The encyclopedia · Software & IT · Product decision · 1986–1992
TIFF's tag directory made one image format outlive every scanner
Aldus and Microsoft published a tag-based image format so one reader could handle any scanner's file and grow without breaking.
Aldus Corporation · Microsoft
the move
In 1986 every scanner maker had its own file format, so a desktop publishing program had to write a separate import filter for each model. Aldus, the maker of PageMaker, created TIFF so one standard could carry scanned images, and published the first specification in autumn 1986.
TIFF's trick was the Image File Directory: a list of numbered tags describing width, compression, color and anything else. A reader walks the directory, uses the tags it knows and skips unknown ones, so a file written by one vendor stays readable in every other's software.
Because new tags could be added without breaking old readers, TIFF survived every imaging wave. Aldus and Microsoft co-developed the specification, Adobe took it over when it acquired Aldus in 1994, and TIFF remained the standard for scanned images and desktop publishing while rival formats came and went.
why it works
- One neutral format saved Aldus from writing hundreds of import filters
- Readers skip unknown tags instead of failing on the file
- New tags let the format grow without breaking old software
- Microsoft's co-development gave the spec immediate industry weight
what transfers
Design the format so old software degrades gracefully: if every reader can ignore what it does not understand, the standard can evolve without a migration war.
what came after
TIFF 6.0, published in 1992, became the base for other standards such as Exif and TIFF/EP, and Adobe maintains the specification today. Scanners, fax systems and print workflows still produce TIFF files, making it one of the longest-lived image formats.
references
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