Image MIME Reference
BTIF
Bank Telecommunications Image Format
image/prs.btif
VS
JPEG XL
image/jxl
JXL
A complete technical comparison of Bank Telecommunications Image Format and JPEG XL — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
JXL wins on browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | BTIF | JXL |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | ✕ No | Yes |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | Yes |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | Yes |
| HDR Support | ✕ No | Yes |
| EXIF Metadata | ✕ No | Yes |
| ICC Color Profile | ✕ No | Yes |
Bank Telecommunications Image Format
image/prs.btif
Extension
.btif.btf
Container
Proprietary Check Image Container
Compression
Lossy (JPEG-based) / Lossless (TIFF-based)
Algorithm
JPEGTIFF-variant
Color Depth
1-bit (B&W), 8-bit (Grayscale)
Developed by
NationsBank (Bank of America) / Ben Simon
Released
1998
Magic Bytes
Unknown (Proprietary container)
JPEG XL
image/jxl
Extension
.jxl
Container
ISOBMFF / JPEG XL Codestream
Compression
Lossy (VarDCT) / Lossless (Modular)
Algorithm
VarDCT (Variable block-size DCT)Modular (Predictive coding for lossless)
Color Depth
8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit (Float)
Developed by
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
Released
2021
Magic Bytes
FF 0A (Codestream) / 00 00 00 0C 4A 58 4C 20 0D 0A 87 0A (Container)
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | BTIF | JXL |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ |
✓ 17+
|
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
BTIF
BTIF Strengths
- Allowed early digital archiving and web-based transmission of cleared bank checks
- Encapsulated both image data and ASCII transaction metadata in a single file
Limitations
- Completely proprietary and obsolete format
- Lacks native support in modern operating systems and image viewers
- Requires legacy plugins or specialized bio-format readers (like ImageC) to decode
JXL
JXL Strengths
- Capable of losslessly recompressing legacy JPEG files, saving ~20% space while retaining perfect byte-for-byte restorability
- Highly superior progressive decoding (Saliency-driven), allowing recognizable images to load extremely fast on slow connections
- Outperforms WebP and competes favorably with AVIF, especially at high-fidelity settings and for complex textures/photography
- Royalty-free with an open-source reference implementation (libjxl)
Limitations
- Google's removal of JXL support from Chrome severely hindered its adoption as a universal web standard
- Lack of hardware decoding chips compared to video-derived codecs like AVIF (AV1)
- File parsing logic is complex due to the split between raw codestreams and ISOBMFF containers
When to choose which format
BTIF
Use BTIF when…
- Bank Check Archiving (Legacy)
- Financial Transaction Records
JXL
Use JXL when…
- High-End Web Delivery (via Safari/Polyfills)
- HDR Photography
- Legacy JPEG Archiving
- Digital Art & Image Storage