What is TIFF?
TIFF (Tag Image File Format) is a common format for exchanging raster graphics (bitmap) images between application programs, including those used for scanner images. A TIFF file can be identified as a file with a “.tiff” or “.tif” file name suffix. The TIFF format was developed in 1986 by an industry committee chaired by the Aldus Corporation (now part of Adobe Software). Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard were among the contributors to the format. One of the most common graphic image formats, TIFF files are commonly used in desktop publishing, faxing, 3-D applications, and medical imaging applications. Tiff Group IV is the image compression format most widely used in document imaging today. TIFF files can be in any of several classes, including gray scale, color palette, or RGB full color, and can include files with JPEG, LZW, or CCITT Group 4 standard run-length image compression.
The Tag Interface File Format (TIFF) is a standard for storing bit mapped graphics from scanners and fax machines. Free TIFF file viewers and plug-ins are available for most web browsers and computers. TIFF is commonly used in document management systems to enable viewing of scanned legacy documents. The US Patent and Trademark Office stores millions of old patent and trademark documents in TIFF files so they may be viewed and read by anyone with a web browser and an internet connection.
