TIFF production
TIFF production in eDiscovery is the production of documents as static images (conventionally single-page, Group IV compressed TIFF files at 300 DPI) each stamped with a Bates number and any confidentiality designation, delivered with document-level extracted or OCR text and DAT/OPT load files. It is the traditional form of production and the easiest to number, redact and cite.
Also called: imaged production · TIFF/text production · image production · Group IV TIFF · single-page TIFF · PDF production
Updated September 6, 2026
How does TIFF production work?
Each document is rendered to images as it would print, one image per page. The images are endorsed, Bates number and confidentiality legend stamped into the margin, and written to numbered folders. Text is extracted from the electronic original into a per-document text file; for scanned or redacted documents, OCR is run on the image instead. The OPT file indexes the pages; the DAT file carries the metadata.
TIFF remains the default for email, Word documents and PDFs because it is easy to cite, easy to redact, and impossible to alter. The trade-off is fidelity, which is why hybrid protocols keep spreadsheets and presentations native.
What does TIFF production look like in practice?
A production volume on disk:
VOL001/
IMAGES/001/SMITH-000148.tif … SMITH-000151.tif
TEXT/001/SMITH-000148.txt
NATIVES/SMITH-000152.xlsx
DATA/VOL001.dat
DATA/VOL001.optHow does TIFF production show up on an eDiscovery invoice?
Imaging is where per-page fees live. Format conversion or TIFFing is commonly billed per page or per gigabyte, and OCR per page on top for scanned material. A protocol that images everything, including large spreadsheets, can turn a modest production into a large conversion bill. Ask whether imaging is priced per page or per gigabyte, whether OCR is included, and whether producing spreadsheets natively removes the charge for them. The format risk planner shows which file types to keep out of the image set.
A gigabyte of scans is far fewer pages than a gigabyte of text, which is what makes per-page imaging charges hard to forecast; the pages-per-gigabyte guide has the table.
Sources
- Fed. R. Civ. P. 34(b)(2)(E).
- EDRM Production Guide on image formats and endorsements.
- The Sedona Conference Glossary, “TIFF.”
Related terms
Native production · OPT file · Bates numbering · Redaction · OCR · ESI protocol
eDiscovery at one flat monthly rate
$3,250 a month on a 12-month agreement. No per-user fees and no per-GB hosting charges.
Common questions
Why single-page TIFF rather than multi-page PDF?
Convention and tooling. Single-page images map one-to-one onto Bates numbers and OPT load-file rows, and every review platform imports them. Many protocols now permit searchable PDF as an alternative, particularly for productions to parties without a review platform.
What does a TIFF production lose?
Anything that does not print: spreadsheet formulas and hidden cells, presentation speaker notes, tracked changes, comments, embedded objects, and most application metadata. That is why hybrid protocols produce those file types natively.
What is extracted text vs OCR text?
Extracted text is taken directly from the electronic file and is exact. OCR text is generated by optical character recognition from an image and contains errors. Electronic documents are produced with extracted text; scanned documents and redacted documents get OCR text.