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Convert TIFF files to PDF files

6 days ago
April 5, 2025
2 replies
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+18

vxn43
Supporter

I have a dozen TIFF files I need to convert to PDF. These are not georeferenced or related to GIS; they are just black-and-white images. They are intended to be hyperlinked so users can view them on a website.

I understand how to use the TIFF Reader, but the PDF Writer confuses me. I see there are only two choices to write to PDF: Adobe 3D PDF and Adobe Geospatial PDF Writers. I have tried both and received same error. I am using FME Form 2021. What is the best way to convert TIFF files to PDF files? Or what parameters do I need to set if I use one of the PDF Writers I mentioned?

Here is the error I receive when I use any of the two PDF Writers:

ERROR |PDFWriter: Could not open output file for writing. Please verify that the file is not open in other applications or that the file is not read-only

The TIFF files are not open and are not read-only.

Best answer by redgeographics

You’ll need to use the Adobe Geospatial PDF writer (even though your tiff’s aren’t georeferenced) and unless your tiff’s are set up really weird in terms of bands you should be able to just use a PDFPageFormatter, define a page and an area on it and put the tiff in there.

The error message refers to writing and one of the odd things about PDF writing is that you can’t write to a file that already exists and is opened in another application, or has just been closed. It seems to take a couple of seconds for the file closing to register with the operating system.

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+17

panda
Enthusiast
66 replies
6 days ago
April 5, 2025

You can you MapnikRasterizer transformer before writing it to Adobe Geosptial PDF writer. Just make sure that the TIFF going into it, you set Symbolizer to Raster.

Hope this helps!

+49

redgeographics
Celebrity
3614 replies
Best Answer
4 days ago
April 7, 2025

You’ll need to use the Adobe Geospatial PDF writer (even though your tiff’s aren’t georeferenced) and unless your tiff’s are set up really weird in terms of bands you should be able to just use a PDFPageFormatter, define a page and an area on it and put the tiff in there.

The error message refers to writing and one of the odd things about PDF writing is that you can’t write to a file that already exists and is opened in another application, or has just been closed. It seems to take a couple of seconds for the file closing to register with the operating system.