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Question

PDF-to-Tiff File Size: "Dragging and Dropping a PDF" vs "Laserfiche Snapshot"

Laserfiche
Updated August 31, 2022
asked on August 26, 2022

We noticed that there is a significant size difference when dragging a .PDF file and dropping it into Laserfiche desktop application (which then converts the .PDF to a .TIFF file) versus using Laserfiche Snapshot to import a .PDF into Laserfiche as a .TIFF file.

The file size difference is so vast that we've resorted to instructing users to always use Laserfiche Snapshot rather than dragging and dropping (despite the added convenience of dragging and dropping).

Is there a way to adjust the file size of the drag-and-drop PDF-to-TIFF conversions? I've played around with the settings under Tools > Options > New Documents in the Laserfiche desktop app but none of the settings seem to help.

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Replies

replied on August 26, 2022 • Show version history

I would suggest looking closer at the settings that are being used for Snapshot.

The file size difference shouldn't be significant unless Snapshot is, generating monochrome images, generating TIFF JPEG, or doing something else along those lines.

If Snapshot is using TIFF JPEG, you may want to reconsider that approach because TIFF JPEG is a lossy compression format and it can have a noticeable impact on quality (i.e., not true "archive" quality).

The default for color/grayscale images in Laserfiche is TIFF LZW, which is lossless and ideal for archiving, hence the relatively large file sizes.

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replied on August 30, 2022

Thanks, this was helpful. I see that Snapshot allows you to specify the type of TIFF to "print" to Laserfiche under Print Preferences (TIFF JPEG, TIFF Group 4, TIFF LZW). I believe this could account for the file size difference between using Snapshot to convert PDF to TIFF versus dragging and dropping a PDF into the repository.

From doc.laserfiche.com I read that "The files will be converted depending on the color depth of each image. Black and white images are converted to TIFF Group IV. Color and grayscale images are converted to TIFF-LZW."

Is there a way to change the default drag-and-drop conversion to a specific type of TIFF? For example, all PDFs that are dragged into Laserfiche Repository are converted to TIFF Group IV (rather than the larger, lossless TIFF-LZW format)? 

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replied on August 30, 2022 • Show version history

The checkboxes for "Import/Generate Monochrome images" are what tell it to generate TIFF Group IV since those are black and white only.

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replied on August 31, 2022

I performed some more tests. Unfortunately, I'm still encountering a considerable file size difference between the two conversion methods. Here's the size difference that I encounter when importing a test PDF:

 

Here's my Fat Client Settings:

 

Here's my Snapshot Settings:

replied on August 31, 2022 • Show version history

I appreciate your help. I performed a few more tests. Unfortunately, I am still encountering a notable file size difference. Here's a size comparison when importing an 18 page test PDF (note, I get the same effect with a 4 page test PDF, etc.):

 

Here are my Fat Client Settings (I've also tried the "Use Snapshot virtual printer" setting): 

Here are my Snapshot settings:

 

Just to be sure, I performed the test on a few different machines (in the same environment). Maybe it has something to do with the default graphic resolution setting for Fat Client drag-and-drop conversions? 

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