ABSTRACT
The cameras described in Chapter 1 used to acquire digital images are not the only peripheral hardware devices used in image processing applications. Many situations require printing images, practically all require storing them, and often it is necessary to send them via the internet. Creating hardcopy representations of images, for example for illustrations in reports and publications, is important to many users of image processing systems. It is usually necessary to store the images so that they can be retrieved later, for instance, to compare with new ones or to transmit to someone else. Sending images over the internet makes compression seem desirable to reduce the size of the files. Printing, storage, and compression of images are dynamic areas of hardware and software development. As for the developments in cameras and scanners, the major impetus is not the needs of scientific, technical, and forensic applications.
