TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
Open BetaTIFF is a high-quality raster format with lossless compression. Ideal for professional printing and archival map storage. Supports high resolution and CMYK colors. Exported at print resolution (300 DPI by default).
Key Features
About TIFF Format
TIFF is a raster format that has stayed the working standard of print and archives since the 1980s: lossless compression, any image dimensions, support for high resolutions. It is opened by Photoshop, GIMP, Affinity Photo, the standard macOS viewer and just about any image editor.
A map is exported to TIFF when you need a final shot for printing or long-term storage: a poster for the wall, an illustration for a book, an appendix to a report. Unlike JPEG, TIFF loses no pixels when re-saved, so the file calmly survives several rounds of edits.
The output is a single .tiff rendered through QGIS at 300 DPI (the value can be changed at export time). This is an image and nothing more: layers, labels and objects are already flattened and cannot be edited. There is no georeferencing inside — if the map has to go into a GIS on top of other data, take GeoTIFF.
What Program Opens TIFF Files
The following programs and applications can open, edit, and work with TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) (.tiff) files exported from OSM2CDR:
Format specifications
- Open standard
- 2D only
- Lossless (no quality loss)
- No attributes
- Output: 1 file
- TIFF 6.0 baseline (no georeferencing). For high-resolution print exports. Opens in Photoshop, GIMP, Lightroom.
Who Uses TIFF Maps
How to Export TIFF
How to Open After Export
- Photoshop and Affinity Photo — File → Open; check the size in pixels and the resolution, and for a print house convert the file to CMYK or simply download a CMYK TIFF from us.
- GIMP — opens TIFF with no plugins; handy for adding a caption, an inset or a frame before printing.
- InDesign, Word, LibreOffice — place it as an illustration; make sure the picture is not stretched beyond 100%, otherwise the effective resolution drops.
- The print house — check their requirements in advance: usually CMYK and 300 DPI at the final size are needed; an RGB file gets converted by the printer itself and the color may drift.
- QGIS — if georeferencing turns out to be needed, a TIFF can be referenced by hand (Raster → Georeferencer), or the map can be re-downloaded as GeoTIFF.
Popular maps in TIFF
Get TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) map exports
Download professional TIFF maps from OpenStreetMap. Instant generation, any area.
Frequently Asked Questions
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