FAX to PFM Converter

Quick FAX to PFM conversion — no signup needed

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Fax to Digital

Bridge the gap between legacy FAX encoding and PFM — preserve and modernize your fax document archive.

Privacy Guaranteed

FAX uploads are erased upon completion. PFM results are automatically purged from servers within 24 hours.

Simple Workflow

Upload FAX, choose PFM, download. Three simple steps — the entire process completes in under a minute.

How to convert FAX to PFM

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

Choose pfm or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

Let the file convert and you can download your pfm file right afterwards

About formats

FAX is a generic image file extension associated with facsimile transmission formats standardized by the ITU-T (formerly CCITT), with the underlying Group 3 compression standard ratified in 1980. FAX files typically contain monochrome (1-bit, black and white) image data compressed using the Modified Huffman (MH) encoding defined in ITU-T Recommendation T.4, which assigns variable-length codes to run lengths of consecutive white or black pixels along each scanline. The standard resolution for Group 3 fax is 204x98 dpi (normal mode) or 204x196 dpi (fine mode), reflecting the capabilities of thermal and laser fax machines of the era. FAX files encountered digitally are often raw Group 3 encoded bitstreams or TIFF wrappers with CCITT Group 3 compression (TIFF compression tag 3). The Group 3 encoding scheme is highly efficient for typical business documents — pages with mostly white space and black text — achieving compression ratios of 10:1 to 20:1 compared to uncompressed bitmaps. One advantage is universal fax system compatibility: Group 3 encoding is the mandatory baseline for all fax machines worldwide, meaning FAX files contain data in exactly the format transmitted over telephone lines, preserving the original fax data without transcoding losses. The format's role in business communications history provides another dimension — billions of fax transmissions using this encoding moved legal documents, medical records, and business correspondence for decades, and archived FAX files represent an important documentary record. FAX images can be viewed and converted using LibreOffice, ImageMagick, GIMP, and standard document management systems.

Developer: ITU-T

Initial release: 1980

PFM (Portable Float Map) is a floating-point raster image format devised by Paul Debevec around 2001, designed to store high-dynamic-range image data with the simplicity of the Netpbm family of formats. PFM extends the PBM/PGM/PPM philosophy — minimal header, raw data, no compression — to 32-bit IEEE floating-point samples, providing direct access to HDR pixel values without the encoding overhead of formats like OpenEXR or the limited range of Radiance HDR's RGBE encoding. The file structure is deliberately minimal: a two-character magic number ('Pf' for grayscale, 'PF' for color), width and height on the next line, a scale/endianness indicator (negative for little-endian, positive for big-endian, with magnitude indicating scale factor), and then the raw 32-bit float data for each pixel. PFM files store one float per pixel for grayscale or three floats (RGB) per pixel for color, with no compression, alpha channel, or metadata support. The format emerged from the HDR imaging research community where Debevec's work on image-based lighting and light stage capture required a simple, unambiguous way to store linear floating-point radiance values that could be easily exchanged between research tools. One advantage is absolute simplicity for HDR data: PFM can be read and written in a few lines of code in any language that supports IEEE floats, with no library dependencies — ideal for research prototyping and quick data exchange between custom tools. The format's widespread adoption in the computer vision and computational photography research community is another practical strength — optical flow benchmarks (Middlebury), depth estimation datasets, and radiance field captures commonly use PFM. The format is supported by ImageMagick, OpenCV, HDR Shop, and Luminance HDR.

Developer: Paul Debevec

Initial release: 2001

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert FAX to PFM?

FAX files require specialized fax viewers. Converting to PFM lets anyone open the content easily.

Where can I open PFM files?

Use HDR imaging tools, Luminance HDR, or GIMP to view PFM files.

Is fidelity maintained in FAX to PFM conversion?

Yes — the converter reproduces your FAX content in PFM at full fidelity. No visible quality is lost.

Is FAX to PFM free on Convertio?

Yes, basic usage is completely free. Premium plans are available for additional speed and volume.

Can I convert several FAX files simultaneously?

Batch mode is fully supported. Add multiple FAX files and download each converted PFM file individually.

What happens to my files after conversion?

Your original FAX upload is deleted right after processing. The converted PFM file is removed within 24 hours.

Related Conversions

FAX to PDF

FAX to JPG

FAX to TIFF

FAX to JPEG

FAX to PNG

FAX to BMP

FAX to JP2

FAX to JIF

FAX to DXF

FAX to DOT

FAX to XPM

FAX to WBMP

FAX to GIF

FAX to TGA

FAX to SVG

FAX to PCX

FAX to ICO

FAX to CUR

FAX to PBM

FAX to PGM

FAX to PPM

FAX to WEBP

FAX to EXR

FAX to FTS

FAX to G3

FAX to HDR

FAX to HRZ

FAX to IPL

FAX to MAP

FAX to MNG

FAX to MTV

FAX to OTB

FAX to PAL

FAX to PALM

FAX to PAM

FAX to PCD

FAX to PCT

FAX to PDB

FAX to PFM

FAX to PICON

FAX to PICT

FAX to PNM

FAX to PSD

FAX to RAS

FAX to RGB

FAX to RGBA

FAX to RGBO

FAX to SGI

FAX to SUN

FAX to UYVY

FAX to VIFF

FAX to XBM

FAX to XV

FAX to XWD

FAX to YUV

FAX to JBG

FAX to JBIG

FAX to HEIC

FAX to HEIF

FAX to G4

Specific converters

PFB to PFM

TTF to PFM

PNG to PFM

PDF to PFM

JPG to PFM

GIF to PFM

EXR to PFM

OTF to PFM

BMP to PFM

EPUB to PFM

TIFF to PFM

TXT to PFM

DXF to PFM

HTML to PFM

JPEG to PFM

HDR to PFM

SVG to PFM

RTF to PFM

DCM to PFM

DNG to PFM

PGM to PFM

DOCX to PFM

DOC to PFM

PCX to PFM

WOFF to PFM

WEBP to PFM

CR2 to PFM

CSV to PFM

PSD to PFM

JFIF to PFM