Can someone give me a very “simple” explanation of the difference between PDF files (Portable Document Format) and TIFF files (Tag Image File Format)?. Why would I prefer one over the other? At work I access both in the same program. Why would we have both? All I know is on the TIFF file image I can put a live validation stamp and the PDF I can’t. Tiff image is also easier to print out. ....Then if you want to elaberate feel free. Thanks all.

Both formats are accepted on several platforms

Generally PDFs are larger in file size than compressed TIFFs

PDFs have a better viewing experience with the ability to add highlights, bookmarks, notes, etc...

PDFs have added security features (secure signatures, password protected, restricted editing/printing)

The PDF format is meant to be extensible so that new features can (and will) be added in the future

TIFF hasn't changed for years


TIFF prints out, PDF gets converted to PCL before it prints which CAN cause errors.

Thanks William. I think the key word for me is format. Today I took a closer look at the files I am in; what I could do in them and what I couldn’t; HML PDF EXCEL TIFF TEXT. It was helpful for me to see that much of the time the work I was doing could be reproduced in any one of these formats but I was limited to what I could do once in them. The whole exercise has made me more aware of what is right in front of me every day

Basically a Tiff file just another type of image file. Like a jpeg, bmp, gif and others.

A PDF is a type of document. It has much more features, and can be converted into many different formats. Most of the time PDFs are created in Word or Excel and then converted to PDF. Normally with the right program, they would be able to be converted back into Word or Excel.