Convert TIFF to PDF Online – Free, Including Multi-Page TIFF

To convert TIFF to PDF, upload your .tif or .tiff file to the converter above, run the conversion, and download the PDF. A multi-page TIFF becomes a multi-page PDF with every page in its original order, so a scanned contract or fax archive stays in sequence.

A TIFF is the right format for capturing a scan and the wrong one for sending it. Many email systems, upload portals and phones struggle with TIFF files, while a PDF opens almost anywhere. This TIFF to PDF converter handles single images and multi-page scans. The rest of this page covers how to convert TIFF to PDF without surprises, why TIFF files are so large, and what to do if you need the opposite or a JPG instead.

How to convert TIFF to PDF

1. Add your TIFF. Click the upload area or drag a .tif or .tiff file onto it.
2. Check the options. Choose a page size or quality setting if the tool shows one.
3. Click Convert. A single photo scan finishes fast. A 40-page scanned archive takes longer, so give it a moment before you refresh.
4. Download and check the PDF. Open it and compare the page count with your original. Ten pages in, ten pages out.

Not sure what is inside the scan? Preview the file in a browser-based TIFF viewer before you convert it.

What usually goes wrong

• The file is too big to upload. A colour TIFF scan can run past 25 MB per page (the arithmetic is in the size section below). Large files can fail on slow connections.
• The scan is crooked or has dark edges. The PDF carries those flaws into print. Straighten and crop in your scanning software before converting.
• The text looks soft. The original was probably scanned under 200 DPI. Converting can’t add detail that was never captured, so rescan at 300 DPI.
• Only the first page shows. Some image viewers display just the first page of a multi-page TIFF. The pages are still in the file, and the PDF will show all of them.

Convert a multi-page TIFF to a multi-page PDF

Scanners and fax systems often save a whole document as one TIFF file with many pages inside. The format was built for that: when a TIFF holds several images, each one gets its own entry in the file’s internal directory. That is why a 12-page contract can be a single .tiff file.

This converter reads every page and writes one PDF page per TIFF page, in the same order. A 12-page scan becomes a 12-page PDF that you can scroll, print and annotate. When you convert TIFF to PDF this way, reviewers get ordinary PDF tools: search (if the pages have text), comments, signatures and page thumbnails.

Why TIFF files are so large

TIFF stores pixels, and lots of them. It is a container that can hold uncompressed data or several compression schemes, so two files with the same picture can differ enormously in size. The Library of Congress format description for TIFF 6.0 explains the tag-based structure behind that flexibility.

Here is the arithmetic for one A4 page scanned at 300 DPI (about 2,480 × 3,508 pixels, roughly 8.7 million pixels), uncompressed:

Black-and-white document scans are often stored with CCITT Group 4 compression, which the Library of Congress notes is limited to bitonal (pure black and white) images, typically scanned pages of printed text. That is why a scanned text document can be small while a colour photo scan of the same size is huge.

The practical result: a colour TIFF scan rarely fits in an email. Gmail, for example, caps sent attachments at 25 MB per email on most accounts. If the PDF is still too large after conversion, split the PDF into smaller parts and send them separately.

Scan settings that give a cleaner PDF

• 300 DPI for text. Going to 600 DPI quadruples the pixel count for very little gain in readability.
• Grayscale for plain documents. It is a third of the size of colour and just as readable for typed text.
• Straighten and crop first. Fixing it in the scanner software takes seconds. Fixing it after the PDF exists takes a separate tool.
• Match the page size to the destination. Portals and printers usually expect A4 or Letter.
• Keep pages together. One multi-page TIFF from the scanner converts to one multi-page PDF, which is easier to review than a pile of single-page files.

TIFF vs PDF: which one to keep

TIFF is an image format. It was developed by Aldus Corporation, which Adobe later acquired, and it suits scanning and archiving because it preserves detail (see the TIFF overview on Wikipedia). PDF is a document format for viewing, printing and sharing the same way on every device. Keep the TIFF as your master copy if you need one. Send the PDF.

After you convert TIFF to PDF

The PDF is usually a starting point, not the end of the job. If you have several scans, join the converted files into one document before sending. A long document reads better once you add page numbers to the PDF, and it is best to do that after any merging so the sequence runs straight through. If your scans started as phone photos or JPG files instead of TIFF, turn the images into a PDF the same way.

Need the opposite? Convert PDF to TIFF

This page converts in one direction, TIFF to PDF. Going the other way is a different job, and it needs a PDF to TIFF converter. To convert a PDF to a TIFF image, each PDF page has to be drawn as a picture at a resolution you choose. That choice matters:

• At 300 DPI an A4 page becomes about 2,480 × 3,508 pixels, which is sharp enough for print and OCR.
• At 150 DPI the page is about 1,240 × 1,754 pixels, a quarter of the pixels, so it is smaller but softer.
• Black-and-white output is far smaller than colour for text pages, as the size table above shows.

If you must convert PDF to TIFF file format, expect one TIFF page per PDF page. Some workflows, such as legacy archives or fax systems, ask for this format, which is usually the only reason to go back to TIFF.

Need a JPG instead? Convert TIFF to JPG

If you want a picture for a website or a chat message rather than a document, you may prefer to convert TIFF to JPG. A JPEG file is much smaller because it uses lossy compression, which discards a little detail. Two things to know: a JPG holds a single image, so a multi-page TIFF needs one JPG per page, and you should keep the TIFF as your high-quality original. To switch formats, try the image format converter and check that your file type is supported.

Where a TIFF to PDF converter helps

Sending scanned documents. A recipient who can’t open a .tiff file on their phone can open a PDF without thinking about it.

Uploading to forms and portals. Many systems for HR, banking and government accept PDF and reject TIFF. Convert TIFF to PDF before you start the upload, not after it fails.

Archiving fax and mail scans. Multi-page TIFF is common in fax and mail-room workflows. A PDF keeps page order and is easier for the next person to open.

Printing and signing. PDFs print on standard paper sizes and work with signing and annotation tools that don’t read TIFF.

Checklist before you send the PDF

1. The page count matches the original TIFF.
2. Pages are upright and in the right order.
3. Small text is readable at normal zoom.
4. The file size fits the limit of where you are sending it.
5. The filename describes the content and the date.

Convert TIFF to PDF: common questions

How do I convert TIFF to PDF?

Upload your .tif or .tiff file to the converter, choose any options shown on screen, click Convert, and download the PDF. A multi-page TIFF becomes a multi-page PDF in the same page order.

How to convert TIFF to PDF without losing quality?

Start from the original scan, not a copy that was already compressed, and check the first page of the result at normal zoom. Quality in the PDF depends mainly on the scan resolution. A 300 DPI scan stays sharp, while a low-resolution scan can’t be improved by converting it.

Can a TIFF to PDF converter handle multi-page files?

Yes. Each page inside the TIFF becomes one page in the PDF, in the original order. Compare the page count of the result with your scan to confirm nothing was skipped.

Is .tif the same as .tiff?

Yes. Both extensions describe the same Tagged Image File Format. The shorter .tif comes from older systems that limited extensions to three characters.

Why is my TIFF file so large?

TIFF often stores pixels uncompressed. One A4 colour page at 300 DPI is about 26 MB uncompressed, while a black-and-white page can be around 1 MB. Colour scans and high DPI settings drive the size up the fastest.

Can I convert PDF to TIFF?

That needs a separate PDF to TIFF converter, since each PDF page has to be turned into an image first. Choose the resolution carefully: 300 DPI suits print and OCR, while lower values give smaller files. This page converts TIFF to PDF only.

How do I convert TIFF to JPG?

Use an image format converter and save each TIFF page as a JPG. JPG files are smaller but lose a little detail, and a multi-page TIFF produces one JPG per page.

What DPI should I scan at before converting?

300 DPI works for most text documents. Higher settings increase file size quickly without making typed text easier to read.

Ready to convert TIFF to PDF? Scroll back to the tool at the top, or browse the rest of our free PDF and image tools.