Viewing TIFF Images on The Web

What are TIFF Images?

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a compressed format commonly used to store images of scanned documents. Scanned documents on this site are in TIFF format.

You can view TIFF files directly on the web by using a web browser plug-in or helper application outside of your web browser. Most of these options let you view the images with pan and zoom capability. A TIFF viewer plug-in lets you view the image in your web browser. This site was designed to work best with viewing solutions integrated with your web browser. Any of these options can be used with the TIFF images on this web site. Macintosh users should see Viewing TIFF Images on a Macintosh.

The various TIFF viewing options below each have different advantages and disadvantages. They differ in cost (some free), features, ease-of-use and availability. You can use one of these or any other TIFF viewer you may have or find. The choice is yours.

Some viewers run as external applications and are not true web browser plugins. While you can view the images with external applications, additional windows are opened that are not integrated with the intended browser. Many people are pleased with this approach for viewing TIFF documents. We like ALTERNATIFF.COM, CPC View and usually it’s a free viewer.

Internet Explorer 5.5 and 6, RealDownload and QuickTime May Interfere with TIFF Viewing!

TIFF viewing options built into Windows

With the exception of Internet Explorer with Windows 98 and Windows 2000, the built-in TIFF viewing solutions are not integrated with your web browser. For anything besides casual use, you will probably prefer an integrated (plug-in) solution.

  • Window XP users can use the included Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. Windows Picture and Fax Viewer is a Windows application and not a browser plug-in. With Windows XP, Windows Picture and Fax Viewer is opened as an application in another window outside of your web browser and operation isn't as smooth or clean. Zooming and navigating around the image was very slow in our testing. For Windows XP users, we recommend using one of the plug-ins instead of Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.
  • Windows 98 and Windows 2000 users are in luck! Kodak Imaging for Windows is included with the Windows 98 and Windows 2000 operating systems. If you use Internet Explorer, then Imaging for Windows is used to view TIFF images by default and is fully integrated with the browser. You don't need to do anything special to make it work.

See information above for problems with Internet Explorer 6 installed on Windows 98 and Windows 2000.

If you use Netscape, then Kodak Imaging for Windows is opened as an application in another window outside of Netscape and operation isn't as smooth or clean. For Netscape users, we recommend using one of the plug-ins below instead of Kodak Imaging for Windows.

If your prints fill the page but show only a portion of the document, you need to tell imaging to use "Fit to page" for printing. To set "Fit to page" for printing, you need to use Imaging's File menu. You can click on this sample TIFF image to do this. Then in Internet Explorer, choose File, Print..., Options, Print Format and select "Fit to Page" and apply your change.

  • Windows 95 users can also use Kodak Imaging for Windows as described above for Windows 98 and Internet Explorer. It is included in some versions of Windows 95. If your particular version of Windows 95 doesn't have it, you used to be able to download it from Eastman Software, but it's not available from them anymore. Microsoft has Imaging for Windows 95 Version 1.0 available, but we haven't tested it.
  • Window NT users can use the included Imaging for Windows NT accessory by Wang. Imaging is a Windows application and not a browser plug-in. With Windows NT, Imaging for Windows NT is opened as an application in another window outside of your web browser and operation isn't as smooth or clean. For Windows NT users, we recommend using one of the plug-ins instead of Imaging for Windows.

TIFF viewer plugins

Here are a few TIFF viewer plug-ins you can download and install to view TIFF images.

Only a few of these TIFF viewer plug-ins are free. If you know of a free TIFF viewer plug-in, please contact bmevans@co.franklin.oh.us  and we'll add it to the list.