ISO 12639:2004

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 12639
Second edition
2004-05-15
Graphic technology — Prepress digital
data exchange — Tag image file format
for image technology (TIFF/IT)
Technologie graphique — Échange de données numériques de
préimpression — Format de fichier d'image d'étiquette pour la
technologie d'image
Reference number
©
ISO 2004
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ii © ISO 2004 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword. v
Introduction . vi
1 Scope. 1
2 Compliance levels and identification. 1
2.1 General. 1
2.2 Image file type identification. 1
2.3 TIFF/IT conformance. 2
2.4 TIFF/IT-P1 conformance. 2
2.5 TIFF/IT-P2 conformance. 2
2.6 Conformance identification. 2
3 Normative references. 2
4 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms. 3
4.1 Terms and definitions. 3
4.2 Abbreviated terms. 5
5 Notations and field types . 5
5.1 Notations. 5
5.2 Field types. 6
6 Image data type description. 7
6.1 Colour continuous-tone picture image (CT) data .7
6.2 Colour line-art (LW) image data. 7
6.3 High-resolution continuous-tone (HC) image data. 7
6.4 Monochrome and binary images. 7
6.5 Final page (FP) data . 8
7 Requirements for TIFF/IT, TIFF/IT-P1 and TIFF/IT-P2 image data files. 8
7.1 Structure of TIFF/IT file. 8
7.2 General parameters. 10
7.3 Colour continuous-tone picture (CT) file. 22
7.4 Colour line-art (LW) file . 25
7.5 High-resolution continuous-tone (HC) file . 32
7.6 Monochrome continuous-tone picture (MP) file . 35
7.7 Binary picture (BP) file . 38
7.8 Binary line-art (BL) file. 40
7.9 Screened data image (SD) file. 42
7.10 Final page (FP) file . 44
Annex A (informative) Background of conformity levels . 50
Annex B (informative) Identification and determination procedures for TIFF/IT file type . 52
Annex C (informative) Relationship between image types on a colour page . 54
Annex D (informative) Alphabetical list of TIFF/IT field names. 55
Annex E (normative) Incorporating JPEG compressed data into TIFF/IT . 57
Annex F (normative) Incorporating Flate compressed data into TIFF/IT. 59
Annex G (normative) RGB colour-space data in TIFF/IT-CT. 61
Annex H (normative) LAB colour space data in TIFF/IT CT . 65
Annex I (informative) Colour values . 68
Annex J (normative) ICC Profile tag in TIFF/IT image.69
Annex K (informative) Monochrome continuous-tone picture colour-value calculation .70
Bibliography.74

iv © ISO 2004 – All rights reserved

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 12639 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 130, Graphic technology.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 12639:1998), which has been technically
revised to add new capabilities, as well as a new constrained conformity level call Profile 2 (P2) to supplement
the previously defined Profile 1 (P1), which is unchanged.
New capabilities include the following:
 expanded LW palette to support up to 65 535 colours;
 support for up to 32 separations;
 new file format “SD” for copydot data with CCITT G4 compression;
 new compression schemes: Flate and JPEG;
 “FP” file format is now defined as normative.

Introduction
The goal of ISO/TC 130 in developing the initial version of ISO 12639 was to enable the interchange of
various types of rasterized colour and monochrome image data among electronic digital systems used in
prepress image processing, graphic arts design and related document creation and production operations. It
was, and is, intended for use as a media-independent means for such interchange, and therefore is applicable
to facilitate interchange through a variety of mechanisms such as, but not limited to, network, magnetic and
optical media. Both ISO 12639:1998 and this second edition are based on the Adobe TIFF, Version 6.0 file
format, and both extend and restrict the technical features of that format.
This second edition of ISO 12639, though based on ISO 12639:1998, specifies new capabilities, as well as a
new constrained conformity level called Profile 2 (P2) to supplement the previously defined Profile 1 (P1),
which is unchanged. The key added capabilities include a normative final page (FP) format; a new SD file
format with optional G4 compression for copydot data; definitive ways to use RGB and CIELAB colour spaces
in CT, as well as 16-bit-per-channel data in CT; JPEG compression in CT and MP; Flate compression in all
formats except LW, HC and BL; spot colours (colours other than cyan, magenta, yellow and black) in LW, CT,
HC, MP, BP, BL, and SD; and support for up to 65 535 colours in LW colour palettes. The new P2 compliance
level incorporates all features of P1 and defines a constrained compliance level for these new capabilities.
All of the features of ISO 12639:1998, including the constrained level of conformity called Profile 1 (P1), have
been retained. It should be noted that the P1 formats for CT (Colour Picture), MP (Monochrome Picture), and
BP (Binary Picture) files are compatible with the popular TIFF 6.0 files for CMYK (Separated) Images,
Monochrome Images and Bilevel Images respectively. The P1 formats for HC (High-Resolution Continuous-
Tone), LW (Line-Art) and BL (Binary Line-Art), though not compatible with TIFF 6.0, are designed to be easier
to implement within desktop systems by limiting the range of options and selections. The Profile 1 and 2
formats allow for a broader usage of this International Standard by allowing conformance to simplified,
restricted subsets of functionality supported by many popular application software systems used in the
prepress, graphic arts document processing and computer graphics and imaging industries. A P2-compliant
reader will also read all P1-compliant files.
As a historical note, ISO 12639:1998 was based on the American National Standard ANSI IT8.8, Graphic
technology — Prepress digital data exchange — Tag image file format for image technology (TIFF/IT).

vi © ISO 2004 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 12639:2004(E)

Graphic technology — Prepress digital data exchange — Tag
image file format for image technology (TIFF/IT)
1 Scope
This International Standard specifies a media-independent means for prepress electronic data exchange
using a tag image file format. This International Standard defines image file formats for encoding colour
continuous-tone picture images, colour line-art images, high-resolution continuous-tone images, monochrome
continuous-tone picture images, binary picture images, binary line-art images, screened data, and images of
composite final pages.
2 Compliance levels and identification
2.1 General
This International Standard has three levels of conformance: TIFF/IT (also referred to as full TIFF/IT),
TIFF/IT-P1 and TIFF/IT-P2. All conformance levels are intended to support a media-independent means for
the exchange of various images used in the prepress, printing, graphic arts, and information processing fields.
TIFF/IT-P1 conformance provides a minimized set of options to permit simpler implementation and
compatibility, where possible (for CT, BP, and MP files), with commonly available TIFF 6.0 re
...