John-

Your initial question was related to file sizes and I think in part this
depends on what the files are and how they're converted (resolution) and
what they consist of (multiple pages, tables, images, etc).  I don't think
there's a simple answer- for each situation you likely have to take a
representative sample of the source documents in your environment, convert
them both ways, and evaluate the results.  

Also, you may find a great difference in the quality of the results of  a
300dpi scan of a source document saved as a TIF or a PDF though, and
depending on what format you settle on, you might find that your results are
better at a higher resolution with one as opposed to the other, so take this
into consideration when you think about your file sizes.

Is the format itself 'lossless'?  I think where loss comes into play is more
in the compression aspect of either format, not the format itself.  You'll
find some information here that may be of assistance to you:
http://snipurl.com/8u992  [www_pdfa_org]  

As mentioned by others, you'll find many organizations converting images or
compound documents still relying on TIF, and if you're subsequently
producing microfilm or microfiche from the scans, this may be even more
often the case.  Where organizations are performing routine desktop scanning
and conversion of simple text documents, PDF seems to be more the norm., but
not many are adopting PDF/A for this at this time yet.

The Federal Government is buying into PDF/A strongly, especially NARA with
the ERA Project.  The intent here is the long-term viability of the format
and the perceived neutrality, now that it's been adopted as an International
Standard.

Let us know the results of your personal findings- it's always good to have
another data point.

Larry

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]