TIFF Format: When to Use It

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a high-quality, usually lossless format built for archiving and print, not for the web.

Why pros use it

• Preserves every pixel with no compression loss — ideal as a master / archive copy.
• Supports layers, multiple pages and high bit depth.
• The standard handoff format for professional printing.

Why not on the web

TIFF files are huge, and most browsers can't even display them. Putting a TIFF on a web page is a guaranteed slow, broken experience.

For online use, convert it

Keep the TIFF as your master, then export a web copy: convert to JPG for photos, or PNG for graphics with transparency, and compress it. Related: lossless compression.