Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!

Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!

  • Congratulations gkittelson on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Is there any instance in which you should not use LZW compression?

Status
Not open for further replies.

junglist

Technical User
Nov 20, 2003
95
AU
As LZW is a non-lossy form of compression, why would'nt one utilise it every single time one saves a TIF?

Is there any instance in which you should not use the LZW compression?

Thanks in advance.
 
I would imagine it would be down to the processing time... have you seen how much longer it can take to open a LZW compressed TIFF compared to the same image that has no compression?


Kind Regards
Duncan
 
I have had a few printshops say that they dont want LWZ compressed files so it is probably worth checking it out with them first.

Ron Winslow
A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.
 
Never use LZW compression if you are sending out for printing. Most printers do not want compressed file, it messes up the RIP, and slows down the processing of files.

Plus, with memory being so cheap these days it is hard to justify using it unless you are storing thousands of images.



When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.
 
Thanks for the pointers guys, I wasn't aware of the imlplications that could arise at the RIP.

"Never use LZW compression if you are sending out for printing. Most printers do not want compressed file, it messes up the RIP, and slows down the processing of files."

Just to confirm, you are refering to TIF's, even when they are placed within a page layout program, such as Quark od Indesign?

 
What about ZIP compression? Isn't ZIP also a lossless compression? Has anyone ever used it?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor

Back
Top