Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hpfcdc!hpgrla!halh
From: halh@hpgrla.HP.COM (Hal  Hanson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Using PC TIFF files on a Mac
Message-ID: <4440014@hpgrla.HP.COM>
Date: 2 Mar 89 22:27:46 GMT
References: <3600039@iuvax>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Greeley, CO
Lines: 17

TIFF files come in two flavors, an Intel flavor and a Motorola flavor.  The
difference between the flavors in the arrangement of the bytes.  I believe it
is the Intel flavor that has the two bytes in each word arranged in the 
least significant byte followed by the most significant byte.  The Motorola
format is just the opposite.  Since IBM's use Intel and Mac use Motorola
there is a basic problem.  A general TIFF reader should be able to handle
either format and do the appropriate byte swapping if necessary.  Most TIFF
readers don't handle this.  There is a converter shipped on Utilities disk of
the Mac product that goes with the ScanJet if you have access to that.  There
is also a conversion program called SuperConvert from I believe Silicon Beach
that is public domain that may do the job.

If you have any further questions let me know.


Hal Hansen
Hewlett-Packard