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TIFF to PDF converter

TIFF → PDF wraps one-page or multi-page TIFF scans into PDF pages while keeping them image-only unless OCR is added later.

  • Converted with Image engine · input deleted within 24 h
  • Free: 5 conversions a day · 5 MB each
  • Higher limits →

From real runs

What you get — and what changes

  • Multi-page structure Kept

    A multi-page TIFF becomes a multi-page PDF with one image page per TIFF frame.

  • CCITT scans Changed

    CCITT-compressed fax-style pages are decoded and placed into an image-only PDF page stream.

  • LZW images Changed

    LZW TIFF inputs are decoded before PDF writing; the PDF is not a raw TIFF container.

  • Searchable text Lost

    Scanned words inside the TIFF remain pixels. No hidden OCR text layer is generated by this pair.

  • Page order Kept

    Frames are written in their TIFF order, which matters for scanned contracts and fax batches.

  • TIFF tags Changed

    Image pixels and page order are the goal; specialized TIFF tags should not be treated as preserved PDF metadata.

Sample conversions

Fax-style signed agreement

Input
A six-frame black-and-white TIFF using CCITT compression, scanned from a signed agreement.
Output
A six-page image-only PDF. The signatures and text were visible, but searching for a clause found nothing.

Archive scan with mixed pages

Input
A multi-page LZW TIFF containing grayscale letter pages and one color exhibit page.
Output
A PDF with the same page order. The color exhibit remained visible; no TIFF-specific archive tags were exposed as PDF fields.

A real TIFF → PDF run

We converted our TIFF sample (19 KB) with Image engine on 2026-10-20. It took 21 ms and produced a 32 KB PDF file, 1.7× larger than the input. The engine raised 1 warning, listed below.

Input · sample.tif · 19 KB

1200 × 800 px, deflate

Width
1,200
Height
800
Encoding
deflate

Output · sample.pdf · 32 KB

PDF 1.4, 1 page, no text layer, 1 image object

Version
1.4
Pages
1
Images
1
Text layer
no
  • Image metadata stripped from output.

Is your file a scan?

TIFF → PDF produces image-only PDFs. For scanned pages, fax batches, or photographed documents, route the PDF through Deep Read with make-pdf-searchable when the output must contain searchable or editable text.

Options and when to change them

pageSize
Use auto to preserve scan dimensions; choose Letter or A4 when the PDF must match office paper expectations.
dpi
Set DPI when the TIFF scan has missing or incorrect resolution metadata and printed scale matters.

Do it yourself

ImageMagick 7

bash
magick in.tif out.pdf

The command makes an image-only PDF; add OCRmyPDF afterward if the scanned TIFF should be searchable.

Pillow 11

bash
from PIL import Image, ImageSequence

im = Image.open("in.tif")
pages = [frame.convert("RGB") for frame in ImageSequence.Iterator(im)]
pages[0].save("out.pdf", save_all=True, append_images=pages[1:])

This decodes TIFF frames and writes page images, not a text layer or a preservation-grade PDF/A file.

TIFF to PDF by API or MCP

The HTTP API and the MCP server run the exact engine this page uses (Image engine); the response carries the same warnings the web converter shows. Check support first with GET /api/v1/pairs?from=tiff&to=pdf.

curl
curl -X POST https://filetypeconverters.com/api/v1/convert \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FTC_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@input.tif" -F "from=tiff" -F "to=pdf" \
  -F 'options={"width":0}' \
  --output output.pdf

Options this engine accepts for TIFF → PDF

KeyApplies toTypeDefault
widthWriting PDFnumber0
heightWriting PDFnumber0
fitWriting PDFcontain · cover · fillcontain
qualityWriting PDFnumber90
backgroundWriting PDFstring#ffffff
stripMetadataWriting PDFbooleantrue
API reference

When this is the wrong conversion

  • Use make-pdf-searchable when the TIFF is a scan and users need to search, copy, or redact text.
  • Keep TIFF for archival workflows that depend on TIFF tags, bitonal compression policy, or scanner metadata.
  • Use PDF/A validation tooling if a records system specifically requires archival PDF conformance.

TIFF to PDF questions

Does multi-page TIFF become multi-page PDF?

Yes. Each TIFF frame becomes a PDF page in frame order.

Will TIFF → PDF OCR my scan?

No. It creates an image-only PDF. Use the make-pdf-searchable workflow for OCR.

Can CCITT or LZW TIFF files be converted?

Yes. Our image engine decodes CCITT and LZW inputs before writing the PDF pages.

Why did my TIFF tags disappear?

PDF is not a TIFF tag container. The conversion preserves visible pages and order, not scanner-specific TIFF metadata.

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