Image MIME Reference
EDMICS-RLC
Fuji Xerox EDMICS-RLC
image/vnd.fujixerox.edmics-rlc
VS
Kodak Digital Camera Raw
image/x-kodak-dcr
Kodak-DCR
A complete technical comparison of Fuji Xerox EDMICS-RLC and Kodak Digital Camera Raw — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | EDMICS-RLC | Kodak-DCR |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | ✕ No | Yes |
| EXIF Metadata | ✕ No | Yes |
| ICC Color Profile | ✕ No | Yes |
Fuji Xerox EDMICS-RLC
image/vnd.fujixerox.edmics-rlc
Extension
.rlc.edm
Container
Fuji Xerox EDMICS Wrapper
Compression
Run-Length Coding (RLC / RLE)
Algorithm
Run-Length Coding (RLC)
Color Depth
1-bit (Monochrome), 8-bit (Grayscale)
Developed by
Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
Released
1990s
Magic Bytes
Unknown (Proprietary Container)
Kodak Digital Camera Raw
image/x-kodak-dcr
Extension
.dcr
Container
TIFF/EP
Compression
Uncompressed / Lossless JPEG
Algorithm
NoneLossless JPEG (ITU-T81)
Color Depth
12-bit (Per Channel)
Developed by
Eastman Kodak Company
Released
1998
Magic Bytes
49 49 2A 00 or 4D 4D 00 2A
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | EDMICS-RLC | Kodak-DCR |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ | ✕ |
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
EDMICS-RLC
EDMICS-RLC Strengths
- Simple, computationally inexpensive Run-Length Coding enabled rapid compression and decompression on low-power legacy hardware
- Deeply integrated into Fuji Xerox enterprise hardware for seamless, automated 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 viewers without bespoke decoding tools
- RLC compression is far less efficient than modern algorithms like PNG (Deflate) for complex documents
Kodak-DCR
Kodak-DCR Strengths
- Preserves the full dynamic range and uncompressed raw sensor data captured by foundational professional digital cameras
- Utilizes the standard TIFF container structure, ensuring that open-source decoders like LibRaw can easily parse and interpret the files long after official vendor support has ended
Limitations
- Completely obsolete proprietary format tied to camera hardware that is no longer manufactured
- Shares the TIFF magic header, leading to widespread misidentification by automated MIME detection libraries
- Cannot be natively viewed in web browsers or standard operating system image viewers without specialized codecs
When to choose which format
EDMICS-RLC
Use EDMICS-RLC when…
- Fuji Xerox EDMICS Enterprise Systems
- Archival of Scanned Engineering Documents
- Legacy Corporate Scanning Pipelines
Kodak-DCR
Use Kodak-DCR when…
- Vintage Professional Digital Photography (Kodak DCS series)
- Non-destructive Image Post-Processing
- Raw Imaging Archival