TIFF

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a high-quality raster format long favored for scanning, archiving, and professional imaging. It can store images losslessly at full fidelity and supports features that matter in document workflows, like multiple pages in a single file and color profiles for accurate print.

Document scanners often output TIFF, especially multi-page TIFFs that hold an entire scanned stack as one file, which is why it shows up so much in archives and back-office systems. Because it preserves every detail, it is a dependable master format to keep originals in before deriving smaller working copies.

The trade-off is size: a lossless, full-resolution TIFF is large and not meant for sharing or the web. The common workflow is to scan to TIFF for the archive, then convert those pages into a compressed, searchable PDF for everyday use and distribution.