Converting Microsoft Office Files to PDF or TIFF: What are the Easiest Solutions?

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Microsoft Office is among the most widely-used suite of office products in the modern corporate environment. Microsoft Word, for word processing, and Excel for spreadsheets, in particular, are indispensable. Sometimes though, it’s necessary to convert these Microsoft Office files to another format. The reasons for not wanting to send clients or colleagues documents created by these programs  can be varied, including:

Those are just a few of the potential issues you can run into with sharing Microsoft Office documents. Those shortcomings can be addressed with converting your files to one of two popular formats that are widely used in the business world: PDF or TIFF.

A quick overview: Why are PDF and TIFF preferable?

The PDF (portable document format) and TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) filetypes share one major element in common: the document formatting appears the same to everybody, regardless of which device, computer or operating system it is viewed on. This makes these formats ideal for sharing – giving you, as the sender, the comfort of knowing that your document will be viewed exactly as you intended it to be.

This is because they are saved as raster files. That means that the outputted file is actually made up of rendered images, rather than individual text characters. That allows the outputted file – actually an image – to display exactly the same, whether it’s on a phone, a tablet, a computer, or even on a printed-out page.

(To be clear, there is another type of PDF file that does not output in raster, but rather vector. See details below on PDF Creator Plus if you have this requirement.)

Converting Word and Excel files to TIFF & PDF:

To convert Microsoft office files (including Word, Excel, Powerpoint and others) to TIFF and/or PDF, PEERNET offers a number of options that you may find useful, depending on your precise requirements and the resources of your company. These products offer support for all Microsoft Office file formats for conversion, including: Microsoft Excel (*.xls, *.xlsx, *.xlsm, *.xls, *.xlt, *.xltx, *.xltm, *.xlsb);  PowerPoint (*ppt, *.pptx, *.pptm); Microsoft Outlook (*.oft, *.msg, *.vcf, *.vcs, *.ics); Microsoft Word(*.doc, *.docx, *.docm, *.dot, *.dotx, *.dotm ), as well as generic filetypes that are readable in Office products, such as Rich-Text files(*.rtf), text files(*.txt, *.log, *.xml) and web files(*.htm, *.html, *.mht).

TIFF Image Printer

Converts Microsoft Office files to TIFF

This piece of software essentially functions as a virtual printer, or print driver. Its functionality could not be quicker or simpler. The TIFF Image Printer uses your Windows’ existing “Print document” functionality to create new outputted TIFF files.

While its functionality is rather simple, its set of features is actually quite substantial:

• Probably the fastest and easiest way to convert Microsoft Office documents to TIFF
• Control over the output settings of the document
• Support for automation and custom naming
• Ability to adjust outputted dots per inch, from 50 to 1200 – wide variation in quality available
• Ability to perform image adjustments such as resizing, image rotation, cropping, trimming and more
• Significant compression settings for your TIFF documents
• Ability to add header and footer endorsements
• Support for custom paper sizes
• Version 11.0 is supported on all Windows platforms dating back to Windows XP.

PDF Image Printer

Converts Microsoft Office files to PDF

If you have a need to convert files to PDF, then our PDF Image Printer offers a nearly identical solution as TIFF Image Printer – except that it offers much of the same functionality, tailored towards PDF conversions.

In addition to the benefits offered above, a few of the top features of PDF Image Printer include:

• Converts to high quality, small size PDFs.
• Creates secure non-searchable, non-editable, PDF/A-1B compliant PDF files.
• Supports password protection & 40-bit or 128-bit encryption, and permission levels to restrict access to document contents

Raster Image Printer

Finally, if you need a straightforward solution that gives you the ability to regularly convert Microsoft Office files to either PDF or TIFF, you may want to consider using Raster Image Printer. It combines the functionality of both PDF Image Printer and TIFF Image Printer into one convenient package. The main advantage of using this is that it gives you the functionality and flexibility to convert your Microsoft Office files into either of those prominent formats.

Other Options for Office to PDF or TIFF

For individuals or organizations with a need for more regular conversion of Microsoft Office files – or more powerful conversion features – there are a number of other options available as well.

Here is a brief rundown:

• PDF Creator Plus – offers much of the same functionality as Adobe Acrobat, but at a more cost-effective price point. PDF Creator Plus allows you to combine, edit and merge all types of printable Windows documents (including Microsoft Office, of course), into an outputted PDF file. This is a standalone piece of software, in contrast to the Image Printers we’ve noted so far. With that comes plenty of annotation tools, customization options, and advanced features for power users. These files are vector files in contrast to the other options we’ve discussed in this post, which output into raster files. The advantage of vector files is that you can search for text in them, in the same way that you would in a Word document. This may prove beneficial for document searchability and discovery.
  As an added bonus, PDF Creator Plus has a Microsoft Word add-in built right in. This allows you to create PDF documents from Microsoft Word with your headings, outlines and hyperlinks intact by using the Save As PDF 7.0 Word Add-In included with the product.
• Document Conversion Service – For organizations with a need for a high-volume document conversion program in order to change a large amount of Microsoft Office files into PDF or TIFF, PEERNET’s Document Conversion Service is the ideal file conversion solution. It runs 24/7 in the background, and allows for automated, batch file conversion, which can save your organization an incredible amount of time, money and resources over the long haul. It also offers a wide array of advanced features for IT departments and power users, to optimize the efficiency of your document conversion protocol.

For Converting Office Files to PDF or TIFF, We Have You Covered

Whether you need a solution for Word to PDF, Excel to TIFF, or any conversion in between, PEERNET has a product that can fit your needs. For further information, and to clear up what product might be right for you, please take just a couple of minutes to watch the video below.

And of course, if you have any further questions, or need any guidance in choosing the right Office to PDF or Office to TIFF solution, we are always here to help. Simply contact us and we will get back to you to help you find the product that’s right for your needs.