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Order Forms.JPG, .JPEG, or TIFF? Choosing the Right File Format
Clients often ask which format to choose for scanned photos and slides. Here we explain the differences so you can pick with confidence—and save money where it counts.
JPG: Most Compatible File Format
JPG (pronounced JAY-peg) is the most widely compatible and popular image format today—and will remain so for years. JPGs can be saved at different quality settings. For our scanning, we save JPGs at the highest quality so you won’t see artifacts or pixelization.
Do JPG Images Degrade Over Time?
No. Simply viewing a JPG does not degrade it. Degradation can occur only when you open a JPG in an editor and re-save it, because JPG uses lossy compression (some data is discarded during save). Watching on a TV or computer will not harm the file. For long-term safety, make fresh copies of discs every few years and keep backups on hard drives or thumb drives.
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
We can save your scans as TIFF instead of our standard JPG on request. TIFF files are much larger and take more time to process and store, so the cost is higher.
Do You Need JPG or TIFF?
Consider whether you truly need TIFF. A typical TIFF may be six times (or more) larger than the same JPG. That means more storage media and longer write times—hence higher cost. For most customers who are primarily viewing, sharing, and printing, high-quality JPGs are perfect.
What’s the TIFF Advantage?
If you will make extensive edits over time, TIFF helps because it can be saved without lossy compression. Re-saving a JPG repeatedly can slowly reduce image information. If you’re only viewing and not re-saving edits, a single high-quality JPG looks the same as a TIFF to the eye.
Save Money and Still Get TIFF
Want TIFFs but also want to save? Have us deliver high-quality JPGs, then open a JPG in your editor (e.g., Photoshop) and save a copy as TIFF before heavy editing. That way you avoid repeated JPG re-saves while keeping your initial costs lower.