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How to convert TIFF to PDF on Windows

By DeckleUpdated

To convert TIFF to PDF on Windows, open TIFF to PDF in your browser, drag the TIFF files onto the page, check the planned page count, choose Fit inside A4 and choose Create PDF. Every frame of every TIFF becomes a page, so a multipage scan becomes a multipage PDF. Your TIFF files are not changed.

TIFF to PDF

One file can hold several frames

Frame 1

Cover

Frame 2

Table

Frame 3

Signed page

3 included frames → 3 planned PDF pages

Example · count included decoded frames, not TIFF filenames.

How to convert TIFF to PDF on Windows with Deckle

  1. Open TIFF to PDF in Microsoft Edge, Chrome or Firefox.
  2. Drag the .tif or .tiff files from File Explorer onto the page, or choose Select files.
  3. Check the frame counts. Deckle reads each TIFF as soon as you add it, so a multipage TIFF's row shows how many pages it will make.
  4. Under Images to include, check the ticks and set the file order with the up and down arrows. A multipage TIFF moves as one block.
  5. Press the rotate button on a file that is on its side. The turn applies to every frame in that TIFF.
  6. Under Page size, choose Fit inside A4 and pick Orientation and Margin in points.
  7. Choose Create PDF and download the file.

The result screen tells you how many pages the PDF has. Compare it with the frame counts: three files of four frames each should give 12 pages.

Choose Fit inside A4 for scans

TIFF page size in Deckle comes from pixels, not from the scanner's DPI setting. With Match each image, one pixel becomes one point, so an A4 page scanned at 300 DPI becomes a page about 34 × 49 inches. Choose Fit inside A4 and the scan shrinks to a real A4 page, with every pixel still there when you zoom in.

Which TIFFs work

TIFF type Supported
Uncompressed, LZW or Deflate compression Yes
Greyscale, RGB or palette colour at 1, 8 or 16 bits Yes
Fax compression (CCITT), common in office scanners and fax software May be refused
CMYK colour, common in print workflows No

If a file is refused, the message names the file and the frame. Re-saving the scan as an LZW-compressed RGB or greyscale TIFF from your scanner software usually fixes it. A frame over 16 megapixels on a PC is scaled down to 16 megapixels, and the review lists it before you convert. A frame over 64 megapixels is refused before you start, and the disabled button names the file.

What changes in the PDF

Each frame is saved into the PDF as a JPEG at quality 90 on a white background. Colour and greyscale scans look the same at normal zoom. A crisp black-and-white text scan can look slightly softer when zoomed in and can take more space than the TIFF did. 16-bit frames are reduced to 8 bits, and TIFF tags such as scanner resolution and author are not carried across.

The text in a scan is part of the image, so it is not searchable in the PDF. For details on frame order, see how a multipage TIFF becomes PDF pages.

After converting

Frames cannot be removed or reordered one by one in TIFF to PDF. Fix the result in Organize PDF pages: remove blank pages, move pages and turn single pages, then choose Save pages. See how to delete pages from a PDF on Windows.

Tips

  • Check frame counts before converting. A 10-page scan whose row shows no frame count holds a single frame, so the file is not what you expected.
  • Convert large batches in parts. Big multipage TIFFs use a lot of memory; split the job if the browser slows down.
  • Merge with other documents. Combine the result with other PDFs in Merge PDFs. See how to merge PDF files on Windows.
  • Keep the TIFFs for archives. The PDF is for sharing; the original scans are lossless.

Other ways to convert TIFF on Windows

  • Your scanner software. Many scanner apps can save straight to PDF. If you scan regularly, choosing PDF at scan time saves a step.
  • Your phone. Deckle runs in a phone browser too, but on iPhone and iPad each frame keeps only 4 megapixels, so a 300 DPI A4 scan is scaled down, and frames over 25 megapixels are refused. A PC is the better place for TIFF scans.

Frequently asked questions

Does a multipage TIFF become a multipage PDF?

Yes. Every frame becomes a page, in the order it is stored in the file.

Why was my TIFF refused?

Usually fax (CCITT) compression or CMYK colour, or a frame over 64 megapixels. The message names the file.

Why is the page huge in my PDF?

You chose Match each image. Choose Fit inside A4 to get a normal page size.

Are my scans uploaded?

No. The TIFF is decoded and the PDF is built in your browser.

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