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pdfconversionapi

VSD to TIFF API

POST a VSD to /v2/convert/vsd/to/tiff and get TIFF images of its pages: one multi-page TIFF for a drawing with several pages, a plain TIFF for one page. The sample sends ImageResolution=72 and ColorSpace=gray to keep its single A4 page to 500,593 bytes.

Endpoint
POST /v2/convert/vsd/to/tiff
Accepts
vsd
Sample timing
0.479 s median of 5 runsHow we measure
Request size
Up to 10 MB on the Free plan or 100 MB on paid plans, all files together

Request and response

Every sample below ran against the API before this page was published. Set PDFCONVERSIONAPI_KEY to your key and run it as is.

curl -sS -X POST \
  https://api.pdfconversionapi.com/v2/convert/vsd/to/tiff \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PDFCONVERSIONAPI_KEY" \
  -F File=@single-shape.vsd \
  --form-string ImageResolution=72 \
  --form-string ColorSpace=gray \
  -o response.json

# FileData is base64. Save the first file in converted/,
# or print the JSON error.
if jq -e '.Files' response.json > /dev/null; then
  mkdir -p converted
  name=$(jq -r '.Files[0].FileName' response.json)
  jq -r '.Files[0].FileData' response.json \
    | base64 --decode > "converted/$name"
else
  cat response.json
fi
200 OK0.479 s median1 file, 489 KB
{
  "ConversionCost": 1,
  "ConversionTime": 0.479,
  "Files": [
    {
      "FileName": "single-shape-1.tiff",
      "FileExt": "tiff",
      "FileSize": 500593,
      "FileData": "SUkqAMOiBwBIAAAAAQAAAEgA…"
    }
  ]
}

Response from our test run on 2026-11-03. ConversionTime shows the median of 5 runs. FileData is shortened here; the real response carries the whole file as base64.

The sample, converted

The same file the code sends. Download the input and the output and compare them yourself.

First page of single-shape-1.tiff, rendered by the API
Input
single-shape.vsd (11 KB)
Output
single-shape-1.tiff (489 KB)
Source
A one-page Visio 2003-2010 drawing with a single labeled rectangle, taken from an open-source office suite's public test files (MPL-2.0); we did not make it (MPL-2.0). How it was made
Made by
2026-11-04, API build 9eeeb0640aba

Parameters

Send these as form fields next to the file. Names are case-insensitive. If you set one of the documented options below that we don't support yet, the request fails with a 400 that names it instead of returning a file made without it.

ParameterWhat it does
ImageResolutioninteger, default 150DPI to draw at, written to the TIFF when sent. The sample page is 595 × 841 pixels at 72 DPI; at 150 it is 1240 × 1753.Values: 36–600
ColorSpaceenum, default defaultgray stores a one-page TIFF as 8-bit gray: 500,593 bytes for the sample at 72 DPI. By default the page is 8-bit RGB with no alpha channel, 6,521,426 bytes at 150 DPI, and rgb returns the same file. cmyk returns 400.Values: default, rgb, gray, grayscale, monochrome
MultiPageboolean, default trueCombines two or more pages into one LZW-compressed TIFF. With one page, as in the sample, true and false give the same file.
ImageWidthintegerDraw pages to this pixel width instead.Values: 1–20000
ImageHeightintegerOr to this pixel height.Values: 1–20000
PageRangestringPages to include.Values: e.g. 1, 2-3, 2-last
FileNamestringName stem; the sample's page is single-shape-1.tiff.
StoreFileboolean, default falseReturn a link to each stored TIFF (3 hours) rather than the bytes.

Not supported yet

Setting one of these to anything but its default returns 400.

OptionWhat to do instead
PageSizeThe drawing's page size is kept; PageSize returns 400 for VSD files.

Also refused when set: PageOrientation.

What carries over, and what doesn't

Kept

  • The drawing's page size at the DPI you choose: A4 at 72 DPI is 595 × 841 pixels
  • The DPI recorded in the TIFF's resolution tags when ImageResolution is sent
  • Shapes and labels drawn from the vector page
  • Lossless storage: the page is either raw or LZW-compressed, never lossy

Lost or not yet supported

  • A one-page TIFF isn't compressed. At the default 150 DPI in color the sample page is 6,521,426 bytes, which is why the sample asks for 72 DPI and gray.
  • Only drawings with two or more pages get the LZW-compressed multi-page TIFF.
  • No 1-bit or CCITT fax pages.
  • Text in the image isn't searchable, and it is drawn in the server's fonts (Liberation Sans for the sample's label).

Limits

  • Binary VSD files, tested with the Visio 2003–2010 format.
  • Up to 2,000 pages per request; a page over 16,000 pixels on a side or 100 million pixels returns 413.
  • ImageResolution outside 36–600 returns 400.
  • Requests up to 10 MB on the Free plan or 100 MB on paid plans, all files and fields together.
  • Conversions over 120 seconds return 504.

Where teams use it

Moving old diagrams into a TIFF-based archive

Imaging and records systems that store pages as TIFF can take each legacy VSD drawing as images, at the DPI the archive uses.

Gray page images for document review

A gray TIFF at a modest DPI is small enough to load into review tools page by page while keeping labels legible.

Questions

Why is the TIFF so large without options?

A one-page drawing gives a single TIFF, and single pages are stored without compression: 1240 × 1753 pixels × 3 bytes at 150 DPI is 6.5 MB. Lower ImageResolution, add ColorSpace=gray, or use PNG when you don't need TIFF.

When do I get a multi-page TIFF?

When the drawing has two or more pages and MultiPage is left at true. Those pages are joined into one file and compressed with LZW.

Can I fix the DPI for an archive?

Yes. ImageResolution sets both the drawing resolution and the TIFF's resolution tags, so ImageResolution=200 gives a 200 DPI image of the right physical size.

Convert your first VSD file in a minute.