This guide, 'Native Documents, PDFs or Images: Which Production Format?', addresses the critical decision of production format in e-discovery for UK litigators, in-house counsel, and investigators.
Guide · 17 pages · 21 min read · Published 2026-08-30
This guide, 'Native Documents, PDFs or Images: Which Production Format?', addresses the critical decision of production format in e-discovery for UK litigators, in-house counsel, and investigators. It covers what each format preserves and destroys, and how to choose in the Protocol. The guide details the three families of production formats - native, searchable PDF, and image-plus-load-file - and document classes that force the choice, such as spreadsheets, presentations, chat, and media. It also examines the rules layer, including PD 57AD and PD 31B, and what 'native' means in an order. Topics include redaction, confidential it y, the imaging exception, acceptance checks for receiving productions, and common mistakes. It provides questions to ask, suggested wording for disclosure protocols, and a checklist for when to involve a digital forensic expert.
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17 pages · 21 min read
This guide, 'Native Documents, PDFs or Images: Which Production Format?', addresses the critical decision of production format in e-discovery for UK litigators, in-house counsel, and investigators.
Published by Computer Forensics Lab on 2026-08-30. Original material of the practice, free to read, cite and download. The authority behind this subject is Practice Direction 57AD, Disclosure in the Business and Property Courts, which you should read alongside this guide. See every guide's author and source.
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PRODUCTION FORMAT S · A GUIDE FOR UK LAWYERS Native Documents, PDFs or Images: Which Production Format? What Each Format Preserves, What Each Destroys, and How to Choose in the Protocol COMPUTER FORENSICS LAB
17 pages · 21 min read
This guide, 'Digital Redaction That Cannot Be Reversed', addresses why black rectangles fail and how real redaction works, including burn-in, s an it is at i on, and verification.
17 pages · 21 min read
This guide, 'How To Draft An Electronic Disclosure Production Protocol', is prepared by Computer Forensics Lab's e-discovery team for UK lawyers.
Whether you are responding to a regulator, preparing for disclosure, or scoping an internal investigation, start the chain of custody with a short, confidential conversation.
