TIF or PDF

When considering a paper to electronic document conversion process, the decision about the electronic file format is generally a selection between either a TIF or PDF. This is because both support a multi-page format. Whereas as JPG or PNG supports a single image only (page 1 of 1). This means that if your scanned image was a three paged document you might need to click on three different JPGs as opposed to just one TIF or PDF.

some-file.jpg some-file(2).jpg some-file(3).jpg

some-file.pdf

Most commercial electronic document management system viewers will support both a multi-page TIF or a PDF. However, SoftFile generally finds that a TIF will load faster. The capability of the file to load faster is important if you anticipate having to look through numerous electronic documents. However, if your electronic document management system is internet browser based (e.g. IE, Safari, Opera, or Firefox), you will want to choose PDF. This is because you cannot view a TIF through an internet browser without first installing a TIF viewer.

It is also important to consider the end user. Are the end users simply those in your office? If so, TIF might be a better choice. If not, it will probably be a better idea to go with the PDF selection. Why? This is because (typically) a PDF will open provided that a PDF reader (Adobe's Reader or Acrobat) is already installed on the end user PC (which is very common place). Whereas, it is sometimes a wildcard as to which default program on the end users computer has been associated with a TIF.

Finally, it is important to note that just because you have elected to use a PDF, this DOES NOT mean that the PDF is automatically keyword searchable. The PDF, like a TIF, is still just an image-only. If you desire to search across either the PDF document or the entire repository of PDF documents, you will need to pass each PDF through an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) process.