DjVu facts for kids

DjVu (say it like "day-zha-voo") is a special type of computer file. It's an open format, which means anyone can use it freely. DjVu is mainly used to store scanned documents. Imagine old books or papers that have been put onto a computer. DjVu is great for these!

It works really well for documents that have a mix of text, drawings, and photos. Think of a science textbook or a comic book. DjVu was created as an alternative to PDF files. It often makes files much smaller than PDF for scanned documents. This means they take up less space and download faster.

What is DjVu?

DjVu is a file format designed to store digital images of documents. It's especially good for documents that have both text and pictures. This includes things like old newspapers, magazines, or school textbooks.

How DjVu Saves Space

One cool thing about DjVu is how it makes files small. It does this by separating the text, pictures, and backgrounds in a document. Then, it compresses each part differently. This smart way of saving information helps keep the file size down.

For example, a colorful magazine page might be only 40 to 70 kilobytes (kB) in DjVu. A black and white school paper could be just 15 to 40 kB. Even old handwritten papers can be around 100 kB. A regular picture saved as a JPEG often needs 500 kB or more. This shows how efficient DjVu can be!

Finding Text in DjVu Files

Just like PDF files, DjVu files can have a special "text layer." This layer is created using something called OCR. OCR is technology that can "read" text from an image.

With this text layer, you can easily select and copy text from the document. You can also search for specific words or phrases. This makes it super helpful for studying or doing research.

DjVu vs. PDF

Both DjVu and PDF are popular for sharing documents. They both let you view documents on different computers. However, they have some key differences.

When to Use DjVu

DjVu is often better when you have scanned documents. This is because it's designed to handle images of pages very well. It can make these files much smaller. If you're looking at old books or archives, DjVu is a great choice.

When to Use PDF

PDF is very common and widely used. It's great for documents that were created digitally, like reports or presentations. PDF files are also good for printing. Many people are already familiar with PDF.

In short, DjVu is a powerful tool for scanned documents. It helps save space while keeping the quality high.

See also

In Spanish: DjVu para niños