Hi John,
For most RIM folks that choice has been based on TIFF's being a standardized
format vs. PDF's proprietary file format. Now that PDF has been standardized
as ISO 32000, that's no longer an issue with PDFs moving forward.

Depending on how the image is scanned, it is quite possible that an image
scanned to PDF is actually a TIFF image wrapped in a PDF header. This is
often the case for non-searchable PDFs generated by scanners. So the file
size would be a bit bigger in this instance; frankly, the size for a typical
TIFF and a typical scanned PDF will be very close, often within 5-10%.

PDF/A is, I believe, a lossless format to the extent that it contains
markup, text layers, etc. Perhaps someone else can weigh in here as I know
some of the folks who worked on the standard are on the list. The resr of my
response relates to PDF generally and may not be 100% applicable to PDF/A.

The benefits today, given what I have listed above, of one vs. the other are
all on PDF's side in my opinion:
1. Web access. PDF is for all intents native to the web insofar as almost
every Windows-based PC includes the free Adobe reader. It is nearly as
ubiquitous in the Mac and *nix/Linux worlds as well. TIFFs require a reader,
just like PDFs do, but free TIFF readers are much less common.
2. Support for text layers. Standard TIFFs do not support text layers,
meaning that a TIFF is not full-text searchable on its own. Some
applications will OCR and allow the user to search, either from within a
repository or on the fly, but by itself a TIFF is not searchable. PDFs are.
3. Both formats support color and multiple pages, so that's a wash.
4. Both are as changeable as the other; whether there are more image
manipulation tools or PDF manipulation tools in the wild is really a wash.
On the other hand, PDFs can be digitally signed, password-protected, etc. in
a more secure fashion than can TIFFs. Note that this is not 100% foolproof
either.
5. More governments tend to accept PDFs than do TIFFs, often for the reasons
listed.

Your mileage may of course vary, but I suspect that we'll start really
seeing movement in the direction of PDF with its acceptance as ISO 32000.

Hope this helps,

Jesse Wilkins
[log in to unmask]

List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
To unsubscribe from this list, click the below link. If not already present, place UNSUBSCRIBE RECMGMT-L or UNSUB RECMGMT-L in the body of the message.
mailto:[log in to unmask]