negative microfilm and Tiff filesizes

[Info Galway Library]

Hi,

We plan to convert newspapers to Tiff format and deliver them over an
intranet. The browser on each pc will have Alternatiff installed to allow
Tiff images to be displayed.

I have been told that when negative microfilm is scanned, ie microfilm with
black text on a white background, it results in a smaller file size than
when positive microfilm is scanned. Is this true and why should this be so?
Does the computer not store white parts of the page?

Any help with this conundrum would be much appreciated.

Regards
John Fitzgibbon
 
Galway Public Library
Island House
Cathedral Square
Galway
Ireland
 
http://www.galwaylibrary.ie 

Phone: 00 353 91 562471
Fax: 00 353 91 565039