Image MIME Reference
EDMICS-MMR
Fuji Xerox EDMICS-MMR
image/vnd.fujixerox.edmics-mmr
VS
Image Exchange Format
image/ief
IEF
A complete technical comparison of Fuji Xerox EDMICS-MMR and Image Exchange Format — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | EDMICS-MMR | IEF |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| EXIF Metadata | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| ICC Color Profile | ✕ No | ✕ No |
Fuji Xerox EDMICS-MMR
image/vnd.fujixerox.edmics-mmr
Extension
.mmr.edm
Container
Fuji Xerox EDMICS Wrapper
Compression
Modified Modified READ (MMR / Group 4 Fax)
Algorithm
MMR (ITU-T T.6 / CCITT Group 4)
Color Depth
1-bit (Monochrome / Bi-level)
Developed by
Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
Released
1990s
Magic Bytes
Unknown (Proprietary Container wrapped around MMR bitstream)
Image Exchange Format
image/ief
Extension
.ief
Container
TIFF Class B (TIFF-B)
Compression
Lossless (MH, MR, MMR) / Uncompressed
Algorithm
MHMRMMRUncompressed
Color Depth
1-bit (Monochrome)
Developed by
IETF Network Fax Working Group
Released
1992
Magic Bytes
49 49 2A 00 (Little-endian) / 4D 4D 00 2A (Big-endian)
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | EDMICS-MMR | IEF |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ | ✕ |
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
EDMICS-MMR
EDMICS-MMR Strengths
- Utilized the highly efficient MMR (Group 4) algorithm, which allowed massive, E-size engineering blueprints to be compressed into tiny file sizes suitable for 1990s hard drives and networks
- Deeply integrated into Fuji Xerox hardware and database systems for seamless scan-to-archive workflows
Limitations
- Completely proprietary and closed-source, making modern archival extraction and migration extremely difficult
- No support in modern image processing libraries like ImageMagick, libvips, or standard TIFF viewers without first stripping the proprietary header
- Strictly limited to 1-bit monochrome images
IEF
IEF Strengths
- Provided a standard method for exchanging bi-level fax images during the early days of the Internet
- Supported multi-page documents
- Leveraged the highly resilient and well-documented TIFF container
Limitations
- Completely obsolete and unsupported in modern computing environments
- Strictly limited to 1-bit monochrome data, lacking color or grayscale capabilities
- Magic bytes overlap completely with standard TIFF, making specific filetype detection difficult without parsing internal tags
When to choose which format
EDMICS-MMR
Use EDMICS-MMR when…
- Fuji Xerox EDMICS Enterprise Systems
- Archival of Large-Format Engineering Drawings
- Legacy Corporate Document Scanning Pipelines
IEF
Use IEF when…
- Legacy Fax Transmissions
- Early Internet Gateways
- Archival