T4Options field to 0. Alternatively,
the two dimensional Modified READ (MR) method, which is much less
frequently used in historical TIFF-F implementations, may be selected
by setting bit 0 of the T4Options field to 1. The value of Bit 2 in
this field is determined by the use of fill bits.
Depending upon the application, the more efficient two-dimensional
Modified Modified Read (MMR)compression method from T.6 may be
selected by setting the Compression field value to 4 and then setting
the first two bits (and all unused bits) of the T6Options field to 0.
More information to aid the implementor in making a compression
selection is contained in Section 4.5.2.
Baseline TIFF also permits use of Compression=2 to specify Modified
Huffman compression, but the data does not use EOLs. As a result,
TIFF-F uses Compression=3 instead of Compression=2 to specify
Modified Huffman compression.
4.4.5. Example Use of Page-quality Fields
Here are examples for writing the CleanFaxData, BadFaxLines, and
ConsecutiveBadFaxLines fields:
1. Facsimile hardware does not provide page quality
information: MUST NOT write page-quality fields.
2. Facsimile hardware provides page quality information, but
reports no bad lines. Write only BadFaxLines = 0.
3. Facsimile hardware provides page quality information, and
reports bad lines. Write both BadFaxLines and
ConsecutiveBadFaxLines. Also write CleanFaxData = 1 or 2 if
the hardware's regeneration capability is known.
4. Source image data stream is error-corrected or otherwise
guaranteed to be error-free such as for a computer generated
file: SHOULD NOT write page-quality fields.
TIFF Writers SHOULD only generate these fields when the image has
been generated from a fax image data stream where error correction,
e.g. Group 3 Error Correction Mode, was not used.
4.4.6. Practical Guidelines for Writing and Reading Multi-Page TIFF-F
Files
Traditionally, historical TIFF-F has required readers and writers to
be able to handle multi-page TIFF-F files. Based on the experience
of various TIFF-F implementors, it has been seen that the
implementation of TIFF-F can be greatly simplified if certain
practical guidelines are followed when writing multi-page TIFF-F
files.
The structure for a multi-page TIFF-F file will include one IFD per
page of the document. In this case, this IFD will define the
attributes for a single page. A second simplifying guideline is that
the writer of TIFF-F files SHOULD present IFDs in the same order as
the actual sequence of pages. (The pages are numbered within TIFF-F
beginning with page 0 as the first page and then ascending (i.e. 0,
1, 2,...). However, any field values over 4 bytes will be stored
separately from the IFD. TIFF-F readers SHOULD expect IFDs to be
presented in page order, but be able to handle exceptions.
Per [TIFF], the exact placement of image data is not specified.
However, the strip offsets for each strip of image are defined from
within each IFD. Where possible, another simplifying guideline for
the writing of TIFF-F files is to specify that the image data for
each page of a multi-page document SHOULD be contained within a
single strip (i.e. one image strip per fax page). The use of a single
image strip per page is very useful for applications such as store
and forward messaging, where the file is usually prepared in advance
of the transmission, but other assumptions may apply for the size of
the image strip for applications which require the use of "streaming"
techniques (see section 4.4.7). In the event a different image strip
size guideline has been used (e.g. constant size for image strips
that may be less than the page size), this will immediately be
evident from the values/offsets of the fields that are related to
strips.
A third simplifying guideline is that each IFD SHOULD be placed in
the TIFF-F file structure at a point which precedes the image which
the IFD describes.
In addition, a fourth simplifying guideline for TIFF-F writers and
readers is to place the actual image data in a physical order within
the TIFF file structure which is consistent with the logical page
order. In practice, TIFF-F readers will need to use the strip
offsets to find the exact physical location of the image data,
whether or not it is presented in logical page order.
If the image data is stored in multiple strips, then the strips
SHOULD occur in the file in the same order that the data they contain
occurs in the facsimile transmission, starting at the top of the
page.
TIFF-F writers MAY make a fifth simplifying guideline, in which the
IFD, the value data and the image data to which the IFD has offsets
precede the next image IFD. However, this guideline has been relaxed
(writers MAY rather than SHOULD use it) compared to the other
guidelines given here to reflect past practices for TIFF-F.
In the case of the minimal mode, which is also the minimal subset of
Profile S, the SHOULD's and MAY's of these guidelines become SHALL's
(see Section 3.5).
So, a TIFF-F file which is structured using the guidelines of this
section will essentially be composed of a linked list of IFDs,
presented in ascending page order, which in turn each point to a
single page of image data (one strip per page), where the pages of
image data are also placed in a logical page order within the TIFF- F
file structure. (The pages of image data may themselves be stored in
a contiguous manner, at the option of the implementor).
4.4.7. Use of TIFF-F for Streaming Applications
TIFF-F has historically been used for handling fax image files in
applications such as store and forward messaging where the entire
size of the file is known in advance. While TIFF-F may also possibly
be used as a file format for cases such as streaming applications,
assumptions may be required that differ from those provided in this
section (e.g., the entire size and number of pages within the image
are not known in advance). As a result, a definition for the
streaming application of TIFF-F is beyond the scope of this document.
4.5. Implementation Warnings
4.5.1 Uncompressed data
TIFF-F requires the ability to read and write at least one-
dimensional T.4 Huffman ("compressed") data. Uncompressed data is
not allowed. This means that the "Uncompressed" bit in T4Options or
T6Options must be set to 0.
4.5.2. Encoding and Resolution
Since two-dimensional encoding is not required for Group 3
compatibility, some historic TIFF-F readers have not been able to
read such files. The minimum subset of TIFF-F REQUIRES support for
one dimensional (Modified Huffman) files, so this choice maximizes
portability. However, implementors seeking greater efficiency SHOULD
use T.6 MMR compression when writing TIFF-F files. Some TIFF-F
readers will also support two-dimensional Modified READ files.
Implementors that wish to have the maximum flexibility in reading
TIFF-F files should support all three of these compression methods
(MH, MR and MMR).
For the case of resolution, almost all facsimile products support
both standard (98 dpi) vertical resolution and "fine" (196 dpi)
resolution. Therefore, fine-resolution files are quite portable in
the real world.
In 1993, the ITU-T added support for higher resolutions in the T.30
recommendation including 200 x 200, 300 x 300, 400 x 400 in dots per
inch based units. At the same time, support was added for metric
dimensions which are equivalent to the following inch based
resolutions: 391v x 204h and 391v x 408h. Therefore, the full set of
inch-based equivalents of the new resolutions are supported in the
TIFF-F writer, since they may appear in some image data streams
received from Group 3 facsimile devices. However, many facsimile
terminals and older versions of TIFF-F readers are likely to not
support the use of these higher resolutions.
Per [T.4], it is permissible for applications to treat the following
XResolution values as being equivalent: <204,200> and <400,408>. In
a similar respect, the following YResolution values may also be
treated as being equivalent: <98, 100>, <196, 200>, and <391, 400>.
These equivalencies were allowed by [T.4] to permit conversions
between inch and metric based facsimile terminals.
In a similar respect, the optional support of metric based
resolutions in the TIFF-F reader (i.e. 77 x 38.5 cm) is included for
completeness, since they are used in some legacy TIFF-F applications,
but this use is not recommended for the creation of TIFF-F files by a
writer.
4.5.3. EOL byte-aligned
The historical convention for TIFF-F has been that all EOLs in
Modified Huffman or Modified READ data must be byte-aligned. However,
Baseline TIFF has permitted use of non-byte-aligned EOLs by default,
so that a large percentage of TIFF-F reader implementations support
both conventions. Therefore, the minimum subset of TIFF-F, or Profile
S, as defined in Section 3 includes support for both byte-aligned and
non- byte-aligned EOLs; see Section 3.2.2.
An EOL is said to be byte-aligned when Fill bits have been added as
necessary before EOL codes such that EOL always ends on a byte
boundary, thus ensuring an EOL-sequence of a one byte preceded by a
zero nibble: xxxx0000 00000001.
Modified Huffman encoding encodes bits, not bytes. This means that
the end-of-line token may end in the middle of a byte. In byte
alignment, extra zero bits (Fill) are added so that the first bit of
data following an EOL begins on a byte boundary. In effect, byte
alignment relieves application software of the burden of bit-
shifting every byte while parsing scan lines for line-oriented image
manipulation (such as writing a TIFF file).
For Modified READ encoding, each line is terminated by an EOL and a
one bit tag bit. Per [T.4], the value of the tag bit is 0 if the
next line contains two dimensional data and 1 if the next line is a
reference line. To maintain byte alignment, fill bits are added
before the EOL/tag bit sequence, so that the first bit of data
following an MR tag bit begins on a byte boundary.
4.5.4. EOL
As illustrated in FIGURE 1/T.4 in [T.4], facsimile documents encoded
with Modified Huffman begin with an EOL, which in TIFF-F may be byte-
aligned. The last line of the image is not terminated by an EOL. In
a similar respect, images encoded with Modified READ two-dimensional
encoding begin with an EOL, followed by a tag bit.
4.5.5. RTC Exclusion
Aside from EOLs, TIFF-F files have historically only contained image
data. This means that applications which wish to maintain strict
conformance with the rules in [TIFF] and compatibility with
historical TIFF-F, SHOULD NOT include the Return To Control sequence
(RTC) (consisting of 6 consecutive EOLs) when writing TIFF-F files.
However, applications which need to support "transparency" of [T.4]
image data MAY include RTCs if the flag settings of the T4Options
field are set for non-byte aligned MH or MR image data. Implementors
of TIFF readers should also be aware that there are some existing
TIFF-F implementations which include the RTC sequence in MH/MR image
data. Therefore, TIFF-F readers MUST be able to process files which
do not include RTCs and SHOULD be able to process files which do
include RTCs.
4.5.6 Use of EOFB for T.6 Compressed Images
TIFF-F pages which are encoded with the T.6 Modified Modified READ
compression method MUST include an "end-of-facsimile-block" (EOFB)
code at the end of each coded strip. Per [TIFF], the EOFB code is
followed by pad bits as needed to align on a byte boundary. TIFF
readers SHOULD ignore any bits other than pad bits beyond the EOFB.
4.6. Example Use of TIFF-F
The Profile F of TIFF (i.e. TIFF-F content) is a secondary component
of the VPIM Message, as defined in [VPIM2]. Voice messaging systems
can often handle fax store-and-forward capabilities in addition to
tradi- tional voice message store-and-forward functions. As a
result, TIFF-F fax messages can optionally be sent between compliant
VPIM systems, and may be rejected if the recipient system cannot deal
with fax.
Refer to the VPIM Specification for proper usage of this content.
4.7. Extended Black-and-white Fax Mode Summary
Recommended fields are shown with an asterisk *.
Required fields or values are shown with a double asterisk **. If the
double asterisk is on the field name, then all the listed values are
required of implementations; if the double asterisks are in the
Values column, then only the values suffixed with a double asterisk
are required of implementations.
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Baseline Fields | Values |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| BitsPerSample | 1** |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Compression | 3**: 1D Modified Huffman and |
| | 2D Modified Read coding |
| | 4: 2D Modified Modified Read |
| | coding |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| DateTime* | {ASCII}: date/time in 24-hour |
| | format "YYYY:MM:DD HH:MM:SS" |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| FillOrder** | 1: most significant bit first |
| | 2: least significant bit first |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| ImageDescription* | {ASCII}: A string describing |
| | the contents of the image. |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| ImageWidth | 1728**, 2048, 2432, 2592, |
| | 3072, 3456, 3648, 4096, 4864 |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| ImageLength** | n: total number of scanlines |
| | in image |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| NewSubFileType | 2**: Bit 1 identifies single |
| | page of a multi-page document |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Orientation | 1**-8, Default 1 |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| PhotometricInterpretation | 0: pixel value 1 means black |
| ** | 1: pixel value 1 means white |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| ResolutionUnit** | 2: inch |
| | 3: centimeter |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| RowsPerStrip** | n: number of scanlines per |
| | TIFF strip |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| SamplesPerPixel | 1** |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Software* | {ASCII}: name & release |
| | number of creator software |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| StripByteCounts** | <n>: number or bytes in TIFF |
| | strip |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| StripOffsets** | <n>: offset from beginning of |
| | file to each TIFF strip |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| XResolution | 200, 204**, 300, 400, 408 |
| | (written in pixels/inch) |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| YResolution | 98**, 196**, 100, |
| | 200, 300, 391, 400 |
| | (written in pixels/inch) |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Extension Fields |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| T4Options | 0**: required if Compression |
| | is Modified Huffman, EOLs are |
| | not byte aligned |
| | 1: required if Compression is |
| | 2D Modified Read, EOLs are |
| | not byte aligned |
| | 4**: required if Compression |
| | is Modified Huffman, EOLs are |
| | byte aligned |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| T4Options (continued) | 5: required if Compression |
| | is 2D Modified Read, EOLs are |
| | byte aligned |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| T6Options | 0: required if Compression is |
| | 2D Modified Modified Read |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| DocumentName* | {ASCII}: name of scanned |
| | document |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| PageNumber** | n,m: page number followed by |
| | total page count |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| New Fields |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| BadFaxLines* | number of "bad" scanlines |
| | encountered during reception |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| CleanFaxData* | 0: no "bad" lines |
| | 1: "bad" lines exist, but were |
| | regenerated by receiver |
| | 2: "bad" lines exist, but have |
| | not been regenerated |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| ConsecutiveBadFaxLines* | Max number of consecutive |
| | "bad" lines received |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
5. Lossless JBIG Black-and-White Fax Mode
This section defines the lossless JBIG black-and-white mode or
Profile J of TIFF for facsimile. Implementations of this profile are
required to also implement Profile S.
The previous section described the extended interchange set of TIFF
fields for black-and-white fax, which provided support for the MH, MR
and MMR compression of black-and-white images. This section adds a
mode with JBIG compression capability.
5.1. Overview
This section describes a black-and-white mode that uses JBIG
compression. The ITU-T has approved the single-progression sequential
mode of JBIG [T.82] for Group 3 facsimile. JBIG coding offers
improved compression for halftoned originals. JBIG compression is
used in accordance with the application rules given in ITU-T Rec.
T.85 [T.85].
This mode is essentially the extended black-and-white mode with JBIG
compression used instead of MH, MR or MMR.
5.2. Required TIFF Fields
This section lists the required fields and the values they must have
to be ITU-compatible. Besides the fields listed in Section 2.2.1, the
extended black-and-white fax mode requires the following fields.
5.2.1. Baseline fields
The TIFF fields that SHALL be used in this mode are the same as those
described in Section 4.2.1 for the extended black-and-white mode,
with two exceptions: the following text replaces the text in Section
4.2.1 for the Compression and FillOrder fields.
Compression(259) = 9. SHORT
RequiredByTIFFBaseline
9 = ITU-T Rec. T.82 coding, applying ITU-T Rec. T.85 (JBIG). This is
a TIFF extension value.
Default = 1 (and is not applicable; field must be specified).
FillOrder(266) = 2. SHORT
RequiredByTIFFBaseline
2 = Pixels are arranged within a byte such that pixels with lower
column values are stored in the lower-order bits of the bytes, i.e.,
least significant bit first (LSB).
NOTE: The JBIG coding of black-and-white image data in Profile J
follows ITU-T Rec. T.85 [T.85], which specifies LSB first ordering
within a byte. Note that Baseline TIFF readers are only required to
support MSB first ordering or FillOrder = 1.
5.2.2. Extension fields
Same fields as those in Section 2.2.1.
5.2.3. New fields
None.
5.3. Recommended TIFF Fields
See Section 2.2.3 and 2.2.4.
5.4. Lossless JBIG Black-and-white Fax Mode Summary
Recommended fields are shown with an asterisk *.
Required fields or values are shown with a double asterisk **. If the
double asterisk is on the field name, then all the listed values are
required of implementations; if the double asterisks are in the
Values column, then only the values suffixed with a double asterisk
are required of implementations.
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Baseline Fields | Values |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| BitsPerSample | 1** |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Compression | 9**: JBIG coding |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| DateTime* | {ASCII}: date/time in 24-hour |
| | format "YYYY:MM:DD HH:MM:SS" |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| FillOrder** | 1: most significant bit first |
| | 2: least significant bit first |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| ImageDescription* | {ASCII}: A string describing |
| | the contents of the image. |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| ImageWidth | 1728**, 2048, 2432, 2592, |
| | 3072, 3456, 3648, 4096, 4864 |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| ImageLength** | n: total number of scanlines |
| | in image |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| NewSubFileType** | 2: Bit 1 identifies single |
| | page of a multi-page document |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Orientation | 1**-8, Default 1 |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| PhotometricInterpretation | 0: pixel value 1 means black |
| ** | 1: pixel value 1 means white |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| ResolutionUnit** | 2: inch |
| | 3: centimeter |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| RowsPerStrip** | n: number of scanlines per |
| | TIFF strip |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| SamplesPerPixel** | 1 |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Software* | {ASCII}: name & release |
| | number of creator software |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| StripByteCounts** | <n>: number of bytes in TIFF |
| | strip |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| StripOffsets** | <n>: offset from beginning of |
| | file to each TIFF strip |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| XResolution | 200, 204**, 300, 400, 408 |
| | (written in pixels/inch) |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| YResolution | 98**, 196**, 100, |
| | 200, 300, 391, 400 |
| | (written in pixels/inch) |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Extension Fields |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| DocumentName* | {ASCII}: name of document |
| | scanned |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| PageNumber** | n,m: page number followed by |
| | total page count |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| New Fields |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| GlobalParametersIFD* | IFD: global parameters IFD |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| ProfileType* | n: type of data stored in file |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| FaxProfile* | n: ITU-compatible fax mode |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
| CodingMethods* | n: compression algorithms used |
| | in file |
+---------------------------+--------------------------------+
6. Base Color Fax Mode
6.1. Overview
This section defines the lossy color mode or Profile C of TIFF for
facsimile. Implementations of this profile are required to also
implement Profile S.
This is the base mode for color and grayscale facsimile, which means
that all applications that support color fax must support this mode.
The basic approach is the lossy JPEG compression [T.4, Annex E; T.81]
of L*a*b* color data [T.42]. Grayscale applications use the L*
lightness component; color applications use the L*, a* and b*
components.
This mode uses a new PhotometricInterpretation field value to
describe the L*a*b* encoding specified in [T.42]. This encoding
differs in two ways from the other L*a*b* encodings used in TIFF
[TIFF, TTN1]: it specifies a different default range for the a* and
b* components, based on a comprehensive evaluation of existing
hardcopy output, and it optionally allows selectable range for the
L*, a* and b* components.
6.2. Required TIFF Fields
This section lists the required fields, in addition to those given in
Section 2.2.1, and the values they must support to be compatible with
ITU-T Rec. T.42 and Annex E in ITU-T Rec. T.4.
6.2.1. Baseline Fields
ImageWidth(256). SHORT or LONG
This mode supports the following fixed page widths: 864, 1024, 1216,
1728, 2048, 2432, 2592, 3072, 3456, 3648, 4096, 4864.
NewSubFileType(254) = (Bit 1=1). LONG
RequiredByTIFFforFAX
Bit 1 is 1 if the image is a single page of a multi-page document.
Default = 0 (no subfile bits on, so may not be omitted for fax)
BitsPerSample(258) = 8, 12. SHORT
Count = SamplesPerPixel
The base color fax mode requires 8 bits per sample, with 12 as an
option. 12 bits per sample is not baseline TIFF.
Compression(259) = 7. SHORT
Base color fax mode uses Baseline JPEG compression. Value 7
represents JPEG compression as specified in [TTN2].
FillOrder(266) = 1 , 2. SHORT
RequiredByTIFFBaseline
Profile C readers must be able to read data in both bit orders,
but the vast majority of facsimile products store data LSB
first, exactly as it appears on the telephone line.
1 = Most Significant Bit first.
2 = Least Significant Bit first
PhotometricInterpretation(262) = 10. SHORT
Base color fax mode requires pixel values to be stored using the CIE
L*a*b* encoding defined in ITU-T Rec. T.42. This encoding is
indicated by the PhotometricInterpretation value 10, referred to as
ITULAB. With this encoding, the minimum sample value is mapped to 0
and the maximum sample value is mapped to (2^n - 1), i.e. the
maximum value, where n is the BitsPerSample value. The conversion
from unsigned ITULAB-encoded samples values to signed CIE L*a*b*
values is determined by the Decode field; see Sec. 6.2.3
NOTE: PhotometricInterpretation values 8 and 9 specify encodings for
use with 8-bit-per-sample CIE L*a*b* [TIFF] and ICC L*a*b* [TTN1]
data, but they are fixed encodings, which use different minimum and
maximum samples than the T.42 default encoding. As currently defined,
they are not able to represent fax-encoded L*a*b* data.
ResolutionUnit(296) = 2, 3. SHORT
The unit of measure for resolution. 2 = inch, 3 = centimeter;
Default = 2 (field may be omitted if this is the value)
SamplesPerPixel(277) = 1, 3. SHORT
1: L* component only, required in base color mode
3: L*, a*, b* components
Encoded according to PhotometricInterpretation field
XResolution(282) = 100, 200, 300, 400. RATIONAL
YResolution(283) = 100, 200, 300, 400. RATIONAL
The resolution of the image is expressed in pixels per resolution
unit. In pixels per inch, allowed XResolution values are: 100, 200,
300, and 400. The base color fax mode requires the pixels to be
square, hence YResolution must equal XResolution. Base resolution is
200 pixels per inch and SHALL be supported by all implementations of
this mode. See Section 2.2.2 for inch-metric equivalency.
NOTE: Not all combinations of XResolution, YResolution and ImageWidth
are legal. The following table gives the legal combinations for inch-